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It's Friday, so that means making soup for a crowd again.
There's a glut of cheap mushrooms today, so guess what we're having today.
While googling about steak pie I discovered that pie, mash, and gravy, with peas (optionally!), is a "quintessentially London working class meal". Well, given that chicken tikka masala is often quoted as "England's unofficial national dish" I thought I would buck the trend and return to my roots for tea today.
The trick is in the gravy!
A friend has not been well lately. He liked the pictures of my first batch, so I gathered some more pears at lunchtime and made another batch.
This time with less water and a cinnamon stick, ground cloves and a touch of ginger. If nothing else, my kitchen smells amazing now!
A quick Cortado now and then I'm being my own deliveryman.
Fatto con amore? Made with love. It's the only way to cook 😁
Impatiens glandulifera
a plant introduced to England by the Victorian plant hunters as a garden plant. It has now spread all over the country, especially along river banks. The seeds are under tension in the pods, and thus spread a long way, helping to spread this plant quickly.
As pretty as it is, it chokes out the native plants, which has an impact on native insects, and therefore birds. This balsam is interrupting the native food chain. And that's why transporting the seeds or the plant in England is an offense.
On the plus side, one can make an extract from the plant which is used to treat anxiety. And the young leave (quite bitter) and the flowers can be added to a salad.
This example comes from a community meadow that attempts to re-establish English meadow plants.
Cha is the name for tea in Guangdong dialect. Portugal was the first European country to import 'cha' where this name is commonly used. The merchant who supplied it came from Guangdong.
This is keemun tea. A favorite of mine. I bought it from a merchant in... Blackburn 😁
Marmalade by La Vieja Fábrica, made in Spain. I first had it 4 years ago and hadn't seen it since. But it's for sale at Booth's, which is the northern equivalent of Waitrose, but I think is way better. The website has an amazing selection of recipes, such as 'Jaffa cake overnight oats'. Be sure that will be rigorously tested in due course.
As you walk into the station cafe, you are presented with this super example of encaustic tiling. I'm amazed to find it still in place.
There's a new ramen shop in town, but this is the long-established picture framer's shop. Very helpful and friendly people.
Schönen Feierabend! The celebration of the evening, literally. It's time to put the tools down, and kick back a bit.
This is a Becker 'Bel Mondo' tea light, made at Georgshütte, Germany, some time in the 1980s. It's nice to look at in itself, but comes to life when you light a candle in the middle. It's for keep your coffee or teapot warm, but makes a nice backlight for any room.
The factory closed in 1989, so this is a bit of a gem to have found.
And yes, I am feeling a bit nostalgic today!
I am still nursing a torn achilles, and today is a rest day. Too bad that the weather is ticking upwards again.
The barometer that I bought recently has turned out to be defective, so I will have to repair it, if I can. In the meantime, I found this simple but fully-working barometer in another of my favorite charity shops. It has been accurately reflecting changes in pressure for the last week, so I am very happy with it.
Those with sharp eyes will notice that this one comes from GDR - the former East Germany. I once had a car with tires made in East Germany - they hardly wore at all and out-lasted the car (which I had kept for a few years). With luck, this barometer will do the same.
The maker, Fischer, is still in business and you can find some of their products, here:
fischer-barometer.de/en/shop/product-types/barometers/?p=2
I liked the anthem of the GDR, and was sorry when the words were dropped, and they just played the music. We always listened to it in the Kneipe that I often frequented when living in Germany, and it marked closing time, too.
Listen, here:
Tiles I'm cleaning. Heavily edited to show areas that need attention.
Cleaning brings me great peace. Sanctuary from trivial conversations and busyness.
I found a set of four cups and saucers for a pound, so bought them. They are made by Ikea and feature a castellated base to the cup. Who cares? Well, it means that there won't be an air-lock under the cup in the case of spilled liquid - nothing worse than picking up the cup and briging the saucer along, too, only for the saucer to fall away and crash to the floor!