The Sneaky Magpie

Picnic with friends in Richmond Park sounded like a great idea for a hot Sunday afternoon. I decided to contribute with individual fruit tarts.

The pastry recipe was from Jamie Oliver’s first book, I always get bit scared not to overwork it so usually it comes out too crumbly. I think this time I came pretty close to the real deal. My little tart shells baked and got decorated with  fruit and jelly. I never poured jelly into pastry cases before so obviously I didn’t think about putting a layer of egg white on top. The jelly set beautifully overnight but it also soaked through the shells so the tarts became soggy and definitely not picnic worthy.

I had plan B, as I made a lot of pastry I had enough for a whole fruit tart so I set to work. I almost got it rolled out in one piece and it almost landed perfectly in the baking tin. I think I am close to getting it right, just need to practice a bit more. It is a very satisfying thing.

This time I sealed the pastry, whipped some cream and arranged summer berries. It looked very pretty. It lacked few mint leaves but I could not find any in the supermarket (damn you Pimms drinkers!).

The next challenge was the packing and wrapping. Cling film was used heavily and the tart landed in my basket. We set off to Richmond. But 20 minutes into the ride the cream started to melt and as the tart was right in front of me I was getting more and more stressed about it. In despair we stopped to buy some ice, the tart was placed on top of it and somehow we made it to the park. It wasn’t as spectacular as the original but it tasted very good indeed.

Today we took our bikes on a train and headed for Chawton, a picturesque little village in Hampshire where Jane Austen spent few years of her life before she got ill and moved to Winchester where she died soon after. In Chawton she reworked Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility and wrote Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion.

Jane Austen House Museum is a 17th century house which gives a great insight into the author’s life. The house itself is beautiful and it is surrounded by a large flower garden where Jane and her sister Cassandra would sit.

The trip starts in the bakehouse and kitchen.

The interiors are very simple and humble, Mrs Austen and her daughters were left with very little money and the only help came from Jane’s brother who married well.

The desk.

To my delight the house was full of costumes from last year’s adaptation of Emma.

A quilt made by Jane, her mother and sister.

The house is full of paintings, illustrations, manuscripts and things found under the floorboards. It is also decorated with simple flowers throughout which makes it look alive and fresh.

Flowers of course came from the garden.

The museum shop is pretty impressive with a unique editions of Austen’s novels. I am contemplating purchasing these.

Opposite the house there is a lovely little tea room, Cassandra’s Cup.

A charming little place serving lunch and tea. I could not resist the Victoria sponge and a glass of refreshing lemonade.

The tea room has got a charming yet wacky interior with over 200 cups hanging off the ceiling.

Feeling refreshed it was time for a country walk which inspired many of Jane’s novels. Walking through it takes you right back to her vibrant descriptions of nature and taking exercise.

We met some pretty horses.

Chawton has got some intellectual vandals.

The village itself has got a large manor house, a rather spectacular church and a lot of houses have thatched roofs creating a perfect English scenery.

A truly lovely day out of town.

Having friends with little children makes me plan things that can excite both: adult and kids’ tastes. With the weather being so glorious the most essential part of the plan has got to be an outdoor space, and lots of it.

One of my favorite places in London is Horniman Museum with its Victorian dark displays, stuffed animals which have seen better days and all kind of curiosities. The museum is surrounded by gardens, meadows and it has got a small animal enclosure for kids.

We set off with plenty of spare time and got there really fast, I was pleasantly surprised it was only a 20 minute cycle from my house. I always imagined it to be far away.

Having a spare half an hour we headed to Dulwich Picture Gallery, we didn’t have enough time to visit it but instead we strolled through the garden which would not feel out of place in a Jane Austen novel.

It felt so romantic and I was half expecting to see Elizabeth Bennet reading a letter under magnolia tree.

From the tranquility of the gallery grounds to a mayhem of toddlers pointing at stuffed monkeys and owls. After repeating animal names for a bit and trying to teach a 2 year old the word ‘cuttlefish’(it’s been a while since I saw kids getting so excited!) we settled for an afternoon tea in a charming glass house.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the fish scale detail of the roof.

Then it was time to explore the garden and burn off the Victoria sponge, the blossoms make everything look so pretty.

I have no idea what tree this is but I love it.

Day 1. Good Friday. Shopping.

I was preparing for a big Easter breakfast with friends so in order to get the best produce I set off to Borough Market. The day started lovely with nice sunshine, I meandered through the stalls wanting to buy pretty much everything.

Beautiful gerberas.

Lavender.

Crayfish was looking at me.

Fat tomatoes.

The first of spring’s asparagus.

The last of winter cabbage.

And pretty much all other veg one can wish for.

Then it started to rain, and it rained badly. My friend and I decided to run to Tate Modern to seek shelter. We visited Arshile Gorky retrospective which was very fascinating.

Day 2. Saturday. Preparation.

The Easter meal demands a military precision. I was responsible for cinnamon buns which came out amazingly well, I used this recipe and M was making bread. I also made few salads and a chicken liver pate.

Buns got packed and we set off to see our little niece for an afternoon tea.

