I’m a little late on the market post this week, but I’m forgiving myself. A friend is coming to stay for a few nights this week, and my parents are arriving on Monday, so spring cleaning, long-overdue picture hanging and general errand running take precedence right now. Plus, next week there won’t be a post at all- the London Marathon starts in Blackheath, and the station car park will instead be used for parking cars. Preposterous. Read more…
When he returns to Zürich and downgrades you to plane-freebies-as-souvenirs territory. Read more…
I’m sitting here, having a slice of leftover tart for lunch, and thinking about how entirely inappropriate this meal was for an Easter dinner. I wanted to bring something to my sister’s celebration on Sunday, both to contribute to the table and so I’d have something “special” to eat myself. (She was cooking a ham, and I’m loathe to make a vegetarian meal out of side dishes alone. As good as the boiled buttered cabbage and scalloped potatoes were, they weren’t going to do me for such a festive occasion.) But the vegetables in the tart I made were so completely unspringlike- much more appropriate for Thanksgiving than for Easter. Read more…
It’s a beautiful Bank Holiday Monday here in London. I’ve been celebrating by sitting on the couch, drinking tea and reading magazines. Yes, perhaps the day would better have been spent outside in the sunshine, but we did have the window open, and besides- we had to walk outside to get the magazines. Read more…
I know: pathetic, right? Such a paltry collection of produce for such an auspicious day. Maybe it was the cold, dense fog that descended on London this weekend, or maybe it was the fact that many of the regular stall-holders were taking this holiday Sunday off, but for some reason, I just wasn’t feeling the market today. Read more…
No, it’s not a typo. “Yummity” is my boyfriend’s highest form of praise for food, and these muffins I whipped up this morning were pronounced extra yummity by the critic himself. Well then. Read more…
I told you on Sunday that sandwiches have been the weekend lunch of choice around here. There is something wonderfully comforting and somewhat modest about tucking into two slices of bread with stuff between them. Andrew has it pretty easy – a couple of slices of honey roast ham, some turkey, a spreading of gourmet coleslaw and he’s happy. However, as someone who won’t eat meat or coleslaw (mayonnaise- ick), I have to be a little creative to keep my sandwiches exciting. My favourite way to do this is with spreads- a flavourful tapanade or pesto needs nothing alongside it other than some good cheese and fresh lettuce. Read more…
The Sunday shopping post is fast becoming my favourite of the week. Just look at that luscious leafy-ness! The nice weather has returned to London this week, and with it, the crowds at the farmer’s market. Read more…
Probably understandable for someone who used to work in fashion, I’m a bit of a clotheshorse. My boyfriend, even more so. Which is all fine and well, except that our tiny, er, bijoux London flat doesn’t have a lot of storage. Two small closets in the bedroom is it, and you try fitting luggage, a vacuum cleaner, laundry basket, multiple outdoor coats, boots and regular everyday clothes in there without going crazy. Read more…
In Canada, where I grew up, there is a coffee-shop chain called Timothy’s. To be perfectly honest, there is nothing special about their coffee or their stores, and given the choice, I’d almost always choose Bridgehead, Starbucks, or even Tim Horton’s for my cup of coffee. One item on their menu, however, is very special. I don’t remember when I first had one of Timothy’s Toblerone Shortbread Cookies, but I remember thinking that it was possibly the most delicious, indulgent, over-the-top and worth it cookie that I’d ever had, home-baked goods aside. Read more…
