Two years ago our Christmas got canceled on Christmas Eve — well the trip we had planned to Switzerland did anyway. It was our first Christmas with a child and you know how important they are! We were devastated. I think the only thing that saved us was Melrose & Morgan, our local deli in Primrose Hill (where we lived at the time). We turned up at 12pm to a packed store of everyone collecting their orders and they thankfully managed to make us up one of their ‘Christmas’s in a box’. It honestly saved the day.
But Melrose & Morgan is not just for Christmas, their fantastic home-cooked meals are perfect to take home, heat up and make you look like a domestic goddess. Sadly my better-half isn’t easily fooled – Melrose & Morgan’s food is just that bit too delicious for him to believe it was made by me whilst I had 2 children hanging off my arms.
Each day the kitchen prepares a different menu using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Additionally they have a range of staples including their home-made pies, freshly baked bread, mouth-wateringly delicious cheeses and sweet treats for every occasion. I keep one of their pies and some of their home-made ice cream in my freezer for those “its 6.45pm, there’s nothing to eat in the house and the kids are going crazy” evenings (of which we tend to have 4 a week).
I’m not big on branded merchandise but my one exception is Melrose & Morgan’s mugs, aprons and my favourite canvas shopping bags with their simple red font spelling evocative foodie words such as ‘picnic’, ‘cheese’ and ‘custard’ (I love that one in particular!).
Melrose and Morgan is at 42 Gloucester Avenue, London, NW1 8JD. Nearest tube Chalk Farm or Camden.
How cute are these cupcake kits!!!! What a simple solution to make you look like a baking rock star! Meri Meri has something for just about every occasion and the quality is just beautiful. Now that the coldest months are rolling into the city I like doing cooking projects in the afternoon to deal with those often painfully long hours between the “end-of-school” and the “start-of-dinner”. There are tons of other really adorable and creative things on the website as well — invitations, thank you cards and notepads. And speaking of cupcakes… I want one.
So someone dared one of my husband’s very conservative and straight-laced co-workers to grow a shaggy 1970’s style moustashe last month. I guess everyone chipped in $10 and pretty soon the guy was going to make a small killing — so he did it. Anyway, after a month or so the moustache was in full force and he looked, as predicted, ridiculous. So after the jokes were told ad nauseum the poor guy got his loot and was free to shave it off. As a parting gift, they took a picture and printed out his face on an M&M and gave tiny tin boxes to the entire staff. I thought it was a cool idea! Who knew you could print an image on that tiny thing? While I don’t advocate the eating of junky candy per se, I do like silly ideas. We just ordered a bunch with a picture of the girls to give out at their birthday party next month.
I used to keep a picture in the front of my diary of an old-fashioned sweet shop. You know the kind: shelves stacked with glass jars brimming with brightly-coloured sweets. The Juliette Binoche in me always quite fancied being a ‘purveyor of splendid confectionery’. However these days there would be little point in me following this dream as Hope & Greenwood do it so perfectly.
They have stores in Dulwich & Covent Garden (which would be perfect if you happen to be taking a trip to Benjamin Pollocks as per my last post), but they are also sold in some pretty lovely other places: Liberty, Selfridges, Fortum & Mason (to name but a few) and of course you can buy them online from their site. I find the Miss Hope’s Jolly Mixture a very exciting treat and the Sugar free Gummy Bears a good one to ensure the children don’t bounce off the ceiling with too much sugar!
I can’t believe my daughter has just turned one — time has flown. Now I know a one-year-old might not appreciate a proper birthday party, but I can’t resist one. And in the spirit of being ‘girly’ there was nothing for it but a fairy tea-party, to be more specific The Toadstool Tea (for those of you unfamiliar with fairy-lore, The Toadstool Tea is a secret party for all the fairies, elves and imps to celebrate the Fairy Queen’s birthday. It takes place under the thicket deep in the middle of the forest (according to Mo)).
