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Being seen at the Zine scene

October 21, 2009 14 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Punk wasn’t just about music, it included design, fashion and journalism. It led to a movement of home-made magazines, ready to fill the gap of the stuff that wasn’t being published in all the straight press. Some of them were fairly rough, traced painstakingly on blue carbon copy paper… This was before photocopiers remember, before scanning, before digital photography…

But the energy and passion rippled off the folded pages, decorated with hand drawings, fiery opinion pieces and interviews. Out of the ‘zines, Sniffin‘ glue’ by Mark P. was probably the most well known. I also remember that heady moment, imaginary fists punched in the air, a feeling of having won the war, when zine ZigZag banished long haired whiskery hippies from it’s front page and embraced the new wave with it’s first punk cover.
Along with the punk style roots of do-it-yourself home restaurants, the ‘zine scene has spread to food.
How do we read about food at the moment? The newspapers carry articles, but they tend to be rather short, lacking the space to explore food writing in detail. The Guardian Word of Mouth blog, one of the most popular food blogs in the world, is carrying the banner for lively up-to-the-minute democratic food writing, sometimes even plucking talented and regular commenters from anonymity and urging them to write articles. There are glossy magazines which publish luscious photographs, wonderfully styled and detailed recipes but confusingly will carry ads for junk food on the next page. And of course there are blogs, new ones starting every day, covering every aspect of food from the cup of coffee at your local caff, the dinner they made last night, the restaurant they started in their front room, to Michelin starred restaurants and trips to El Bulli.
But there is something to be said for the tactile pleasure of holding a work in your hand. Otherwise why do books still sell? In terms of comprehension, we read differently on the net. Even with books it is said that we retain only 10 percent of what we read (1). I’m sure this proportion is even less when reading off a screen.
So I am excited about the emergence of two new food zines (what to call them? chow-zines?nutri-zines? No, that sounds like a sweetener). Guardian writer Tim Hayward has started a zine, a rather upmarket one, called Fire&Knives, the first issue due out in November. He describes it as giving

“established writers a place for work that would not be published elsewhere; new writers a place to show themselves and experts in other fields an opportunity to write about our favourite subject”

On Monday night I attended the launch of Galleyslave, a stylish and witty pirate-themed ‘zine from food journalist and broadcaster Joe Warwick, it’s strapline ‘putting the wind up the London restaurant scene’. Printed on folded broadsheet size recycled paper, Galleyslave carries articles on new restaurant openings, gossip from the restaurant world, and classified job ads, a section entitled ‘Slave Auction’.
The launch was held at Hix, Mark Hix’s new restaurant and bar in Soho. We were served fantastic cocktails, cleverly based on the pirate theme, a rum punch and a gin punch. There were bowls of pirate eyepatches on the bar. You could tell that the food was pretty stunning, even though we only got to try the canape version.
In particular I loved the goujons of battered fish served on a bed of sweet mushy peas. The chips, and readers will know how important chips are to me, were out of this world, served on huge platters with a bowl of mayonnaise in the middle. Standing with some food bloggers, positioned accidentally by the kitchen where the wait staff emerged with the plates of food (2), I noticed that one of these large trays of chips had been left casually on a table of four thin girls. I can’t abide waste of that nature, so quickly relieved them of the platter.
Mark Hix, who I tried to talk to, explained that the chips were blanched in water, then in oil, then given a final fry.
Your intrepidly scoffing reporter here, however, got rather upset on this evening. Why? I was introduced to a food writer, Sharp by name, sharp by nature, who snorted with derision when she found out that I was a blogger.

“I NEVER read blogs” she harrumphed. “NOT interested AT all”

“How very 20th century of you! ” I quipped lightly, thinking her overreaction was in good spirit, joshing like.

I can’t remember exactly what she replied, as I was too busy reeling backwards from the venom spurting from her tongue, but it was something along the lines of

“Go away you nasty blogger, I’m trying to talk to my friend Joe and you are interrupting”.

Thinking, well perhaps that was a bit rude of me, I took a step back and went up to her a little while later, apologising… Jesus, I never learn do I?

” I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be nasty. I do understand how you feel as a print journalist. My dad’s a journalist and I’m a photographer, I have exactly the same problems getting paid. Things have changed, but I think we have to adapt…” I gabbled, the words tumbling out in my attempt to appease her.

She eyed me steadily, I thought I was being given another chance. How wrong I was, she was merely gearing up for another mauling. One of the best of the food bloggers, an aspiring journalist, came up to us

“Oh you two have met, oh you will get on soo well, she’s amazing this lady she…”

“Er well we’ve already had a bit of a spat” I ventured

I then go on to explain the dispute when this lady spears me with a look saying

“EXCUSE ME, I think (this food blogger) knows me quite well enough and my views on the subject and doesn’t need it repeated by you. Now I’M HERE to speak to my friends”

and swivelled on her heel, turning her back to me.

