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Food books to buy this christmas

December 10, 2013 5 Comments Filed Under: Christmas, Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Here are my annual christmas picks. Click on the title for a link to buy online. May I also draw your attention to my summer list of food books that I recommend? 

Books for fans of Vietnamese cooking:
My Vietnamese Kitchen by Uyen Luu (Ryland, Peters)
This is possibly the prettiest book of the year. Uyen Luu, a supper club hostess of Vietnamese origin, came here as a boat refugee and settled in Hackney where her supper club is located. Interesting, detailed recipes and a vivid insight into Vietnamese culture and family. She styled the photos in this book so she is multi-talented. Props also to photographer Clare Winfield. RRP: £16.99
Things I’d like to cook:
Mustard greens and tofu broth
Fresh rolls with mackerel ceviche


The Vietnamese market cookbook by Van Tran and Anh Vu (Square Peg)
This book is quite good, but doesn’t have the soul and depth of Uyen’s book. In contrast to Uyen’s hard-scrabble upbringing, the girls that wrote this are clearly extremely privileged, studying in New York and at Oxford University before dabbling in food. To give them credit though, they did kick off the Bahn Mi sarnie trend from their street food stall in Hackney, London. The look: not a great cover, and quite sparse, boring photos by Yuki Suguira, having a bit of an off-day. RRP: £20
Things I’d like to cook:
Watercress, clam and ginger soup
Temple tofu

Books for thinkers: 
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (Penguin)
Not a new book, but a must-read for everyone that actually gives a toss about what they eat. Shocking. Disgusting. Funny. Well-written and pacey. Enough to make you sob and take stock, even if you aren’t a rabid animal lover. Factory farming of livestock is just plain fucking immoral. Shame on us. RRP: £9.99
Things I’m already trying:
Eating more ethically
Veganism

Cooked by Michael Pollan (Allen Lane)
Great read. Back to your roots approach to food and cooking and why you should do this too. RRP: £20
Things I’ve already cooked:
My own sourdough
Smoking my own food

Book I’ve used the most to cook from:
Smitten Kitchen by Debs Perelman (Random House)
Someone said to me recently that this book was derivative. Well I don’t care. Every single recipe works a treat, having been tested numerous times by Debs. Lovely writing style, clear photos, great food.
Things I’ve already cooked:
Her gnocci
Other stuff, can’t remember, but it all worked.

Book for boys: 
Food DIY by Tim Hayward (Penguin)
This is for manly men who smell of wood smoke, have hairy chests and reek of testosterone. They may never make anything in it, but you will be appealing to their reptile brain, their hunter-but-not-gatherer side. Something to keep on their shed bookshelf. Witty knowledgeable passionate writing, brilliant photos, well designed layout. Love the photography by Chris Terry.
Things I’ve already cooked: 
Smoking my own salmon (encouraged by Tim)
Pickles

Do ahead dinners by James Ramsden (Pavilion Books)
How to prepare ahead for a dinner party. Yeah cos men host dinner parties ALL the time. Perhaps they will now? Well presented and beautifully photographed (Yuki Sugiura again) book. RRP: £20.00
Things I’d like to cook:
Salted caramel chocolate









Book for vegetarians/ vegans:
Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen and Ryan Dunlavey (Clarkson Potter)
Original veggie and vegan recipes by New York chef. Funny wry stories from the culinary trenches. Comic book layout. Original. RRP: £15.99
Things I’d like to make: 
Everything.
Radish ravioli.

Vegan slow cooking for two or just for you by Kathy Hester (Fair Winds Press)
Apparently slow cookers are not very environmentally friendly. Myself, I have the ultimate slow cooker, an Aga. But I’m interested in vegan cooking at the moment so this is a good addition to the repertoire. The portions are ideal for the increasing amount of people living on their own (now 38% of people in the UK, up from 7%). A cheap looking book at the price however RRP: £14.99p
Things I’d like to make:
White bean delicata soup


The Great British Vegetable cookbook by Sybil Kapoor (National Trust Books)
A large tome, not entirely vegetarian but centred-upon-vegetables recipes. The photo on the cover doesn’t do it any favours, the colour balance is wrong. Something grand about this book, a bit remote in tone but efficient. RRP: £25
Things I’d like to make:
Cliveden spinach and summer herb roulade
Orange cooked endives

   

Books for cooks:
The Ethicurean (Ebury Press)
Beautiful book, lovely cover, laid out well. Great photos, for some reason uncredited. The authors are uncredited also, but I imagine the recipes are by the chefs, Matthew and Iain Pennington and forager Jack Adair-Bevan. This book ticks all the boxes that intelligent modern chefs are working on: seasonality, foraging, growing your own, pretty plating, interesting use of vegetables rather than just relying on meat and fish. I like the fact that they have included drinks and liqueurs, something I’m very keen on making myself. RRP: £25
Things I’d like to make:
Salt baked celeriac, portobello mushroom and apple soup.
Ewe’s curd stuffed courgette flowers with fennel sherbet.