Toadstools, it turns out, are not only a really great theme for a party but also rather fashionable. In my month or so of preparation I saw them everywhere (I couldn’t resist adding a cute Toadstool money box from Cath Kidston (stores only) and this adorable Shinzi Katoh print to her presents). Toadstools also make for a fun theme because they are easy to draw and craft. Here are some other toadstool ideas…
I made felt toadstools for the invitations (super easy) and Fimo toadstools for decoration (super, super easy and fun — haven’t Fimo’d for years!)
The fairies ate Toadstool Cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with bright red vanilla icing from the very brilliant Primrose Bakery Cupcake Cookbook decorated with white chocolate drops) and each got a Toadstool cookie in their goody-bag, made using this recipe and this Toadstool cutter. I did also make Toadstools using quail’s eggs and half a tomato perched on top, dotted with mayo but Mums and Dads seemed to go for these rather than kids.
We had a lovely day and who wouldn’t with their house all a flutter with 1 – 3 year-old girls and boys all dressed up as fairies and elves?
I will confess that I’m really not a very good cook… I do try, really I do but the reality is that it just doesn’t come naturally to me. I find it tedious and stressful, not to mention expensive due to my high turnover of pots and pans and regular culinary disasters. Despite this, I am adamant that my children eat healthy food. As I only allow them one takeaway meal a week (usually sushi, sometimes pizza) this means that I do more cooking than I would like to. Fortunately I have found that the healthiest cooking is actually often the simplest.
One of my greatest discoveries is ‘quinoa’. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a small disk shaped seed that looks a lot like a sesame seed. Classified as a grain, quinoa is actually the seed of a leafy plant related to spinach. It was a staple of the ancient Incas who called quinoa the “mother grain” and revered it as sacred. I revere it too – for it’s nutritional qualities and the fact that it’s so easy and fast to prepare; just perfect for ‘simple’ cooks like myself.
Nutritionally quinoa is a ‘protein powerhouse’ – it contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a “complete” protein. It is also high in antioxidants, fiber, and minerals and is gluten free.
I cook with Quinoa several times a week. I use it as a substitute for rice or couscous, in salads, stir frys and even in casseroles. It really is so versatile – the texture is light and fluffy, not sticky or starchy and it has a delicious, slightly nutty, flavor. Best of all, it cooks quickly so when the children come home starving and you have nothing to dish up, quinoa is a great one to have up your sleeve (just whip up a quick fresh napoletana sauce, grate some parmesan and voila – there’s your meal kids!)
Simply prepare as you would rice. Rinse it first to remove the bitter coating then combine one part quinoa to two parts water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for fifteen minutes. Seriously easy and so, so delish!
While checking out the baby biscuits at a health food store, I stumbled upon Baby Mum-Mum biscuits, and couldn’t resist the name! Now my almost 9-month-old is addicted– she clearly prefers these over any baby cookies I buy. I love them too– they come in individual packets, great to stash in your bag, they are slightly crunchy, and not at all messy. They are made primarily of rice, but do have small amounts of sugar and salt. (Maybe that is what makes them so yummy?) Click here for a list of US and Canadian retailers.
Another classic American fave for older babies is Cheerios. For my first daughter, I remember stuffing my suitcase full of plain Cheerios when I visited the States, as in France, only the honey nut variety are available. Apparently Cheerios are great for babies who have perfected the pincer grasp, and I’ve heard they reduce the possibility of chocking as they are circle-shaped. As I was thinking about this post, I was wondering what kinds of snacks and biscuits moms around the world feed their babies. Are there other great ideas, or even better– homemade snacks, that we should know about?
I was asked to bring a treat for a birthday party at the girls’ pre-school last year, but with all the food allergies out there these days filling that request can be downright terrifying. Ok…so let’s see….that leaves me with what options?….rice cakes? …a fistful of raisins? What “treat” on earth is going to be wheat, nut, egg and dairy free?
I then remembered BabyCakes – an adorable little shop on the Lower East Side which is, incidentally, New York’s first and finest dairy, egg and gluten free bakery! They make picture perfect cupcakes, cookies, brownies and even pie – all of which can be scarfed down guilt free. But how do they taste you ask? Delicious! And what’s better, I feel like I am beating the system somehow when my kids eat them.
I have just returned from Ireland where I was visiting my family and I can promise you I don’t think I have ever had so many cups of tea.
