Welcome to Gregg's...again

So, the inevitable has happened and I have started slacking on the blog front. Though considering Shelby's English life=slacking at basically everything besides alcohol consumption and sleeping (let's be honest), I can't act surprised. I do, however, feel that I owe my loving and devoted blog fans a sincere apology for withholding the minutest details of my daily adventures and discoveries. I will try harder...

All the same, that hardly changes the fact that nothing of interest happened in regards to me this past week. So can you guess what I did today?   If your answer was 'to eat more English pasties', you are absolutely correct. And not only that, bonus points-or a gold star if you insist on being that sort of person-for proving yourself thoroughly literate in my blog entries. Ok, moving on.

My pastie of choice today was Gregg's seasonal 'Festive Bake'. The name alone conjures comforting images of a cozy seat by the fireside, mom's delicious holiday cooking, and that special stirring feeling you just can't shake when the first snowflakes of winter tickle the tips of your eyelashes as you skip merrily home in anticipation of warm welcomes and loving embraces...simply delightful. Miraculously, after this slew of images invaded my mind, I still had an appetite and confidently approached the counter, announcing my order with a cheery gusto I deemed appropriate for such a selection. (This is the part where all witnesses dismiss my peculiar behavior in light of my being American, love it).

Anyway, pastie number two was DELICIOUS. Though I was hardly surprised this time. The 'Festive Bake' contains something along the lines of savory chicken bits, vegetable flecks, cranberry filling, and a creamy herbed white sauce to gel it all together. Heaven wrapped in a flaky buttered crust. Not even to mention the sensational aroma that wafted from the treat as soon as I unwrapped it from it's little brown baggy. I was put into an uber festive mood.

I spent most of the day hunkered down in the library reading my books, occasionally making a run to the student shop where a cup of coffee is currently only 1p with a student card. And of course, what is a coffee break without a little coffee treat? Cue visit number two to the bakery, where I purchased a mini sweet mince pie to sample. It was just too cute, sitting there in the display case all dusted in powdered sugar and wearing it's own mini foil pie dish. I mean, next to it, the teddy bear cookie decorated to wear a little colorful handkerchief was cute and tempting also, but slightly less English and therefore less conducive to the writing of this blog.

A few more hours in the library, a few more cups of drink-machine coffee (hey, it's better than nothing), and I broke down. Cue trip number THREE to the bakery. Yes. I realize I may have a problem at this point. But it was supper time and the prospect of a warm, flavor-packed sausage roll in lieu of the frozen veggies I had back at my flat was just too enticing. Thankfully there had been a shift change during the day, so I didn't have to return and show my pastie-packing face to the same people-though it hardly would've deterred me. For the record, sausage roll number two was delish, as was the sweet mince pie. I regret not a one.

Now at this point, to validate today's diet beyond the purposes of this blog (which my subconscious may require) I will say that I have had the most severe cravings lately. I actually woke up in the middle of last night to fading dreams of chicken nuggets and my stomach growling. I absolutely wouldn't doubt that my meager diet of PB&J's, frozen veggie medleys, rice, and eggs is the culprit of some nutrient deficiencies. Well rounded, potentially, but boring after a month. Shelby the eager, inspired cook makes no appearances in this country. I'm just thankful I've got chain bakeries and endlessly scrumptious pastie combinations to do it for me:)