I had mixed feelings when I heard that Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch” has won the Pulitzer Prize. Although the hardback was suitably heavy, this quick read did not seem to be sufficiently poignant to win big.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this flawed book. It was a page turner and easy to read while sleepy-eyed on my morning commute. The start is explosive, both literally and emotionally, when Continue reading
Luckily for me a colleague offered me a pair of tickets to “Fatal Attraction” at Haymarket Theatre Royal at the last minute last week. And who would say no? With a star billing of Kristin Davis (aka Charlotte from SATC), Natascha McElhone and bona fide live bunny rabbits, I jumped at the chance. The tickets were also super cheap – £3, yes really, only £3 each – through a flash sale on Continue reading
I felt reasonably excited to visit “Bill’s”, a (fairly wide spread) chain doing all day coffee, lunch and dinner, hoping it might be a less victim-of-its-own-success version of Carluccio’s. So in I went for morning coffee with a friend – all very civilised! We ordered a portion of scones, which gives you two scones (one each), cream and jam. In theory, ideal; in reality, very disappointing. I am not sure why it is that so many cafes make such appalling scones, but my best assumption is that the scones were frozen or made the day before, then microwaved to serve the described “warmed scones”. If not, they just make very heavy scones in the morning. To give Bill’s the benefit of doubt, perhaps they would be better if we have ordered them in the afternoon when scones are more traditionally ordered? Also, all the other customers were having a cooked breakfast, which looked lovely. On the plus side, the tea came in the largest enamel tea pot I have EVER seen and, like Mary Poppin’s bag, the tea kept coming out of the spout and I seemed unable to pour out every drop… All in all, maybe in the morning, pick Bill’s for a traditional breakfast and lots of tea, but not so much for the scones.
One of the loveliest places in London must surely be the Victoria and Albert museum in the museum site in Knightsbridge. It is a strange place: in the process of being renovated half of the museum is modern, inspiring and the other half slightly archaic and very victorian. More than any of the exhibits (as good and eclectic as they may be) my favourite thing is the architecture. As the victorians did best, the building is a monument to craft. There is a central vast courtyard which is tranquil and beyond the courtyard is a cafe in decorative rooms. Plus, (and crucially) the selection of cakes, tea in teapots and salads makes for a decent break from the culture! It is also thought provoking to see the significant pitted bomb damage to the exterior of the V&A on the side of the building facing the science museum.
If you are in London – it is my number one pick!
At this time of year, there is a sudden glut of plums – not that I am complaining!! I love stewed plums, but for a quick week day desert, I just half some plums, pop them in a baking dish with a drizzle of honey and scattering of flaked almonds. I tend to leave them in an oven on 170C for 20 minutes until they are cooked through. I serve them with a good dollop of fat free greek yoghurt. The contrast of hot sweet plums and cold sharp yoghurt is truly delish. And really healthy!
Voila, here are my freshly baked cakes and they are burn-your-fingers hot from the oven (yes, I know from experience – ouch). They are a variation of the cakes I made here, with some marginally healthy twists. For these I used:
3oz wholemeal self raising flour (they prob would be lighter if you are not used to wholemeal if you used half white and half wholemeal)
2oz caster sugar
2oz margarine
1 medium egg
1 tspn almond essence
I creamed the sugar and marg, then added the egg, then flour and essence. I stirred into the cake mixture about 14 blueberries (two per cake) and added some frozen summer fruits. To make sure there was some in each cake, I put a small amount of mixture into each of 7 bun cases, added a frozen raspberry, then added the rest. These baked at 170 degrees fan for about 20 minutes.
The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, so here’s me signing off to sample one (or two…).
So, I have just finished Gone Girl. It would totally spoil it to say anything much about it… except it is totally compelling. I would describe it as a psychological thriller and certainly makes you think about how well you can ever truly know anyone. And, unlike some griping books, the ending dealt with the loose ends and felt suitable. Really, I can imagine that it is a good book for a book group – when you finish you will want to talk to someone about it, but can’t unless they are already in the know.
Best quote? Here is my pick:
“One should never marry a man who doesn’t own a decent pair of scissors. That would be my advice. It leads to bad things.”
Gillian Flynn, I take note.
As you may have guessed from the blog title, I kinda like pistachio… And with dark chocolate?? Sounds perfect… BUT for some reason the Lindt “pistachio delight” was not quite as delightful as I had hoped. The dark chocolate is so powerful that is sort of overwhelms the delicate pistachio and I was a little *hesitates* disappointed. That said, still excellent and I wouldn’t say no to some more.
Instead, try:
So much more pistachio-y and in slightly smaller bite sized chunks. Oddly difficult to get hard of though , so when I see it for sale, I tend to over buy….
But, maybe, pistachio chocolate is getting more popular, so much so that M&S and Waitrose have got in on the action. M&S almond and pistachio bars are good, but again often seem to sell out. But now that Waitrose have it in their “seriously” range, I am seriously in danger of over-indulging…
So I finally decided to read the books everyone has been talking about, especially now I have a kindle and, therefore, no excuses about heavy books *sigh*. And actually, for all the “it has an odd style but you will get used to it”, I thought it was really engaging and not as inaccessible as I had been led to believe. Although if you read these two books be prepared to be shocked by your lack of historical knowledge. I followed these up with plenty of googling of the different characters. Most strikingly, it was the first thing I have read about the Tudor era which really made me think what it would be like to live during such an unstable time. The sense of genuine danger, short and brutal life, is palpable and it gives a new meaning to politics.
Plus, as a lawyer I loved:
“When you are writing laws you are testing words to find their utmost power. Like spells, they have to make things happen in the real world, and like spells, they only work if people believe in them.”
Definitely recommended: I was sad to finish these two books and for a Booker winner that is rare.
Hidden away in the Barbican’s brutalist exterior is the most lovely foodhall. When you walk in there is a great big table with cakes and they do hot lunches – great for nipping out of my City office at lunchtimes! Especially good in the sunshine with the large outside seating terrace over looking fountains. My fav? The large coffee cake with fat walnuts in it. The only downside is the slightly disappointing coffee, but the free wifi and relaxed light atmosphere more than compensates.
pistachioplum 