Blog Archives
Dining at The Spotted Pig
I’ve been wanting to eat at the Spotted Pig in NYC for quite awhile.
With British chef April Bloomfield at the helm, it has reached legendary status among celebrities and foodies alike and has shown the world over that British food can be tasty.
Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris eat at the Spotted Pig.
We came for dinner on Friday night around 7 p.m. and were told that it was a two to two-and-a-half hour wait. There don’t take reservations – ever. Only the opportunity to leave your cell number and, of course, there’s this great big beautiful city to browse while you are waiting.
We had a drink at the White Horse Tavern, which was nearby, and best known for being Dylan Thomas’s favorite watering hole (along with many other writers like Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, James Baldwin, and the list goes on. It was a cash-only bar and felt like your average local pub in Britain.
Then we just took a stroll, making stops at Goorin Bros. Hat Shop and Sockerbit Swedish sweet shop, where we bought one of these for the holidays:
These gnomes are not edible.
It wasn’t until about 10 p.m. that they called our name. Score!
Teignmouth at sunset
I’ve blogged before about the idyllic little Devon seaside village, where my husband grew up – Teignmouth.
For those who haven’t been, check out this drone video taken at sunset – it’s a little moment of zen.
Gin and tonic crisps?
Leave it to the Brits to come up with this:
What do you reckon? Would you give them a try?
21 Brilliantly British Halloween costumes
While Americans are paying top dollar to buy a Minion or Joker costume this year, the Brits are having a ball dressing up as alcoholic beverages, TV presenters and, of course, Tardis.
Take a look at Buzzfeed.com’s countdown of 21 brilliantly British Halloween costumes.
As for me? I’m going as Wenda or Wilma, the Girl Friday to Where’s Waldo? or Where’s Wally? (which varies, depending on where you live!) Have a happy Halloween!
The best of Winnie the Pooh
I spotted this on Facebook and had to share!
A.A. Milne’s first volume of Winnie-the-Pooh stories was published 89 years ago today. Here are great quotes to celebrate:
1. “Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. ‘Pooh!’ he whispered. ‘Yes, Piglet?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.'”
2. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
3. “Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”
4. “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
5. “Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them..”
6. “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”
7. “I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”
8. “I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.”
9. “Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
10. “Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”
11. “‘How do you spell love?’
‘You don’t spell it…you feel it.'”
12. “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
Victoria Sponge success
Ages ago — ages and ages, long before kids, the Kardashians and the invention of cronuts — I loved Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, “How to be a Domestic Goddess.” It was a great cookbook, filled with recipes for breads, cakes, cookies and puddings.
And then I made her Victoria Sponge recipe and it made me rethink everything that I once believed to be true. I don’t actually remember why it was so bad. I just remember not even eating it and throwing it away. I made a small note at the top of the recipe “BAD 😦 ” and haven’t tried making this cake again.
Fast forward all of these years and my daughter wanted to have high tea at home so a cake was in order. I looked for a recipe – so many British recipes were still in British measurements and I didn’t have the energy or inclination to do the conversions. So I found one on Food.com that got nearly 5 stars and took a gamble.
As it turned out, then gamble paid off. The cake was so moist and delicious and ridiculously easy to make. The only adjustment I made was to double the recipe since my cake tins were larger than 8 inches (how large? I have no idea – again, I didn’t have the energy to measure them).
VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs, weighed in their shells
butter or soft margarine
caster sugar
self-rising flour
raspberry jam (or jam, jelly or curd of your choice. I used Bonne Maman’s Four Fruits preserve)
powdered sugar to dust on top
DIRECTIONS
The measurements for this recipe are equal amounts of sugar, flour and fat to the weight of the eggs. Weigh the eggs first – if the eggs weigh 8 ounces, you will use 8 ounces of sugar, 8 ounces of butter or margarine and 8 ounces of flour. If the eggs weigh 6 ounces, all the other ingredients will be 6 ounces – easy!
Set oven Gas 4 160C (fan oven), 180C or 360F: grease and base line the bottom of 2 x 8” sandwich tins – cake tins.
Cream margarine or butter together with the sugar, until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs, and then add them to the mixture, gradually and beating well after each addition.
Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.
Divide equally between the 2 prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the oven.
Remove and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the tins and fill with raspberry jam when cold, to avoid the jam seeping into the sponge.
A light dusting of powdered sugar on the top will finish it.
Place on an attractive cake stand or plate, and serve in dainty wedges with freshly brewed tea.
If you use butter remove from the fridge to soften before using. This is not necessary with soft margarine.
If large eggs are used they may weigh 7 ½ ozs/210g. If so make sure you use this weight for the other ingredients.
A smaller sandwich cake can be made with 2 medium eggs. Weight about 4 oz/55g. If so, use 2 x 7” sandwich tins and the cakes and the cakes will need less time in the oven – probably 20mins.
Serves 6-8.
The Great British Bake Off
Have you seen The Great British Bake Off?
This is the first year that we’ve been watching it (you can find most episodes on YouTube without much delay) and I love it – love the challenges and the recipes and the Britishness of it all.
Where else can you see home bakers create things like this:
And even this…
Yes, it’s high drama and hot kitchens and creative handiwork. Check it out, if you like a good bake off!
101 free things to do in London with kids
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is one of Time Out Magazine’s 101 places to visit in London with kids.
It’s been awhile since we’ve been back to London, but when we do, I’m bringing Time Out Magazine’s list of 101 free activities to do with kids in London.
BRITRISH.COM 