Make some magic
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” Terry Pratchett Some time ago I had a box of tissues with the words "Make some magic" on the side. Not very appropriate for a box of tissues you - and I - might think, although they would be completely magic for somebody from the long distant past. Even the box containing the tissues would be magic. Human imagination and creativity moves us on, technology advances at an ever-increasing pace, and there are lots of differen
7 days ago
The long lunch
"Civilisation is measured not by what we produce but by how elegantly we pause." Kenton Allen/Spectator Australia A long time ago now I proposed to myself a series of posts on lunch - because there are so many different kinds of lunch - a long list in fact. A browse through my Ideas and also a post on Instagram from Ottolenghi advertising a fund-raising lunch in the Wolves Lane gardens where produce for his restaurants and delis is grown, reminded me of the notion of the lo
Oct 2
Geography is a flavour
I have just retrieved this Ideas suggestion from my list - from a long time ago I think. That's all it says so I have no idea where the idea came from, but I thought it intriguing enough to tackle. And coincidentally I have just finished reading Kate Atkinson's latest novel Our Noble Selves, which is a sort of combination whodunnit/meditation on the state of Britain post war at the time of the Festival of Britain as well as her usual mordantly funny reflections on life, the
Sep 30
"Probability not possibility"
"Hell, it's only food. Just enjoy it." Jill Dupleix I have a long list of ideas for blog posts in my little notebook, and of late I have been making an effort at getting rid of some of the older ones. This one comes from one that I called 'Confidence/reality - Rachel Cooke' -Rachel Cooke being a most thoughtful contributor to The Guardian, and actually the daughter of Katherine Whitehorn - one of our favourite columnists of the 60s. Alas Rachel died recently - last year I
Sep 27
Putty in their hands
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy." Marcel Proust This is a first recipe and the book is Toast: the story of a boy's hunger, by Nigel Slater - his memoir about his childhood and youth. So not really a recipe book, but rather than disregard it I checked the first short piece - it is really a collection of chronologically arranged pieces - and I thought it was so wonderful really that I would go with it. The piece is called Toast 1 and it's about burnt toast an
Sep 20
A rambling change of plan
"The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu. The chance walk; the unexpected visit; the unpremeditated journey; the unsought conversation or acquaintance." Fanny Fern Today I was facing the eternal problem - the dual one of what to cook for dinner, and what to do with a problem ingredient or, indeed, ingredients. Nothing new there. The starting point was romanesco, the end point after an enjoyable ramble around the net which encompassed life, the universe and
Aug 30
The English seaside
"salt air, seagulls and unpredictable weather" Georgina Hayden Somewhat ironically this picture which headed up a piece by Georgina Hayden on a trip around some of Britain's beaches, in The Guardian newsletter, may not be England at all. And Georgina Hayden mostly talks about Greek food, but the picture and the words that followed, about British seaside foodie treats, induced such a feeling of nostalgia, that I started thinking about how I could use the photo for a blog. In
Aug 28
Invasion or evolution?
