Inspired in Edinburgh

As luck would have it, the day of my first visit to Edinburgh coincided with a meet-up of literary ladies in The Edinburgh Bookshop. Jen, Leena, Lauren and Jean took over a corner of the shop, discussing the Man Booker Long-list, along with a whole stream of novels they were passionate about.

I couldn’t very well be in the city and miss out on meeting these women whose videos have energised my passion for reading and, in the case of Leena, reassured me that reading English was definitely what I want to do. So, off I traipsed in my broken boots to the other side of Edinburgh.

The afternoon was a beautiful conglomeration of book lovers chatting excitedly about their favourite texts and what the others really ought to shift to the top of their reading list. I not only got to meet the ladies mentioned above but also a group of like-minded readers who were a joy to get on with.

I left with my arms weighed down with recommendations and my head buzzing with productivity. Spending the afternoon talking with others who wrote blogs or ran YouTube channels inspired me to get back to my keyboard after what has been a summer of silence. Gatherings like the one on Saturday are great for re-igniting what may have become a rather pathetic flame. I was reminded of how much I love reading, writing and sharing what I love with others.

Jean made a 'Sharing the Love' video from the day with links to the blogs and channels of everyone who turned up which can be seen here.

The Books

Naturally this post couldn’t go up without a nod to the books I bought on the day. In Daydreams of Angels, O’Neill transforms fairy tales and bible stories to twisted and obscure tales set during the Paris Occupation or in the depth of Soviet Russia. How could I resist? The next recommendation I received from Jen was for Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things. I still don’t know much more about this novel than what’s stated in the blurb - it focuses on Peter, who goes on a humanitarian mission into deep space, leaving his wife behind on earth. From the way Jen spoke of it, it sounds quite astonishing so I’m looking forward to reading it. Finally, I picked up my first Jackie Kay, Trumpet. A death of a famous musician exposes an extraordinary secret known only to his wife, that he was a woman living as a man. I have no doubt that it’s going to be an incredible insight into human relationships and what we value, how people come to terms with the discovery that something they thought was solid fact was in fact a lie.

There were, of course, plenty more books that I wanted to buy but the money-conscious side of my brain took over. After all, one can only fit in so many non-set texts the week before one starts university.

I just want to say an extra thank you to the girls for setting up the day, it was fantastic to have the chance to meet you all.

A Thursday in June

When it comes to taking time off, I'm renowned for being useless; I have this strange notion that the world will collapse around me if I'm not busy. Last summer, post nationals, I gave myself a total of three days between returning home and leaving for Norfolk. This month, being a little kinder to myself, I have ten days between completing my placement and going to America. My mum was adamant that I spend at least some of this time being kind to myself and relaxing. This post is for her. What follows is an account of my first day at home after nine months of volunteering away. Long walks, long baths, long naps - indulgent, yes, but needed.

Thursday 11th June, 2015

08:05 Door opens, it’s the brother letting the dog into my room as he and mum head off to school. Vaguely aware of what’s happening, doze off again joined by furry friend asleep at my feet.

08:31 Awake, blurry-eyed. Run into dad heading off to work as I go in search for coffee. To my delight there is some still hot in the pot. Assemble breakfast from all the goodies in the cupboard, rather glad that I don't have to think about budgeting for next weeks food shop, not for a while anyway. Breakfast = Greek yoghurt with honey, a handful of frozen berries, 50% fruit muesli, a linseed/flaxseed/almond/Brazil nut mix and a squeeze of golden syrup.

08:45 Back to bed. Book, dog, coffee. Feeling happy.

09:25 Slowly extract self from bed, taking care to not disturb adorable sleeping dog. Get ready today’s Yoga with Adrienne. As I pull on my leggings, I am reminded that none of them currently fit, and that baggy knees are not a particularly attractive look. Luckily I'm in the comfort of my own home and not flaunting my horrific leggings in public.

09:53 Finish yoga. Only having to pause once in order to extract a mischievous cat from mat.

09:56 Boil kettle. Make tea. Run bath. As it was recently mum’s birthday, there is a bounty of wonderful smellies to choose from. I'm in Soap & Glory heaven. Tried to locate matches/lighter in order to light candle and achieve full blogger-aesthetic but with no luck.

11:10 Climb out of bath.

11:41 Gather things to walk dog. Ensure that phone is well-stocked on the podcast front. Catch up with Reginald D Hunter on Saturday Live, sublime.

