Shmancy Fruit & Veg

Whilst in F&M I checked out the fresh fruit and veg section. Its a bit too shmancy for everyday, case in point, the orange dragonfruit. Even if the veg isn't that special, it is awfully shiny.

And check out that massive zucchini - wawaweewa!

British Chips

From the "crisps around the world" file comes these gourmet chips with such run of the mill flavours, including sea salt and somerset cider vinegar, balsamic and of course vegetable chips including parsnip. How very British!

F&M Wedding cakes

Here is a sample of the wedding cakes on offer at Fortnum & Mason. I think the bluebird biscuits are just adorable.

Chocolate fish and Macarons

Well, F&M were hot on the macaron craze before it hit Melbourne it seems. We also have artisan chocolate fish and a gorgeous little chocolate shop.

Fortnum and Mason: Part 2 Bikkies

Here is just a sample of the types of biscuits you could find at F&M. We have the soldiers, ladies and gentleman (very upper crust), nursery rhyme biscuits and the various artisan bears. Also check out the adorable doll's house of jam. Doesn't everyone store their's that way?

Fortnum and Mason: Part 1

Welcome to Fortnum and Mason. I must have taken the majority of my photos from the whole trip at this fine establishment. Upmarket supermarket/bakery/cakeshop still doesn't quite describe it. It is posh to the extreme!

F&M stocks all manor of British essentials: marmalades and jams, tea sets, candied fruit and statues. (Although the last are not for sale. And yes, it does look like I'm putting my hand up his jacket. Nothing untoward is happening though :)).

Marmite and Huggy Bears (but not together)

Some of the regular grocery items that I thought deserved photos. And marmite really is horrid!

The Butcher, Kosher Section at Tesco & Lunch

Still in Golders we went to pick up supplies from the butcher, and were surprised to find the place empty of people around noon, despite the fact that Shabbat didn't start until about 9pm and there was still so much meat available.

And they had "Aunty Vita" salami!

We had lunch at a kosher eatery, whose same began with "White" ended with "express" and had a word in the middle that I cant recall.

I had lovely lamb chops and it felt like an eternity since I had eaten meat.

After lunch we visited Tesco and checked out the kosher section, which included a "fresh" (?) roast beef sandwich. So there you go.

Golders Green: Part 1

On Friday we decided to visit Golders Green on the tube. I was excited to see the kosher food on display and was perhaps a little too excited by all the kosher shopfronts we encountered. As it was Friday, many places had already closed for the weekend but we found plenty to keep ourselves amused.

Note: The sign in the Blooms window is explaining that they are no longer is business. Just missed it :(

London: Part 1

In London, our first stop was the Borough Markets. We found a lovely olive stall that let us sample as many as we like, especially the large green buttery young'uns (not yet matured). There was an unusual amount of foie gras and pate available.

Overseas Travel: Dubai

In the middle of this year I was lucky enough to do some travelling. I visited London and Ireland, and stopped over in Dubai. What follows are the culinary delights I experienced. Firstly, the Dubai airport, an absolute haven from the heat, with Arabic Pringles and Kraft cheese spread. And does anyone else think Clorets sound like toilet cleaner...

Sush-easy!

Being a sushi lover I could not resist the "Sushezi" (General Trader $29.95). Finally that troublesome bamboo mat was out of the picture, along with the sky-rocketing costs of ready made rolls.

The instructions were very easy to follow:

1. Cook rice

2. Add rice vinegar, sugar and salt

3. Allow to cool

4. Open "sushezi" and lie flat, with the plunger resting in the grooves, as shown.

5. Place 1/2 cup of rice in each side.

6. Use plunger stick to press into the rice, making a tunnel for the filling. Then replace in original position.

7. Place in assorted fillings (smoked salmon, carrot & mayo)

8. Gently bring the 2 halves together and snap shut, placing the lid on in lock position.

9. Push plunger in, up to the line. Remove cap, and using plunger, push out onto a sheet of nori.

10. Roll up, slice and enjoy!

What was slightly more comical than "sushi by injection" was the recipe pamphlet that came with it, suggesting I use my sushezi to make cooking dough with nutty / chocolately filling (actually quite clever) to filling it with sausage mince and green olive filling (just plain bizarre).

Sometimes a sushi maker can be...just a sushi maker.

Faux Ham

This is another attempt at homemade seitan. The recipe (from La Dolce Vegan) is for faux ham. The gluten is pretty easy to make if you have access to high gluten flour (I use Lotus brand). Making it with ordinary flour is no fun at all.

The gluten is then cooked in a broth flavoured with nutritional yeast, soya sauce, dried sage, black pepper and boy was it salty! A little too salty for my liking but there you go.

La Dolce Vegan's BLT Brunch Casserole

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while now but never had all the ingredients. But recently I paid a visit to USAFoods in Moorabin and was able to pick up such gems as "Bac-os"(partially visible in photo), Jack Daniel's honey Dijon mustard and life's non essentials in the form of Bisquick, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and dill pickle flavoured Pringles.

The casserole was like a giant vegan serve of scrambled eggs on toast meets a BLT. I thought it was fabulous. (And who knew Bac-o's were so darn tasty?!)

Lemon-lime self saucing pudding

I LOVE self saucing puddings!

Sometime in August we celebrated "lambstravaganza" (A meal with three types of lamb.)

I deliberated over making dessert but decided to go for it and try out a recipe from sfi "lemon self saucing pudding". As usual some amendments were made. Usually when I try out recipes I leave the quantities as is but because it was for a larger gathering I doubled the ingredients. Also, with the availability of fresh limes, I made it a lemon-lime self saucing pudding. The result was a lovely light citrus scented sponge floating atop a luscious lemon lime sauce. Superb!

"Simple" Chocolate Cake

This is Nigella's version of a simple chocolate cake. While I agree it was incredibly easy to make (I love my food processor) the result was quite spectacular. In particular, the icing which became quite fudgey on cooling.