The young food blogger was pulled away to talk to somebody who’d just come in and I was left on my own, feeling stupid. I hardly knew anybody there.
I’m always going to places on my own, thinking it will be fine, I’m a brave lass like that. I have social skills, I can talk to pretty much anybody. But suddenly I was projected back into the nightclub scene of the 80s when I used to feel like the loser at fashionable clubs. I didn’t realise then that much of the arrogant behaviour was fuelled by cocaine and other drugs. The atmosphere of this launch reminded me of the ‘greed is good’ selfishness of the 80s. I stood back stung by the sight and sound of professional networkers using their metaphorical stilettos (heels and knives) clawing over each other’s backs to talk to someone higher up the food chain. So I cried. Yes, that bad lady made MsMarmitelover cry. Hot humiliated tears spilled onto my pink dress with it’s peekaboo cleavage.
I was going to leave but Joe Warwick and his lovely kind girlfriend offered therapy by way of more cocktails.
The whole food blogging scene has become quite cliquey, there are practically gangs; not so much the ‘crips and the bloods’ but the ‘chips and bloods’. Food writers lurk in restaurant doorways, spit in each other’s food and turn the knife slowly. It’s surf and turf wars. Thrusting new bloggers are giddy with perceived power the result of PR emails inviting them to tastings and desperate for the recognition that getting into print will give them. Older established bloggers are bothered by young upstarts …

“Some of these young bloggers in their 20s, know very little about food…”

Whereas print journalists are threatened by all bloggers, young and old, as evidenced in Nick Davies book ‘Flat Earth News’ and his talk which I blogged about last year. Murdoch is trying to think of a way to make online journalism pay. You can download everything, music, film, tv, photographs, your latest school essay, for free off the net.
But how is the ‘talent’, the people who make the content, going to live when nobody will pay ?
(1) I found this quote.. “Memory: We retain: 10 percent of what we read; 20 percent of what we hear; 30 percent of what we see ?50 percent of what we hear and see; 70 percent of what we say; 90 percent of what we say and do “
(2) Standing by the exit hatch is always the best place to position yourself at parties, in order to avoid that terrible condition known as ‘canape stress’, where you see a platter tantalisingly bobbing through the crowd, invariably empty by the time it gets to you. It’s even worse for veggies I can tell you. Coming up to the Christmas season, you’d be surprised how many hosts and caterers don’t think of those that don’t eat meat. Shut up at the back, you. Vegetarians do count.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny

    October 21, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    I'm quite interested to see Fire and Knives, although I'm not sure I can afford to order a copy! I fall in and out of love for the blog scene – sometimes it's all very friendly and chipper, and other times it's very cut-throat and "I know more about this than you so shut up". which is a shame, as we all have a shared interest so we should be able to get along.

    Reply
  2. Josordoni

    October 21, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    That sounds horrible. I simply don't understand why people can be like that. As you say, once, perhaps it was just a mistake, twice, no… you can't forgive that.

    Reply
  3. Fat Les

    October 21, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    Marms, if I may- all published writers possess a flagrant degree of grandiloquence. It stinks and we have to accept it; without the self-importance they might as well join the likes of Matthew, John, Luke et al. I'm tempted to suggest that if you can't beat them then join them, and even if you did I know you well enough that you won't look down on others. I guess a whetstone is hardly needed in that woman's Christmas wish list.

    Reply
  4. Scarlett the Heavenly Healer

    October 21, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    It must be something in the air this week. On Tuesday evening I walked along a road when I suddenly and spontaneously declared, out loud, "why are people so aggressive!?!"

    No wonder you shed a few tears with that level of unprovoked aggression spat at you for no good reason other than to make the 'so-important' food writer feel
    superior. It's playground bullying.
    I feel sorry for her. How awful to be an adult that behaves like a nasty insecure child.

    And I don't like journalists at the best of times, as you know!

    Feel better please 🙂

    Reply
  5. green drawers

    October 22, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    you're right – it sounds so 80's and to me, very like the fashion world too. All we can do is rise, rise, rise above it and know that we are better people. Food is supposed to be linked directly to love and nourishment – the old hag sounds like she needs some of both!

