Strike is harming the NHS and dividing doctors | Letters
Polly Toynbee is right that it is time to stop the doctors’ strikes (Both doctors and the government are handling this strike badly – that’s why there is no end in sight, 10 April).She suggests that doctors are not feeling the pain of industrial action, but this is far from true.We are anxious about our patients and their cancelled appointments and procedures; we are exhausted covering work that we are not familiar with; and those being paid overtime for shifts they don’t want to do are uncomfortable about the financial impact on the NHS.Many of us reluctantly supported industrial action at the beginning, with a government that wasn’t listening – wanting to support junior colleagues whose pay had fallen far behind contemporaries.Now we see how divided and conflicted resident doctors are too, and we long for a resolution.
We recognise that the strikes are harmful.Communication and diplomacy are skills we pride ourselves on, and politicians have never needed them more than now.Diplomacy is the way to resolve this crisis for our NHS as well.Dr Helen HoltConsultant physician and chair of the medical staff committee, University Hospitals Dorset As a member of the British Medical Association, I can’t support the latest strike.None of the resident doctors working now were working in 2008.
That year was chosen by the BMA in its demands, as pay was at its highest point ever at that time,But working conditions were very different, and included long hours,Unlike then, many resident doctors are working less than 40 hours per week, in part because they are paid so well that they can afford to do so, including an annual bonus that incentivises working less than full time,The fact is that not only are fewer resident doctors voting for strike action, fewer again are actually supporting these strikes,In my own area of practice, none of the resident doctors have been striking.
They have even attended the educational sessions that we have continued to run during this latest strike,We have also not cancelled any clinical activity,The veiled threat by Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, that resident doctors will be replaced is absolutely playing out as advanced practitioners take on more roles on a permanent basis, potentially providing a more consistent and better service for patients than resident doctors, who rotate through different posts every few months,Dr Peter DavisBristol Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section,
Roast chicken, cheesy scones and a genius cocktail: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with lime pickle
I’m obsessed with lime pickle. It’s savoury, sour, funky, spicy and full of bold personality that enlivens anything it’s smeared on. It’s made by salting and fermenting limes with chillies and spices for a fierce, flavour-packed condiment that’s traditionally eaten as a side to poppadoms or with simple dal and rice. Over the years, I have also folded it into grilled cheese toasties, marinades for fat prawns to barbecue in the summer or made compound butters with it to smother over sweet potatoes before roasting. It’s an instant flavour bomb and my pantry is never without a jar
Vegemite is recognised globally – but how many people know Milo was invented in Australia?
The chocolate malt powder is sold in more than 40 countries, and Australian cafe owners say there’s ‘jingoistic pride’ in serving it on their menusGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhen I order the jumbo-sized Milo Godzilla at Ho Jiak in Sydney’s Haymarket, it arrives as advertised – it’s comically large. The Malaysian restaurant prepares the drink by swirling Milo powder with hot water, adding sweet drizzles of condensed milk then chilling the mix with ice. Scoops of ice-cream are added and extra choc-malt powder is showered on top. Served in a one-litre jug, it’s so big I can’t finish it solo: staff hand me three takeaway cups to transport the leftovers.Like many beloved Milo drinks, the Godzilla is native to south-east Asia
What can I do with leftover rice? | Kitchen aide
How do I store cooked rice safely, and what can I make with it the next day?Michael, by email“It’s a bit of a running joke with rice, because I think of all the people in China who aren’t spreading their leftover rice immediately on to a tray to cool and are still alive,” says Amy Poon, of Poon’s at Somerset House in London. “But I have to be responsible and say: cool the rice as quickly as possible, within the hour, and put it in an airtight container and pop it in the fridge [or freezer] straight away.” The reason being, as food science guru Harold McGee notes in his bible On Food & Cooking, “Raw rice almost always carries dormant spores of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which produces powerful gastrointestinal toxins. The spores can tolerate high temperatures, and some survive cooking.” In short: good storage practices will prevent bacterial growth, not to mention open a whole world of dinner opportunities
José Pizarro’s recipe for nettle (or wild garlic) and goat’s cheese tortilla
When I was growing up in the small village of Talaván in Extremadura, Spain, we never ate nettles. They were wild plants that grew along the edges of the fields, and the sort you tried to avoid: like many children, I learned about them the hard way, brushing against them while playing and getting stung. It was only when I came to the UK that I first saw nettles used in cooking, which surprised me: suddenly, this wild plant had a place in the kitchen. Now, whenever I visit my mum, Isabel, I see them everywhere. It makes me smile to think that at this year’s Spring Garden at the Chelsea flower show, I will be cooking among a world of magnificent plants and gardens
Gone from shop shelves, but not forgotten | Letters
How lucky for Adrian Chiles that he didn’t live in the German Democratic Republic (Rose’s Lime Marmalade? Gone. Dark chocolate Bounty? No more. But what about their heartbroken fans?, 8 April). After reunification, there were street markets selling the last of products from the old days, and there was an exhibition in a national museum – memorably called “They’ve even taken our tomato ketchup” – lamenting the loss of many food products and other features of former times, such as children’s TV programmes.Derek JanesDuns, Scottish Borders Can Adrian Chiles tell me where to find Halls’ chocolate sour lemons? Maybe they stopped being made because they turned your tongue black, but they tasted great
Cornichon shortage leaves British sandwich shops in a pickle
With their sharp flavour and crunch, pickled cucumbers are an essential component of any sandwich worth its salt.But an unexpected shortage of cornichons has caused consternation in sandwich shops across the country as cafes scramble to get their hands on jars of the small green pickles.A favourite sandwich of hungry office workers is the simple jambon beurre. A staple across the Channel, the French sandwich contains ham, a generous amount of butter, and, crucially, a sharp, crunchy cornichon to cut through the fat.Sandwich chain Pret a Manger brought it to popularity in the UK, and a jambon beurre retails for about £4 in its shops
Five key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?
Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament
Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision
As an older man, I feel for Peter Mandelson being caught short | Letter
A decade on from Brexit, Britain still flounders without a place in the world | Letters
SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland’s parliamentary elections