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Christmas gift ideas 2021

December 19, 2021 Leave a Comment Filed Under: Books, Christmas, Christmas Gifts, Christmas Presents, Gardens, Kitchen equipment, Lifestyle, London, Shopping, Travel

These last minute Christmas gift ideas could also work for the New Year’s sales (let’s see if the price goes down) or birthdays. As a side note, I’m expanding my blog from primarily food and travel into other areas that inspire: interiors, craft, politics, design, fashion and history.

Books

Blood Legacy by Alex Renton £12.76 hardback (Canongate books)

A few years ago I was invited to the Fortnum & Mason food writing awards and I took my upstairs neighbour Karen Campbell with me. She got chatting to writer Alex Renton, down from Edinburgh, about her Scottish Jamaican (and Chinese)ancestry. In the ensuing years, Alex wrote this book about his family’s connections to the slave trade in the Caribbean. He admits that, as an old Etonian, as the son of a Baron and MP, he comes from privilege, but he doesn’t flinch from looking at the question of his family’s responsibility for the slave trade and the resultant wealth. Renton spends time in the Caribbean, visiting an abandoned familial plantation on Tobago and the profitable ‘Rozelle’ on Jamaica where his ancestors  cashed in. During the Caribbean sugar boom, every adventurous young man of means had a go at making a fortune and the inhumanity of the slave trade was largely ignored. This part of British history (and let’s be specific, Scottish history) has been buried. It wasn’t just the English who were the baddies.

You might feel, as a white person, that this book would be grim reading, but it’s not. It’s well written, intricately researched, flowing and readable as a good yarn, but is suffused with a humble honesty from Alex. Right now, with the terrifying costs of the pandemic looming over us, this is probably the last thing we want to think about, but Renton makes a reasonable case for reparations.

Alex Renton also wrote a great book on vegetarianism Planet Carnivore which I recommend. While he chooses painful intense subject matter, he writes so well that it’s a surprisingly easy read.

Pretty Little London by Sara Santini and Andrea Di Filippo £12.55 (Frances Lincoln)

This is a book stemming from a successful instagram account . Amidst the grime, the pollution, the poverty, the stress, the crime statistics, London is pretty, there are hidden corners of beauty everywhere. Even though I’m a Londoner, I learnt about many new places and locations. The authors are Italian, and perhaps you have to be a foreigner to appreciate this city with new eyes. This is a great gift for those who like to walk, to shop, to nose around. If we cannot travel, explore your home town.

Edwardian scrapbook £14.95 Museum of Brands shop

I love this museum in London: they have scrapbooks for every era which is a great research source for fonts, packaging and style. I love packaging, especially food tins and boxes and I love a museum gift shop.

For food themed books and cookbooks see my previous post.

Drinks

Aarke water sparkler £200

We need to use less plastic don’t we? I carry around a water bottle and a collapsible coffee cup. But what about sparkling water? While I love my Soda Stream – design-wise, the Aarke water carbonator beats them hands down. Gorgeous colours, which fit in with today’s interiors, and a slimline minimalist aesthetic influenced by Italian espresso machines, I highly recommend this. It’s worth the price.

Food

Monastery gifts, basil vinegar £4.20 by Buckfast Abbey

I like perusing this niche site for monastery-made goods. A German monastery (Beuron Erzabtei St. Martin) made this basil-flavoured vinegar. I’m assuming the sales also benefit these religious communities.

Mr Moris bottarga £16.99

Have you tried bottarga? Addictive and delicious, it’s compressed grey mullet roe that you can grate on pasta or thinly slice onto toast. This version is beautifully packaged and would make a good foodie gift.

Clothes

Sheepskin slippers £24 from Notonthehighstreet.com

I was bought these pretty and cosy moccasin slippers for my birthday way back in January. I’ve wood floors in my flat so I need a bit of comfort for the feet. The stitching has come out of the toes which I’ve repaired with embroidery thread.

Red checked puff sleeve blouse £16.94 from Cider.

Soo cute. Unfortunately they’ve run out of XL sizes. I don’t know if Cider clothes (an instagram shop) are of good quality but I love this style. I’ve also been using Mimi’s Edit to buy some clothes. She’s a normal-sized woman with good taste so check it out.

Homeware

Ceramic splatterware plates (4) £115 from Petersham Nurseries. 

God I love Petersham Nurseries style. I’ve never eaten there, too expensive for me, but their homeware and garden stuff is sublime. Go onto the site and drown in an orgy of interiors and exteriors.
Enamelware salad bowls from Turkey, £20 from Kapka.com

I’ve been collecting enamelware for over a decade. It’s great for catering pop ups, being unbreakable, lightweight, easy to clean, and improving with the chips and dents of age. This Turkish company is exploring modern designs for a vintage material.

Splatterware enamel light shades, £15 plus shipping from the USA, from Crow Canyon Home

Bornn large deep rectangle dish (baking tray) £20 plus shipping

I discovered Crow Canyon spatterware at one of those posh organic petrol stations, while driving to Scotland. I bought the only pieces they had, a grey splattered bread tin, and a couple of serving spoons. ADORE. They aren’t expensive but I’ve sent an email to enquire about shipping. This is a woman owned business.

