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A savory take on French toast
Ah, sweet French toast dusted with powdered sugar. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
French toast, to me, is a sweet affair. Maple syrup and powdered sugar are my go-to toppings. Not ketchup.
But Brits like their French toast savory, often topping theirs with Marmite, ketchup or brown sauce. I remember the first time one of my flatmates in Scotland made a traditional breakfast and included French toast, but this was a really simplified, stripped down version. No syrup, no powdered sugar. Just this white bread, dipped in egg with salt and pepper, and fried to a crisp golden brown and served with ketchup. I could barely mentally compute the concept, and then after trying it, I was pleasantly surprised.
Do you prefer your French toast savory or sweet?
Shed of the year
It seems to me that the majority of American garden sheds are practical and purposeful. A place to store garden tools and bags of seed, pet food, bikes, paint cans, odds and ends. They’re strictly storage spaces and certainly not a place you’d want to spend any amount of time.
British sheds, on the other hand, are really places to dwell, have a cup of tea, read a book, listen to “The Archers” and maybe also store some odds and ends and a few little surprises.
Case in point: John Plumridge’s shed in Shrewsbury. From the outside, it looks like a pretty little garden shed.
Photo credit for all photos: Shedblog.co.uk
But inside, this awaits!
Check out all of the photos. It’s not surprising that he won the Shed of the Year award, which was presented last week.
And if you want to see some of the runners-up, here you go! Prepare to be inspired!
The joy of Pimm’s
Photo credit: Slate.com
With the temperatures rising and summer in full swing, I like to turn to my favorite summertime drink: Pimm’s and lemonade.
It sounds like I’m not alone. It is growing in popularity among Americans, according to the New York Times. Pimm’s is named after James Pimm, the bar owner who created it in the mid 1800s and it is a quintessentially British drink, particularly popular at Wimbledon.
As for the recipe, I usually just eyeball it. One part Pimm’s to three parts lemonade (I like the Santa Cruz brand organic sparkling lemonade but 7up will do) and then add slices of cucumber, oranges, apples, strawberries and fresh mint to the glass and serve over ice.
If you’re looking to buy a bottle of Pimm’s, Bevmo is a safe bet. I bought a bottle recently for $17.99, after trying three different grocery stores and worrying that I might end up Pimm’s-less.
When is a bird not a bird …
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Q: When is a bird not a bird?
A: When it is a ladybird.
What exactly is a ladybird?
It’s the British name for the insect, which has become better known as ladybugs in the U.S. Entomologists actually prefer to call them ladybird beetles or lady beetles since they are actually not “true bugs.”
A bed fit for a queen
Hypnos is the only bed manufacturer to supply the Royal Family. This is one of their beds.
You’d think a country with a queen would have a queen bed, but no.
British mattress sizes aren’t the same as American mattress sizes (even though they use many of the same terms – well, aside from “queen”). Their sizes are as follows:
Single bed: Close to our twin size, but a little smaller
Double bed: Close to our double/full size
King bed: A little smaller than our queen size
Super King bed: A little smaller than our king size
Confused yet? Yeah, me too.
“The Elephant and the Bad Baby”
When I was growing up, my mother used to take me to the library twice a week. As I result, I’ve got a vivid arsenal of memories of pictures from books – many of which we never owned, and that I have no record of.
For most of them, my memory of the title of the book is completely gone, sadly inaccessible, but if I catch of glimpse of a particular page (now particularly when reading to my own kids and also going to the library) – it all comes rushing back.
“The Elephant and the Bad Baby” by Elfrida Vipont and illustrated by Raymond Briggs (of “The Snowman” fame) is one of those books for me.
It’s a very English story with references to crisps, biscuits, buns and barrow boys, as the Elephant takes the Bad Baby on a tasty trip through a variety of shops. My favorite pages out of the book (and every page, to be honest, is good enough to eat!) is the last scene of his mother making pancakes (in this case, hers are thin, French-style crepes), with lemon and sugar as the perfect accompaniments.
Rain, rain, go away!
There is no sign that truly summery weather will arrive before the start of July. Photo credit: PA
You’ve heard that the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. But this year, it seems that the rain in England stays mainly … well, everywhere.
Last month, the country reported a record heatwave. Now, only a few weeks later, they’re calling it “European monsoon” weather, with hurricane-force winds and heavy downpours.
Experts are already predicting that this weather will continue through June. Summer, it seems, will be postponed until July.
Flat white
Have you tried a flat white?
This is the first I’ve heard of it but it looks like my cup of tea, er, coffee.
It’s a Kiwi invention – basically a strong latte, topped with swirled microfoam – and has been all the rage in England. A jet-setting friend of mine spent this week in New York and London and reported that Starbucks in England includes the flat white, while the Starbucks in New York does not.
America needs flat white! I need flat white! Bring it.
The Museum of Celebrity Leftovers
Left to right: the piece of bread and butter pudding left by Prince Charles, Michael Winner, and the piece of lemon drizzle cake he didn’t finish. Photograph: Apex
If someone gave me the opportunity to view a leftover cheese and tomato sandwich from photographer David Bailey or some leftovers from bread and butter pudding enjoyed by Prince Charles, I would be all over it. I would be there. First in line with camera in hand.
I’ve certainly become Short Attention Span Lady these days but a museum dedicated to the leftovers of famous British people is just my cup of tea.
It appears that this curious collection exists. It just needs a home, if any like-minded Brit out there would like to step up to the plate.
Kudos and thanks to Ally for finding this!
Secret sandwich ingredient
Photo credit: Damian Clarkson, MSN
When Americans are making a sandwich, they bring out the cold cuts, the cheese, the veggies (sometimes), the mayo, the mustard, the pickles. Sometimes there are pepperoncinis or jalapenos, to kick things up a notch. Sometimes there is oil and salt and pepper to give it all a little tszuj.
But one thing they miss consistently? Butter! Brits know this. The first thing they do is spread a layer of butter on their bread and voila! It becomes magical. It almost alleviates the need for any mayo, mustard or (excuse me while I retch!) Miracle Whip or salad cream.
The best sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life (top 10, I’d say) are all from the U.K. – and maybe a couple sandwiches in France. Pile a slice or two of ham (not more than that! Americans are way too obsessed with too much meat on their sandwich), cheese (emmenthal or comte), cornichons and a thin layer of butter (and in my case, I go very thin!) on a perfect baguette and I’m a happy girl!
BRITRISH.COM 