Cavolo Hero

Mr G felt unprepared tonight, having just finished a video call with his friend. Mr G hadn't got time to make today's Book of Labels - his statement, hassle-free visual guide to his groceries. He assembled one quickly as I waited. He asked me whether I would like to take his canvas carrier bags.

"I really like those bags," he said. "They are sturdy and square. Everything fits nicely. I wonder if they still make them."

"When did you get them?" I asked.

"My mother bought them for me 20 years ago."

"Oh, wow! I guess Sainsbury's don't make them anymore."

"Maybe I could repair them if they start to wear out."

Armed with the experience from my previous visit, I quickly located the items from Mr G's Book of Labels in Sainsbury's. This time, I even found cavolo nero!

I ventured into the world of the strangest cabbages I could imagine. There was, of course, cavolo nero - the king of kale, according to BBC. I encountered sweetheart cabbage - an F1 hybrid form of cabbage Brassica oleracea. I couldn't find the dark cabbage which Mr G liked so much. Last time, I got away with savoy cabbage but today I couldn't find any which looked dark enough. Mr G had said that he wouldn't mind any leafy greens. And here I found: greens! A big bunch of big, dark leaves, labelled "greens". That must have been it!

When I delivered the groceries, I mentioned that the 200 g bags of salted cashew nuts were sold out, so instead of four of those, I bought two 350 g packs and one 100 g packet. Mr G was ok with it. He admitted he became addicted to cashew nuts, to which I confessed that I share that obsession too. On that addiction note, we parted ways and wished each other a good weekend.