Hope

Hope

I want to shout, yell, jump from the rooftops, hilltops, mountaintops. 

I want to pour my emotions out to you like the torrents of a thawing stream.

Listen and you will hear my insides corroding, and they will bloom, raining down on you like a monsoon.

Only others can choose the Golden Hour of expression.

Being hopeful is to dream - but nobody realizes how many dreams are encased within these fragile bones.

Glimmers of hope shine through my ribs like the sun rays - the moment where I stand in the sun, raise my arms and turn around. When a laugh breaks out from my lips in the middle of the staircase. Looking up from the floor, my gaze peeps out from beneath black lashes. Did you miss me? Did you ever/will you ever know me?

Hope is being found in a maze, or finding your way out of a haze. Hope is imagining the greeting you will receive from him when you start to live.

Hope is telling people who you are without fear of rejection. Not necessarily by them.

Hope is Future. Future can be whatever you want it to be... if you break your boundaries. 

Freedom

Freedom

Freedom is a smile, slowly creeping from ear to ear and consuming all your senses, one by one, encompassing them in warmth - a glow of heat and a buzz of joy.

Freedom is the way you can dig your toes into the sand and let the sea breeze rush through the caverns of your willing, open lungs.

Freedom is happiness, but also found in the depths of your despair - the moment where you let go, give in, give over, lose control, set yourself free, break down.

Freedom is not easy; it does not come at the drop of a hat. You work towards it, but when you reach it, it tastes sweeter than the sweetest lychee or the bubbliest pink lemonade. 

Freedom is an achievement, but once you find it, you can always wind your way back to its comforting embrace. 

Foodie's Finds in London - A Little bit of Everywhere

As a welcome break from revision this Easter Holiday, my Father and I spent the traditional day traipsing gleefully around London, poking around in small quirky shops and alleys, while I snapped away contentedly with my camera. A couple of my finds from the other week are places frequented by my Dad and I (and not strictly food related), whereas the other two are places I have been chomping at the bit to try for what seems like eternity.

Books For Cooks 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill

First stop on our self conducted tour was this beautiful bookshop. If I could have a heaven on earth - a large percentage of it would look like this. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling, tabletop to tabletop; all covered in food writing. Food biographies, food fiction (yes, you heard right), food recipes, food guides.... everything foodie. 

I have to admit that I found the whole experience so overwhelming that I only came away with one book (my new treasure - a Lonely Planet book on Street Food) which jumped out at me from a counter top. I fear that if I had really started to browse in earnest I could have spent the whole day lost in the crisp freshly pressed pages, dithering for evermore. 

Books for Cooks also hosts cookery classes, supper evenings and demonstrations, and has it's own little cafe at the back, where they test recipes from the books on sale. We tried the rhubarb and ginger cake, and although I didn't catch which book it was from, it was one of the most deliciously moist cakes I have ever tasted. That said, I will warn you that cakes come served more like desserts, with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a scoop of yoghurt on the side. 

Ping Pong Dim Sum, (Carnaby Street)

This wasn't on my original list of possible places for lunch, but we were walking past at lunch time and I had looked at their menu online before, so we decided to give it a go. It was only my second time in a dedicated dim sum restaurant, and it was an altogether nice experience. Dishes arrived as they were ready and were stacked in their baskets on top of eachother, so that we had the pleasure of lifting the empty basket to discover what was underneath. To order you tick the dishes you want on a checklist, and they recommend 4-5 dishes per person. Everything we had tasted fresh and was perfectly cooked, but what I really loved was the size of the ice cream portion I had for dessert - all too often you are faced with a mountain, but I was served a refreshing portion of three "ping pong" sized balls of ice cream; two honey and ginger, and one vanilla.

It was also my Father's first experience of jasmine flowering tea, which he declared looked like an alien.

There are plenty of seats, either around a bar or at private tables, and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the window and inspecting busy business men as they dashed past in the ever changing London weather. 

