2012 Re-Cap with Food Round-up

I thought it might be an amusing exercise to do a quick recap of the year. I can’t really draw the re-cap entirely from my blog because I’ve only been properly blogging for the past 6 months, so January to July is a hodge-podge of life-facts. Actually, I tell a lie about the ‘amusing’ part; … Continue reading →

How To Make Fluffy Brown and White Thai Jasmine Rice in a Rice Cooker

I don’t think this is an incredibly profound suggestion, but you may nonethless find this useful: try mixing 50/50 brown jasmine rice and white jasmine rice. You get the fluffy texture of white rice and the nutty flavour of brown rice. I don’t know enough about the health benefits to promise you anything; all I … Continue reading →

2009 Chestnut Hoard + Near Painless Roast Chestnuts

I used to walk to school on a path lined with sweet chestnut trees. Come autumn the ground would be strewn with fallen chestnuts, which we would of course pick–who are we to say no to local free food? October 2009 was the last and most impressive pick, I think: as you can see from … Continue reading →

Christmas 2012: All of the food. All of it.

It’s been really very busy for me to the point that I have no idea what to do with my free time now–except to turn some photos and thoughts into a blog post, perhaps. I hope the holidays are treating you all well, or at least, not any worse than usual. This year I have … Continue reading →

Cranberry Chocolate Orange Shortbread Biscuits

This is a good biscuit to make if you’re bored by the ubiquity of saccharine goods–the dough itself is just barely sugar-sweet, carrying the flavour of orange zest, chocolate and dried cranberries very well. They also have a good crunch and crumble to them before melting in the mouth. To add to these virtues, the … Continue reading →

Nigella Lawson’s Cranberry Mincemeat (No Alcohol) – Further Thoughts

I think it’s time for an update on those cranberry mince pies I made 3 years ago. This is the mincemeat I’ve used for the past few years and nothing will persuade me to part from it (yet!), but I have grown out of the phase where I think public figures are infallible, their creations … Continue reading →

Christmas Tree Ice Cream by Chin Chin Labs (and Other Christmas Tree Things)

It’s been several weeks since I’ve had the time to go to Chin Chin Labs. I usually go with Mr Pear at the weekend, but we’ve both been quite busy lately. Totally kicking myself for missing their Bonfire Night-themed marshmallow ice cream but no matter–I was looking forward to seeing what their Christmas flavours would … Continue reading →

Guilty pleasures: Smoked Mackerel, Cheddar Cheese and Nam Prik Pao Toasted Sandwich

My care is like my shadow Laid bare beneath the sun It follows me at all times And flies when I pursue it I freeze and yet am always burned Since from myself again I turn I love and yet am forced to hate I seem stark mute; inside I prate Some gentler love doth … Continue reading →

Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a scaled down and slightly saltier version of Dave Lebovitz’s cookies that I’ve been using for several years now. They have had the honour of being favourably and shamelessly featured on a Ferretbrain podcast, which was ostensibly about books but momentarily turned into live cookie-tasting and giggling over Mr. Pear’s voice and velvet … Continue reading →

The Fields Beneath – coffee and other worthy local edibles in Kentish Town

Today the Kentishtowner has a new and quite rightly positive review up of my new local, so I thought I would be hip and current by piggybacking on their post. During September I was very curious about the goings-on in the empty shop space next to Kentish Town West. There was a large sign behind … Continue reading →