Chinese New Year Decorations of lions and oranges for the Year of the Rabbit at Changi Airport, a Singapore Condo, and Chinatown, Singapore, and KFC Vietnam

 The lunar New Year is also known as Chinese New Year in places which have large and small Chinese communities. Chinese New Year decorations celebrate Chinese New Year in China and worldwide. See them in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Chinatowns in London, England, New York in the USA, Vancouver in British Columbia in Canada. 

Common colours are red and gold, and red and yellow flowers. Potted trees have miniature orange fruit which looks like small oranges. Bigger mandarin oranges are given as gifts, a minimum of two. 

Animals depicted are lions, often a lion dance, and the symbol of the year, which is the rabbit in 2023. 

Changi Airport Rabbits

Changi Airport rabbits. For the year of the rabbit. Chinese New Year. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Not, as I at first glance thought, Easter bunnies.

The mythical dragon, in a supermarket.

Lion decoration for Chinese New Year, at Cold Storage supermarket in Rail Mall, Bukit Timah, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Cashew Heights Condo, New Year Decorations ready for Chinese New Year, Jan 22-23rd 2023. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

These colurful decorations of wall hangings with messages in Chinese writing, and flowers, and a red banner overhead, are outside the gym facing the swimming pool.

Cashew Heights condo, entrance seen from the road, from a taxi. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Chinese new year decorations, with traditional red lanterns. Cashew Heights condo corridor, Bukit Panjang, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

From Facebook, Nee Soon South Community Centre in Singapore, Dusit Thani hotel, Singapore.

In Nee Soon South Community Centre, two lions entertainment, on floor marked for sports events.

KFC in Vietnam, 2023 offerings for 2023, the year of the rabbit. The incense sticks vertically strike an odd note, since you are told not to place chopsticks vertically in bowls of rice or other food, because that is how food for the dead is left on altars. 

Chinatown, Singapore, street lights. From V Chen, a friend of mine from Toastmasters International clubs in Singapore.

For Chinese New Year, oranges given as gifts, red packets to contain money gifts of new bank notes in multiples of lucky eight. Banks give out packets with their name on the back, sometimes free, sometimes which a minimum deposit or spend.

From Online Florist. A gift basket of fruit, with red tassels and messages for prosperity in Chinese (Mandarin) and the symbol of two oranges on the basket.

Glossary (mini dictionary)

CNY - Chinese New Year

Com - company

KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken

SG - Singapore

UK - United Kingdom

USA - United States of America

Useful Websites

Changi Airport, Singapore

https://www.changiairport.com/

Cold Storage Supermarket, Bukit Panjang, Singapore

https://coldstorage.com.sg/cny

GST refund for tourists

www.iras.gov.sg

Heathrow Airport, London, England, UK

KFC

Nee Soon South Community Centre

Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club

Online Florist

https://www.onlineflorist.sg/

Singapore - a detailed description of Chinese New Year customs as well as the Chingay Parade

https://publicholidays.sg/chinese-new-year/

Please bookmark and share links to your favourite blog posts.

Chinese New Year Decorations

 

Cold Storage supermarket in Rail Mall, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

The Author

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

Chinese New Year Delights: nut biscuits, pineapple tarts, oranges and red packets

 

Chinese New Year gift. 

CNY biscuits. Home made. Photo by Angela Sharot.

These biscuits are more nut than biscuit. Slivered white almonds, green pumpkin seeds, black seeds, in brittle sugar.

Pineapple tarts from Cold Storage, Rail Mall, 2022. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Oranges and home made biscuits.

CNY decorations at Fairprice in Bukit Panjang.

Oranges my family bought in Fairprice supermarket, Bukit Panjang in the north west of Singapore.

These oranges from Fairprice have the Fremont label and come from Taiwan. Photo by Angela Lansbury

These oranges from Fairprice came with a packet of red packets with the word Fairprice in gold lettering on the back. The red packets are for you to give money, banknotes, to your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and unmarried relatives.

Youngsters complain that as soon as they get married they stop receiving money and have to start giving money.

Decorations at Rail Mall.

Big boxes of 12 oranges.

Photo by Trevor Sharot.

An IKEA leaflet in the mailbox at Singapore tells my family that at Swedish IKEA we can buy oranges and see through jars with lids for home made cookies.

Ikea advertisement leaflet. Photo by Angela.

The oranges must be Mandarin oranges which are easy peel and in season at Chinese New Year.