Duant's Bookshop, Marylebone Highstreet 

I love this place, and have returned many years since I first discovered it. I was so exited to arrive that I forgot to take my own pictures! 

Duant's is a travel bookshop - enough said. This is the second percentage of my heaven. 

At the front of the shop is fiction, childrens' books and cookery books. But further back is where the magic happens. At the back of the shop, spanning three levels, the books are organised by country. Travel guides, biographies, fiction and non-fiction books, all organised together by country. This is the perfect way to browse for something new, and I can loose myself for hours. 

The layout of the shop is not it's only selling point. Duant's is also beautiful. A large window lets light into all three levels at the back of the shop, and the colour scheme is relaxing too. 

This is a shop worth visiting, whether you intend to buy anything or not. 

Yours,

The Anxious Foodie <3 

Foodie Restaurant Review - Jamie's Italian

Jumping Jamie's!

 

I have recently re-discovered Jamie Oliver, and dusted off our old Jamie cookbooks in a sort of Jamie Revival. This may partly be due to my growing obsession with all things food and partly due to the ever-swelling popularity of his Jamie's Italian restaurants and TV shows, but also a large part of my new obsession is just due to the man himself. 

Jamie has an obvious passion for good food shared with good company which goes over and above the ordinary (- and possibly the healthy.) I love how he infects everyone around him with this love and devotion to gourmet pleasures, and this is something that I hope comes across in my writing too. 

I have been to the Jamie's in my local town quite a few times now, and I have never been disappointed. The pasta is cooked perfectly and the bruschetta is a fresh flavour disco for the taste buds. His bruschetta for two is a brilliant idea, and the perfect mix of scamorza and tender "beetroot ripple".

The only thing that I would advise is that I find that if you want room for the all important dessert, or just want to save your waste-line, a full portion of pasta or risotto is far too much. The smaller starter sized portion with a side of one of Jamie's carefully composed salads is perfect, and much more like what you would serve yourself at home.

Last night we popped in after a trip to the shops and didn't want too much, so decided to share a "Vegetable Antipasti Plank", some crispy squid and a bread basket.

Nothing in Jamie's left un-noticed. The antipasti plank was raised up on two full tins of tomatoes, a homely touch, to be at the perfect height for shared grazing. The squid was, as are many other dishes, served in a beautiful clay pot also with a wooden plank to rest on. 

The antipasti plank was a joy - creamy mozzarella cheese in a portion just the right size with chilli and mint, "music bread" and pecorino with chilli jam, fresh crunchy beetroot and carrot salad, and seasonal vegetables including pepper, artichoke and courgette marinated and grilled, topped with fresh olives and caper berries. 

I have never tasted an olive so fresh in my life, and this was a real revelation to me, as was the bread basket which was a refreshing mix of different traditional Italian breads and breadsticks - and just the right size for two unlike most bread baskets I have been served.

On top of this, we were also treated to a mini version of one of their specials of the night, a bruschetta topped with a sweet mix of candied beetroot and carrot in a sort of relish.

The squid, as you would expect in any restaurant, was tender and not at all chewy. Heaven in a clay pot!

Next we had dessert. I went for the peach and almond tart as I most often do - topped with a drizzle of honey and usually whipped yoghurt although I substituted it for their divine vanilla ice cream.

The frangipane is the perfect strength and consistency, and the slices of peach nestled within are fresh and flavoursome.

Jamie's may not be cheap, but it is definitely worth the price for top notch food from a relaxed family-and-friends chain. 

Click here to find your local!

Foodie's Finds in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire

Bank Holiday weekends and Easter breaks were just made for walks by lakes, drives in the countryside, and relaxing in tea rooms. This is exactly what I have been doing in my much needed breaks from revision, and I have found many delights in the local area.
Whether you're local or not, or even planning a trip from a far away, exotic place, I have some quintessentially English gems to share with you!