Twisted lacquered green picture frame, £80, hosthome.co.uk

Charming artisanal picture frame that comes in several on-trend colours (millennial pink, buttercup yellow, a subtle turquoise). This is a collaboration with art dealer Domenica Marland. 

Step Up Stool in forest green £74 Selfridges

If you are a short-arse you need one of these. The world is built according to a man’s average height. Even the areas that are not their usual domain such as the kitchen. Reach the top with this stool on casters that fixes itself to the floor as soon as you stand on it.

Linen ruffled sheets, turmeric £149 Folkinteriors.co.uk

Admittedly not cheap. Sometimes you can find cheaper linen sets in Homesense. You can also find ruffled linen on Etsy. My style is fundamentally romantic, so I love a ruffle but I do try to keep it within the boundaries of good taste. (I’m old enough to remember the swagged, ruffled Austrian blind fad in the 1980s. It wasn’t a good time for interiors.)

I have also started to opt for coloured bed linen after a couple of decades of only white. It is amazing how bed linen can really date your era. In my smaller bedroom everything is dark teal and mustard so this colour hit the spot.

Black and White Cake Stand £70, Finnish Design Shop

Stylish, graphic, modern.

Screenshot 2021-12-19 at 14.38.14
Screenshot 2021-12-19 at 14.37.31

Rattan fruit shaped baskets (large £95.90 and small £48.50) Finnish Design Shop

They say these are for kids but I think they are charming as laundry baskets, fruit baskets, anything you can think of.

Courses

How to make a notebook, £65, online class, House of Illustration.org.uk

They did have classes on how to make a comic novel of your life which sounded great. I think people often want experiences rather than things, especially if you are not sure about their taste, or they already have everything. A few years ago I bought my brother a musical comedy class and this led to a whole new circle of friends, a chance to improve his confidence on performing and several appearances in musicals. This class teaches you about book-binding and different kinds of paper. If there is another lockdown then an online class is a fantastic gift: you feel part of a community and learn a new skill.

How to make a pleated lampshade £360, online and in person. minervaworkshop.co.uk

I love the trend for printed fabric pleated lampshades. They are very expensive so why not learn to make one instead? Earlier this year I learnt to make a corset at Gartmore House (highly recommended). During the last 18 months I find I want to use my hands to make things. It’s good for my mental health during a time when it’s been very difficult to host my supper club and make a living.

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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
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The natio Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The national newspaper again. These are the stories I love to do: I go off on an adventure, take my time, interview people (especially women), photograph them in their environment and create recipes on site. This story cost me a lot more than I made as I had an accident and lost my excess. My own damn fault though! Loved loved loved having a campervan. Thanks for lending me it @camperdays.international and sorry about the hole in the side.  https://www.thenational.scot/news/23505593.foraging-seaweed-western-isles/
My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, s My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, spinach, cheddar. I used crème fraiche and blind baked puff pastry shells. I was up at 11 last night making these for todays street party, which featured in the mail, telegraph, mirror, metro courtesy of photographer Gavin Rodgers @asproider
Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-ba More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-based version of the original. Beautifully constructed, designed and written by @nikisegnit it’s vegetarian rather than vegan but recommended for both. She widens the sensory vocabulary around plant flavours in this book- encouraging new delicious sounding combinations. Now she includes new categories such as flower & meadow, caramel roasted, zesty roost- just the words make me salivate. #foodbooks #bookstagram #newbooks
Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainman Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainmansion I found out so much about marmalade. I’m going to make it this winter. I found out the worlds best maker is Japanese, in fact I was most impressed by the Japanese marmalades in general. Everyone wore orange. I must have tasted 50 marmalades. I met Paddington’s sister, karen jankel who is michael bond’s daughter, born in the same year as Paddington. She gave a charming talk on Paddington, mentioning how the queen insisted on having real marmalade sandwiches in her @launerlondonofficial handbag during the shoot. The house itself is Tudor and Georgian. I stayed in my campervan from @camperdays.international in the car park, cosy in the rain. Another freewheeling adventure. #yorkshire #marmalade #travel #food #ontheroad #campervan
I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a vegetarian rather than a vegan. How I still need butter. And how restaurants & plane meals are now vegan rather than vegetarian. But, there are still more the double amount of vegetarians as vegans in the UK. I’ve written a vegan cookbook V is for vegan (link in bio) and am a big fan of vegan foods. I’ve not eaten meat for over 40 years. This is a sustainable diet, in terms of longevity. Vegans that I knew from the early noughties have reverted to meat eating. #newpuritanism? #vegetarian #vegan #foodwriter
Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a seaweed that tastes just like truffle. Just done a little kelp foraging at low tide with @thetempleharris’ Amanda Saurin. Isle of Harris. Turquoise sea, white sand, cloud hovering just above. @camperdays.international @roosterpr
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is ex Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is experiencing her own first Mother’s Day with Ophelia. I’m still living in chaos & work was slow yesterday due to rain. Only another month…
Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciath Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciathewildkitchen in Kent @kent_downs_aonb just outside Canterbury. I’m going to help out during her May wild asparagus workshop. This chef lived in France, is a brilliant forager and cook. Her campfire meal of lentils, wild garlic raitha and a dukkah of alexanders, Parmesan was genuinely delicious not worthy like so much foraged food.
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