Pineapple tarts come in three basic shapes. The flat tarts with orange filling on top. The rolled tarts like sausage rolls with the orange filling showing at one end or both ends. The golf ball shape with pastry outside with top glazed with egg or sugar and the filling hidden until you bite them.

You should be able to buy similar goodies online, or at supermarkets in your nearest Chinatown, and in large supermarkets worldwide. You can also make your own. 

What do you need?

Minimum, two Mandarin oranges. (To be generous, give more oranges, preferably in a fancy red box adorned with goodwill messages in Chinese. ( You can print these from the internet, or download them from Whatsapp). 

Or, if you are Western and can't get Chinese goodies, add a box of chocolates.

Additions: Pineapple tarts or see-through jars of cookies with a red lid and/or label and a message wishing Happy New Year in Chinese writing.

Deliver in a jar with CNY message, or a box with a CNY message,

For children, or unmarried singles, note money in a red packet.

Where will you find Chinatowns? All over the world. For example, in the UK in London and Manchester and several more. In the USA in New York and San Francisco and LA and several more. In Canada in Vancouver and several more.

 
 More pictures shortly. Stay tuned or come back.

Useful Websites

Fairprice

https://www.fairprice.com.sg/

Cold Storage

https://coldstorage.com.sg/

Recipe for pineapple tarts

https://www.singaporeanmalaysianrecipes.com/pineapple-tarts-recipe-resepi-kuih-tart/

recipe for Chinese biscuits

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

Christmas Food and gifts Around the World: UK, USA, Europe and Singapore - turkey, Yule Cake and stollen

UK

In the UK the usual Christmas dinner is turkey with roast potatoes, sprouts, and cranberry sauce. 

Christmas pudding is served with custard. For added drama, some people set fire to the brandy. I have enough excitement in my life, without that worry. 

After lunch, 3 pm, you listen to the Queen's speech. More Champagne is sold at Christmas (and for New Year's Eve) than any other time of the year.

Homes have Christmas trees.  Hung with baubles (round or spherical ornaments). A star or angel is on top. Parcels, real containing presents, or empty

A big Norway Spruce is in Trafalgar Square, London, England. The tall tree was given by Norway to the UK after WW2 as a thank you for help. Carol singing, in aid of charity, and other performances take place around the tree. The tree, over 20 feet high, has to be the biggest gift I have ever seen.

I save wrapping paper. It is cheap after Xmas. 

After Christmas the prices of Christmas pudding come down. My husband likes to be given and to buy books. I have a lucky dip bag from when I was organizing events for Toastmasters and had to supply small gifts for lots of people. I went around Daiso and kept spotting things which looked useful. I over-bought.

Lucky dip usually works well. We get to pick out one item each, or two, or three. I and my husband are very strange. We like different things each year. What wasn't wanted two years ago, and raised a frown, (a puffer for cleaning a laptop keyboard) turned out to be just what was wanted a year later and was pounced on with glee. 

USA

Turkey is eaten at Thanksgiving so the Americans want a change at Christmas time. In the USA, Christmas pudding is called plum pudding. You can find it all year!

France

The French have yule cakes. Log cakes. You can make your own chocolate spiral cake, with chocolate icing on top. Use a fork to make wavy lines across the top. 

Germany

The Germans eat gingerbread biscuits, gingerbread men and gingerbread women and animals, make gingerbread houses. Best of all, they eat stollen! Stollen, with a centre of marzipan, is my favourite.

We have bought stollen in supermarkets in the UK, in Tesco, Stollen bites in Lidl (which is a German supermarket, low prices) ; and in Singapore this year from Cold Storage supermarket in Jellita shopping mall, a couple of stops on the bus from Holland Village.

Stollen in Tesco in the UK. Photo credit by Angela Lansbury.

Czech Republic

In Prague we had a hotel dinner (when all restaurants were fully booked in addition to charging high prices). The meal featured fish soup followed by carp with potato salad.

Alas, Christmas is over. But you can still buy plum pudding in the USA. You can look forward to panettone in the supermarkets in London, England, at Easter.

Useful Websites

https://germanfoods.org/recipes/dresdner-stollen/

Stollen, Marzipan covered in chocolate and other German food:

https://germanfoods.org/shop-german-foods/?s=&bc-sort=featured&bigcommerce_category=christmas-cakes-and-stollen

Youtube has many videos on making stollen.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

 

Stollen - yes' you can buy it in Singapore. At Cold Storage, Jellita, worldwide, or make your own.

