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Chelsea Flower Show 2021

Summer at last: panzanella, bread salad, recipes

Online cooking courses: ‘Learning with experts’

Pick of the food and garden books 2020

A Christmas shopping wish list

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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

Look how well my paper white narcissus are doing?

Look how well my paper white narcissus are doing? Following @laetitiamaklouf’s advice I planted them in white pebbles in a glass jar, watered until it touched the bottom of the bulb. Hopefully they will decorate my Christmas table with scent. #tablescape #paperwhites #narcissi #narcissism
#indoorplants #christmas

Horse riding in Egypt last week along the salt enc

Horse riding in Egypt last week along the salt encrusted desert to the beach. It’s been a while and my hips were stiff & unused to it but loosened up towards the end. Farid started this business just 5 months before the pandemic and as a small business got no Government help. Not easy. The beautiful horses are a mix of Arabian & other breeds. Pure Arabian is too ‘hot blooded’ for tourists he says. So I spent almost a week in @somabayredsea and have returned to a polar freeze in the UK. Quite a contrast. As I got off the plane late Thursday night the news had come in about the new omicron variant which is bad news for the travel industry. I was one of the last flights arriving which didn’t have to self- isolate or get a PCR test. Nonetheless I’ve been doing rapid flow tests every day. It’s not over. #travelduringcovid #egypt #somabayredsea #horseriding #smallbusiness #travel

Home sweet home. My own cooking, my own comfort fo

Home sweet home. My own cooking, my own comfort food. I have no milk, so I opened a larder tin of evaporated milk for tea. I had a few cherry tomatoes, some baby artichoke hearts I’d previously marinated in oil & vinegar, rest of a packet of linguine. I fried the tomatoes in the artichoke oil, added a few garlic cloves & cooked the pasta. Then I scooped the part cooked pasta from the pan and added it to the sauce, finishing it off with black pepper & the artichoke hearts. Truth is, I like my own food better than anyone else’s… #home #pasta #artichokes #leftovers #backfromtravel

A refreshing Middle Eastern drink called enab, a m

A refreshing Middle Eastern drink called enab, a mix of tamarind and hibiscus, served at a soma bay restaurant called @baladinaoriental in the marina. The decor and food is a cut above! The whole resort, which is only 20 years old, and still establishing itself, suffered a hiccup last year at the start of the pandemic. Obviously tourism in Egypt and the Red Sea is vital for this country. It’s now off the red list for the UK. Virtually everyone is double vaccinated. Last year most places were closed March to July, the workers did get furlough. Huge measures have been taken to reduce any spread of covid. Obviously being outdoors reduces any spread plus vitamin D- sunshine- reduces covid. #travelduringcovid #somabayredsea #egypt #vitaminsea #travel #solotravel

Souad works at the spa. Every couple of days she m

Souad works at the spa. Every couple of days she makes these petal ‘mosaics’ in wide alabaster bowls of water. Alabaster stoneware was found in the pyramids made with a lathe, incredibly sophisticated technology. Souad’s work is delicate, ephemeral, & beautiful, using local flowers such as bougainvillea. I’m staying @thecascadesgolfresortspa in @somabayredsea I’ll be writing about all the activities I’ve done soon. #egypt #redsea #travelaftercovid19 #traveling

Abdul leading me to my first dive in years. I’ve

Abdul leading me to my first dive in years. I’ve got my basic PADI, my advanced, nitrox & photography qualifications but needed a refresher. I’m staying @somabayredsea a resort by the Red Sea in Egypt, about 60 kms south of Hurghada. I’m staying at @thecascadesgolfresortspa (tomorrow I’m having a go at golf, I’ve only played mini golf before). The weather in November is 24c during the day and quite fresh at night. The last time I came to Egypt was 20 years ago. In august. It was 50c in Aswan. In Cairo you couldn’t leave your hotel till 7pm. Even the Egyptians found it hot. It was like standing under a hair dryer all the time. I was in a terrible relationship and trying to wean myself off him. I spent my time crying & waiting for his texts. The Red Sea is one of the best places in the world to dive however. I felt very safe @orcadiveclubsomabay. Yoga is good training for diving- you learn to breathe. Diving is a great sport for anyone, you don’t have to be very fit. The only thing you need is healthy lungs- no asthma. This dive centre had to shut for a few months last year due to the pandemic but they are up & running at 100% capacity- you are in the open air, plenty of vitamin d. Abdul told me that anyone who works within tourism has been double vaxxed. Anti covid measures, at the hotel & most places, are very stringent. #travel #diving #egypt #somabay #redsea #activetravel #wintersun #lovethewater💦