Tea-zels Cafe at Harold Country Park

Although a short stroll around the lake here is not too taxing, it is worth the promise of a visit to Teazels at the end. Service can be a little slow when they are busy, but the view of the lake from the terrace and the homely wooden tables inside the small cabin are a joy. There is always a wonderful display of cakes but I recommend the carrot cake, as it is a cut above the rest.

On my last visit I treated myself to a hot chocolate, and it may have been the best I have ever had. Creamy with a note of richness that wasn't sickly, it came with dark chocolate shavings as a topping instead of the traditional cocoa powder or whipped cream and marshmallows. This was a refreshing change, and made this childish treat seem much more grown up.

Pudding Parlour at Yardley Hastings

I have passed this place tens of times a year for most of my teenage life, but never gone in. Yesterday I was to discover what I had been missing. Before our walk at Harold we popped in to buy an afternoon snack and I was blown away by the quality of baked goods I was able to choose from. 

There were at least six different types of brownie, as well as a beautiful tart, pie, cakes, huge muffins, and a selection of cheesecakes in the chiller. Also on sale were ice cream, jams, and popcorn.

We chose the coffee and walnut cake, which was easily the best I have ever had (and the Victoria Sandwich looked just as good!). The coffee-butter-cream was the perfect strength and consistency, and the cake was neither too crumbly nor too cloying. 

This is the perfect place to pick up something for a summer picnic, or just to devour at home. They also have two small tables if you want to eat in.

Also, if you are looking for a typical English cake shop in a  village setting surrounded by luscious green fields, look no further, but I will warn you that there is not much else of interest in Yardley Hastings. Try popping along the road to Olney instead for a quaint small town experience with pleanty more cute shops, restaurants and the nearby Emberton Park. 

ARTea Room at Wakefield Country Courtyard

And finally, my most fantastic find. ARTea room is so quirky it is unreal. Outlandish tea cosies and delicate, mismatched crockery are the norm here, and as you sip your favourite brew you can gaze at the art and craft work for sale around you. There is also a small selection of cheap second hand books and slightly more expensive handmade jewellery.

Wakefield country courtyard also has some other little shops to poke around in, including a lovely farm shop where I made the purchase of some delicious smoked garlic.

ARTea room has an almost overwhealming selection of Tea, from which I chose the Vanilla variety, and my Mother the Lapsand Suchong. Tea is served at your table in your own teapot with accomanying tea cosy, and a shared pot of hot water for refills. 

The cakes were nothing to rave about, but were definately not bad. The expreience and surroundings is what I will return for though, and the chance to purchase more cheap books!

Yours,

The Anxious Foodie <3

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

A Comparison Of Two Splendid Novels that Soar Like Kites

Anticipation is a devil. You can spend an awful lot of time expecting something good, only to be knocked off your high with something less than miraculous, and left to wallow in the sadness of something that could have been.

As much as it pains me to admit it - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini did exactly this to me. After having been blown away by A Thousand Splendid Suns, while his first book was very good, it lacked much of the shock factor possessed by his second novel. Perhaps Hosseini discovered after publishing his first novel that he could indeed get away with much more harrowing events and really reveal the truth about the state of Afghanistan.

I can't help but wonder, if I had read the Kite Runner first, maybe I would take a different view point?

It is certain that while both widely about the Afghan people and their troubled existence, both novels are very different. Whereas the kite runner is about guilt, friendship and atonement, A Thousand Splendid Suns centres much more around the atrocities of the Taliban and Soviet Forces and the effect that these two bodies had on the Afghan people, but also on the Afghan way of life.

If I had read the kite runner first, maybe I would be singing its praises for different reasons, but I feel that my judgement has been clouded by the splendour of A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Everyone I have spoken to who has read the Kite Runner sings its praises - woe betide anyone who claims that A Thousand Splendid Suns is the better of the two. But, they have not read the two.