12:18 Realise, halfway through walk, that despite remembering perfume this morning I somehow forgot deodorant. I do wonder how my brain works.

12:59 Arrive at Instow. Dump dog with dad as I run to the shop to buy much-needed deodorant.

12:08 Rejoin dad and dog for a coffee. Am given a copy of Sailing Today featuring an article on the Norfolk Broads. Though beautiful, I'm happy to be back in my waters.

13:48 Leave Instow. Plug into my second episode of Saturday Live, wonder if I’ll ever listen to the programme as intended. Rather absurdly, if you think about it, this concept seems alien to me.

14:25 Realise state of hunger. Fervently try to ignore as I march on for the last half hour until home.

15:41 Lunch at last. A bowlful of wonder reaped from raiding the cupboards and freezer. Brown rice, lightly fried with some onion and garlic, served with broccoli and spinach, doused in soy sauce.

15:54 Brother appears.

18:26 Arise, drowsy, from nap. Not quite sure when I fell asleep. Family have all arrived home and have been getting on with life around me. Nothing’s changed.

18:37 Intend to have light snack of fruit; brother scuppers this plan by placing leftover pizza in front of me. What's a girl to do?

19:17 Give up any pretension I had about cooking dinner. Run bath instead. I have so missed having a bath.

19:53 Clamber out of second bath of the day. Hear the rain pattering against the window, it appears that the world has given up on today too. Grab bagel and grapes from the kitchen. Join parents in the sitting room for the evening.

23:08 Not quite sure where time has gone or what I’ve done in the past three hours, I climb into bed. Attempt to read for a brief amount of time before falling asleep with book on face. It’s good to be home.

Peanut Butter Hummus

At the moment, my general philosophy with food is that the addition of peanut butter improves most things. Be that fruit, porridge, granola, toast, even certain vegetables, it has a 95% success rate. So, naturally, as I was snacking on peanut butter whilst making hummus the other day, I thought it a great idea to combine the two. And, oh boy, is it good.

I was ever so impressed with myself for coming up with this genius combination but a quick Google brought me back to reality, revealing that Nigella got there first. Damn. Nevertheless, here is my take on peanut butter hummus. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

My recipe evolved from this one featured on the Jamie Oliver website. It makes enough for 6-8 people or, alternatively, it will last a few days in the fridge of one greedy person (me).

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas (keep a few back for decoration)
• 12 tbsp reserved liquid from the tinned chickpeas (or water if, like me, you forgot this step)
• 5 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (or smooth, whichever suits your preference)
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Pinch of salt
• The juice of half a lemon (roughly 3 tbsp if using a bottle)
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

Optional:

• Peanuts (think of the instagram!)
• Cinnamon

The method:

Essentially, bung it in a bowl and blend. You can, of course, use a food processor but I find that my trusty little hand blender does the trick just fine.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas before throwing them in a bowl along with the reserved liquid/water, peanut butter, tahini, garlic and salt. Blend away, adding in the olive oil at intervals. Once mixed, pop in a bowl, scatter with a few chickpeas and peanuts along with a drizzle of oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon to finish.

Et voilà! Peanut butter hummus complete. It’s unconventional, granted, but I'm obsessed.

My favourite way to eat this is with a chopped up apple as a snack. It also tastes great on toast, in pitta bread, on ryvita, with a banana or on its own, with a spoon, please don’t judge me.

If you try out this recipe for yourself, I’d love to see! Let me know on Twitter (@PoppySherlock) or Instagram (@poppyflaxman).

Roasted Tomato & Basil Risotto

Mondays are long. I finish my volunteering duties at 7pm and by that time have little energy or effort to put into my food. This risotto has become my saviour on days like this.

Now, many people (past-me included) are under the impression that risotto is difficult. With the help of this Guardian article and the writings of Ms Jack Monroe, I soon learnt that this isn't the case. Once you have an understanding of the process, it becomes simple to put together this dish in under half an hour on a week night. It's a store-cupboard staple and I'm so happy that I've finally mastered it. 

One main change in my mindset has been to set aside any fussiness with regard to the variety of rice - and, yes, I'm aware this is contrary to the advice given in the Guardian article linked above, roll with me. My kitchen idol, Jack Monroe, says that you can use bog-standard basic rice when making risotto. At first I was aghast, refusing to consider anything other than arborio rice, but I soon saw sense. At 45p/kg compared to £2/kg*, long grain rice is far friendlier to a volunteer's budget. Plus, rice is rice at the end of the day (purists, please don't shoot me).