Day 3. Easter Sunday. Big Breakfast.

We started at 11.00 and finished at about 22.00. It was epic. Everyone put so much effort into it and absolutely everything was home made.

We all had our personal eggs.

We had a refreshing walk through Brockwell Park, stopped for hot drinks at the park cafe and ended up in a pub in Herne Hill. It was not the only pub we went to.

Day 4. Easter Monday. Suffering.

I am in bed watching silly films and paying for yesterday’s fun.

I woke up to a rather grey Saturday morning. The sun is still a bit shy but it is definitely getting milder outside. Snowdrops and crocuses are everywhere making the dull wet grounds colorful and the daffodils are nearly in bloom.

I got a lovely parcel from my friend in Amsterdam – a box of Easter eggs. The Dutch Easter eggs are especially nice, hopefully they will survive the next 3 weeks.

The worst thing about this part of the year is lack of good fruit and vegetables. I am so fed up with all the roots, cauliflowers, cabbages and apples that lost their sweetness. It is still some time before we have all the lovely spring peas, chives, radishes and strawberries.  I decided to re-subscribe to Abel&Cole and my first seasonal box is arriving on Friday, hopefully this will stimulate my imagination as they often have things I am not even able to find at my local farmers market.

Last week I got some Jerusalem artichokes and decided to make a warm salad.

The artichokes were roasted for 45 minutes at 180°C with thyme, bay leaf, olive oil and some salt. In a separate tray I roasted some hazelnuts for 10 minutes to make the bitter skins fall off. The artichokes and hazelnuts were combined with rocket, fennel and vinaigrette dressing. I suppose there is still a tiny small room to get creative.

And of course we baked bread again, this one was spectacular, the best one so far. It’s so important to keep going and experimenting, making mistakes is a part of the learning process after all. We made 2 large sourdough loaves, I think our work colleagues will be sampling it on Monday.

The bread was slightly moist, chewy and full of big air bubbles, the nutty flavor was there and the crust was superb. Long proofing time is really the way to do it.

I truly don’t think we will go back to buying bread ever again. Baking is a very enjoyable process and I love feeding the starter, it is like my pet. I had a bit of a comedy moment this morning when the starter fermented so much it popped the tupperwear lid up and spilled out of its container. It is a living creature.

Today is the first proper spring day, the sun is shining and I could feel its warmth on my face. In our bid to discover as much of South West London as possible we cycled down to Tooting Bec Common.

It’s a fantastic common with large green spaces and little bits of wild, lots of brambles and gorse, duck ponds, an outdoor café and the wonderful lido.

When I walked in and saw colorful changing rooms and a blue sheet of water reflecting the sunshine I was speechless.

Dating back to 1906 when it first opened it is the 3rd largest lido in Europe, the largest in England, open to members every single day of the year and to the public from the 24th of May till the end of September. I will be sure to go this year.

I used to go to an open air swimming pool in Amsterdam every week, it didn’t matter if it was cold or rainy, once I was in the water it felt wonderful.

Back at home I am having a fantastic Gaskell time. Two exciting books just hit the shelves: David Eggers’ Zeitoun and Nancy Mitford’s Wigs on the Green. The latter has landed in my mail box already.

Somehow my book pile has managed to grow again and as work is busy (animating dog food and shooting commercial with UK’s favorite pop princess) I don’t get that much time to read. Better get back to it!

The weather was glorious on Saturday, the sun was shining, the ground was covered with a film of snow and it felt chilly. A perfect day for a stroll down a market.

A friend  of mine and I decided on one of the less busy places, Broadway Market in Hackney.  This market is the perfect combination of food, fashion, antiques and books. You can flick through old copies of photography books while sampling wonderful infused olive oils and various cakes.

The street is full of cute little cafes, quirky shops and proper old fashioned English institutions like this jellied eel place:

And it was as busy as when it opened…

Fantastic vintage liquor cabinet.

I wouldn’t mind a picnic set for summer outings.

And some retro shot glasses (I am hunting for the perfect set).

Plenty of good quality fruit and veg. It’s a shame I live so far otherwise I would do my weekly shopping there.

Old fashioned candy – I don’t actually like them but the jars look so pretty.

We decided to stop for lunch in one of the cafes, it was called L’eau a la Bouche, we ordered hot chocolate to warm up and curried parsnip soup with pesto for my friend…

And ploughman’s for me. It was delicious.

Afterward we decided to stroll down to Old Street. There are some amazing buidlings along the way. They have so much character.

We headed to Leonard Street and had tea at The Book Club.

It serves as a cafe and you can play ping pong there, it also has got all kind of events like DJ nights, reading, fashion, discussion groups. A fun place and so laid back!

Then it was time to go home, I was exhausted as the previous night was spent at friend’s house for dinner which finished rather late. Btw did you see the amazingly bright Moon?? As explained by hubby it was the night when the Sun reflected off Mars and projected onto the Moon resulting in Moon shining like a mega light bulb.

I am a creature of habits, every morning is the same: shower, breakfast, dress, makeup and go to arrive at the office just before 9.00. Even when I try to be late I usually fail.