The Irish LOVE their tea, and long may it continue as there is nothing better in life than sitting in a warm kitchen, taking a bit of time out while sipping a good cup of tea and solving the worlds problems. (I actually think that a lot of the world’s problems would be much better solved if they were being discussed over a good cup of tea in a warm Irish kitchen instead of in conference rooms of the White House and 10 Downing Street, but that is a different matter entirely…).
Now, I have always known how good tea is to drink but I had no idea that you could also use the leaves for all sorts of things. On the flight from Paris to Dublin my toddler had a gunky eye and the lovely (Irish) air hostess suggested that I wipe it out with a cold tea bag. I have no scientific understanding of the medicinal value of the common black tea bag but I thought it was worth a try. I tried it and her eye cleaned up instantly! Now it might have been getting better on its own anyway, but I reckon the tea bag trick cannot do any damage and certainly is much nicer than squirting antibiotics into her eyes…
Emilie recently came to London for a short visit and while she was here she asked me if I knew of a good basic recipe for carrot cake.
Now… I’m not normally an expert in cakes, but carrot cake is a different story! Carrot cake has always been my favorite — my mom used to make it for me on my birthday when I was growing up, always using the same great recipe from the Alice Bay Cookbook. The cake is so good, I asked the bakery who made my wedding cake to follow the same recipe. (My wedding cake was such a hit I remember looking over at the end of the night and seeing a bunch of people scraping the last remains off the tray!)
It’s delicious and it’s so simple — I have never known it to disappoint! Just ask Emilie…
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and gradually add to wet mixture. Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
-1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
-3/4 cup butter, softened
-1 box of powdered sugar
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
For a printable version of this recipe, click here.
Since we have been living in Paris I have discovered a new addiction to baked goods. Obviously I the love croissants, the tarts and the bread, but my ultimate favourite are these little puff balls called choquettes. They are light and fluffy as they are filled with pure, sugar scented air and they are so completely moreish that it is easy to devour a whole bag of them in a couple of minutes. You find them in most bakeries but real chouquette connaisseurs will each have a favourite bakery that they will swear makes the best chouquettes. It’s interesting that these little puff balls have not reached the international recognition of their fellow baked goods, but if I had anything to do with it they would become a staple snack in every country.
As you might not be able to find chouqettes at your local bakery, here is a recipe for them. It is from one of my favourite food blogs: Chocolate and Zucchini.
There should be a warning on this recipe: Seriously Addictive.
Have you noticed how cupcakes are the trendy dessert of the moment? Bakeries are popping up all over the US and abroad, it seems. I first heard about DC-based Cakelove from a cooking show on tv, and was intrigued by the lawyer-turned-chef Warren Brown– someone who was truly following their bliss to open a bakery. I finally succumbed to the cupcake craze yesterday when I passed by one of Cakelove’s bakeries – I got one for my daughter and her friend, a lovely vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting. I have to say that it was quite possibly the best cupcake I’ve had. (I had to have a bite in the name of research!) The frosting was real, made with chunks of real strawberries, and not sickly sweet like some frostings. Cakelove now has 7 locations in the DC area, and also does big cakes and other sweet treats. I am looking forward to my daughter’s next playdate to try out another flavor!
I stumbled across the Michelin’s top ten bakeries in Paris report recently and was almost disappointed to see my favourite bakery in Paris listed as the first of the top ten. I thought it was my little secret that no one knew about! Though Du Pain et Des Idées is a tiny, unassuming bakery, the bread and patisseries are out of this world. I found it purely by chance: I was working in a studio on the same street and was looking for the local bakery to take home a baguette one evening… and I was in for a surprise. The baguette had a wonderfully crisp, but not hard, crust and the inside was so delicate!
Christophe Vasseur, the owner of Du Pain et Des Idées started off as a fashion house sales executive when he had a change of heart at the age of 30 (as you do) and decided to become one of the top bakers in the capital. He has more than succeeded. Voted best baker of Paris by Gault and Millau (a famous food magazine) last year, this year he was voted one of the 10 ten bakers in Paris by the Michelin guide.
