I got a supermarket delivery slot!
I can’t even begin to explain the euphoria that came with this. I’d been dreading the trip to the supermarket and the delivery slots for an entire month in advance always said “No slots available! Try another day.”
But, I’d been doing some of the paperwork filing for the Hubs and his joinery work and as I was at the computer I thought I’d randomly check the supermarket website and their delivery. Really, it was just the action to satisfy my mind that I’d tried. I didn’t expect anything. And there they were, TWO available slots for the next day!
Everything got dropped. I turned away from the Hubs in mid-sentence, I believe and I blurted out something along the lines of “Stay there, what do you want at the grocery? I’ve got a slot I have to do the shop now!” No panic. No drama. Just a little shrieking ending up with the super focused pose of hand on mouse madly clicking away, face hunkered down bringing the cart on the screen in super tunnel focus, fingers poised near the control and shift keys (as you do!). It was the most thrilling start to a race that I’ve had in ages!
Of course it was totally anti-climactic. I wasn’t going to lose the slot once I’d clicked on it, and I had 6 hours to complete the shop and check out. But it didn’t feel that way at the start. The surprise of seeing an available slot when I’d been looking for so long and had really given up had pumped me up. So by golly I was going to get that shop done and checked out and the Hubs (who usually keeps out of this kind of thing) was made to sit right where he was and go through the process with me. The poor guy!
I was really excited for a number of reasons. Sure, there’s the new normal (or old normal for some of us) of doing the shop online anyway to be more efficient with time. I always preferred choosing my own fresh fruit and veg though so I didn’t use the online shopping option. But, with this virus floating around and social distancing in effect I knew I’d much prefer to interact social distancing with one delivery driver rather than a supermarket full of unknown variables.
Another reason was that I wanted my stock of Soya milk back. I’m not one for almond or oat milk and while rice milk is okay for some reason I don’t see it in my nearest supermarket much. Lactose free milk still aggravates me a bit so I stick with what’s tried and tested for me, the Soya. But man, the non-dairy milk alternatives were being restricted just like the dairy milk purchases here. So much so, that I went online to Amazon to try to get my Soya and they were sold out too! I had been in dire straits and had to get something in so I ordered pea milk.
I won’t lie, I was worried as soon as I pressed the checkout button on Amazon. I mean, what kind of pea was this from? I can handle petit pois and green peas, but yellow split peas aren’t the greatest on my stomach and so I generally keep away from peas totally. But there was nothing else, and I was not going to pay 3 to 5 times the regular price for a carton of non-diary milk. So the pea milk ‘Sproud’ was purchased.
It arrived promptly, and I was wary.
But, I took the plunge especially because there was an Amazon review by a customer in the same boat as me and he had been relieved when he tasted the pea milk. He did say it would take some getting used to, but that it definitely didn’t have the chalky or bitter taste that some of the other milk substitutes sometimes have. That it was a good lactose-free, gluten-free option.
And he was right, it wasn’t horrid. It wasn’t even bad. But it was different. For me it was a little bit like how evaporated milk is to normal milk. The thickness of the liquid is different, it’s a bit more souped-up in intensity. That’s how Sproud was for me – an intense milk substitute.
A few days later I was able to get my usual Soya, so I went back to that. But, by no means did I throw out the Sproud. I think I need to do some experimentation with it. Maybe I need to use more hot water than usual in my hot drinks when I use Sproud. Maybe, Sproud might be a good substitute in cooking and baking for a dairy-free really creamy flavor.
One thing I do know, I’m really glad Sproud is out there and that someone came up with the idea. I’m also really glad I discovered it. It’s a Swedish barista milk substitute range. Check them out: besproud.com (It comes from split peas by the way). I’ll have to try some of the recipes I subsequently found on their website.
