Porridge love

 

I've been eating porridge nearly every morning for a good few years now. I love the texture and the endless topping combinations. Recently (with a little help from Nigel of course) I've perfected porridge cooking with a little flaking of salt and lots of stirring. This usually means getting up 10mins early or beign 10mins late...but it's worth it.

I 'indulged' in some weekend newspaper reading as well. I never read fast enough so the paper stays on my desk or by my bed until the following weekend.

Luxury time to cook has been sparse (although you wouldn't be able to tell by the looks of this blog). Last night was a Mediterranean medley of stuffed pepper with quinoa, roasted flat mushrooms and a Middle Eastern special, done oh-so-irresistibly: fried cauliflower with lemon juice and parsley.

On the B'way

There's nothing quite more East End weekend than a Saturday morning on Broadway Market, lively with bursts of sunshine poking through the clouds. I usually just browse and nibble on freebies. And people watch. And enjoy the day's latest live thrown-together street band. I'm into my egg breakfasts these days too.

Back to Blog and Baking

Food can never take a break. And boy has it not over the last couple of weeks. Watch this space for travel and culinary marvels.

Top. Breakfast this morning after the gym. Starts off well. Slowly downhill from there. Afternoon baking Jamie's Bloomin Brilliant Brownies. Warnings folks, it's a sugar and chocolate KILLER. A whole pack of butter, what seems like half a kilo of sugar, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, eggs, you name it. And some cranberries and macadamias for extra 'nutrition'. Thankfully it's a give-away but of course it needed to be sampled...

Zoe's cinnamon cupcakes for some kiddies. Can anyone shed some light on the sinking?
I've discovered I lack some baking talent. Bring on the Shakshuka, coming up.

Morning

Yesterday. Did not want to get out of bed. This is the case for many mornings in London.







Today. Woke up in darkness but soon the kitchen was flooded with morning sunlight. Bliss with creamy porridge.

Cream Tea with everything

"To the Albion" I bellow! Yes, I am about 4 years behind on this, but having walked past this heaving corner haven on Redchurch Street countless times, all I saw was somewhere I deemed as pretentious, overpriced and catering from the modern gentry of the new East. Sausage and mash? Not for moi. How wrong I was.
Readers, it's all about afternoon tea and cake. One of my many gastronomical indulgences, it's a ritual I've grown up with, and tended to happen most on grim winter weekends. My parents always favoured freshly-brewed Asam or Darjeeling, accompanied by something dry and sticky like fruit cake. There is never any guilt in suggesting something similar when I gather with my family. The Albion popped to mind mainly due to proximity (although I'm aware it's just one of many divine East End eateries). Friends, go for the cream tea - a lovely selection of brews, although sadly no fresh leaves, the largest fluffiest tea cake, clotted cream, jam et all. And as this is for the very greedy, they throw in slithers of brownie, flapjack and fruit cake....wicked wicked wicked.

I walked off the calories strolling around the shop, filling up an imaginary shopping basket. Particularly delighted by Artisan Biscuits' packaging, another thing I'm a sucker for.

My next post will not involve food.

Brussels continues

More city indulgences: my birthday meal was outstanding - Le Fruit Defendu is certainly an unknown gem of a restaurant in my neighbourhood. Then it could be nowhere else but Floris and Delirium bars (for the European School reunions) but of course for it's incredibly vast selections of beers and absynthes (killers). Yes, they even sell Duff beer. I have no idea what it's like.

prettige nieuwjar

Happy 2011 from icy Brussels. Made a new discovery yesterday: Wiels Space in Midi, showing Francis Alys work, relatively interesting and quizzical in parts, I was more enchanted by the fantastic factory-like space with concrete staircases and copper cylinders. What's more the south of Brussels has a very cinematic landscape - a curious juxtaposition of 'urban haphazard' and open rail tracks and graffitied station collonades...really quite atmospheric, especially in typical grey misty with a tinge of sunlight weather.

Prior to that I had the great (p)leisure of spending a cosy day and night in Arendonk, just west of Antwerp with lovely friends. A candlelit an open-fire dinner in the lake house, lake frozen, although this time I did not attempt to stand on it, remembering last year's consequences of my chubby boot.

BREF good places, good company, good food, great sighs. Tomorrow I am a year older.