A few weeks ago, it was snowing. There was ice building up on the pavements, and cars were becoming lost under blankets of white icing sugar. And, when the weather gets like that, it's time to get out your knitting needles and take up your "winter sport". Prick Your Finger in Bethnal Green provided a much-needed yarny sanctuary from the cold and white...
I got out my watercolours this weekend. I've been doing a lot of sketching and pencil doodling on napkins and notebooks (and my business diary - which looks oh so professional with doodled mushrooms and leaves) lately, and it was time to start doing something with that creative impulse. So, we headed off to Atlantis Art Materials in Shoreditch. It's a warehouse filled...
I really enjoy watching TV chefs. I like the mystery of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's home grown gourmet (what will he make today with his "here's one I grew earlier in my garden"?), and I particularly enjoy the way that Ramond Blanc shows his appreciation for food by smacking his lips with an emphatic oo-la-la. I would try anything that Ramond Blanc oo-la-la'd over. But then,...
There hasn't been a whole lot of crafting this week. I've been making my way through the sunbeams (?) in my Up & Away cross stitch project, and because I have absolutely no patience at all, I filled in some of the ropes as well. I also got a treat this week - an irresistible stitching project from the lovely Elizabeth. Isn't it great? I...
I love food. But I don't just love food - I love the celebration of it, the ceremony of sharing it, and the oh-so-beautiful colours, textures and tastes of it. I love how it brings people together, and how the value of food is so much more than the sum of its ingredients. Food, for me, is a celebration of your senses . It is...
This weekend was the first time that we didn't have visitors staying, we didn't have any guests popping in for dinner or tea, and we didn't have any immediate plans. In fact, it was the nicest kind of weekend: just the two of us, at home, with a pot of home-made vegetable soup, a loaf of bread straight out of the oven, and a...
Sometimes, when it's cold outside and won't stop raining, you need a pot of tea and a large bowl of scones. They don't take very long to make, and they're oh-so-delicious when eaten straight out of the oven. And, surprisingly, you can add interesting things to them. These are date scones. After watching season upon season of Paul Hollywood testing out bakes and...
Happy New Year! I'm delighted to say that I woke up yesterday feeling completely sniffle-free, and ready for a positive January. I think I was the only person who woke up on the first of Jan feeling good; we had more than one hangover in our house! After an enormous feast of the best food and a jolly celebration with friends to see...
