Kipe’s Kitchen

Sharow, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England (12/16/2010)


While "on holiday" in Englandia two weeks back, my host Greg Kipe prepared for me (a few times even) one of the healthy breakfast creations he has learned how to cook and one of his newest favourites.

A few months back, Greg took cooking classes in Ireland* and they served an "oatmeal porridge" daily for breakfast that he became fond of (okay, I know "of which he became fond" is better grammar, but start your own 'blog if you have a problem with my grammar, Grandpa!). Greg asked them what brand of oatmeal they use to make this, as this was sooo much better than the standard Quaker® Oats oatmeal he was forced to eat as a kid. He found out that this was a local Irish product called Macroom Oatmeal; apparently, it is stone-ground (milled the old way with stone wheels), not steel-cut and that makes a World of difference(?).

Now comes the fun part: trying to locate this product locally in North Yorkshire. However, the effort was futile, Locutus; they could not find this exact style/brand anywhere. An Intro-Net search located an on-line shop in America (in Michigan, of all places, which just happens to be the home State of Greg's wife Cindy) called Zingerman's that carries it. Okay, so now it has to be shipped from the States to get to England (from Ireland originally).

Problem: Greg and Cindy's mail address is just a P.O. Box through the good ol' Military system (U.S. Air Force in this case) and Zingerman's has to have a physical address to ship it to (again, Grammar-Police take note, "to which to ship it" just sounds odd) via UPS.

Solution: Order it on-line and have it shipped to Greg's mom in Pennsylvania. She can then reship it to them through the U.S. Postal Service overseas.
 


http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=P-OAT


Can of authentic Irish Macroom Oatmeal: $15.00 (US)
Shipping charges to Pennsylvania: $8.99 (US)
Shipping charges from Pennsylvania to England: (estimated) another $8.99 (US)
Total: $32.98 (US)

Standard box of Quaker® Oats Instant Oatmeal (which can be found locally or on Base at the Commissary): £3 (UK) or $4.99 (US)... Priceless!
 
I must admit it was very good oatmeal. I did add some Lyle's Golden Syrup** (a British answer to maple syrup) and whipping cream to finish it off.
 



The breakfast was served with some Bettys Christmas Blend coffee, which is always a great addition to any meal.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Macroom Oatmeal ~ 6.9 (my rating; I mean it is good oatmeal, but it's still just oatmeal), 7.9 (possibly Greg's rating; I really didn't quiz him, but he says this is the best oatmeal he has ever had); Bettys Christmas Blend Coffee ~ 7.9


*(Yes, I am aware of the irony: an "Irish Cooking School" ~ this is akin to a Driving School in China, I assume. Just how many different ways can one cook potatoes and cabbage?)
 
**(Which luckily is a locally-produced English product, so they only needed to purchase this on the Intro-Net from a Bahamanian storage facility for a nominal shipping charge and import fee.)