I used to have a favourite in Worlds End but that went 30 years ago.
And the old caff … all gone.
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So did pie and mash shops, bet there’s not many, if any, of them around now.
making a bit of a comeback, but very slowly. One opened recently near me in Shepherds Bush.
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Wasn’t my manor but I have a good friend who used to frequent that end of The Kings Road and the World’s End pub.
A Fulham supporter and a nice fella too!
Re the debate about frozen food vs fresh food, I get the impression that most folk in U.K. prefer fresh food when they can afford it - but there has been an increase in frozen food sales since the massive increase in our cost of living.
Consumer surveys have discovered that more people are turning to frozen food because they can no longer afford fresh food.
Frozen food is generally cheaper than fresh, it saves on food waste and (according to the customers surveyed) Supermarkets often do price deals on frozen food.
I have read that frozen food can be just as nutritious - and sometimes more nutritious than fresh veg, especially if fresh fruit and veg has been hanging around a long time after harvesting - but frozen doesn’t taste as good as fresh food - that is not just my opinion but according to consumer surveys I have read.
I don’t mind frozen green beans, peas, blueberries and raspberries but I don’t really like most frozen fruit and veg.
I home-freeze surplus bread / cooked left over food etc but I steer clear of most shop-bought frozen food - there’s usually added ingredients which put me off eating pre-prepared shop-bought frozen meals.
I’m solving the exorbitant cost of fruit and veg by growing my own - and a lot of my neighbours do the same, so we share our produce and surplus yields with our neighbours too.
Fortunately, thanks to our strict planning department, our market town does not have any of those ghastly chain-take-away food establishments.
This is the main County town where the County Council offices are situated, not some little backwater village, but we are managing to stem the dreaded tide of corporate chain stores here.
We have a take-away sandwich shop, with sandwiches custom-made while you wait, owned by a local trader.
There’s a fish and chip shop, an Indian Restaurant and an Italian Restaurant which offer a take-away service and a delivery option too but they are all local independent traders, not part of a chain or franchise.
I have eaten in both restaurants but never ordered food to take out and it wouldn’t cross my mind to order food to be delivered.
It must be a handy service for those who are house-bound, though.
If you wanted a Chinese take-away, the nearest one is 10 miles away in another town - and I think you’d have to drive to the A1 motorway to find a McDonald’s.
Thank goodness there’s still some individual places left in Britain with independent traders that have not been swamped by the ubiquitous chain-store take-aways.
It doesn’t have to be one or the other, frozen is fine as is fresh if you can get it, in short it’s a compromise.
I’ve just been rearranging my freezer, there’s plenty of last season’s wild blackberry’s to be used up.
I’m going to start with blackberry biscuits 
I hate to highlight that being able to preserve foods or indeed purchase pre-made meals is not really down to Brexit. I’m pretty sure that it was possible to do both in the UK before Brexit and I know I can do both here in mainland Europe.
I also suspect that if there is a rise in pre-prepared foods, if caused because of the Brexit created problems transporting fresh foods, does not count as a benefit. As noted by many, regularly eating fresh fruit & veg is best.
Asda does a good frozen Chicken Madras curry and rice. I buy them not for value for money reasons but because I like them. I often add some leek and a bit of extra chicken at the halfway microwaving stage to pad it out a bit.
Iceland Luxury Range has meals I like too. Not particularly luxury maybe but not bad. Homepride frozen crinklecut chips with Birdseye Chicken Chargrills done in the Ninja Foodi is another regular.
EDIT: A couple of oranges for afters though. 
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Apologies for non-Brexit posts in a Brexit thread. Having said that, after 1.9k replies, I was thinking there can’t be too much more to say. I haven’t contributed to it but since the deed is done, I just get on with life. I haven’t noticed much difference being in or out personally.
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I don’t think its a problem to veer slightly off topic. As you say, after 1900 posts mostly the argument covers old ground. So perhaps its nice to see different thoughts.
I also fully understand the sensible philosophy of just getting on with things. Many do just that and doing that will be easier if the changes of Brexit don’t appear to impact you. My argument is that they the changes do actually impact everyone and not, in any tangible way, for the better. My other position is that the leave camp have consistently mis-portrayed key issues and mis-informed where they can. This led to a period of protracted chaos from 2016 to 2020, which meant your government was distracted away from doing the stuff that might have benefitted everyone.
