BRUNCH | Cider with Rosie

Coffee + pastries at The Tablespoon.

05.08

Well, hi! It feels like an awfully long time since I sat down and wrote a post! In reality it’s only been a few days, but I’m pretty sure that it’s the longest I’ve gone without writing a blog post in about a year! The few days Jason and I took off from work were so, so refreshing. We didn’t do much at all (the pile of paperwork I purposefully left in plain sight on the dining table as a reminder that it needs sorting remains untouched, and we did an alarmingly insignificant amount of wedding planning) but that was kind of the beauty of it all. No computers, no screens (…kinda), no alarms, no two hours of work-talk in the evenings. It was pretty blissful!

We made it a priority to get out and spend some quality time together whilst we were off work, and so on that note, let me tell you about the Sunday morning we spent at The Tablespoon! We very often head over in the direction of Sunningdale when going up to Virginia Water lake at the weekends with Teddy, and this Sunday was no exception. There’s a beautiful little coffee shop and restaurant on the corner of the high street that we’ve been meaning to visit for ages, and so after our walk, we decided to stop in for a coffee.

We were (typically) about 15 minutes too late to choose from the full breakfast selection, but lovely Bruno and his wife (who manage The Tablespoon) rustled up a couple of pastries from the kitchen for us. The food is all freshly made in house (and you really could taste it, the pasties were delicious!) and the coffees were pretty tasty too. It really feels such a treat to have such a sweet, independent coffee shop nearby. One of the few things I don’t like about living outside of a city is that most of the places to eat and drink nearby us tend to be branches of nationwide chains, and so it’s not all that often that we’ll come across a unique local gem like The Tablespoon amongst the masses of Starbucks & Costas! The dinner menu looks divine too, so much so that Jason and I are thinking about heading back there for a meal on our anniversary in a couple of weeks time. We had a little peruse of the dinner menu, and I’ve been thinking about the burger (brioche bun, chipotle mayo) ever since…

We sat outside and enjoyed our coffees in the sunshine for a good half an hour or so, and talked about things like The Merits Of Bands Vs DJs At Weddings, and How Great Are Pain Au Chocolats. And also, about how our dog was turning two that very day! I can’t quite believe it’s been almost exactly two years since we got him. It feels as though he’s been a part of our lives forever! I also can’t quite believe how much more *time* we used to have, when we didn’t have to dedicate at least an hour or so of each and every day to walking an over-excited little spaniel! ;)

So, happy birthday little man! We love you a lot. And also, The Tablespoon- we’ll be back!

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Posted in BRUNCH, COFFEE, JASON, TEDDY, WEEKEND

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Brunch.

06.01

Last Monday morning, Jason and I did brunch at home in style. I’d made a smokey sausage and bean casserole for dinner the night before, so in the morning we heated up the leftovers, cracked in a few eggs, and baked it until the whites were soft-set and the yolks still creamy. We topped it off with a little grated cheddar, and ate it with plenty of fresh coffee and orange juice on the side.

We went straight out walking with Teddy afterwards, and I kept saying to Jason ‘my stomach feels so happy’! You know that feeling? Like your insides are smiling because you’ve eaten just enough of something really delicious to be full and energised and sated, but not over-stuffed, and feel completely ready to take on the day. It’s my favourite feeling, I think.

Oh, if only we could press pause during the holidays, and enjoy delicious moments for as long we wanted!

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Posted in BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, COFFEE, WEEKEND

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A birthday recap!

