Haway the lads! Am I herring right?

England V Montenegro tonight. The glamour of the Euros! Today's pressing concern is finding somewhere to watch it. So far I've identified two Irish Pubs and one sports bar. Of course, I'd much rather be watching it in England with my brothers and friends, but circumstances dictate.

On a footballing note, why the controversy regarding starting with Crouchie? Look at his goal scoring rate! When he starts he usually plays ahead of Rooney to give him more space on the ball which is exactly the kind of freedom Rooney needs to recover his form. The controversy over the captaincy is a red herring in my opinion.  Rio's been out for ages but he can shout and gesticulate just as much as Gerrard can, if not more so. The team doesn't fall apart because the captaincy changes. Even Wazza has been captain before after all.

Talking about herrings, in Poland fresh water fish make up the bulk of fish options in Poland due to the abundance of rivers and lakes. However, herring from the baltic is a popular choice. I've been a fan of herring ever since a trip we made when I was 12 to Sweden where I acquired the taste. Tato (Dad) doesn't tend to cook an awful lot but he is a a genius at making Sledz na Oleju (Herrings in Oil). It's herring fillets, olive oil, garlic, onion salt and pepper, so simple and - as with so much of Polish cooking - if you leave it for a few days the flavours become radically intensified. It's impossible to accurately describe the acute sharpness on the first bite, the oily herring fillet and the sweetness of the onion in perfect contrast. I tried making it in England but as so often it was never the same.

I noticed last night as I was buying ingredients for a leek and potato soup that all the ingredients were labelled "Made in Poland." The potatoes, leeks, onions, butter and milk- everything  The lack of food miles, the resultant emphasis on seasonal and local rather than the variety of international produce as in England ensures that the quality of vegetables in even the smallest of shops is significantly better.