Stollen - German Christmas cake, log shape, with a marzipan centre. In the huge Cold Storage at Jellita I asked an assistant to point out the stollen and on a large display I saw three varieties. 

Three types of stollen in a supermarket in Singapore. 

One packet trumpeted traditional. Another attracted me with almonds. The third mentioned marzipan. Ah! The picture showed the yellow centre. That was the one we bought. 

Photo shortly. When I find where the family have hidden it from me! 

How much did it cost? Eleven Singapore dollars or more, depending on the size and ingredients. 

(I had searched in vain for Stollen previously in other supermarkets, such as Fairprice in Bukit Panjang.) Last night at an online Toastmasters International meeting of the Nee Soon South Toastmasters, the President who was Topics Master of the Day asked, 'What is your favourite Christmas food?" 

For a moment, I thought, Christmas pudding. But I decided to mention stollen, which is less well known. 

I succeeded at selling the idea. The topics master asked me for the recipe.  I advised her to do what we do with French recipes. Go the country of origin, find a recipe, and run it through Translate Google. 

Simple English wiki says

Stollen (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtɔlən] (listen) or [ʃtɔln] (listen)) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar. It is a traditional German bread eaten during the Christmas season, when it is called Weihnachtsstollen (after "Weihnachten", the German word for Christmas) or Christstollen (after Christ).

Simple wiki shows this picture

The general Wikipedia article has much more information. 

Stollen is stocked in supermarkets until Christmas. In Germany it was originally a pre-lent food. It is sold by the slice in the outdoor or indoor Christmas markets in Germany. If the shops are out of stock, or it is out of season, you can make your own.

You might want to allow time for the currants and raisins to soak overnight in alcohol, and for the bread to rise is using yeast. You can buy the candied peel and marzipan or almond paste, or make your own. 

Almond Paste

Almond paste has bigger chunks of almond but less sugar and is designed for spreading and cooking, rather than Marzipan which is sometimes sold as a thicker solid lump, texture like fudge, for carving (or spreading on top of cakes. 

Beware Of The Sugar Content

My late father was diabetic and loved marzipan. When I went to buy it, I was horrified to see that one month the blocks of marzipan were fifty per cent sugar. But the next month - even worse, 75% sugar!

What is Frangipane?

Frangipane is not just the Italian word for marzipan, as I used to think, wrongly, I have just learned. Frangipane has extra ingredients besides the sugar and almonds, flour, eggs and milk, maybe more. It is more like an almond flavoured yellow custard.

YouTube has many videos on how to make stollen and one on the factory in Germany which makes stollen.

Useful Websites

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen

My previous DIY stollen made using a Tesco kit, Waitrose bites and more.

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2017/11/almonds-marzipan-stollen-and-costa.html

Recipes

Without the marzipan but with pecans (leave out nuts for those allergic to nuts)

https://recipes.fandom.com/wiki/German_Stollen_Bread

https://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/german-christmas-stollen-recipe/

Complete guide including the marzipan

https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/

Recipes

https://germanfoods.org/recipes/dresdner-stollen/

Buy Online

https://germanfoods.org/shop-german-foods/?s=&bc-sort=featured&bigcommerce_category=christmas-cakes-and-stollen

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Maple Syrup from Canada, the USA and Waitrose - which is best?

Canadian flag showing the maple leaf. Maple syrup is the sap of the maple tree.
 

When we lived in the USA I and my husband took a side trip to Niagara and Canada and at breakfast time we discovered the joy of adding maple syrup to toast, French toast, pancakes, waffles and,most importantly, porridge. Years later, we still buy maple syrup to go in our oatmeal porridge at breakfast time.

We used to buy Buckwud maple syrup in the UK. We would take a bottle back to Singapore on every trip to our second home in Asia.

Waitrose supermarket and Tesco supermarket from the UK supply to Cold Storage and Fairprice in Singapore. You can buy wines and dry goods. But also maple syrup.

We have tried two brands of Waitrose maple syrup.

Today I did a taste comparison, as well as a label comparison. 

To our surprise the Organic version, pale amber, was not the one we liked. We preferred the stronger tasting, darker coloured maple syrup. You might find your family's tastes are the reverse. 

The paler sap either comes from earlier in the year or has less liquid boiled off, or both. Whether you prefer a subtler flavour, as do many Japanese people and children, or the stronger flavour, like those who like spicy food, makes a difference. So does what you are using it for and what you are mixing it with. 

