Gingerbread men

We like men in this house, especially gingerbread men. Here was my first effort in making gingerbread men. A trial run for the Norbury Christmas Fayre this week. They were delicious. I adapted two recipes to include treacle and golden syrup, ginger and cinnamon. Stef approves of the taste and texture - a true sign of quality. Here they are before they were baked.

Stir Up Sunday

Sunday the 21st was Stir Up Sunday. The traditional day for making the Christmas pudding. I adopted this tradition last year and think its a lovely addition to the calendar. It is always the last Sunday before Advent and is therefore about a month  before Christmas, allowing plenty of time for the fruit (and booze) in the pudding to mellow, mature and develop that richness and texture. home made pudding is so, so much better than the shop bought ones. It's not hard, it involves soaking the fruit, adding ingredients and boiling the buggery out if it. Mine took about 3 1/2 hours to cook.

It's traditional for each member of the household to stir the pudding, while making a wish. Karl got a stir (he is a good stirrer) and I did the rest. I do a stir (and a wish) for everyone I think need it. So I go through all of my friends and family and have a little wish for them all. It's stretching the tradition - but I like it that way. Apparently, if you want to do things properly, you are also supposed to stir the mixture from east to west in honour of the Three Wise Men. I didn't go quite that far. Now roll on December 25th!

Bridget's Baby Shower

I don't need an excuse to bake - but a baby shower in the office was a special occasion I couldn't miss. Cupcakes with pink frosting (it's a girl) decorated with hundreds and thousands and wafer flowers followed by Whoopie Pies. My first attempt that will not be my last. Whoopie Pies are a cross between a cupcake and brownie sandwiched together with marshmallow cream. they are on the list for the upcoming Village Fayre I am attending (and retailing). And I am am never knowingly under catered - I baked a cinnamon and banana cake too! Delicious.

Let's Make Whoopie

Symbolism in the Kitchen

For those in the know a new kitchen has been installed in Norbury Manor - a slow and sometimes painful process. Not yet finished, but with working appliances, I chose to christen the oven (Bosch) by baking a cake. I wore the Smith's Kitchen apron Stef gave my for my birthday, cooked her favourite cake (banana and chocolate) all to ensure a long life of happy baking. It was symbolic as it was the very first use of the oven (which worked fabulously well), it was the first time I wore my new Smith's Kitchen apron AND it was all for Stef - who continually hounds me every day for a bloody banana and chocolate cake. May I bake many more.

Halloween dinner at IKEA Croydon

IKEA is many things to many people - it's one of our feeding stations whilst the kitchen is being remodelled. Last night's menu offered Halloween dinner special. Screaming Chicken, mash, carrots and swede finished off with Pumpkin Pie. All very orange and yellow. Screaming chicken - a very hot and spicy sauce. All with "spooky" decorations hanging around the restaurant. AND live music. Yes, this is IKEA.

My quest for the perfect coffee

Unfortunately, London is not an easy place to find good coffee. Yes, there are Starbucks on every corner - sorry but I think they are awful. Costa is ok and Cafe Nero does an acceptable latte. Infact if there is no other option I will head for Nero. But what my fellow Antipodeans will know is that there is something far superior. Coffee in Australia has been elevated to a religion of sorts. You will find fabulous coffee in most cafes, served to a standard and always (well almost) served to perfection. Creamy, smooth, strong and served in a small glass - just like illustrated here. Flat White in Berwick Street, Soho revolutionised coffee for me in London and every time I visit it takes me home. Run by guys from Oz and NZ - you will be served a fabulous coffee and it will blow your mind if you haven't tried it before. They also deliver a great Flat White (as the cafe name suggests). Crossed between a capuccino and latte - its silky smooth - no froth and packs a punch. Try one today. And if you have seen the promo's from Costa claiming they spent 1 million quid on developing a flat white - don't believe the hype. Go to Flat White - Berwick Street, Soho. NOW!

The best thing about baking a cake

Is licking the bowl. Here are the remnants of a chocolate whoopie pie cake I made for Ali's birthday. I always leave a bit extra in the bowl for Karl and I to share. There's something so very confirmting about it and it reminds me of my childhood, standing by the counter waiting for Eely to finish baking so I could lick the bowl. Some cakes are better than others. Chocolate cake is by far the best. Treat yourself today.

Kisses from America

Our neighbours Pete and Debbie returned from a trip to the States with Hershey's Kisses. Guilty pleasures - and you can't stop at one. a bit like a Caramac crossed with Milky Bar. 2 is good, anymore and it might just tip you over the edge.

What goes in...

Must come out. But why do you need coloured paper to wipe it away. My thoughts when I came across coloured toilet paper in Froiz supermarket in Porto, Portugal. Especially BLACK! For your amusement. It made me laugh.