Overnight cardamom rice pudding made in the Aga. I

Overnight cardamom rice pudding made in the Aga. I had a lot of milk, quite a bit of risotto rice ( carnarolli) so I covered the rice well with milk, added cardamom & sugar. And foil on top. Today I removed the foil & transferred it up the top oven to get the all important skin. Perfect winters dish. I didn’t measure anything, just did it by eye & taste so feel free to do that too. #slowcookerrecipes #ricepudding #agarecipe #easypudding #cardamomrecipes #supperclub

The travel journalist @whattravel made me this bea

The travel journalist @whattravel made me this beautiful map fabric mask. I will be wearing this for future trips. Thank you, talented woman. #covid #travel #masks #sewing #maps

Bonfire night recipe from v is for vegan. Wild mus

Bonfire night recipe from v is for vegan. Wild mushroom forest pie. Made with olive oil shortcrust pastry and mushrooms including trompettes de mort and winter chanterelles from @totallywilduk slide ↔️for uncooked then baked. Click to buy the book from me #mushroompie #pie #supperclub #ovenbaked

From my book V is for vegan, ripe plantain & chill

From my book V is for vegan, ripe plantain & chilli fritters with a coconut chutney. Buy yellow plantains, mush with a fork with a finely chopped chilli, add a couple of tablespoons of flour & some salt. Fry gently in vegetable oil. Chop open a coconut 🥥 and peel off the brown flesh. Blend with lime juice, coriander leaves & salt. Makes a good brunch. #recipe #vegan #caribbean #plantains #coconut #supperclub #visforvegan

I made a little succulent display from plants I bo

I made a little succulent display from plants I bought at the #chelseaflowershow in a vintage soil sifter. Good drainage is essential. Soil and gravel. They seem to be doing well. I’ve got them outside. #londongarden #supperclub #succulents #succulove #vintagestyle

It’s such a warm October. The chillis are still

It’s such a warm October. The chillis are still growing. I’ve picked the last of my jalapeños (green on the right). @christina_erskine came over today to do the garden and brought me pumpkins and chillis that she’s grown on her allotment. Top left: Hungarian hot; middle left, a pardon left to ripen- it’s probably very hot now. The yellow chilli is a lemon Italian one. The bottom left is a Carolina reaper- not sure I have the courage. I asked Christina’did you try it?’ Yes. ‘How was it?’ Well I’m still alive. Yikes. #londongarden #chillis #homegrown #autumn #fall #supperclub #sharing

Almost finished refurbishing this writing desk. Bu

Almost finished refurbishing this writing desk. But I can’t find the desk hinges. The old ones are rusty and not brass. I bought some sewing machine hinges but they don’t work. I’ve lined the back with book end binding paper (hand marbled) and painted with green enamel paint from @paragonpaints (I couldn’t afford a car spray). I love the barley twist legs and the scalloped edges. I’ve also used brass bamboo handles I found on fb marketplace last year. Just need to find those hinges… #furnituremakeover #enamelpaint #writingdesk #foundonthestreet #supperclub

One of my naughtiest salads- french version of cuc

One of my naughtiest salads- french version of cucumber in yoghurt. Thinly sliced salted cucumber in double cream with fresh chopped dill, lemon juice and pepper. It’s very very healthy. #salads #cucumbersalad #lunch #frenchfood #fullfat #supperclub

