Rog T's Food Blog - The best dish I ever tasted and will I ever taste such delights again

Copyright Roger Tichborne 2025

What was the best food you ever tasted? Is there a foodie moment that stands out? For me, that is easy. I can even tell you the date. It was on the 7th June 1977. It was the day of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and we had a street party in our street (Millway, NW7). The road was closed between Newcombe Park and Russell Grove as a I recall. Punting was put up and it seemed that everyone got into the spirit of the fun. 

The organisers suggested that every family brought out a dish or two and we had a giant buffet, that seemed to go all the way up the street!

Copyright Roger Tichborne 2025

The UK, London and Millway was a very different place back then. If you look at these pictures, you will see a very different demographic mix of people to London and Millway today. The UK was not the foodie capital that it is today. Such events were usually sandwiches and sausage rolls. If you were lucky, you got a mushroom vol au vent, which were seen as very fancy. People made a huge effort, but they weren't terribly adventurous or creative when they made food. As we knew nothing else and seemed always to be hungry, we didn't mind. 

At the time, the most exotic thing I'd ever had was "Chinese Nosh" from the New China Garden in Station Road. We usually had sweetcorn and chicken soup, pancake rolls to start, along with sweet and sour pork, special fried rice and prawn balls, with lychees and ice cream to follow. It seemed very fancy. Exotic dishes were typically described as "foreign muck". Garlic was derided as something French people ate. 

I was lucky. My Dad had been a pilot and travelled the world. He loved world cuisine and would try things. He liked spices and derided the closed minds of many of his peers and friends. When the Mill Hill Tandoori opened, he was delighted, he loved curries. I'd not sampled them at this stage, Mum was more conservative and I was a kid, so I'd not developmed my beer and curry fascination.

Anyway back to the street party. Dad suggested we make our way up and try a few of the different cuisines. The only problem was that everyone had made the same thing! Then Dad spotted at the end of the road avery colourful lady, with a massive pot next to her. As was Dad's want, he made a bee line for her table. She was Nigerian and her and her family had just moved in. She'd made spare ribs in a sauce. I've never seen ribs as big before or since. The sauce was something to behold, both sweet and savoury at the same time. The meat fell off the bones. She said she'd spent two days preparing it. Dad was fascinated. Even with his extensive travelling, this was new to him. Dad was always fascinated by new people. The husband worked in the oil industry. Dad had also worked in the industry and they had a long chat. Dad insisted I try some of the ribs. The first thing I noticed was the smell. It smelled great, even as you approached. It was rare for anything other than chip shops to smell back then! 

My mum actually got quite grumpy with him. Dad was like me. He was greedy and Mum knew he was rather smitten by this lady and her pot of spare ribs. She didn't like women she couldn't compete with successfully and this lady's ribs were simply out of this world. Mum then saw her sister and huffed off. Dad turned around to me and said "Son, there's a lesson here. I'll tell your mum they were horrible later, and I was just being polite" as he tucked into another helping. 

I can honestly say that I've never had anything as good since. I suspect they were beef ribs. I have no idea what the sauce was. If I ever taste such a thing again before I shuffle off this mortal coil, I will die in food heaven. If there is anyone out there with the recipe for Nigerian spare ribs, let me know. I will forever be in your debt and I'll give you a free pot noodle in return!

When small minded people talk about how things would be better withoput immigrants, I always recall those spare ribs. They are fools!