    Don't cry my sweet, piss on her roses!
    green drawers x

    Reply
  6. TheFastestIndian

    October 23, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Jeez- I am feeling slightly relieved that I am out in the sticks and not part of the 'blogging scene' that seems to have taken hold in the capital.
    There is absolutely no excuse for being highly unpleasant to a complete stranger, even if you feel 'threatened'. And unless you were carrying a huge cleaver I'm not exactly sure why she should feel threatened to begin with. I would just put her in 'cow' category and leave it at that.
    On the wider issue of bloggers v.print media, I'm also not convinced about the 'threat' levels that have been mooted either. A new form of media emerging will also lead to change, think that's inevitable. And while there is still some novelty factor to blogging I think a few will probably continue to be plucked out from the crowd to join the realms of professional writer. But think motivations for blogging and journalism are very different- and result in rather different 'outputs'. Am at risk of writing essay so will leave it at that but do agree that finding a mechanism that will still support the 'talent' in a new media age is tricky but not insurmountable.

    Reply
  7. TheFastestIndian

    October 23, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    Oh yes, also wanted to make crucial point of saying well done on making sure those chips achieved a fitting consumption-based end.

    Reply
  8. Lizzie

    October 24, 2009 at 5:42 pm

    Oh dear, that's very unpleasant. What a horrid time you've had from certain women recently. Not cool.

    Reply
  9. Krista

    October 24, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    Firstly, do you know what I had for lunch today??? The fish fingers and mushy peas at Hix! They were lovely. Excellent chips as well–they actually serve them wrapped in (presumably yesterday's) menu.

    Secondly, you know (more than most, methinks!) that this is a moment of karma. Noted journalist will no doubt have to write a piece on underground restaurants at some point shortly. Aha! And you will no doubt be your normal terribly wonderful self and noted journalist will ache with embarrassment.

    Thirdly, at least you, in your pink dress, looked cute while you cried. That is always very important. Were you were wearing lip gloss? Also very important.

    Reply
  10. theundergroundrestaurant

    October 25, 2009 at 1:18 am

    haha Krista, you made me laugh!. No lipgloss but a bright pink/red matte lipstick from Nars.
    Lizzie, I was just feeling a bit vulnerable that night; if I'd been with friends she probably wouldn't have upset me so much.
    Fastest Indian: yes wonderful chips should not be wasted on size 8s.
    Green Drawers: The hag is an interesting figure in mythology, powerful, shape shifting. A hag can squash the energy out of a person, a state known as 'hagridden'. It's a shame that in Western modern culture that the hag is not treated with adequate respect.
    I feel this is at the root of this woman's hostility.

    Reply
  11. Helen

    October 25, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    That woman sounds like a right cow. How someone could have such an inflated sense of self-importance I do not know. And while I'm on that subject, I find this is increasingly becoming a problem amongst bloggers. I am continually amazed that some bloggers take themselves so incredibly seriously. It makes me laugh but it also really irritates.

    Reply
  12. Another Outspoken Female

    November 8, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    The journalist must be feeling really insecure to be such a cow. She's probably threatened by women generally – anyone who may be younger/more talented/thinner/richer/better looking than her. How awful to be on the brink of obsolescence.

    The food blogging and journalism scene in Australia is equally as cliquey. There are many lovely individuals but I too have flashbacks to feeling like the badly dressed Antipodean backpacker that I was on her first trip to Heaven in the '80s, when I go to such gatherings.

    Glad to know I'm not alone 🙂

    (@HerbalGill)

    Reply
  13. them apples

    November 9, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    There's no excuse for rudeness, and such people should not be entertained, no matter who they are/think they are.

    In my experience, that sort of aggresiveness normally hides seething insecurity and a fundamental lack of self-worth.

    There are bigger questions here though, aside from one person's lack of manners, around the relationship between new and old media.

    I try to steer a steady course. I'm a food blogger, not a professional writer. I've had some training, and I know how to write well, but I'm not a journalist. Nor am I a chef, either. I'm just an enthusiastic amateur on both fronts. I write my blog for myself, to motivate me to cook new things and to keep my writing eye sharp.

    If a few thousand people a month want to read it, they're very welcome, and if one or two of them cook something they like because of it, I'm absolutely delighted.

    Of course, I've been courted by the PR people, and they've all seemed to understand what I'm about and where I'm going. They offer me opportunities to try something out, eat somewhere, have some experience or other and I write about it. Their reward is a social media induced glow and some credibility at Google, which is just what they're after. I'm happy with that, but don't try and tell me I've got 'influence', because I haven't.

    I find the idea that the big print publications would be nervous about me and my little blog vaguely absurd.

    Are we a threat to them? Really?

    Maybe things are changing and the notion of 'publication' is radically different today from a decade ago. Maybe the onslought of self publication just feels like a slow death by a thousand cuts to print journalism.

    Let's just wait and see.

    Reply
  14. Emma

    May 23, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    byallbloggers, young and old, as evidenced in Nick Davies book ‘Flat Earth News’ and his talk which I blogged about last year.

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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