Some cakes are pure decadence: a Victoria Sponge that is bound together by a butter corset, or a carefully regimented army of macaroon clones. These creations are fabulous, but baking perfection requires the patience of a saint or the skilled hand of a patisserie. I have neither, so perfection has to be something else thanContinue reading “Marble cake”
Author Archives: Alice Mulhearn Williams
Pearl barley salad
Summer, summer, summer, rolling before me in reels of golden sunshine that smell of freedom. Last week, whilst sitting at my desk with dusk drawing in far too quickly, I drew up a mental list of everything I would do after exams. In an atmosphere where even cooking dinner felt like a guilty pleasure, IContinue reading “Pearl barley salad”
Gnocchi and squash salad
The clouds thickened into a purple, black scab across the sky. As more and more people piled into the vaporetto, the air inside the cabin became so close that the clotted sky seemed to be lying on top of us. Rolls of thunder lapped up the sides of the canals in rhythm with the measuredContinue reading “Gnocchi and squash salad”
A Middle Eastern Salad
A few days ago I found myself engrossed in Nigel Slater’s book, Fast Food. I wasn’t simply skimming the pages, I was lingering over every description. when he writes about the simple joy of a platter full of Medjool dates, plump figs, and polished hazelnuts he isn’t telling me how to make a dessert, he’s telling me a story. IContinue reading “A Middle Eastern Salad”
Vegan chocolate coconut tart
This time last week I was on a coach on my way back to London. When I saw London in the distance, skyscrapers clustered together, grey faced and glowing with the artificial light of office windows, I wanted to go back to Norfolk. The sky was a choked sort of grey – the dank purpleContinue reading “Vegan chocolate coconut tart”
Lemon and blueberry swirl cake (and Highgate cemetery)
It’s bloody cold here. It’s so cold that when you’re on a tour of Highgate cemetery, you huddle next to a hard tomb to soften the icy wind that scrapes across the marble. You dance on top of graves to reawaken any inklings of feeling in your toes, and apologise as you do so. EvenContinue reading “Lemon and blueberry swirl cake (and Highgate cemetery)”
Joy.
Between my sister and I, there has come about a pretty strict idea on how to do Christmas right. It’s the small things that can drag down my festive cheer, like when people refuse Christmas pudding on the big day (put your taste buds aside and take one for the team, you bunch of Scrooges!)Continue reading “Joy.”
Budapest
As all of my friends and family know, I love Christmas. In fact, to say I love it is an understatement. Every year I throw myself into the festivities until I resemble a mince pie eating, carol singing, mulled wine glugging, deranged vision of The Ghost of Christmas Present, bulging waistline included. So to me,Continue reading “Budapest”
Pasta with borlotti beans
Nigella and I have one thing in common. It’s not the whole lust-inducing-spoon-licking thing she’s got going on, instead, it’s a shared love of Italy related subjects. Well, actually it goes a bit further than that: both of us have spent a large portion of our lives pretending to be Italian. I once had aContinue reading “Pasta with borlotti beans”
The joy of a pumpkin pie
Oh London, do you ever stop? The people hurrying, stressing, sighing in Euston tube station still push and pull at my body long after I’ve escaped into the fresh air. When I’m walking down the high street of my new north London home, neon signs flash in my face, below them are fried chicken jointsContinue reading “The joy of a pumpkin pie”
To The Table 