Monthly Archives: June 2013

June Foodie Penpal Reveal (what I sent out)

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As you can clearly tell, my blogging is still in its infancy. But I learn new things with every article I post, so I WILL get there – I promise.

This site wasn’t up and running in time for the last round of Foodie Penpal reveals, but I think we’re really good to go this month. This particular posting is about the package I gathered to send to lovely Lisa in Craigavon.

I have historically used all kinds of shopping sources to fulfil the penpal requirements. I would really like to use our Farmers’ Market that comes to Epsom every month, as more and more unusual vendors are selling their wares. And it’s all local stuff – which is kind of the point, right? But our once-a-month market shows up on the first Sunday of the month. And our new Penpal matches aren’t sent out until the 5th of the month, so unless that first Sunday falls on the 6th or 7th, I’m stuffed. So sorry Lisa – no local-to-Epsom products in your parcel this month.

I was lucky enough to visit the Lake District earlier this month, however, and I tend to picture all of the Lake District like a Beatrix Potter sketch. So with countryside that cute, I knew I could probably find at least a couple of items there . . . and I wasn’t disappointed. A combination of traipsing through Grange-over-Sands and Cartmel really provided me with a variety of things that I just wouldn’t find here in Surrey. So I did pick up a few things for the parcel.

But I knew I needed more items once I got back home, so I did the ‘farm shop’ google and found several within an acceptable radius. I chose one and went for it. Boy, did I strike gold! I found a place called The Larder, and it is a magical shop with local grocery items – and some very unusual things. It’s a quite petite shop, but it still took me about 20 minutes to walk around and see the whole thing. And this is where I did the rest of my shopping. Note to my future recipients: be watching for more items from here!

So here are a few things that went into this month’s parcel –

Ready for the goodies!

Ready for the goodies!

The first big decision, of course, is what box to use. I now tend to keep all the boxes that I get stuff in, just for the foodie penpal, so we might need to move house to incorporate the extra cardboard I’ve accumulated.

Chocolate handbag

Chocolate handbag

In Grange-over-Sands, there is the most delightful chocolate shop (I kind of feel like it’s more of a “ye olde shoppe”), and one of the things Lisa said she liked was chocolate. And what girl doesn’t like a handbag, so a combination of the two seemed appropriate.

Pretty pasta

Pretty pasta

Lisa also told me she likes pasta, and this was so pretty that I had to get this – also from Grange-over-Sands. I think it must have other flavours in it, but I just liked the colours.

Smoked garlic

Smoked garlic

The rest of the stuff came from The Larder in Cobham. This freshly smoked bulb of garlic was just so aromatic, and nice and light to post! So that went in – although I did double wrap it in two zip-lock baggies to try to contain the aroma.

Snacking Salami

Snacking Salami

Battered broad beans

Battered broad beans

I had send the snacking salami as it looked really nice, and then I happened upon the battered broad beans. I have to say that I glanced at it and thought the flavour said “Mojito”, which has to be great on anything, right? It wasn’t until I got home and was wrapping everything up that I realised they weren’t actually mojito-flavoured. Sorry, Lisa . . .

Ladybug!

Ladybug!


Lemon & Black Pepper chocolate

Lemon & Black Pepper chocolate

And finally – a few more sweet things, because you never can have too many – some lemon and black pepper chocolate and a lucky ladybug!

What a fun package this was to put together. I wonder what the next one will bring?

June Foodie Penpal Reveal (what I received this month)

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I have been so lucky with my foodie penpals, and this month was no exception. My parcel from Selina arrived early, and I was so excited to get it open because she had already ‘warned’ me that it contained something fresh.

The package!

The package!

You can imagine my surprise when I unwrapped the box itself and found Selina had sent me a hand blender! WOW!

Of course, as I opened it, I realised it wasn’t a hand blender at all, BUT the replacement contents did not disappoint.

The fresh stuff

The fresh stuff

With June being asparagus season, Selina sent me some wonderfully fresh asparagus from a farm just down the road from her. I immediately threw them on the griddle and boiled some water for a poached egg. A quick, sure-fire recipe for hollandaise served well for a lovely sauce, and that was my dinner done! I think it was all the more tasty knowing that these asparagus spears used to be neighbours with my penpal.