Nevertheless,  The Kite Runner is a book that stealthily creeps up on you, and finally taps you on the shoulder in the last section of the book, to reveal to you its true colours. In the earlier pages I had a sense that something was going to happen, something momentous - and when it finally did I was underwhelmed by its occurrence.

It seems to me that Hosseini's writing  has definitely developed from one novel to the other - and although both books are pivotal in the world of historical and political fiction, A Thousand Splendid suns has much more power. The power to shock and move is contained within both books, but A Thousand Splendid Suns adds a little extra kick large enough to generate a larger feeling of astounding reverence and awe at the aptitude and boldness of a talented writer. 

Perfect Cookies and Picturesque Mixed Berry Muffins

I love waitrose. I especially love the Waitrose magazine which is released each month in store. Packed with delicious recipes and interesting articles, this is always my go-to choice for somewhere to quickly find an easy yet still scrumptious recipe. Imagine my joy when I found a recipe for Macadamia Nut and White Chocolate Cookies in their January 2012 issue! I have been looking forward to making these for ages and finally got the chance last weekend, and whipped them up quickly before breakfast on the Saturday morning (Yes, I am that sad - I just couldn't wait to make them!).

I prefer my cookies slightly soft and chewy - so from my point of view this recipe is perfect! I owe their perfection to the use of muscavado sugar, since it is so soft and gooey in the packet. Although you can't taste the vanilla essence, I still feel that it adds a little detectable something; another level of flavour perhaps.
These spread out alot during cooking, so be sure to evenly space them, because even they you may still have to slightly separate them with a palate knife when they come out of the oven.  

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies

(adapted from Waitrose Kitchen January 2012)

Ingredients

170g unsalted butter

200g light muscavado sugar

100g (golden) caster sugar

1 egg yolk and 1 whole egg

2tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

200g chopped good quality white chocolate

100g halved macadamia nuts

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 170C
2. Beat the butter untill soft and creamy, before beating both types of sugar. Beat in the egg mixture and the vanilla extract.
3. Stir in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and a tiny pinch of salt. 
4. Fold in your chocolate and nuts so that they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture, and then drop spoonfuls onto baking trays lined with greaseproof paper, and press down ever so slightly.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are golden but still quite soft, as they will harden up as they cool, to give you that lovely chewy, gooey, soft texture.

On the Sunday of last weekend, I had some time set aside to bake for a cake sale at school in aid of Beat and Young Minds. I decided to start with something realtively easy from my Hummingbird Bakery book "Cake Days" as I wanted to ease myself in before attempting some of their more complicated creations at a later date. Despite the fact that I used skimmed milk instead of the whole milk they suggested, my Mixed Berry Muffins were moist and fluffy, although you must take care not to over-bake them - they will still be quite soft when they come out of the oven due to the fruit inside. 

The left over muffins after the cake sale were perfect for breakfast - and easily justifiable because of their fruit content!

Mixed Berry Muffins

(Adapted from Cake Days by The Hummingbird Bakery)

Ingredients

300g plain flour

155g caster sugar

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp baking powder

a couple of grinds of salt

250ml milk

2 large eggs

1tsp vanilla essence

85g melted unsalted butter

100g blueberries

50g raspberries

(if you are using frozen fruit - be sure to defrost it!)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and 115g of the sugar in a large bowl and mix together. 
3. Mix the beaten eggs, milk and vanilla essence together, and then incorporate into your dry mixture. To do this, make a well in the centre and add the wet ingredients a little at a time to avoid curdling. 
4. Pour in the melted butter and beat again.
5. Fold the berries in by hand, taking care not to crush them too much as you still want lovely whole bits of juicy fruit.
6. Spoon the batter into the cases. Be very careful as the mix will be very runny.
7. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mintues. Do not worry if they still seem very soft when they come out - it is because of the oozing fruit inside. 
8. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I can't wait to try more recipes from this book. I will keep you updated on my attempts!