Hello again!

Tree in blossom from our local park…Spring is springing!

Like a child returning to school after a long time off sick, I return to the world of blogging tentatively and not without trepidation…

This will only be a short post, but will follow the same structure as before. It has been quite a tumultuous time since I last posted…I wonder to what extent those of us who lived through the lockdowns etc will reflect in years to come on the shorter and longer term impacts it had on us, our lives and our outlooks? I think it would be uncontroversial to say that, at the very least, the pandemic threw our lives up in the air and that things have settled very differently for some as a result. Long story short – a combination of things (some seemingly inconsequential, others more evidently important) has meant that the writer her indoors and the cook him in the kitchen are back in London. South London to be more specific.

It is a vibrant area, full of creatives, people who are so proud to live here and, as importantly (!), some fantastic opportunities to eat and drink well. It is certainly true to say that the food scene is lively, especially with pop-ups and the plethora of food markets – it is difficult to move around the different postcodes at the weekend without coming across a food market, either selling ‘produce’ or a very wide range of tasty offerings from around the world and normally both. Our local food market for example, which takes place on the last Sunday of each month, offers dishes from Brazil, Portugal, Spain, the Himalayas, North East India, Ethiopia, California, Argentina and Ghana. On offer in addition you will find locally smoked fish, locally made gin, additive free bao buns, a sourdough specialist baker, socially responsible coffee, locally sourced honey… the list is seemingly endless and the variety wonderful. What shines through on a visit to the market, even on the freezing days in the winter months, is the love of food, the passion for sharing and the sense of community that this engenders amongst the traders and especially amongst the visitors.

Eating: As is evident from my posts on Instagram, I have been having a bit of a love affair with Spanish food of late. My current go-to starter is this creamy roast garlic soup with green olive and manchego toasts. The recipe I use is José Pizarro’s, though I tend to add a little more roast garlic and reduce the amount of pimentón slightly.

Drinking: The garlic soup is often prefaced by a glass of chilled, dry sherry. Gone are the days of my great aunt serving me bucketloads of Harvey’s Bristol Cream at 11.30 am! This, from Sainsbury’s is affordable and very quaffable. It is light and has a nice crisp finish, great with salted almonds.

Listening to: Bizarrely, perhaps, I have been listening to different versions of just one song, first recorded in 1946 – 16 tons, written by Merle Travis and originally by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It resonates with our current political and economic situation as it portrays workers (coal miners) making low wages, working long hours and trying to get out of debt. Covered by Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones and Johnny Cash amongst many others, favourite versions currently include those by BB King and a live recording by ZZ Top and the late, great Jeff Beck.