I made this 18th century ‘stay’, the precursor

I made this 18th century ‘stay’, the precursor to the corset, at a residential course @gartmorehouse near Stirling in Scotland. They have more corsetry courses running and I highly recommend them if you are interested in corsets or historical clothing. I’m not an expert seamstress by any means- but I managed. I’ve now finished hand sewing all the bias trimming around the tabs at the bottom. My fingers have cuts and there are sacrifices to the sewing gods, my blood, on the stay. This is boned with German plastic, the nearest to whalebone or baleine. There are 4 layers: calico, cotille (a close woven stiff fabric, more calico then the top fabric. I chose a blue and white toile de jouey and pink toile de jouey for the trim. I got them both from portobello road for a fiver! White satin ribbon for laces. I will wear it, probably over a white dress like a chemist. I loved learning a new skill. As the course is residential, you can carry on working in the evenings if you like. All food and board is included. #crafts #corsetry #sewing #scotland #residentialcourses #18thcentury #stays

I’m doing a course @gartmorehouse with corset ma

I’m doing a course @gartmorehouse with corset maker supreme @crikeyaphrodite making an 18th century ‘stay’ with some toile de jouey fabric I picked up in portobello market. @gartmorehouse is based near Stirling in Scotland. It was built in the 1790s. They have dozens of courses: painting, watercolour, felting, quilting, pottery. The rates are very reasonable for full board. The house is beautiful. I’m loving this course! #corsetry #sewing #visitscotland #gartmorehouse #toiledejouey #underwear #usingyourhands

I had such a good time at the #chelseaflowershow t

I had such a good time at the #chelseaflowershow today: perfect weather, an autumnal theme for the first time, ladies in puff sleeves and flowery dresses, pimms, straw hats, dahlias, divine greenhouses, gardens, bent steamed wooden boughs, the @rhs shop, the @wmorrisandco stall, the fabulous ‘wallpaper’ by @ejek98, just so much to see. See my instastories for more picture. Instagram heaven. Look before it’s too late. Thank you @makeitmoregeous #flowers #england #indiansummer #chelsea #london #gardens #headpieces #dahlias #crafts

My ten day walk walking Hadrian’s walk. The powe

My ten day walk walking Hadrian’s walk. The power, the beauty, the history, the pain. All is revealed in my step by step blog post: https://msmarmitelover.com/2021/09/walking-the-wall.html. #walkingsolo #wild #cumbria #northumberland #hiking #longdistancewalking #travel #uk #visitengland #romans #history #hadrianswall #iphonephotos

Arbroath smokies, I got up early and photographed

Arbroath smokies, I got up early and photographed Gary the head smoker smoking these haddock in a hard wood fire. They are ‘done to a turn’ - that phrase comes from smoking them for approximately half an hour until they are golden then turning them around so that the other side is done. They are hung in pairs with hemp twine ( which doesn’t burn) over tarry wooden lathes. The whole town of Arbroath smells of smoking fish if you go in the morning. They are hand smoked, not done in factories. The Arbroath smokie is a protected food, one of 27 (I think) in the UK. The smokiness is intense, nothing like the bland sugary smoked mass produced fish you find in supermarkets.the fish tends to come from Norway and this is a good season- end of summer- as they are of a decent size. They smoke all year round and sell mostly to the UK. Vacuum packed they last 20 days. They don’t really last Ling enough to sell abroad. #ukfood #scottishfood #smokedfish #arbroathsmokie #arbroath #supperclub #artisanmade

School reunion yesterday for my year at South Hamp

School reunion yesterday for my year at South Hampstead. I made too much food as usual. I used the Arbroath smokies to make pate. I was worried as I was pinged in Scotland but a pcr test and 2 lateral flows proved negative. So the reunion was at my house. I haven’t had a supper club in a while so it was good to ease myself back in. Great conversations, finding out about our lives. Life is like walking the Hadrian’s wall- it is the hare and the tortoise. When you are young you think everyone is speeding past you- but it’s a long race. You just have to get to the end in one piece and try to follow your interests, find a bit of love, and hope your children are healthy. #schoolreunion #southhampsteadhighschoolforgirls #girlsschools

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