The pure maple syrup costs more. Anything made from other sugars, such as cane sugar, or palm with added maple, will taste differently and may be cheaper.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_foods_made_from_maple

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_leaf_cream_cookies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_sugar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_butter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_liqueur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Food_made_from_maple

https://www.thespruceeats.com/maple-almond-matzo-granola-4136758

Short version

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup

https://www.thespruceeats.com/maple-butter-recipe-1807107

Two ingredients, Maple syrup and butter to make:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/maple-leaves-521376

https://sg.shein.com/1pc-Maple-Leaf-Chocolate-Mold-p-2756627-cat-1953.

https://www.aliexpress.com/popular/maple-leaf-silicon-mold.html

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, is a semi-retired travel writer still researching bucket list countries and seeking out the special, unusual, people, places,  landmarks, hotels, museums and trails, fabulous foods, recipes, clothes and online souvenir shopping.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Toastmasters International.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President. VPPR

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Past meetings have included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg/meet/bha  

Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meeting is  the third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.  Inauguration of the new committee by the incoming Director of S, plus a lively speech on teamwork.

 

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See other posts such as a post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Post being written. Come back shortly for more text and photos.

See Goat Milking In Singapore's Hay Dairies And Buy Chocolate Goat's Milk

Singapore Flag.

Where are the cows and dairies providing all the milk and cheese in Singapore?

In India you might see cows wandering around the cities' back streets and alleys, and even the wrong way along a motorway.

In Singapore, in my view, we have an overabundance of wildlife, snakes and crocodiles and monitor lizards. As far as I am concerned, even one is one too many. Monkeys occasionally swing down from their monkey cities in the trees and once in a while make havoc with their climbing up balconies and in through open windows and doors. What a mess a monkey can make.

However, you don't see many cows crossing the road, nor goats going around eating the grass.

Yet, apparently in Singapore you can visit farms which have cows, goats, birds, fish and even frogs.

Wikipedia has an article which claims wild cows are seen on the island of Pulau Ubin.

However, the goat farm, Hay Dairies, welcomes visitors.

Hay Dairies
At the entrance is a photogenic statue of three goats on a rock surrounded by landscaped gardens. Families, under ten people, can just walk in unannounced.

They suggest you arrive first thing in the morning to see the goats being milked, before 11 am. Educational groups of ten or more should conduct the dairy which charges about 5 dollars per person and presumably lays on something special.
Lots of signboards tell you about goats. (See pictures on Tripadvisor.)

A few visitors were concerned that the goats were kept in metal pens and not roaming around on the grass. When I read about people keeping goats in England, I could see why. Goats eat everything, grass (not eating neatly but leaving in patches), all the flowers, the bark of trees which has to be protected. if you allow goats into the house as pets, they also eat curtains and clothes.

 You also want to control what they eat to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to human and from humans to animals.


Viewing Goats
If owning a goat is not for you, and you don't want to risk your family falling in love with the idea of keeping a goat, just go to the farm and buy some goat's milk or read about it online and buy goats' milk from a supermarket.

Buying Goat Milk
Buy it for a novelty. I have friends who claim health benefits of goats milk and goats cheese. When we go to dinner at their house, they serve goats cheese. If you are entertaining, it's a novelty to amuse guests.

Their shop sells the day's milk, as well as bags.  The milk costs about
To get there by public transport, take the 975 bus from Bukit Panjang.

If you are allergic to cow's milk, you might be able to drink soya milk, almond milk - or goats' milk.

You can buy their goats' milk from the supermarkets Cold Storage (free delivery with purchases of over $59) or Prime Supermarket (free delivery if you spend more than S$100).

Hay Dairies
3 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4
Singapore 718859.
tel: +65 6792 0931.
Open 9-4 Wednesday to Monday, closed Tuesday.

Regarding cows' milk
www.Facebook.Magnolia

Regarding goats' milk:
www.haydairies.com
https://www.facebook.com/haydairies
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g294265-d2344441-Reviews-Hay_Dairies-Singapore.html

Cheese In Singapore
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/03/pictures-of-cheese-ark-in-singapore.html

Useful websites
https://thenewageparents.com/viknesh-dairy-farm-lim-chu-kang-singapore/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3683599/A-goat-pet-kidding-50-000-Brits-insist-goat-man-s-best-friend-just-bunch-silly-billies.html#comments

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Free recipes: printed and online - Singapore, UK and worldwide

I found these recipes in Cold Storage supermarket in Singapore.

UK Recipes
In the UK you can find recipes in Waitrose supermarkets. Look for them by the entrance or ask a member of staff. 