The roasted tomato aspect of this dish came from a necessity to use up what’s left of the tomatoes I bought last week. As I'm away at the weekend, the tomatoes aren't at their best when I return. It’s always at this stage that I blend or roast. Waste not, want not, and all that. 

Anyway, on to the recipe. This makes one relatively large portion and can easily be doubled.

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• A handful of tomatoes - any small variety, I used cherry
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil, shredded
• Half an onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil (alt. veg oil/butter - whatever you fancy)
• 625ml stock - I use half a vegetable oxo cube
• 100g long grain rice
• A small glass of white wine (nice addition but not necessary)
• 25g (guestimate) of olive oil spread (or butter, both work)
• 25g Grana Padano or Parmesan plus extra for topping

The method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180℃. In a bowl, cover the tomatoes with a tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Move them onto a tray and put in the oven to roast whilst you cook the risotto. I find that 180℃ on my fan oven roasts them perfectly in twenty minutes, you may need to experiment a little to find the right temperature on your own oven.

Onto the risotto. This should take 20-25 minutes to cook and you are pretty much glued to your stove-top. Bring in your laptop and use the time to catch up with YouTube videos or plug into a podcast - enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen!

Before you make a start, prepare all the ingredients, right down to shredding the basil and grating the cheese. It makes the whole process a lot smoother if everything is to hand as you go.

In one pan, bring the stock to the boil. I keep it at a rolling boil throughout, you can reduce it to simmering point if you prefer.

At the same time, melt the tbsp of olive oil (or alternative) in a big, deep pan. Toss in the onion, heat through until clear, then add the rice. On a medium-high heat stir the rice, ensuring that it's covered in the oil. Keep it moving until it turns transparent, being careful not to burn it (I have made this mistake before, ick!)

If you choose to use a small glass of white wine, now is the time to add it to the pan. Keep stirring on a high heat until the wine has evaporated. Then start adding the stock, roughly a ladleful at a time. I do not currently possess a ladle so, for me, this step is guestimated. Add some stock and stir continuously until absorbed. Draw a line through the centre of the pan to part the rice, if it moves together slowly, then it’s time to add another ladle of stock. Add, stir, repeat.

Once you've used up roughly three quarters of your stock, the rice should be starting to look like risotto. At this point I begin adding smaller quantities of stock and, once it's absorbed, checking by taste to see if it’s ready. The rice should be soft with a little bite. Keep adding more stock until it’s cooked to your personal preference.

Remember to keep an eye on your tomatoes - you want them to be squidgy and piping hot to serve on top of your risotto.

When the risotto is cooked, remove it from the heat. Add the 25g olive oil spread/butter and 25g of Grana Padano to the pan, and beat vigorously, until the risotto is all lovely and creamy. If you haven't done so already, now is the time to get the tomatoes out of the oven.

Transfer to a bowl, top with the roasted tomatoes, shredded basil, a sprinkling of grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

If you try out this recipe for yourself, I’d love to see! Let me know on Twitter (@PoppySherlock) or Instagram (@poppyflaxman).

*These prices are from Tesco where I do my monthly staples shop. Obviously it varies depending on where you shop.

Literary London

London is, and has been for hundreds of years, home to writers, poets and playwrights from across the globe. Unintentionally, my most recent trip had a focus on exploring this side to the city.

Saturday begun with a trek out to Clapham Common with my housemates to visit the Soseki museum. If I hadn't taken this year out, I wouldn't know anything of Soseki; let alone that there was a museum dedicated to him hidden in London. Months ago, my housemate had said that the one author from Japan that I had to read was Natsume Soseki. So I did. To date I have only read Kokoro (Heart) but I intend to continue with his bibliography; he has a beautiful, gentle style which captures the human condition.

We wandered down The Chase until we spotted the iconic blue sign. Across the road, on the second floor of a typical London townhouse, is the Soseki Museum. It has two rooms: one composed of photographs and memorabilia from his time in England, the other a library of first folios and translated editions. The lady running the museum was ever so kind, ensuring we got the most from the tiny place, delving into what wasn't written on the displays. We were free to linger as long as we wished and browse through the books at our leisure. Such a delightful experience.