If you are ever in the area I personally recommend the baguette, the orange blossom brioche called a ‘mouna’, or the apple turnover with a whole baked half-apple in it.
How do you entertain kids on a rainy afternoon, teach them to cook, and at the same time have dinner prepared for you by your own personal chef? Let them make pizzas!!
My friend Carla organised a pizza atelier the other day and it was a success beyond any expectations. She prepared lots of fresh vegetables, a disc of pizza dough per child, grated cheese and tomato sauce. Everyone was allowed to top their pizzas with whatever they wanted.
A child psychologist would have had a field day, as the kids’ personalities totally came out by the way they approached the pizza making. One pizza was picture perfect, with all the ingredients evenly distributed. Another had every single ingredient piled up like a mountain. A third had all the vegetables neatly lined up in one straight line.
What this meant I don’t know, but the main thing is the pizzas all tasted equally nice and were enjoyed by young and old! I think this may become a new favourite rainy afternoon activity.
A bit over two years ago there was a little article in the NY Times with a recipe for ‘No-Knead Bread’. I remember reading this article (I even watched the video), totally impressed with how easy it seemed and how yummy that bread looked. I scribbled down the recipe and threw it into my recipe notebook. All I needed was a cast-iron pot and I could be on my way to making this bread…
Little did I know that I was one of thousands of people who read that article, watched the video, and vowed to become the next bread baker. The ‘no-knead bread’ recipe now has quite the cult following, and there’s no doubt why: it really is that easy and that yummy!
It took me two years to finally attempt it (actually, my husband first took the plunge), but we are now completely obsessed. This bread is SO DARN GOOD! Crispy on the outside, soft and light on the inside. Seriously, you must, must try it.
It started yesterday. A strange, bitter taste in my mouth — especially when I was eating something. My dinner, even my glass of wine tasted funny (what a waste)!
I didn’t think much of it at first; normally strange things like this just go away by itself. But this morning, my oatmeal tasted bitter, as did everything else I ate the rest of today. This started to become really annoying!
Now, I don’t consider myself a hypochondriac, but I decided to do some research on the internet. Was this a neurological disorder, maybe?? (I could be featured in the next Oliver Sacks book!!)
Within five minutes of browsing, I found the answer: the bitter taste in my mouth was caused by the pine nuts we had in our salad earlier this week!!!
Apparently, according to a scientific article that appeared in 2001 in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine, certain pine nuts, and specifically the ones imported from China, can cause a taste disturbance — a bitter, metallic taste in the mouth, especially prone when eating, can develop and last for days!
Lots of people from all over the world have reported on this strange phenomenon — even Wikipedia describes the risk of eating pine nuts!
The good news is, that although the strong, bitter taste is a nuisance, there is no evidence of any health concern. The bad news is, that there is no known cure to the taste disturbance. I just have to wait and sit it out!
If only my wine wouldn’t taste as bitter…
Okay, so I don’t want to sound like I’m having a meltdown but I am in a bit of a major adjustment zone at the moment. (Haha. It’s not going to last until he’s 18 years old, is it???) While I feel more comfortable with my baby being at daycare — he’s slowly settling in – I am still torn about letting go of another ideal I held about being a “good” mother. The first one to slip through my fingers was breastfeeding. Going back to work, it wasn’t practical to continue. And I also realised that I wasn’t producing enough milk to sustain my growing boy. He actually became quite underweight. Now, I’m weighing up the pros and cons of homemade solids versus store-bought ones. While I look at the jam-packed website of Annabel Karmel and wish I had a spare day or two to make “Tasty Salmon Puree” or “Braised Beef with Sweet Potato” I just don’t have the time. And while there is probably more variety in store-bought baby food than ever before, there still doesn’t seem a huge choice. I’ve yet to see any fish on offer in the form of a baby food jar (locally farmed, preferably — yep, I warned you that I have pretty high ideals). I would love to know what choices you’ve made regarding homemade versus store-bought food, especially if you’ve gone back to work.
In Italy teabags always come in individual envelopes, maybe it’s because Italians are not big tea-drinkers so tea is better preserved if it’s wrapped in paper. Whatever the reason may be, when I was growing up, I never questioned the fact — that was just the way teabags were.