The Kitchen Garden

Norbury Manor's kitchen garden is taking shape. Over the past few weeks Karl (with a little bit of help from me) has been building the raised vegetable beds in preparation for next years crop. Today we were digging in soil that has been moved around the garden (recycled for want of a better word) and when the new year comes we will get a load of extra topsoil and start planting. Then Smith's Kitchen will be supplied by the Willes Kitchen Garden. It's called keeping it in the family.

Here's Karl hard at work next to a raised bed.

The gayest drink - Pink Port from Porto

This has to be the gayest drink ever.  Pink Port - enjoyed chilled over ice, it's a new way to drink Port and is the world's first pink port apparently. I love it. My recent trip to Porto (Northern Portugal) opened my mind (and Karl's) to lots of things. Segways, a great weekend city break - but best yet - Port! The home of Port - there are over 17 Port merchants who grow on the Duoro River and store their wine in the city of Porto. You can taste it all over the place and we certainly did.

At the airport on the way home a lovely man suggested we try the pink port - sold to us as Rose Port - well any mention of rose and I'm won over. It's crisp, fresh and like a strong rose wine. A VERY strong rose.

There's a bit of information below I discovered on the N.D. John website - you can buy it online at: ndjohn.co.uk for £9.95.  the Croft website says you can get it in Tesco, Sainsbury's and Mozza's (Morrisons). Go, go, Go. Do yourself a favour. Really!


"Croft is one of the oldest of the original port houses and was founded over four centuries ago in 1588. It is the owner of one of the most famous properties in the Douro Valley. 

This innovative new Rosé style of Port has been made by a new technique which extracts fresh, fruity flavours and a subtle and delicate pink colour from limited contact with the skins of classic Port grape varieties, grown in top quality vineyards of the Douro Valley.

The result is wonderfully fresh and vibrant, full of the rich fruit flavours of Port but with a unique and distinctive appeal. It has created the perfect opportunity for Port to be consumed in the warmer months of the year when Port may not otherwise be the drink of choice."

Honey, Honey, how you thrill me...

So say the words of the famous ABBA song. Now its your turn. Bees are declining and they are so important. the National Trust has started a campaign to save the honey bee - help them out. There are simple things to do. Buy local honey (when ever you see it), plant bee friendly plants, cut down on pesticides, don't kill them - say hello instead.

There are 45 sites on National Trust properties supporting bees with hives and local radio stations are giving away seeds. Local honey is always far superior and tastes different. At the moment we have Isle of Wight honey - but I have some in reserve - Samos (Greece) - fab with Greek yoghurt) and some Sussex gold - bought nearer to home. The subtlety in taste from region to region in the UK is amazing. go on - love a bee.

Some BEE facts:

• Honey bees have five eyes
• Honey bees can carry half their weight in pollen
• One honey bee would need to fly the equivalent of twice around the world to produce a jar of honey
• Bees live in colonies of up to 70,000, with just one queen (imagine if they were gay)
• Honey bees do a waggle dance to show the other bees where food is
• Bees have two pairs of wings, which can beat at over 180 times per second
• Forty per cent of the food we eat depends on plants being pollinated by insects, including bees
• One in three mouthfuls of food is produced with the help of bees

HUG A BEE TODAY - PLANT THESE!

• Bee-friendly flowers include foxgloves, lavender, forget-me-nots, heather and thyme
• Bee-friendly fruit and veg include apples, raspberries, pears, courgettes, runner beans and squash

The picture is of bees at the National Trust property - Standen in Surrey

you can't beat a barbeque shape

Arnott's Barbeque Shapes (and the rest of the range) have arrived in ASDA (or poo ASDA as  we call it). I squealed with excitement and clapped my hands - true! Then purchased a pile of them. I ate a whole box on the way home in the car. 1000 calories thanks for coming. I am still in heaven. I introduced them to Stef and she loves them too - especially Chicken Drumsticks. they don't really taste of chicken and look nothing like a drumstick - but they are very moorish. Prior to this development they cost over 3 quid in Harvey Nichols. £1.57 - get them while they last. Here's Stef with some Shapes from Oz. You love it.

Beijing Yoghurt

Been meaning to write about Beijing Yoghurt. Natural yoghurt flavoured with honey and sold in ceramic pots. Costs around 40p and was delicious and really refreshing. You find it in little shops, street markets and some cafes. It's sometimes chilled (though not always). Make sure you get ones that have been made that day (particularly if they are displayed outside). You pop a straw through the paper lid and sip away. It's unique to Beijing (so I'm told). Try it at home, Take a cup of natural (low fat) yogurt, thinned down with a table spoon of milk (add more if needed to reach drinking consisitency) and flavour with a mild tasting honey. About half to a whole teaspoon full. Perfect.