Another thing I do is wait for hubby in a cafe when he is getting his haircut. His hairdresser is in Spitalfields and I always tag along and spend a blissful hour on my own at the Market Coffee House having tea and reading. I love this cafe so much, it reminds me of brown cafes in Amsterdam where I was able to spend hours drinking coffee verkeerd, eating appeltaart and chatting to my friends. The cafe serves yummy cakes, sandwiches, soups and pretty good hot chocolate.

Afterward we usually stroll around the area popping to various galleries and getting a bite to eat.

Yesterday we popped to Whitechapel Gallery to see Sophie Calle’s latest exhibit but didn’t stay long, the gallery was full and there is a lot of reading to do! However we did find a new gallery based in an old stonemason’s shop which had some amazing art, the clever people left the space untouched so the floor is marked with old grave stones, the walls and signs are also left as they were. The gallery is called Simon Oldfield Contemporary Art and the artist exhibiting at the moment is Ben Ashton, catch it at First Thursdays on 5th of November, I will unfortunately miss it again, somehow I always shoot at the beginning of the month.

East London is always changing, every time I go I find new places, old places grow, bad places go away.

The Story Deli moved next door to much bigger space.

I wish these were all over town and working.

And I wish one day to break my habit and go to Verde & Co instead of the Coffee House which is next door, looks so inviting and they have Pierre Marcolini chocolates…and an open fire for cold days.

Searching for lunch we went up Commercial Road and came across Pizza East – after getting a table and ordering it didn’t take long to realise that it is part of the Soho House empire especially as it’s based in The Tea Building, the home to Shoreditch House. The pizza was delicious especially when accompanied by a bottle of Montepulciano.

Today is Sunday and I have a whole week off ahead of me!

This weekend I have gone to the East End (yes, yet again!).

Started with lunch at Albion caff, poached eggs and good toast with blackberry jam. I must say the maitre d‘ was brilliantly professional but the rest of the waiting staff failed to impress, it was one of those places where waiters are trying really hard not to notice the customers.

The caff redeemed itself by selling pancake-sized chocolate chip cookies for 95 pence.

Albion has got a deli section too and it all looked rather tempting.

Then we were off to Columbia Road Flower Market which is one of my favorite places in London. The shops are amazing and the flowers pretty and cheap – especially if you decide to stick till the end of the market day, you can get yourself a real bargain.

The hydrangeas were so beautiful.

Lovely shop – Vintage Heaven. A lot of eye candy and Cake Hole cafe at the back. How fab!

They also have a knitting group on Tuesdays, I must go.

Nice tiles at Supernice

Fun stuff at Treacle

I have got the 50s original of this plate. Copy cats.

Ryantoon at Ryantown.

A real boudoire by Jessie Chorley and Buddug Humphrey. All the pretty things a girl can dream of.

Delicate jasmine

Against all odds I made it to Covent Garden to have a look at the huge inflatable bunny by Jeff Koons. It is to do with the Pop Life exhibition at Tate Modern which I am going to see later this week.

Then it was off to The Lamb and Flag – the oldest pub in London

Next stop – Prince Charles Cinema to see Mesrine: Killer Instinct. He was a bad bad man! Can’t wait for part two, probably only at Prince Charles again, I missed the general release.

NB there is a Polish film season at the PCC with great films like Decalogue and Interrogation.

Evening finished at Taro in Soho for a tasty Japanese dinner.

I have been living in South West London for three years now and I know this area won’t be my home for long. It just doesn’t feel right, too yummy mummy and bit… well, dull. However, as long as I am here I am going to fully explore it.

So today we stuck to our borough, first stop was Wandsworth Common where we discovered lots of nature and loads of brambles! I am going to be back next summer to pick some for jam.

Rose hips are going to be made into jam.

Then we went for tea and banana cake to Pantry.

We finished the day with a trip to Battersea car boot sale and this is what I dragged home:

Trays and a plate (plus rose hips – incredible colour huh?)

And a wacky KLM suitcase, I felt like a stewardess…

I think with a little TLC this will make a good home for my jewelery. Or an overnight bag!

I already forgot about last weekend and it was such a great one! I got so stressed about the project I was shooting beginning of this week that weekend felt like ages ago. But back to it!

Saturday was hanging out at home, cooking, films and books.

Sunday started at The Somerset House where I was meeting friends to see the contemporary ceramics exhibition but it turned out to be closed because of the fashion week (they failed to inform about it on their website).

We jumped in a cab and went to Rivington for brunch, they serve excellent eggs Florentine there.

After more taxi rides through London we ended up in Redchurch Street, it’s one of the best shopping streets in east London for interior decoration, modern design, galleries and good food (the best one being Cheshire Street).

Here are few snaps from the day:

Caravan – shop with all kind of interior knick knacks.

The Albion caff and shop, great breakfast and lunch. The Albion is round the corner from The Boundary Hotel and just across the street from Shoreditch House.

Vintage shop, I love the lamp/shelves combo.

Kitsch vintage shop.

Afterward we walked down Cheshire Street and Brick Lane, so much to do in this area.