SwanseaFamilyHistory

THIS MONTH I AM STARTING A SHORT SERIES OF OUR FAVOURITE TAKEAWAYS. THE FIRST ONE I AM LOOKING AT IS FISH AND CHIPS. Firstly, we’ll look at a little history of takeaways. The origins of the takeaway date back to Roman times. In the ruins of Pompeii, there is evidence of thermopolia. These were cook shops providing hot food for those who didn’t own a kitchen or chose to have their meals there. They had a reputation for being patronised by the lower classes as the Roman upper-classes, had relatively well-equipped kitchens often operated by slaves. It wasn’t until the 1880s in Italy when King Umberto and Queen Margherita received the first known pizza delivery, from the famous pizza maker Raffaele Esposito . The pizza, which was garnished with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese, was named a Margherita after the Queen. In 1890 in Mumbai, Mahadeo Havaji Bachche started a lunchbox delivery service. His team of 100 men known as dabbawalas (pic left) would deliver an alumini...

“Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can”   so said the American actor Danny Kaye . I live in Surrey so had the golden opportunity to hop on a train to visit the National Portrait Gallery in London. Well that was the plan! 27 th April was the ideal day – I had a clear day so I boarded a train at Aldershot and travelled to London Charing Cross. Before arriving at Trafalgar Square, I passed a large number of people standing in a queue. On making enquires, I found out they were South African, and that 27 th April, was their Free-dom Day. They were there to cast their election votes at the South African Embassy. From the top of his column, Nelson looked down on the Vaisakhi Festival that was underway in Trafalgar Square. Vaisakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism, marking the start of the Sikh New Year. The National Portrait Gallery (pictured above right) was established in 1856 and was the first portrait gallery in ...