Cake Britain

Future Gallery, London is hosting a 4 day exhibition of projects and art exhibits made entirely from sugar and edible ingredients. It's designed in part to promote the Tate and Lyle brand. It looked great and was a really clever idea to get brand exposure. AND is was heaving. Everyone got a biscuit letter or gingerbread man to snack on whilst viewing the exhibits. This sunday everyone there gets to eat the art works. What a concept.

This little fella was made from icing and cake (I think) and was as tall as my arm. Check out Cake Britain this Bank holiday weekend.

For the love of Scorpion

Beijing offered lots of eating experiences and I knew scorpion was on the menu at the Night Food Market. A food tour of the said markets courtesy of Hias Gourmet allowed me to experience everything from Beijing yoghurt to candied crab apple and shrimp balls. The most interesting and icky was double fried scorpion. After being advised to remove the pincers you simple bite! It tasted of oil and then salt. After a few chews (it was a bit crunchy) it tasted of burned lamb, like the ends of a roast lamb. Nice. I had two - that was my fill as then it was time for sea snake.

Chinese Dreams

A whirlwind tour of china (Beijing and Tianjin) gave me the chance to eat some fabulous food. I toured the night markets with Hias Gourmet Tours (more later), ate Mongolian buffet lunch and lots of other treats along the way. I loved breakfast time. It usually involved sweet bread (chinese bread is very sweet) curried bamboo shoots, fried rice, eggs hard boiled in soy sauce, noodles, stir fried cabbage and congee - a light soup style liquid. Corn congee was like plain thin semolina. Weird but comforting. Such a different offering to our breakfasts of cereal, milk and toast. I like.

Purple Beans

 Everyone knows green beans are good for you - but at Standen in a pretty part of Sussex, I discovered purple beans growing in the kitchen garden. We chatted to the gardener - seen here about them them. Unusual looking but very similar in taste and composition to normal beans - when you cook them they go green. We bought some, cooked and ate them. Lovely - but take a bit longer than green ones to cook. The purple bean.

Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks

It was a dull and downtrodden day in the office yesterday until amazon.co.uk delivered my newest edition: Australian Women's Weekly 100 Classic Cakes. It lifted my mood, a smile came over my face and all seemed much better. An institution in my life and indeed in Australia. The Australian Women's Weekly produces the very best cook books and I have grown up with them, cooked with them and will wax lyrical about their benefits and greatness to anyone who will listen. So out of the grey mood I thought, "I will cook!" Look out for the soon to be baked Banana Caramel Layer Cake and the Strawberry Jelly Cakes.

I do like to be beside the seaside

Brighton offers many things, clubs, bars, (often dodgy) fish and chips, a huge Primark and Bills! For the uninitiated, Bill's is a Sydney style cafe/restuarant. Big food, fabulously presented and tasting even better. A trip to the Sussex coast should not ignore this foodie heaven. They serve good coffee, bloody good Bloody Marys and there's a whole host of unique grocery lines for the budding home chef. We picked up sweet paprika (hard to get in the supermarket), Irish oatmeal and Chilli Jelly. Check it out at: www.billsproducestore.co.uk. I went with Karl, Miss Melody, Faymonde and Shawditch. This was of course followed by donuts on the pier and a ride on the merry go round. Here's the pics of a great day at Bill's. The only question - who the hell is Bill?

Chinese preparation

Getting ready for my china trip I headed out for Chilli Crab with friends to Fung Shing in Lisle Street, Chinatown. Great crab (worth the shell cracking) and finger licking good. Really fresh meat, but I could have done with a touch more spice - it took me back to Singapore last year - THE BEST Chilli Crab ever. Fung Shing also does great crispy duck pancakes and chicken done two ways. Lots of food and great tips on bartering in Beijing from Josephine. If they say 100 offer them 25, then walk away. They will call come back if they want a sale! Look out Beijing.

The Big Lunch - Norbury style

Yesterday was the Big Lunch, a national event to bring communities together over lunch. Think street parties and you are almost there. About a million people took part last year - everyone brings a plate of food to share. It was a modest gathering of about 40 odd people, but we had a good time. The Zucchini Slice was a winner as were the lamingtons and Feta, rosemary and potato bread - all courtesy of Smith's Kitchen. Karl's bunting was popular and our local councillors came too. Long live the big lunch.

Fabulous bakers in Wapping

A trip to see the Fashion Editor of The Times today took me past P J Bakers of 93 Wapping Lane. THE best hot cross buns I have tasted in many years, great freshly baked bread and lots of tasty treats including a bagel for me and Stef for lunch. It's out of the way, but if you're ever in Wapping, you won't be disappointed.

Just the beginning

Today's the first day of my blog. Last night I lovingly prepared a Chocolate cola cake for Jo's birthday today. It's one of the best chocolate cake recipes I've found and I return to it time and again. She will love it. It contains cola in the cake recipe melted with a block of butter as well as 3 tablespoons in the icing with butter and cocoa. Delicious. It's being transported on the back of my bike to be delivered for morning tea today.