On my way to meeting Adam, I decided to pay homage to Virginia Woolf by walking to her residence at Hyde Park Gate. Woolf spent her life in London which is reflected through some her work. Having recently read The London Scene, a collection of essays she wrote about the city, I wanted to see one of the areas she knew so intimately. There’s something inexplicably fulfilling about this kind of activity; if you're a fellow bookworm, I think you'll know what I mean.

That evening, we had tickets to see The Merchant of Venice at The Globe. As expected, the production was truly amazing; capitalising on the comedic elements of the play whilst pressing the audience to question the morality of the final outcome. I left energised and wanting to delve into the politics at the centre of the play, praying that I’ll have the opportunity to study it in the coming years.

The beauty of outdoor theatre is that you’re trying your luck with the weather; on this occasion we experienced real-life pathetic fallacy as the clouds greyed above us. Reaching the final, heart-wrenching scene, the rain began to pour. I am a complete sucker for moments like this; it really couldn't have been more perfectly timed.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, I concluded my literary foray into London by visiting a bookshop. Specifically, Brick Lane Bookshop. This is one of those shops which proves exactly why we need to keep our indies alive: by the window there is a display of books on East London and, as you follow through, it has been organised into collections of books not simply by genre. It's a space that evokes the reader in you, inspires you to try something new. I picked up two from Penguin’s Great Ideas range: The Communist Manifesto and Orwell’s Why I write. Can you tell that I’d spent the previous twenty hours with a Social-Anthropology student?

I look forward to future trips and discovering even more of London’s literary gems. I would love to know of your favourite spots.

Gimme Greens!

Whenever the sun makes an appearance, my body seems to crave a diet overhaul. I want big leafy salads, avocados in every variation possible, and for vegetables to be at the focus of each meal. 

Here is a collection of what I've been making since spring kicked into action. Admittedly, it’s not all perfectly healthy; I don’t shy away from cooking with oil, cheese is a glorious thing and I refuse to get rid of carbs (though they do take a slight backseat in these dishes). 

Without further ado, here are the greens:

Pea & parsley soup*: Topped with crumbled ryvita. This is a refreshing variation on the classic pea and mint soup which is perfect for the summer months.

Marinated courgettes with mozzarella*: Need I say more?

Avocado, spinach & sweet chilli wraps: The flatbreads used are home-made and surprisingly simple (recipe). This combination of flavours is just divine, I find myself going back to it often.

Recently I learnt how to poach eggs, as you may be able to tell, it's rather consumed my life.

Steamed asparagus: This can be done in a microwave in four minutes, it's amazing! Dress with lemon and balsamic vinegar, top with a poached egg and you have lunch sorted in a flash.

Avocado & sweet chilli on toast: Along with two poached eggs on a bed of spinach and the leftover avocado. There is nothing on this plate that does not please me.

Spiced spinach & potatoes*: I've made this twice since last week, it's superb. The warming ginger at the base of this dish is what makes it.

Tahini-dressed courgette & green bean salad*: Or proof that a salad works wonderfully as a meal in its own right. From the delightfully named 'Hearty Salads' chapter of Veg Everyday.

Summer Stir-Fry*: I adore stir-fries but often turn to the packet mixes available in the supermarket. This recipe proved to me just how simple (and delicious!) they are to make from scratch.

Falafel, beetroot & spinach salad: When making falafel for one, you end up with far more than needed. I chopped up my leftovers and tossed it into a salad with cous cous, spinach, beetroot and pumpkin seeds.

Scrambled eggs on toast: Fail-safe meal for when you just can't be bothered to cook. Toss in some shredded spinach and chopped tomatoes before serving and it looks like you've made an effort. It's the dress of the food world.

Sweet potato, lentil & spinach bowl: I saw this on Madeleine Shaw's instagram and made it that night, realising I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. Warming and earthy this is a beautiful dish.

Spinach, avocado & poached egg on toast: When in doubt, throw some ingredients on toast, it's bound to be successful. Accompanied by green beans with a balsamic dressing.

All recipes marked with a star (*) are from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Everyday; the rest have been inspired from scrolling through my instagram feed or are cobbled together from whatever I have in. This has all been cooked on a volunteer's allowance which goes to show that healthy eating on a budget is possible; it's all about planning and shopping smartly. I don't always get those two things right but I'm learning.