About a year ago, our local greengrocer closed temporarily for a radical refurbishment, including the addition of a flat over the shop. We resigned ourselves to several months of mildly-aggravating and bit-more-expensive fruit and vegetable shopping in the nearby supermarket, softened by the anticipation of when-Thurgoods-reopens, hoping it would be perhaps a little smarter but …
Category: food
Melbourne scrapbook
Here are some snaps and snippets from my recent trip home. Home? To the city where I was born, where I grew up, that I made a conscious choice to leave many years ago. London is home now. Melbourne is family, a few friends, home-but-not-home. What's that line from a Gang of Four song? 'At …
a packed week off – part two
I think this packed week off is catching up with me. Deep breath... So, Wednesday night to Loose Muse at the Poetry Café. I wavered, feeling tired and a kind of non-specific low-level anxiety, and then the intermittent flurries of snow did little to improve my mood. But I convinced myself to go, and the …
mucking in and agitating
I've recently discovered a wonderful community garden less than 5 minutes' walk from our flat. Yesterday, the first properly fine day after a long wet week, I dropped by for an hour armed with some onion sets kindly sent to us by Nick's mother in Norfolk. I am a gardening novice, but the Doddington Community …
melbourne calling
Ten days down and six to go of our short trip to Melbourne. Ignoring the vagaries of the weather, we have packed in quite a lot, in between catching up with family and friends. Highlights so far: Cafe culture. It would be easy to believe all Melbournians spend at least a third of their time …
a bunch or two of cheerfulness
I'd lived in Battersea for years before I discovered there's a traditional greengrocer's just seven minutes' walk from my block. And even though I've been frequenting Thurgood's for a good few years now, I still get a tingle of anticipation each time I set off for their small but invaluable establishment. A proper greengrocer's in …
notes from yesterday
A breezy, summer's-last-hurrah day. A rare lie in, cups of tea, Radio 3. Late breakfast: wilted spinach and poached eggs on toast, to set us up nicely for the day's cultural exertions. First stop, the Free Verse Poetry Book Fair at Exmouth Market, organised by the excellent CB editions. An inspiring, if slightly overwhelming, event …
sparrow grass
This week's food highlight: English asparagus, from my local greengrocer's, lightly roasted in olive oil, accompanied by boiled baby Charlotte potatoes. I've decided this is about the best way to cook asparagus. Roasting those tantalising spears intensifies their flavour, while they retain a bit of bite. Then there's the auxiliary pleasures of drizzling some of …
vernal pleasures
Blue skies over London. Trees coming into leaf, each day a brighter green. Blossom everywhere - a plethora of white and pink froth, shimmering yellow. Bare legs. Toenails painted deep red. Making salads - Greek salad, beetroot salad with garlic yoghurt. Fresh, sharp tastes. Eating Greek salad listening to Greek music with the windows open, …
sanguine citrus
Hooray! Blood oranges are back in my local greengrocer's - a sure sign that spring is on its way. The blood orange is one of my favourite fruits, with a wonderful raspberry-ish flavour (mm, I love raspberries too...), and it looks as delicious as it tastes. Its short season (my greengrocer tends to have them …
Hilaire 