Vegan Pulled Pork

So Boris has said people who are eligible for SSP can now claim it from day 1 of self-isolation. Who pays for that? The employer, who may be struggling anyway through having up to an estimated 20% of his or her workforce off - coupled with a similar percentage of their customers. I think employers were looking for the government to underwrite the extra cost and amortise it over all of us - that's what happens in a civilised society. Let's just hope the budget provides some other assistance next week, especially for the poor buggers who don't earn enough to even qualify for SSP in the first place.

By the way, have a thought for blind people, who rely on touch.

About once every two weeks I make a lunchtime meal for my work colleagues - invariably a chicken korma or pulled pork made in the multi-cooker for ease.

One of my colleagues has given up meat for a while due to stomach problems, which has given me a bit of a dilemma. I solved the chicken korma problem by turning it into a vegetable korma, which everyone enjoyed. This week I made a vegan pulled pork, using jackfruit instead of pork. The jackfruit has a stringy consistency and, once cooked, does look a bit like pulled pork. It also assimilates the flavour of whatever sauce you put with it.

Had a helluva job finding tinned jackfruit in Tesco on Monday - it took 3 assistants to help me locate it. Works out slightly cheaper than pork, but the result was surprisingly convincing and tasty and gained the seal of approval from my work buddies. That said, you could put a BBQ sauce over a turd and it would taste good.

Onion, garlic, 3 tins of drained jackfruit (should have used a tin per person), white wine vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, a dash of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, some chili sauce, some tomato puree and a hint of brown sauce.

One thing I noticed while shopping in Tesco - there have been acres of hot cross buns for sale since Christmas, but now we're approaching Easter, the buggers have disappeared and you have to hunt them down. Why? I guess they have to make space for Christmas produce...