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Showing posts from 2012

My love affair with social media is over.

Recurrent insomnia. I’m awake again at 4am, wide awake yet not wanting to be this alert, forcing me to think and process all the dark thoughts going round and round my head. Remembering the shock on my daughter Alethea’s face when she saw me at my most broken. The look of fear on Alaila’s face when she barely recognised her skeletal mother. Children too young to understand, wanting to protect them, not feeling strong enough to give anything back. I am numb. My smiles are forced. I don’t feel like writing or doing yoga. Both are too painful. All around me I see people caught up in meaningless chat on Twitter, posting endless selfies on Facebook and raving about the latest food fad. Once a social media whore, the curiosity for news – good or bad – has simply evaporated. Signing off.

From wedding to funeral in a fortnight

Words seem meaningless to me at the moment as I struggle to come to terms with the fact that my dear, only sister, has gone. Out of nowhere Emma was diagnosed with a rare strain of acute myeloid leukemia and after a short but fierce battle against this aggressive blood cancer, she died at Princess Alice Hospice on 16th June. The speed that it has happened has shocked me to the core and I can’t see how I will ever move on from this tragedy. The only blessing I cling on to was that she was able to marry Clifford during her final week at the hospice, and that her daughter Alaila got to be with her till the end. Rest in peace beautiful sister.

Beetroot & Chocolate Cake

Feeling inspired by the food cooked by Tom’s Feast, I decided to try out one of Tom’s recipes this weekend, using leftover beetroot from the  veggie patch, to make t he beetroot and chocolate cake that I’d had at the Valentine’s for Everyone meal last week. I like the fact that this recipe not only contains one of my five a day but is also flourless, so gluten free.  http://www.tomsfeast.com/2012/02/beetroot-and-chocolate-cake/ This cake is more of a dessert dish than an afternoon tea, is extremely rich so best served in small portions with an  accompaniment  of creme fraiche or ice cream ( I suggest Booja Booja vanilla ice-cream). Nom nom.

Eating the heart out of Valentine’s Day

I didn’t think the highlight of Valentine’s Day would be eating a heart but today was set to confound my expectations in many ways. On arrival at Fareshare’s headquarters in east London we were ushered into the warehouse for drinks and canapes, where it was ubundantly clear by the stacks of unwanted foods and industrial fridges surrounding us that eco-chef Tom Hunt would be spoilt for choice of ingredients. Amongst the crates I spotted supermarket own brand goods from Tesco Value pasta to Sainsburys Taste the Difference Olive Oil Crostini, brand name goods including Nestle and Green Giant, and independent producers such as Propercorn gourmet popcorn. As I surreptiously checked out the clientele, we were served a warming aperitif of mulled cider with star anise and delicious canapés of confit rabbit offal, cod-head cakes and pork liver pate with onion marmalade. While there were certainly lots of couples out for an alternative take on the Valentine’s meal, groups of friends were also t

Valentine’s for everyone

I’m going on a date tonight, but it isn’t with my Valentine (he’s at home stroking the cat). It’s with a great girlfriend in need of some TLC and a large bottle of wine after a recent break-up. Now I don’t normally go out for a meal on Valentine’s Night, everyone knows it’s the worst night for service and restaurants are known to churn out the food safe in the knowledge that no-one is going to complain in front of their date. Also I’m not known for looking longingly into my lover’s eyes while I await a frankly average overpriced plate of food made to look romantic in some overworked way. However I was drawn to Valentine’s for Everyone, a pop-up restaurant in collaboration with  Forgotten Feast    and their eco-chef Tom Hunt to produce a 3 course banqueting experience made up unwanted foods saved by FareShare that might otherwise end up in landfill. I’m grateful to see that everyone will sit together for the feast, so me and my compadre shouldn’t get too many looks from confused diners