"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows." Doug Larson Nature is reasserting itself in our garden. This is our back 'lawn' - and as you can see it is very lush and green. But it's not grass - we have struggled for literally decades to grow grass here - battling drought, dogs, rabbits and just rotten soil. But now it is almost covered with oxalis which seems to love growing here - and everywhere else at the moment. N
Aug 26
Cooking in a mood
"Cooking is sorcery. Some days we desperately need its magic." Bim Adewunmi/The Guardian 'In a mood'. When we say that, we generally mean in a bad mood of some kind, not a good one - but the phrase technically belongs to both. This post is 'inspired' if that's the right word - 'stimulated' is probably more accurate - by a sad text conversation with a friend going through a bad time who in the course of the conversation said: "the process of cooking will occupy my scattered
Aug 7
Then and now - 10 years of rambling
I don't know about being loved for ten years - in the blogging sense that is - but I suppose this is a red letter day and I should be jumping for joy or something. Maybe a glass of champagne - but no it's mid-week, so a non-wine day. Well it's a subject for a post isn't it? On this day 10 years ago I opened my fridge door to see what to cook for dinner and sat down to write my very first post - Inside my fridge and every year since I have probably said much the same things a
Jul 15
Tech problems
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." Alice Kahn The expression on the guy's face is a bit like I feel. So I'm going to vent a bit. You are probably not interested in the problem and my attempts to solve it, but I feel the need to rage at the machine. You may have noticed you are not getting any emails telling you I have written yet another brilliant piece of triviality. I only realised after a few days, whe
Jun 26
20-06-2026
"a magic number refers to a numerical constant with no explicit explanation of its meaning." Md Abdul Halim Rafi It was David who pointed out the potential magical significance of today's date - it's my birthday for one thing, so significant if only to me, and it's not really that significant anyway at my age - just another day that I am thankful to be here for. Nevertheless that's some number isn't, so I tried to track down its meaning amongst all the crazies out there who
Jun 22
Reflections on a small piece of quiche
"When we eat, we travel." Mina Holland This was my lunch today. A small piece of leftover quiche, so being otherwise clueless - partly because I have not been writing of late - otherwise occupied - and partly because it's an interesting exercise to do every now and then I decided to consider in a more analytical way than usual what my lunchtime quiche. As you know by now I make quiche a lot. It usually begins with some kind of leftover which might well offend the purists,
Jun 10
Moods and leftovers
"such a dish is always ... made more scrumptious by the knowledge of its unpromising beginnings." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall I see I have used this photograph - the frontispiece to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's most wonderful book - Love Your Leftovers - a few times. It's because, in so many ways it epitomises comfort does it not? Even the fact that it's in a cup and you can picture yourself in some comfortable chair with as many layers of clothes on as you can fashionab
Jun 2
Really look
"The silent chat between the cook and the cooked." Thom Eagle This quote from Rachel Roddy was my starting point today: “I have been reminded of the second-most important advice in cooking (and life): just look, really look.” I chose this painting, because this lady is not really looking is she? Now I'm sure she knows what she is doing and the flames are completely under control - indeed required - but nevertheless it highlights the dangers of not looking at what you are doi
May 28
Nice - a word and a place
"By 1926, nice was said to be "too great a favorite with the ladies, who have charmed out of it all its individuality and converted it into a mere diffuser of vague and mild agreeableness." [Fowler]/Etymonline I have no idea now where my inspiration for this post came from, but I think it began with the word rather than the place - very different things - and yet, maybe that quote is indeed apt. for both of them. We shall see. Above is my very last sight of la belle France,
May 27
Getting going
"The morning steals upon the night, Melting the darkness." William Shakespeare The quote and the painting were featured on my art desk calendar this morning, which sort of coincided with the thoughts I had been previously been having about the routines we go through in the morning, so I thought I would begin with it. The painting is by Charles-François Daubigny and it's called Morning by the Lake painted in 1858. I am dimly aware of the artist's name, but do not know this p
May 21
Travel
"Travel is the story you tell yourself about yourself." David Prior Once a year the Australian Financial Review puts out a seriously glossy Fin! Travel magazine - inserted into their AFR Weekend edition. This weekend is that weekend. Normally I flick through it in about five minutes - even less sometimes - and discard because it's full of ads for expensive watches, cruises and hotels with articles about holiday experiences which are - well - just decadent and out of my reac
May 17
Chasing culinary white whales
"It’s not until you come to make it yourself that you see what’s not written down.” Felicity Cloake This is my culinary white whale - and I apologise for it not being one of my mother's dishes. Which is not to say that I don't make things that my mother did, and that I don't remember those dishes with all those warm and cuddly feelings the cooking world would like us to have when we think of mum's cooking - or even better - grandma's cooking. And I will come to mum and gra
May 4
Memory rambles over lunch
"Nostalgia - the vice of the aged." Angela Carter Same old, same old. Another ramble about memory and nostalgia. I know, so apologies, but I couldn't really let our wonderful Friday lunch with our regular lunch friends go unacknowledged. I mean look at it - in spite of my awful photography. Not my cooking this time. In the last few years we have fallen into a pattern with two old friends, of entertaining each other - turn and turn about - with an invitation to lunch. Bo
May 3