28.12

We spent my birthday eating non-stop, which is my favourite way to spend a birthday. Or any day, really. It began with brunch at Bill’s (I had bubble and squeak along with eggs and sausage and bacon, which was totally amazing) and then moved on to cake at Jason’s Mum’s house, and finished up with steak at Cau in the evening. The steaks were good, but nowhere near as good as the tempura fried belly pork we had as a starter, and the dulce de leche cornflake sundae I ate for dessert. Ohhh man. I met up with Tania, Freya and Lizzie last night for drinks and dinner in London (more on that later!) and when I was telling them about that belly pork, an actual hush fell over the table as we all thought about the fabulousness of belly pork fried in the lightest of batters, served with spicy ketchup. Those girls and I- our friendship is built on the basis of a shared love for really, really great food :)

So, 23! It feels pretty great so far, I can’t tell a lie. I’ve decided that 23 is going to be the year I become a Very Organised Woman. I’m going to always have stamps in my purse. And blister plasters in my handbag. Never wash one white sock in with a dark load of laundry and dye it a horrible grey colour. Always brush my hair. Do the dusting before it gets so bad you could write your name in it on the television. Carry a diary around with me with all my dates and meetings and engagements in it, instead of attempting to remember them all and forgetting half of them. Keep a birthday book, and always send out birthday cards to friends and family in good time. Get ready for a serious transformation, my friends! I’m about to get all kinds of organised and mature, just you wait and see!

^^ Bubble and squeak! It was the best. Made with tons of cabbage, just how I like it! ^^

^^ I’ve been lusting after Oh My Clumsy Heart necklaces for the longest time, and haven’t taken this little beauty off since my birthday! Thanks Ma! And Sophie, your jewellery is the prettiest! ^^

Thanks for such a lovely day, family! You’re the greatest, and I’m grateful to have you :)

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Posted in BIRTHDAY, BRUNCH, FAMILY

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Recipe: Thick & fluffy American pancakes.

15.01

yesterday morning i woke up in a bit of a funk. i was determined not to waste my day moping around in a cloud of self-pity, and so decided to whip up a batch of pancakes to cheer myself up! they definitely did the trick, because let’s face it, how could you possibly stay miserable when faced with a stack of these thick, fluffy, syrup-coated beauties? i’ve tried lots (and i mean lots) of recipes for american-style pancakes but never seemed to be able to find one that ticked every box. i went from jamie, to nigella, to american food blogs, to egg-free varieties, but still couldn’t find what i was looking for. eventually i returned to jamie’s easy peasy ’1:1:1′ recipe, and after a tweak or two (goodbye grated apple and hello baking powder) i’m pretty certain that me and this recipe are at the beginning of a long and happy friendship :)

ingredients-

one cup (a regular mug is fine) self raising flour

one cup milk (i used a mixture of skimmed and semi skimmed)

one large egg

half a teaspoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

these quantities will make enough pancakes to serve 2-3 people, depending on appetite.

1. crack the egg into a large bowl, and whisk it a little to break it up. then add in the milk, flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together thoroughly until the batter is thick and smooth.

2. heat up a large nonstick pan (not too hot, or the butter will burn!) , and add in a knob of butter. as soon as the butter’s melted, spoon in three dollops of batter.

3. cook the pancakes on a medium heat, until bubbles start to form on their tops. if you’d like to add any extras (blueberries, chocolate chips etc.) sprinkle them onto the uncooked side of the pancake at this point.

4. flip the pancakes over, and cook briefly on the second side until they’re golden and set. take them out of the pan, and keep them warm whilst you cook up the rest of the batter. i like to give the pan a wipe between each batch, so the residual butter doesn’t burn and give the pancakes a funny taste!

5. when all the batter’s used up, just stack your pancakes high and serve with syrup/bacon/fruit/yoghurt/honey :)

n.b. to achieve super thick pancakes: spoon in some batter and wait for it to spread out to the size you want. then wait a second or two for it to firm a little, then add a little more batter onto the top of the pancake. this helps the pancakes to build and get taller and thicker, instead of just spreading out. you need to be extra vigilant though, since the undersides might turn golden before the heat’s reached the top and they’re ready for flipping. if this is the case, just lower the heat a little and wait for the heat to rise through the pancake and those telltale bubbles to form :)

and that’s it! don’t forget to let me know if you try out this recipe, i’d love to know how you get on! :)

♥

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Posted in BRUNCH, FOOD, RECIPE