Tag Archives: writing
FEASTS & FANCIES: OMELETTE à la Gregoryan
In Lasse Hallström’s heartwarming film, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Helen Mirren plays Mme Mallory, a Michelin-star restaurant owner with very definite ideas about what cooking should be. Before she decides whether or not to employ a new cook, she sets them … Continue reading
FEASTS & FANCIES: VEGETABLE STOCK
Another thing that never ceases to surprise me in England is the amount of processed food consumed. I remember that it struck me even when I first arrived here, nearly forty years ago. In most homes, the world-famous English custard … Continue reading
Feasts & Fancies: Chocolate Notes
One of my favourite haunts is Chocolate Notes. Norwich, where we live, could possibly be described as the city that always sleeps, in that – unless you resort to a chain (and I prefer independent cafés) – it’s near … Continue reading
Feasts & Fancies: Polenta Cobbler
When I first came to England as a late teenager, in 1984, the biggest culture shock I experienced was undoubtedly the natives’ frugal attitude towards food. It seemed to be perceived as an undeserved luxury rather than a basic right. … Continue reading
Feasts & Fancies: Miscellaneous Potato Rösti
Back in the days when my metabolism could happily burn six meals a day and I indulged in a full English breakfast every Saturday at our local greasy spoon, I would always ask for an extra helping of hash browns. … Continue reading
Feasts & Fancies: The Magic of Bread
If anything makes me believe in magic in the kitchen it is making bread. The verb make is, of course, somewhat inappropriate in the context of magic, since you are not, alone, in control of the process. As in any … Continue reading
The End of a Blog – and the Beginning of a New One
I started writing this blog, first entitled Londoner’s Musings, then Scribe Doll’s Musings, back in February 2011 because blogs were all the rage, it was Valentine’s Day and I was single with nothing to do, and in order to vent a … Continue reading
Christmas Eve
The treble has sung. Christmas has begun. Once in Royal David’s city… A voice like gold shimmering in the firelight. The light is draining from the sky. The sun has withdrawn without pomp. This is not an evening for … Continue reading
The Polish Woman on the Bus
The emotional memory of that day is much stronger than the memory of the event’s details. It was 1981 and I was coming home from school on the bus. I was sixteen. Without a word, she presented a card … Continue reading
Last Night of the Proms
I caught the end of the Last Night of the Proms on television last night. The Royal Albert Hall was once again filled with people, many wearing blue berets with yellow European Union stars, but most waving small Union Jacks … Continue reading