When I moved to England I immediately noticed that teabags came in big boxes of at least 50 pieces and most of them didn’t have single envelopes, they were sleeveless… or as I started calling them: naked!
I got so used to them — definitely less waste of paper, quicker in the mornings and, not less important, naked teabags can easily be stored in nice jars. Once I moved back 3 years ago, I kept drinking English tea thanks to frequent visits and a frequent-flyer husband. Recently my regular supply came to an end, so I started looking for naked teabags everywhere but they are not for sale in Italy. After all, individually wrapped teabags do their job greatly, I admit I was being a bit picky.
That’s when I stumbled across British Corner Shop, a web-shop that sells British groceries and delivers worldwide. They carry a huge selections of everything you may miss when away from the UK (yes, come on… it can happen). Cereals, biscuits, marmite, beans, cleaning products and baby food. Prices are good but the delivery is not too cheap; just order loads of stuff to make it worth it (that’s what I did).
So that’s how I got my teabags, but that’s also how we finally had Christmas crackers on our table this year!
I’m sure I’m telling the food-concious Amsterdam inhabitant nothing new when I say the word ‘Marqt‘. Because Marqt came and conquered, almost a year ago!
The concept behind Marqt (not a supermarket but a ‘fresh market’) is fresh food, mostly organic, coming from local farms in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam and of very high quality. Everything is presented in a sublime and spacious interior (think wood, brick and stainless steel).
For people living in NY or London, where fancy food experiences (we don’t call them supermarkets any more) such as Whole Foods are around your corner, this concept might be nothing new. But to us here in provincial Amsterdam, organic shopping used to be limited to a couple of over-prized, sexless bio-shops where the shop assistants were as slow and un-enthusiastic as the food they were selling. But with Marqt in town, Amsterdam is back on the organic map!
xxx Esther
P.S. When you go shopping at Marqt (BTW the bread is divine), you can leave your cash at home, because they only accept cards.
Petit Flaneur:
Sandra Ciganic-McKinney is the founder of Petit Flaneur. This young Canadian had the great idea of creating objects whilst respecting the planet: the toys, cards and clothes she dreams up are all produced close to her native Toronto. They are made out of Canadian wood and non-toxic ink. Her objects are not only beautiful, but also intelligent and innovative, like this 3D puzzle.
La Bohème:
Christmas is approaching fast. You are soon going to have to choose THE perfect outfit for your daughter to impress your whole family. The ideal choice is…. “bohème chic (gyspy chic)”! It is said that a gypsy is as free as a bird; if your little one does not want to eat turkey she isn’t going to eat. Not because she has no manners, but because she has a mind of her own.
Your mother wants her grandchildren to be on their best behavior. So be it. Make her and your daughter happy with a dress made out of lace, embroidery, flowery patterns and other beautiful tidbits. Essentiel Dress, from 125 €
Hansel and Gretel:
Christmas time and the excuse to eat treats is quickly approaching. All get your forks ready and start eating, due to these sweet Hansel and Gretels. You get to play the part of the evil witch and eat them without feeling guilty. These cookies are on sale at one of the most beautiful food shops in Paris, La grande Epicerie de Paris, (the Bon Marché Food Hall). It’s a good reason to go on a culinary expedition to the very chic Parisian Left Bank.
Two years ago our Christmas got canceled on Christmas Eve — well the trip we had planned to Switzerland did anyway. It was our first Christmas with a child and you know how important they are! We were devastated. I think the only thing that saved us was Melrose & Morgan, our local deli in Primrose Hill (where we lived at the time). We turned up at 12pm to a packed store of everyone collecting their orders and they thankfully managed to make us up one of their ‘Christmas’s in a box’. It honestly saved the day.
Mo in London
March 8th, 2010
3 comments
I have just returned from Ireland where I was visiting my family and I can promise you I don’t think I have ever had so many cups of tea.
In Italy teabags always come in individual envelopes, maybe it’s because Italians are not big tea-drinkers so tea is better preserved if it’s wrapped in paper. Whatever the reason may be, when I was growing up, I never questioned the fact — that was just the way teabags were.
