Welcome to Newsletter #8.

This week has a bagel deep dive, two film reviews and some pointers towards useful sources of information on the circus that is the current state of the UK economy.

Food

Bagels

I've loved bagels for as long as I can remember. For years it was a tradition for my family to pick up freshly baked bagels from one of the Jewish bakeries on a Sunday morning, take them over to my grandma and have a feast with a whole host of filling options. Now while I don't have access to freshly baked bagels living slap bang in the middle of the rural English countryside, I was able to venture into Sainsburys and treat myself to some of New York or Warburtons' finest.

We have two favourite combinations that have been consumed for multiple lunches this week: Firstly there is the classic smoked salmon and cream cheese (with optional smashed avo, black pepper, lemon juice and sweetcorn. Yes sweetcorn. Try it before you deny it). A close second is grilled halloumi and avocado, where the avocado is mixed with some seasoning, chilli flakes and lime juice.

All this bagel talk has reminded me that I was lucky enough to try a smoked salmon bagel made by the Smokin' Brothers at a festival earlier this summer, and it was easily the best bagel I've ever had. I have no idea where else they serve food as their website seems to be a salmon delivery service, but if you're a smoked salmon aficionado, consider asking for this as your next birthday gift. You won't regret it.

Correction

Last week I shared my vegetarian lasagne recipe and one eagle-eyed reader pointed out I didn't mention when to add the mince substitute! My sincerest apologies to those of you whose meals were ruined by the omission. I often use frozen Quorn mince and simply follow the instructions on the package: add to the sauce 10 minutes before you want to use. Do be careful though as some mince substitutes require frying before combining with the sauce.

Film

Thor: Love and Thunder is the latest Marvel film to be released as part of Phase Four of the MCU. It's been out for a few months and having had a good run in cinemas, is now available to stream on Disney+. It's fair to say the film received mixed reviews and I have to agree. I knew what to expect going into it: silly, absurd, funny and loud, but without necessarily having much substance to it, and that all stands true.

Directed by Taika Waititi, this is ultimately a story of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) trying to come to peace with losing the love of his life, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Sure, there's a threat to the universe in the form of Christian Bale's 'Gorr the God Butcher', aka Lord Voldemort(!), but really we know this peril will eventually be vanquished and we're just there to witness Thor's character arc.

The film looks good, action scenes are on the spectacular side, but it definitely is silly and the unrelenting jokes make it hard to get emotionally invested in what could be quite a touching storyline. It was great to see Portman back after 9 years, I wasn't quite sure what to make of Russell Crowe's cameo as Zeus, but ultimately a few days after watching it was unforgettable enough that I'm struggling to write a review, and that probably says enough. I'm looking forward to the final film in Phase Four: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Rating: 6/10

This week I also watched the 2020 comedy slasher film Freaky, starring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton. It's a spin on the extremely niche mother-daughter-body-swapping genre, but this time a teenage high school girl, Millie, switches bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer, aka the Butcher.

The format is fairly ABC as all the jerky characters (bullies, rapey jocks, the uncaring teacher) sign their inevitable death warrants when they mistreat Millie in the opening sequences, and we're soon restricted by the midnight deadline swap-back where all must be resolved or thou shalt stay in a middle aged man's body forever more! However it's fast paced and fun enough to take it at face value and enjoy it for what it is; a successful blend of gruesome deaths and Vaughn's schoolgirl acting that somehow just about works.

Rating: 6.5/10

Finance

It's been a bit of a week for UK Finance and rather than attempt to summarise myself, I'll point you towards a couple of videos I've watched which do an excellent job.

I've linked one of PensionCraft's videos in a previous issue. This one from the 27th September is a really clear summary, going through the impact of the 'mini' budget, the subsequent increased deficit from the government having to issue more debt, how the markets have reacted, the energy price guarantee and so on.

If you prefer something a bit lighter that focuses more on the £ devaluation, I'd recommend Damien's latest video. There's also some advice for those of you wondering how this might impact your pensions and investments.

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If you have any feedback, please get in touch and I hope to see you again for next week’s newsletter.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Adam