My favourites are the laminated ones because I can carry them home confident that they won't have got crumpled in a bag or pocket.  

Recycling Recipe Cards
If you don't want clutter at home you could read them over lunch or tea or coffee, note the ingredients and put your spare recipes back on the rack after taking a photograph of your favourite.

Storage
You could also save a collection of simple recipes.

Gifts
Or simplify them.for a student or a relative travelling overseas so they can cook a reminder of home or serve suitable food for a theme evening for a seasonal meal or account of their travels.

Variations
I am allergic to shellfish and often decline to take recipes which include shellfish. However, if you are following a diet which includes no shellfish, no nuts, gluten free, Kosher, halal, or vegetarian, you can often substitute one of the ingredients.

The result will not be the same. Ir will be your own version - inspired by your recipe card.

Cold Storage also had a page of recipes in a smaller size inside the magazine.

Useful Addresses and Websites
Jelita Cold Storage
293 Holland Road
Singapore 278628

Author and travel photographer Angela Lansbury.

Supermarkets and Businesses which delivery groceries, fruit, fish and veg worldwide

Problem
If you are an overseas visitor or a British one and forgot to order food for a bank holiday in the UK, a weekend, an unespected visitor or working from home - or out at work want to order fro the family at home. What if you want to eat breakfast, buy a sandwich or do a shop?

Answers
UK
You can google the trade name of the supermarket, (such as Aldi, marks & Spencers, Morrisons, Tesco, Tesco 24 hours, Tesco Express, Waitrose). Check your nearest branch. Go to opening hours (if not already displayed with open or closed today and today's closing time and tomorrow's opening time.

I checked on a branch of Morrisons and found that on the day I looked it was open 8-6 but the cafe closes earlier and the garden centre might open later or close earlier. Once before I thought I'd do my shopping and then stop for a coffee and cake or sandwich or even a hot meal at the end, but the cafe was already closed.

Mysupermarket.co.uk enables you to choose from assorted branded and unbranded goods and compare the prices at various supermarkets.

You can order British food worldwide from British Corner Shop.
Canyougo promises to deliver grocery shopping wihtin 90 minutes, from £3.95 within the M25.

SINGAPORE
Then I started looking for Singapore and stores worldwide.

WORLDWIDE
Some of the American and UK based stores have branches in several other countries. But if you want German, Spain, or Japan, you will find lots of unfamiliar local names so it's worth just checking, especially if you want only one product. For example, such as deliveries of fresh flowers, which is common in Singapore, a city with lots of busineses and restarantas and htels and expats who enterain in flats without gardens.)

Many pizza delivery services also have cooked potatoes, vegetable dishes, vegetarian pizzas, juices and fizzy drinks, and garlic bread.

TripAdvisor has questions from readers in several countries on forums with replies.

Useful Websites (alphabetically by shop name and country name):
ABEL & CO (Organic fruit and veg)
www.abelandcole.co.uk

ALDI
www.aldi.co.uk

AMAZON
amazon.co.uk

AMAZONFRESH
amazon.co.uk/Fresh
USA (Some US states, log in from the USA to find out); UK London; Japan Tokyo;Germany Berlin, Hamburg, Munich.

ASDA
groceries.asda.com

BOOTS (Sells pharmaceuticals, food and drink. Ships Worldwide but not Singapore.)
https://www.boots.com/wellness/food-and-drink

BRITISH FOOD WORLDWIDE
https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk

CANADA
https://www.walmart.ca/en/grocery/

DISH THE FISH (Fresh fruit, vegetables and fish in Singapore delivered)
www.dishthefish.com.sg/collections

HELLOFRESH
www.hellofresh.co.uk

ICELAND (Frozen food specialist)
groceries.iceland.co.uk

JAPANESE STORES IN JAPAN Seiyu, Daiei, Ito Yokado
http://netsuper.kakaku.com/netsuper/

LIDL
www.lidl.co.uk

MARKS & SPENCERS
marksandspencer.com/c/delivery-and-collection

MILK & MORE
milkandmore.co.uk

MORRISONS
morrisons.com/storefinder
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/get

MYSUPERMARKET UK
mysupermarket.co.uk

OCADO
www.ocado.com/Grocery/Fresh

ORIENTAL IN UK
www.orientmart.co.uk

POUNDLAND
onlinepoundstore.co.uk

POUNDSHOP
www.poundshop.com/£_items/essentials
https://www.poundshop.com/food-drink
I noticed coffee, tea, chocolates, mustard, peanut butter and lots more.

