Desert island dishes

Though self‐sufficiency is in fashion and The Good Life a very popular T. V. series, the romantic yearning to ‘get away from it all’ can rarely be realised whilst the shelves of the supermarket around the corner groan with all the goodies of this life. Situations where self sufficiency may be a necessity are fortunately rare in Britain, but I was forced to consider the possibility a few weeks ago when I returned with a few friends to my house on the Monach Isles ten miles to the west of the Outer Hebrides. Although we were able to stock up with a wide selection of tins and packets in the NAAFI store on Benbecula, and the crossing in a sturdy lobster‐fishing boat was smooth and pleasant, such ease of purchase and passage can be deceptive. As I landed in Port Roy harbour I remembered that in July seven years ago, when my wife and I were last there, fog had suddenly descended when we were waiting to be picked up. No lobster man, however experienced in those treacherous rocky waters, would venture out until the fog had lifted. Fortunately, we were only marooned for 24 hours but it could have been longer. So, on this visit I decided to be prepared.