Gone to the beach!

I'm currently on holiday in America, hence why the blog has gone quiet. I'm having an amazing time - beautiful places, great weather, scrumptious food and lots of family time. America is so different to London - and England generally - so everything is really interesting for me here. I look forward to sharing the pictures and stories of my travels with you all when I get back! Until then - Happy summer holidays! :)

Edinburgh

A few weeks ago, my parents and I went up to Edinburgh – to see the sights and have a fabulous foodie time. I had my first ever Michelin-starred dining experience at Tom Kitchin’s The Kitchin, which certainly did not disappoint. We also had a great time wandering around Edinburgh Farmers’ Market…

The tablet stall (and tablet tasters) must have been my favourite stall.Tablet is a Scottish sweet – like a firmer fudge, mainly sugar and totally irresistible! I bought some and also look forward to attempting my own very soon. A stall selling a huge (and tempting) array of cakes and pies Oink, the business that made the perfect hog roast sandwich at lunchtime, complete with stuffing and apple sauce – delicious! Chutneys, relishes and jams The amazing chocolate stall selling more flavours of chocolate you could ever think of: Chilli, Black Forest, Mango, Salted Caramel, Raspberry, Red Pepper and Candied Orange to name just a few!

Just before catching the train home, we visited the magnificent The Dome. In the grandest of surroundings – complete with heavy chandeliers – we enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea…Middle Layer: fruit scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
Bottom layer: Sandwiches – Roast Beef & Horseradish Sauce, Ham & Mustard or Egg and Cress.   Top Layer: Lemon French Fancy, Apple Pie, Chocolate Eclair and Strawberry Cream Tart.

All in all – a thoroughly delicious weekend and I can’t wait to visit again!

Venice

This New Year saw my family headed to work off the Christmas excess by exploring the streets of the beautiful city of Venice, Italy. Although we have been previously, a place like Venice never loses its charm and there were plenty of new places to discover as well as old favourites to visit… The tiny island of Burano in the Venetian lagoon, where all the houses are brightly painted.

 The view over Venice from the top of the Campanile in St. Mark’s Square.

Sitting in the sun, eating amazing Italian pizza, watching the gondolas go by…

A view down the bustling Grand Canal from the top of the Rialto Bridge.

And now for some food…

Amazing works of pasta art!

More food art, in the form of marzipan fruits.

Nutty, sticky, chewy Torrone.

A whole host of delicious goods spied through a bakery window :)

Granada!

Towards the end of October, my Spanish class and I went on a week long trip to the beautiful city of Granada, in Andalucia, Spain. I have been here very briefly two years ago, but this was a proper chance to get to know the city. And it was great – gorgeous city, gorgeous food, gorgeous summer weather. Lovely.

A central street in GranadaA view over the city from the top of the Albaicin, Granada’s old district.A fountain pond in one of the Alhambra’s palaces A view of the Alhambra from the Albaicin

Inside the San Jeronimo monastery

America...

Next on our Washington trip the food tourism momentarily took a backseat as we headed to the Washington Monument, built in memory of George Washington and standing at 555feet tall! We were a little nervous about reaching the top of this imposing building, but it was most definitely worth it in order to enjoy the views from the 'summit'...

In the middle here are the war memorials and the Lincoln Memorial: all beautiful, moving and interesting to wander around, even in 110'F heat. This holiday was my first ever time to Washington DC and the trip up the Washington Monument confirmed to me what an intriguing, diverse and beautiful city it really is. It was hard to pull ourservelves away from the views! After this cultural activity, it was time to return to the business of food. We headed to the fantastic Good Stuff Eatery run by Spike Mendelsohn  (PS thank you to the charming couple who explained to us - some very confused Britons! - exactly how American self-service works!) where we enjoyed the most delicious and calorific milkshakes ever...

On the top we have a Dulce de Leche milkshake, with dulce de leche painted up the sides. Underneath is the Malteser milkshake with dulce de leche and chocolate stripes up the sides and a layer of maltesers at the base as well as throughout. I stress that we also ate savoury food - Obama Burgers - and were left completely stuffed by the end! A perfect day in  Washington and wonderful memories to take with us as we moved on to new East Coast areas...

Where I’ve Been…

Previously, I was ill. This time my absence is much more exciting: I was spending two gorgeous sunny weeks on the American East Coast! And it all started with four days in the blistering 100’F heat of Washington DC, where we stayed in the fabulous Eastern Market area. Of course, the farmers market was my first stop once we arrived and I adored seeing the huge range of exciting food and colourful fresh produce which was so different from the markets of England or France. Hope you enjoy the photos, and stay tuned for more holiday posts to come :)

Pear and Butterscotch Frangipane Tartlets

Never mind Prada and Gucci. Move over, Chanel and Valentino. Sure, they have gorgeous and desirable things, but no clothes shop can get can my Mum half as excited as a certain kitchen shop. I wonder if the words, “Williams Sonoma” mean anything to anyone? I thought so. (For anyone who doesn’t know, Williams Sonoma is a kitchen shop chain in America. It sells the most beautiful things.)
This August, my family is going to America for our holidays. As we are spending a few days in Washington DC my Mum has already been online to find the nearest Williams Sonoma to where we are staying. And this is nothing new! My Mum has bought home cake stands, china platters and fruit bowls on international flights many times before – leaving a space in the suitcase for exciting new things on the way home has become the norm. But what’s this got to do with these tarts? Every keen cook wants their kitchen full of gadgets and gizmos, or even just new pan after new tray after new dish. Half of it never gets used, but is always wanted. My Mum bought these tartlet pans a year or so ago and this weekend I found them, still neatly tucked in their box. Their time had most certainly come!
They were used to make these scrumptious Pear and Butterscotch Frangipane Tartlets. You’ve got your crisp pastry layer, the gloriously sticky sauce, soft frangipane and juicy pears. What’s not to like? Even if you’re not in the mood for the whole tartlet shebang, the butterscotch sauce is a definite Must Make. It is almost drinkable, it is that good. You can all too easily slurp spoon after spoon. Amazing! Or, on the other hand, if you’re not feeling for the sauce – you could put a small layer of apricot jam on the base of the pastry – extra fruit intake :)
Although they are multi-component, these tartlets are fairly simple to make because no step is complicated. Plus, when you bring them to the table they look like something out of a patisserie! The recipe is from the latest issue of BBC olive magazine, so don’t delay buying it! The tartlet pans are not going back into hiding because I want to experiment with more mini tarts – ideas, anyone?
Until next time! X

Venice!

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The Markets of Barcelona

For a great start to our summer holiday this year, my family and I travelled to spend a few nights in the heart of Barcelona. Barcelona is a hugely varied, bustling city which has so much to explore. Just a couple of streets away from our apartment, was the huge street, La Rambla. On this was the indoor market: Mercat de La boqueria. Its a fabulous, thriving market, and here are some of the photos I took when we visited..enjoy!