British chorizo!

British chorizo!

Next came the chorizo. I have been a lover of chorizo for a long time, but never realised we produced anything (of quality) here in the UK, so I was delighted to try the Bath Pig Chorizo. It was delicious, and I’ve already found a place near me that sells it.

Gin and pink grapefuit

Gin and pink grapefuit

And I washed that down with something I had never tried before. It was a gin and pink grapefruit cocktail. How refreshing is this? And the perfect drink to have with chorizo. I’ve had gin and tonic (just a few . . .), gin and bitter lemon, gin and an olive, but I don’t think I ever would have thought to put it with grapefruit. It was yummo and will definitely be having more of these.

Sourdough crackers

Sourdough crackers

The chorizo and gin also went well with the Sourdough crackers. I was afraid they might be a bit like cardboard, but they were very, very tasty. And these went with everything. I tried them with a sweet dip. I tried them with a savoury dip. I tried them naked (them . . . not me). They’re good.

Buckingham Palace Guard

Buckingham Palace Guard

I also got a cool Buckingham Palace Guard (you can never have too many of those), so I feel safe and secure know I’m being guarded at all times. I am actually in the middle of cutting it out, so I can’t show you the finished product. I needed little nail scissors for it, which I finally found. It’s a bit like sewing and cutting out a pattern. But at least I don’t have to fit or pin this on anyone. And Selina also sent me a wonderful summery recipe for a salad that works well in hot weather. I’m sure that will come in handy any day now (please, please, please).

The the last thing was probably my favourite thing of all. It was a package of Burnt Sugar Fudge. And it was delicious. Each piece just melted away, and I had to ration that because the whole package could have easily been consumed quickly. But what made this my favourite thing was because it was Selina’s Grandad’s favourite, and by all accounts, he was a very special man. And I loved that she shared that with me in this way. I feel quite certain he’s proud that his grand-daughter is such a good foodie penpal.

Crumbly Burnt Sugar Fudge

Crumbly Burnt Sugar Fudge

The Great Divide

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On weekends, my husband and I often walk about a mile and a half into town and back. It’s great exercise. It’s nice to be out in the fresh air. We like seeing our neighbourhood in slow motion once in a while, which makes a difference to our usual drive-by. We stop and have a coffee when we get there and contemplate which route we’re going to take back and basically solve all our problems.

The shortest way to walk there is through a wooded common, and we often see other walkers and runners here as there is no traffic to be concerned about. Of course we inevitably meet many dog-walkers as well.

My question is this. At what point in that walk does it become not-okay to smile and greet someone?

I noticed yesterday that in the first ten to fifteen minutes in our walk, we made eye contact with everyone. There were always polite and sometimes even warm greetings of “Good morning” exchanged. One elderly woman commented on the lovely weather (there had to be one).

But when we got close to the town centre, I noticed a runner moving towards us, so I locked my eyes on him as he got near, ready to pass on a silent “WAY TO GO” look. And as the smile was just starting on my face, he looked away and just ran straight past us! I then had that jolt of rejection – the proverbial slap in the face.

I somehow managed to keep my disappointment in check and carried on walking to the coffee shop. While sipping my chamomile brew, I thought about what had just happened. If I had driven to the same location and passed a runner between the car park and the coffee shop, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed him, let alone feel slighted by his indifference.

So where do you cross that invisible divide of ‘these are all my friends walking around me’ and ‘I don’t want to make eye contact with anyone’? I leave the house and I know I am surrounded by comfort. How far away from that starting point does it begin to become a more hostile environment?

I think I will have to conduct a surveillance mission over the summer to see where that line falls. I may even erect a sign marking that spot. Or maybe I’ll just got some dark sunglasses to put on to avoid another faux pas.

May Foodie Pen Pal reveal

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Okay okay . . . I know it’s almost mid-June, but it’s never too late to do a reveal, I think. This month, my Foodie Pen Pal was Rachella. Rachella is a fellow American living in London, so we compared a lot of notes – mostly on good Mexican restaurants in London. I might need to test them all.