SAINSBURY'S
sainsburys.co.uk/shop/groceries/discover
sainsburys.co.uk/webapp

SPAIN
Carrefour
www.carrefour.es


El Corte Ingles (The name means English Corner but it's thoroughly Spanish)
elcorteingles.es

Hipercor
https://www.hipercor.es/supermarket/

Mercadona
www.mercadona.es

Tu Despensa (price comparison)
https://www.expatica.com/new/es/living/household/online-supermarkets-108765/
MoneySaverSpain.com

SINGAPORE
coldstorage.com.sg/Supermarket/Delivery
phttps://giantonline.com.sg
https://redmart.com/frozen/japanese

SUPERDRUG (Deliveries include NHS medicine and items which must be kept in the fridge.)
https://onlinepharmacy.superdrug.com/delivery-information

WAITROSE
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/serviceselection?storeId

WONKY VEG DELIVERY IN LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
www.oddbox.co.uk

UK
See Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, deliveroo.co.uk   (meals from restaurants); canugo.co.uk (supermarkets; whatever you request).

UK and Europe
https://americanfizz.co.uk (Food and drinks.)

WORLDWIDE
For sending gifts such as flowers, birthday presents of Champagne, and Xmas hampers, many companies operate a worldwide service seasonally (eg at Xmas and New Year when they stock special lines) or all year.

Many more speciality shops offer to post or deliver, one-off or on a regular basis:
birthday cakes,
birthday gift boxes,
chocolate, or
fruit and veg,
organic fruit and veg
meat, or
nappies (Americans say diapers),
party food,
Wedding cakes,
wines and wine glasses for parties.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to useful posts.

Panettone - all kinds: from Italy, England, Tesco, Morrisons, Caffes, Wine Society

Panettone is a traditional cake from Italy, made at Christmas. I first tried panettone when I was given it at Christmas at Fellini caffe restaurant in Hatch End. My panettone came in a big box. When I received one in a tin, I was much more excited by the tin than the contents.

The panettone looked great, huge. I wasn't over-impressed by the taste. Until this year, when we had the remains of a previous year's panettone every day for elevenses for over a month. Now I'm hooked.

It's like brioche, like croissant, but slightly less over the top with the calories. if you can resist eating a whole one!

I am now absolutely an addict. I look for the piece of panettone with my coffee, the way other people anxiously ask, 'where's the milk', or 'got any sugar'?

Panettone can be presented in a decorated cardboard box, but also in a keep it until next Christmas circular high tin. Handy to keep as a home for any panettone which you buy which does not come in a tin.

The following year I saw several tempting large, luxurious high-priced presentation boxes in another Hatch End cafe. I must admit I was daunted by the price.

Now panettone is in several supermarkets in England.

Wine Society
I also saw pentane in the Wine Society's shop in Stevenage.  They have a catalogue. You have to be a member to buy. I have found it well worth while to have at least one member of the family a member.

This is the one in the Wine Society.

Panettone. Now in England, is ubiquitous. Meaning it is found everywhere.

Morrison's panettone. Best price I've found. Fruit was fine. The 'cake' rather too bland for my taste. I'll try the chocolate next.

Paxton and Whitfield Panettone. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Morrison's Panettone
This week I have tried two. The cheapest was only £2 from Morrison. Cooked in their bakery in the Hatch End branch of Morrison, that quintessential English supermarket. What was good about Morrison's panettone? The irresistible bargain price.

What about the taste? The sultanas. Large sugary sultanas.

The label says it also contains currants and candied peel. I haven't yet found that. But today I had a small piece.

(If you've read my posts before, or met me, you will know that I attend Toastmasters International. We are taught to commend, recommend, commend. Praise, add a suggestion, for improvement, praise. In other words, I do not rant and rave. I damn with faint praise.)

However, if you want more of a melt in the mouth egg flavour, you might try a panettone from Italy.This one says Antica Ricetta which I presume means ancient recipe.

This was ours in England.

This tin says Merry Christmas.

This tin says 'panettone classico'.

Plenty of information, which you can translate with guesswork, or on translate Google.

Panettone in Singapore

Similar from Cold Storage in Singapore, catalogue on their website, scroll down beyond sweet treats,

Singapore $31.350 for a 1000 gram size.

https://coldstorage.com.sg/media/uploads/pdf/cs_catalog_2015.pdf

Americans can use the Panettone circular high tins as popcorn containers, or vice versa, use a popcorn container to store panettone. 

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author and speaker.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

My books are on Lulu and Amazon.