So you don’t need to be a host in order to offer an experience. Do you need to book lodging in order to book an experience?
Warm mince pies with some brandy butter. Yes please!
I’m wondering how many people think mince pies contain minced meat (not mincemeat) and shepherd’s pie is made with pastry…
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I did have to book accommodation in LA in order to be invited to book an experience. I don’t know if they’ve changed that since as I was involved the beta of experiences.
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Spotted dick LOL! I hope you make sure to accompany it with cabbage cooked for at least 2.5 hours. Seriously though, I would love to bake a Victoria sponge. But I don’t think anyone can help me. My son can do it, god knows how he learned. I just fail every time. I do a nice spag bol, though.
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What is a gravy granule? Gravy is just a roux with some liquid. Is this like an “instant” version of this simple thing?
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I know… shock horror! I can make gravy from scratch! Do you think that could qualify for an “experience”?
OMG such heathens!! Gravy is more than a roux with some liquid!! 
the issue was I didn’t have any roasted meat and traditionally that’s what I’d make the roux for a gravy from. I actually had to think hard about how I could make a gravy without meat.
My recipe for a veg gravy is pan roasted onions, carrots, celery add flour, tomato purée, veg stock, simmer for 30 mins, decant veg, serve. It takes a while because you need to get a lot of flavour in there just from veggies.
Normally gravy granules enable you to make a gravy without needing to have roasted a massive haunch of meat first 
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But you are selling yourself already. It’s a business relationship that happens to involve socializing–being friendly. Those are the commodities you’re selling.
I think you’re all mistaken. I believe ‘spotted Dick’ calls for just some paint, a paintbrush and a male ‘member’…but don’t quote me on that.
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Ah, that is why I have homemade stock available at all times. That is the “some kind of liquid.”
EDITED TO ADD: Ah, but you were traveling. Never mind.
Good point. I give my guests loads of info on what to do in my city, what tourist traps to avoid, ideas about lesser-known places etc. It’s no bother to me and they really appreciate it. Possibly it mitigates the rather shabby shared bathroom and kitchen, too. In fact, I know it does!
@Zandra – “I’m wondering how many people think…shepherd’s pie is made with pastry.”
Not a chance. I have it from a shepherd that it’s made with sheep chitlin’s.
Unless this recipe is missing something, Victoria Sponge doesn’t look like much of a culinary challenge. I don’t see why I’d need to pay for a lesson.
Chitlins are not my idea of a good thing …
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Aw, I’ll bet they would be very appealing to me. No trendy stuff like granite and subway tiles. I love shabby and out-dated, but it has to be clean–which I’m sure yours are! :_
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As far as I know mince pies contain dried fruit and spices and Shepard’s pie had mashed potato as the crust (not dough).
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Our (American) mincemeat is the dried fruit and nuts. British mincemeat is finely chopped animal meat.
Yes correct. My guests last year at Christmas didn’t know about the mince pies and, when I offered them one looked confused when I explained it was raisins.
Mince meat used to contain chopped meat, but is not dried fruit on both sides of the pond.
The original mince pie was the leftover bits of meat, marinated for months. My Aunt made one for a Christmas dinner one year. I, thinking she was the most cool person in the world, ate a piece and was sick for days. I never trusted her cooking after that.
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