I’d also note that for quite a few people Brexit has had a very significant and very negative impact. Businesses that import or export. Scientists who were working with European projects. Students hoping to study in Europe. People from the EU living in the UK and of course UK people living in the EU. People who simply want to travel to the EU. People felt as much European as they did British. People from parts of the UK that significantly voted against leaving but have been dragged out anyway. Your experience might be of relatively minor changes, others have not had it so easy. And for what?
It’s funny because driving past the Mcdonalds today stuck in traffic on the A road, I was stopped next to the Mcdonalds and thinking how do they do it all these years? I remember as a child it was a big novelty, but in reality the food is like cardboard, the burgers are nothing like real hamburgers and it’s all prepared on a factory production line and heated up like airplane food. Yet people are still buying this non-food so many years later.
I haven’t had KFC since my twenties and even then it felt like a heart attack on a plate. Fish and chip shops are great but fish is now really expensive and the chips have gone right up in price since pre-covid. Yet these chains are still going. Pizzas are still being delivered, people can’t even be bothered to go to the Pizza place to buy one. Instant gratification never goes out of fashion even it seems.
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I’ve totally reduced reliance on frozen ready meals. But I do buy reduced price meat (with those yellow stickers), and then freeze it same day. I never used to freeze meat before covid but it’s a great way to never have to worry about what you are having for dinner. You have to get to the shop at just the right time before other customers swoop. It’s like a vulture convention when the supermarket staff get that ticket machine out.
That’s great way to save money & also make new friends if you have neighbours who do the same. Was just recently talking to a neighbour about whether they would like my horseradish plant. It’s massive and they were thinking of making Wasabi. I once tried to make horseradish sauce with it and nearly blew the roof your mouth off!
I’ve never, ever seen the attraction of McDonald’s.A joyless corporate experience, imagine working there!
Why I can’t remember but some years back I dropped into the Madrid branch. Not only could you buy a cheap and nasty beer but you could also smoke.
The smearings of ketchup on the table with a sprinkling of fag ash was grim. Beer was rubbish too, no chance of a McRuddles.
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it used to be great in the old days if you were caught short on a shopping trip or on an evening out. You could always use the toilet there.
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I have children living in Europe. One son was posted to Germany, found a wife, had a family and stayed. He and sometimes others in his family come and stay with us. He has just got used to driving to and from UK and doesn’t complain any more about the travel than he did before Brexit. Possible traffic snarl-ups and delays either side of the channel before and after it came about.
He has been there so long that Germans can’t detect his English roots but he still misses certain things about England. I’ll probably start another argument by saying ‘Marmite’, although it is in the shops in Germany now I believe. Biscuits of all kinds aren’t available in Germany. While we had (and still have) a plentiful supply of cooking oil in our local supermarkets, it was difficult to find in Germany.
A daughter lives in Southern Spain. Loves the climate and way of life and so won’t come back permanently unfortunately. She does travel frequently to come and stay with us though. The fact we aren’t in the EU doesn’t stop that. The meal most requested when she is here is Birdseye Chicken Chargrills, Homepride frozen chips and sweetcorn …but all foods are easily available.
Also have friends who have interests in France. The only drawback to that is their frequent trips to France means that I have to look after and water the plants in their allotment while they are away. They aren’t put off the travel and have little or no difficulty at the ports …and they can rest easy about the allotment
I take the point about businesses finding life more difficult but I think barriers will be overcome by businesses on both sides of the channel if the markets are there. We are a big market. It also seems to me that prices are up for many countries in or out of the EU, which I feel can’t be down to Brexit.
EDIT: Sorry, that should have been answering strathmore’s post
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re: MacDonalds
I do enjoy a Big Mac occasionally, no more than once a month or two, for lunch, no fries. It’s got beef, lettuce, onion, gherkin, mayo, plastic cheese, quite tasty, sometimes I get a craving!
They must put some sort of drug in there to make people want to go back.
Only been in a McDonald’s a couple of times. The last time was quite a while ago. They sold a reasonable cup of coffee for £1.00. Don’t know if they still do.
Kids do like McDonalds .
It’s instants food gratification