Last Friday evening I spent a pleasant two hours on an empty train with the sea at my back. I’d spent the afternoon between work, school and trains, herding eight children in the direction of Sussex. It was like a school trip – myself and another nanny doling out packed lunches and supervising toilet trips.Continue reading “Pork Belly”
Category Archives: Recipes
Chicken tagine with apricots
I’m a member of the Facebook group, ‘Slow Cooker Saddos’. It’s a gem for the foodie voyeur, if only for the dimly-lit photographs of unidentifiable casseroles. I remember shunning the slow cooker after Nigella branded it a crime against cooking (along with electric carving knives – I can agree with her there). I’ve sinceContinue reading “Chicken tagine with apricots”
Carrot Cake
We’re veering dangerously close to March and I’m not at all happy about it. I don’t want to write my dissertation (on conceptions of sufferance in the 12th century – What fun!), whilst also juggling a couple of essays and keeping half an eye on my ever looming exams. I don’t really want to shuffle fromContinue reading “Carrot Cake”
Mint cream chocolate biscuits
Bloody hell, it really is Christmas. I have a repeated nightmare that’s based around Christmas. The big day suddenly comes into being without any prior warning. Everybody has shopped and planned without me and I sit down to lunch, faced with boiled carrots because I wasn’t there to patronise everybody on the fact that roasted carrotsContinue reading “Mint cream chocolate biscuits”
Coming home
There is the Christmas tree shining into the grey lane. Home is warm and carpeted, with bedside lamps turned on, as always. When I was a child the gentle slump of the car in the drive would always be a bit of a bother. “We’re home.” I’d be half asleep in the backseat, sighing inContinue reading “Coming home”
Thinking about bus stops (and omelettes)
I’m not convinced that a recipe for an omelette should be preluded by a musing on bus stops and illustrated with photos of an autumnal UCL campus, but I’m doing it anyway. It’s odd to think about all of the bus stops I’ve stood at during my life. The first one of my adolescence wasn’tContinue reading “Thinking about bus stops (and omelettes)”
Minestrone
The first summer I spent au pairing was, in many ways, torturous. For two months I was trapped behind a façade of my own design: I was in love with Italy, I was the perfect nanny, I was happy. Except I wasn’t. I don’t know whether my regret at the whole thing is visibleContinue reading “Minestrone”
Day Eighteen: Crossing The Columbia River.
We follow the river, away from the shadowed roads of Glenwood towards the dry hillsides of Southern Washington. The Maryhill museum is a little oasis of Russian iconography and Auguste Rodin sculpture. There’s a short interval for Oregon wine tasting and then we cross the Columbia River. Back on Oregon soil. With a 30% HispanicContinue reading “Day Eighteen: Crossing The Columbia River.”
Why Jamie might have a point.
Jamie Oliver has triggered another class war. In a recent Radio Times interview he more or less stated that the poorest of our society are ignoring the value of good food, in favour of technology and chips. Cue a media backlash culminating in one very loud message: What the hell does he know? Well theContinue reading “Why Jamie might have a point.”
No churn coconut ice cream
“One more minute, oh no oh no, I JUST DON”T KNOW” The young man behind the counter tutted and gestured to the queue winding out of the shop and down the street. “Okay, okay, okay…strawberry” This is one of a few wildly regrettable decisions I’ve made in my life. Strawberry gelato…I had the choice ofContinue reading “No churn coconut ice cream”
To The Table 