Thai Tower

Thai Tower

But my parcel was so diverse, and it was a true joy to open up and wade through. I got so many goodies – some familiar and some very foreign, so it was a voyage of discovery. The first thing I got to was this tower of Thai, which gives me Thai oil, Thai seasonings and Thai paste. Boy, does this smell good. I think this won’t last long here. It might make it till tomorrow, but I’m kind of doubting it.

Chiles

Chiles

My next goodie was a can of jalepeno chilis. During my exchange with Rachella, she discovered that I really enjoy hot food, so chilis are always a good bet. I like that these are whole. I can do many more things with these.

Chili rub

Chili rub

Moving on through that theme, I came to this three chili rub. This, I know, will be a big hit in the household (apart from the cat). It smells wonderful, and I can’t wait to try it. It may have to wait until after I do the Thai dinner, but it won’t have to wait long.

Junior Mints

Junior Mints

The next item I grabbed just made me laugh out loud. Who doesn’t like Junior Mints? Although I appreciate the Big Bang Theory link, I think they will always remind me of Seinfeld.

Dried figs

Dried figs

I then grabbed a packet of dried figs, which I’ve never used before, so I am very excited about that. I love fresh figs, and I know I can incorporate these into something very yummy. Time to do some research.

See's candy

See’s candy

I also got a handful of See’s candies, which I believe come from the west coast of America, where Rachella is from. These are the perfect items to keep energy levels up while I’m working. I can’t wait to try these.

Twinings

Twinings

Of course no explanation is needed for Twinings tea. You can’t live in England without becoming a tea addict. And Twinings is definitely one of the better cups of tea you’re going to have. I think, as this is neatly packed in a sealed packet, I’ll put this in my bag so I can have a lovely cuppa on the go sometime.

Nutter Butter

Nutter Butter

Next came a tub (now near empty) of Nutter Butter bites. For those not familiar with Nutter Butters, they are a peanut shaped cookie sandwiched with peanut butter. So these are just the little bite size cookies that you can pop in your mouth without anyone noticing (unless they get close enough to smell your peanut butter breath). These are good with the aforementioned tea.

Chocolate Bears

Chocolate Bears

And finally, I’m not quite sure what to call these or where they actually came from, but they are just the coolest little chocolate cookies. When I looked at the outside, I thought they’d maybe be the equivalent of Animal Crackers, without that little box they used to come in with the little shoe-lace handle. But no – these are actually all little bears that are filled with chocolate. But each one of them is painted with a different personality. So one’s a nurse, one’s happy, etc. I kind of feel bad eating them. Well . . . not THAT bad.

Little Bears

Little Bears

All in all, I think I made out pretty well this month, and I thank Rachella for her efforts. You did a fine job.

Scents and Sensibility

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Hawthorn Tree

Hawthorn Tree

One of the delights of working from home is I get to walk through my garden in the morning (which doesn’t take that long). But I can take in the heady scent of the hawthorn trees that line the northern perimeter. I particular like this scent as it reminds me of moving into this house, which was right about this time of year twelve years ago. The hawthorns were in full bloom and it was as if someone was spritzing a giant atomiser of pure tranquility. Mixing that with the three lilacs planted shortly after moving in, it’s a fine way to start the day. I also get to check on the little plants I’ve stuck in the ground, and I even sometimes get to marvel at the little seedlings breaking through the earth to get some sun. Unfortunately, I appear to have a very short attention span, and I usually can’t remember what seeds I put down by the time they’ve started to grow. Makes for an interesting discovering though! I do have a greenhouse full of little label makers and sticks that you can write on to tell you what you’ve done, but where’s the fun in that?

Our new Foodie Penpal list has just been sent out, and I’m always so excited to get this. I shall post later on this month what I’m sending out to my recipient and also what I have been sent by the penpal assigned to me.

In the meantime, I’ll start thinking about my weekend. It’s Wednesday, so I think that’s a fair time to start thinking about the weekend. If you wait until Thursday, it’s almost too late to start thinking. And well Friday – you can forget it. Your thinking should be finished by then and a plan of action laid. So – the best time to start thinking is definitely Wednesday. I am taking a pastry course this weekend, so I imagine I’ll have to post some crusty things later in the month to prove I successfully completed the day.

Until then, I’ll maybe have one more turn around the garden.