Smashing Plates by Maria Elia (Kyle Cathie)
I’d heard good things about her book on vegetarian food, ‘Modern vegetarian’. ‘Smashing Plates’ (smashing title!) is my kind of food; a little bit cheffy but basically rustic; recipes you actually cook rather than just look at the pictures admiringly. It’s also an overdue fresh look at Greek food. Nice styling and photographs by Jenny Zarins although the quality of the paper and printing by Kyle books appears cheaper than the book merits. There are recipes I will definitely be trying. I love the fact that she has a recipe for kebab-shop-style chips, made from Cypriot potatoes, red-soiled little muthas, which I’ve worked with and were absolutely superb. RRP: £19.99
Things I’d like to make: 
Ouzo and lemon cured salmon
Fig leafed wrapped feta
Peachy Greek panzanella

Books for grazers: 
Snackistan by Sally Butcher (Pavilion)
I’ve got all her books and I love them. She’s actually married to an Iranian, speaks Iranian, deals with Iranian in-laws, run a Persian food shop. So she knows her stuff, she’s not some sleb chef who has been on a two week vacation there. Great recipes, which she says ‘pour out of her’. Great cover and photos by Yuki Sugiura who is clearly le photographe du jour. RRP: £20
Things I’d like to make: 
Fried watermelon with halloumi
Sweet tabouleh

101 Sandwiches by Helen Graves (Cico)
One of the top food bloggers in this country, Helen Graves is a talented writer and cook. She’s created classic sandwiches from all over the world as well as unusual ones. I reckon this makes a good present for men too. Somehow, making a sandwich, even though many of them are quite gourmet, seems less poncey than cooking. I love the anti-snobbery of the subject matter. Most people eat a sandwich everyday, it’s literally one of the most common foods. Photography: sandwiches are really hard to photograph well so I reckon the photographer Stephen Conroy did a good job.  RRP: £12.99
Things I’d like to make:
Vada Pav
Trini double

Book for bakers: 
Meringue Girls by Alex Hoffler and Stacey O’Gorman (Square Peg)
As a meringue addict and as someone who considers the giant pavlova as one of my signature dishes, I’ve enjoyed the candy-striped meringue kisses in many flavours that I have tasted at various launches and trendy parties this year. These Hackney based girls are definitely ‘with it’ as my nan would say, being young, beautiful and talented. I like their book, full of brightly coloured meringue recipes, telling you how to achieve weep-free bakes, containing many original ideas within their chosen theme. Fun. Great pix by David Loftus as per usual. And it’s got a ribbon. LOVE ribbons in books. They are pretty and der, it acts as a book mark. RRP: £15.00p
Things I’d like to make:
Meringue rainbow cake

The Little book of Scones by Liam D’arcy and Grace Hall (Square Peg)
More graduates of the Hackney street food scene, this is a charming gift book, specialising in scones. The recipes are cleverly laid out, and the book has quirky surreal line drawings. RRP: £9.99p
Things I’ve already made:
Scones!

How to make bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou (Ryland, Peters & Small)
Brilliantly illustrated with photography by Steve Painter, this book won the GFW’s award for best first book the same year (2012) that my book Supper Club was entered, so it’s not a new book. (I narrowly missed the shortlist, the judges preferring a ghost-written book in 3rd place, after being assured by the fibbing publisher that it was all the chefs’ own work. What crap, I even know the ghost writer. Bitter, moi? Only a little.) This was a worthy winner however, I took a class with Emmanuel earlier this year and it was fantastic. Kid knows his shit. £19.99
Things I’ve already made:
Sourdough loaves
Crispbread

Book for history nuts:
At the King’s Table by Susanne Groom (Merrell Publishers)
Glossy but slightly old-fashioned looking book but a very accessible and interesting read about royal dining and historical food, which I’ve always been into. Heston does the foreword. This is a great buy for history geeks and food geeks. For example: a meal at the Brighton Pavilion for the Prince Regent and the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia contained 8 soups, 8 removes of fish, 40 entrées served around the fish, 15 platters after the fish, 8 pièce montées of meat, 8 pièces montées of patisserie, 8 roasts, 32 desserts and savoury entremets, 12 ‘great round’ including 4 fondues. I will be dipping in regularly for supper club inspiration. RRP: £24.95
Things I’d like to cook that are even more over the top:
More extravagant meals with more outrageous pièce montées.

Books for travellers:
The Paris Gourmet by Trish Deseine and Christian Sarramon (Flammarion)
I know Trish, she’s lived in Paris for decades, is bang in the centre of the food scene, and like Sally Butcher, has been married to a native, had kids there, dealt with the bureaucracy there and flourished, becoming one of the best known names in French food. Which is no mean feat. I lived in Paris for 6 years and that place is tough. This ‘carnet’ guide to Paris is therefore coming from someone who knows their way around. Fantastic recommendations, some of which I used in my blog post about Paris bread. If you are planning a trip there, or know someone who is, or need a jolt to get you there, buy this book for Christmas. RRP: £22.50p
From India, food, family, tradition by Kumar and Suba Mahadevan (Murdoch Books)
Beautiful plush fabric cover, design and photos, like so many of Murdochs books. (You may dislike the man, but the publishers do some fab books). It is interestingly divided into tastes, salt, sweet, bitter, sour and spice. (When you divise a cookbook, how to structure it? Usually it’s by course, or by season. Great to see something original). RRP: £25
Things I’d like to cook:
Tomato, pepper and tamarind soup
Bitter melon curry

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    December 11, 2013 at 7:53 am

    Great selection and brilliantly different from the usual 'must buy' Xmas book selections in the media.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers

      December 11, 2013 at 10:27 am

      Thank you. I try not to recommend uncredited ghosted books as this is a practise I disagree with. Especially as I know how much work goes into writing a book. It annoys me off that rich business people and famous chefs don't admit that they haven't written the book and don't credit the ghost writer. It's all part of that capitalist thing of making everybody else unhappy and feel inadequate. Few people can do it all. The media will push their columnists books, and really don't care if it's ghosted.

      Reply
  2. Lucy B

    December 11, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    What an amazing list – I've just added both the Vietnamese books & Food DIY to my Xmas list 🙂

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers

      December 12, 2013 at 2:30 pm

      You are a BIG fan of Vietnamese cooking. Good choices all.

      Reply
  3. TastyFind

    December 14, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    Great article! A lot of good ideas for Christmas gifts.
    The Salted caramel chocolate looks really tasty. Looking for to see the result.

    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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msmarmitelover

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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