GIVEAWAY: The Collective Yoghurts & Gourmet Parcel NOW CLOSED

NOW CLOSED.

In order to say thank you, I've teamed up with The Collective, a Kiwi-originating company now conquering the UK yoghurt scene (I adore their passion fruit and Russian Fudge flavours), who have kindly agreed to donate a months worth of their delicious yoghurts to a reader of Adventures of a London Kiwi.

*plus*

I'm going to add a little 'something something' and make up a Foodie Penpals-esque parcel of gourmet goodies which will be delivered (separately to the yoghurts) to an address of your choice. It will take food allergies into consideration and contain £25.00 worth of hand picked goodies, unique to you, by answering a few questions over email like;

- Sweet, Savoury or a mixture?
- Good or naughty?
- Do you follow any particular diet such as vegan, vegetarian, low carb?

Life is all about adventures - in this case, Timtams may be involved.

Further info on The Collective and their utterly delicious products here

 

For the gourmet parcel you may be thinking £25 isn't the most massive value - for that much in your average-high-street-hamper that would get a bottle of chutney, some crackers & maybe a cheap bottle of plonk. The nice thing is I don't have a profit margin to make, and this is what approx. £10.00 gets -->
#justsayin

I'm also keen to share some of the delicious products my Foodie Penpals have introduced to me.

Personalised to your likes & dislikes it could include;



How To Enter:

• Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
• Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
• This competition is open to UK residents only. Please read the rules below
• Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries
• Closing date -  27th April 2013 12.00 pm

*Terms and conditions

1. This offer is only open to UK residents (sorry international peeps)
2. One prizewinner only
3. The Yoghurts will be dispatched by The Collective directly to the winner as soon as possible
4. Adventures of a London Kiwi will post the gourmet parcel Special Next Day Delivery but is limited to the reliability of Royal Mail
5. The winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours of the end of the competition with and the gourmet parcel dispatched within 72 hours of the winners reply

How Entries and Rafflecopter works:

• You will need to complete the mandatory entry first by making a blog comment. Click 'leave a comment' at the bottom of the post and leave your reply. The comment won't show immediately as it needs to be moderated, however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of your entries.
• Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
• Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
• For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
• For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
• If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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(Mostly) Wordless Friday & a Blog Landmark

THANK YOU!

It has been a tino pai (really good) week in the land of Adventures of a London Kiwi. The blog has hit (unbelievably) over 20,000 views!!!!

My hubby keeps reminding me that when I started the blog, I wondered if anyone at all would read my little corner of 't internet, and I'm genuinely blown away that you have been so kind - and that you keep returning. I'm just thrilled that anyone wanted to stop by at all.

I've got a little kiwi themed giveaway for tomorrow to say thank you to all my lovely (UK) readers (I'm working on one for the International folks - Hello to Russia, Romania, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Poland, New Zeland to name but a few! ). Please don't forget to enter the tickets to the awesome Foodies Festivals tickets here they will be drawn soon. Please don't worry, the blog isn't going to change and become sponsored by mega corporations with no soul (or little corporations with a bit of soul for that matter) - that's not how I am. I'm just enjoying passing on a little of the blog love I've recieved.

The blog & I can be found in a variety of places - subscribe with Bloglovin (a good replacement for Google Reader), Twitter, Instagram, GoodReads, on Google+ and follow my blog posts by subscribing to the right of this post by RSS or Email. I'd love to hear from you - drop me an email, or say hola on Twitter. Let me know what you think about the blog - I'd love your feedback.

You've voted with your mouse and some of the most popular blog posts have been:

Meeting a celeb: Bob the Cat

Waitangi Day Circle Line Pub Crawl

 London Living: "Bull's eyes and targets" say the bells of St Margaret's

Creamy Pumpkin, Chestnut & Bacon Pasta

Kiwi Cooking: Lolly Cake

Book & Theatre Review: Mort

...a real variety which heartens me. If there is something you would like to see more of, please holler in the comments below.

My last couple of weeks have featured;

 Still a little annoyed at how the weather was the weekend after our Shard fail.

It's been pretty fun in big bad London.

So, is there anything you would like to see more of on Adventures of a London Kiwi? I would LOVE some feedback - you're all so shy commenting...

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Call the Midwife - Reading Recommendation

I love this book. I can't ever really call myself a full londoner, not having been born within hearing of the Bow bells, or even on this side of the globe, but the heartfelt stories within in this memoir make you yearn a little to be a Cockney Sparra.

Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s

Set in the East End area of Poplar in 1950s post-war London, it is the memoir of a midwife living in Nonnatus house (a convent that houses and trains the non-religious midwives), delivering babies in the appalling conditions and primitive medical practices of the time (compared to the modern day). The stories share the joyful, sometimes easy and sometimes traumatic ordeals they go through for instance Conchita Warren who will give birth to both her twenty-forth and twenty-fifth child but also the light-hearted going-on in the Nunnery.

It's Jennifer Worth's memoirs, and the midwives surrounding her are fab - boy mad Trixie, shy Cynthia and eccentric Chummy. Then you have the Nuns - Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne Sister Evangeline and Sister Bernadette. I know I probably mutter onin book reviews about characters all the time, but for me, as well as the setting and action, characters bring the world alive and this one - you could almost be sitting at the kitchen table of Nonnatus house with a cup of tea and Mrs B's fresh cake (that's if Sister Monica Joan thought the moons aligned properly and had eaten all of it first - she really is one of the best characters!).

"The brothels of Cable Street, the Kray brothers, the meth drinkers in the warsites... Babies were born in slum conditions, often with no running water"

The passion, forbearance and joy that is found throughout the birth stories of the Cockney families will make you laugh and cry, and wonder at the skill of the midwives as the families coped with the living conditions. They didn't have much after the war, but they had a community.

Jenny's voice - as an older woman recounting the happenings is spellbinding - I couldn't put the book down and then when the BBC produced a series we adored it (which doesn't happen often - normally I find the movie/series after a book disappointing) the actors cast were perfect for the roles - especially Chummy (Miranda Hart). You can guarantee that mid-way through each episode I was in tears (which amused hubby no end).

I even found a web article about the real midwives who inspired the book here. As a young 'un I remember reading A Lamp is Heavy by Sheila Mackay Russell which is an old book about the training ups and downs of a nurse (why we had it in our house I'm not sure) which may explain my fascination.

Ps. I just found out there is a whole Call the Midwife book series - talk about making my day!

(Please note any links to Amazon are through my Amazon Associates account, which means I make a little money (less than 5%) from any purchases made after clicking through these links and it adds nothing to the price of your book. This helps support my book addiction, so if you are interested in buying the book, please click through the top link)

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Homemade Chutneys - Newton & Pott

Homemade Feijoa & Tamarillo Chutneys.

Have I managed to tickle your fancy yet? (most Kiwis reading this blog will be drooling already - you can switch to the bottom of the blog post for details on how to get your mitts on these delicious London babies).

Disclaimer: In this instance I was given samples to try by Newton and Pott, but my (many) opinions are only ever my own and I would never recommend something I didn't like.

Sunday brunch - Poached Eggs, Roast Beef,  grilled Asparagus and the star of the show, Tamarillo Chutney.

In a bustling Saturday market not far from Hackney, a Kiwi grass-roots business is making a name for themselves amidst the delicious hububb of Eel, Mash & Likker, Indian Curries and the whirr of coffee machines. Newton & Pott (with a very English name), is hand making some very exotic sounding Chutneys with a few ingredients that are more likely to be found in kitchens some 12,000 miles away (and much to my surprise, South America).

Nestled amongst the Red Onion and Tomato & Apple Chutneys holding their own, are some lovely takes such as their Beetroot and Blood Orange, Feijoa Chutney, and my especial (yes, I meant to write especial, oh the childhood memories!) favourite Tamarillo.

Originating from South America, Feijoas and Tamarillos are incredibly popular in New Zealand as they seem to love our climate, and in my opinion are delicious. Both are 'kind of citrusy' fruits and if I had to give parallel are sort of similar in texture to Guava's with Feijoas slightly more citrusy.

The Tamarillo Chutney is soft and ever so slightly tangy - and I decided to try them out as per the chefs suggestion of poached eggs. She really wasn't wrong. They made a lovely addition to my favourite brunch, their flavour adding a nice piquancy to the (slightly over cooked if I'm honest) eggs and saved the day.

The Tomato and Apple Chutney was delicious in a white bread cheddar and ham sandwich and I think would be delicious on a ploughmans. The Beetroot and Orange I'm saving to accompany a steak, with chips and a crispy coleslaw.

They would also be delicious in a Toastie Pie (or straight from the jar as some of their clients like to eat them). Peter Gordon (of The Providores and Kopapa), and the chefs of the Modern Kitchen have been known to pop by the stall once or twice. Eat where Chefs eat is my motto...

 

My favourite aspect of the Chutneys are the real ingredients listed on the side - no E numbers and no weird preservatives but proper background spices - coriander, vinegar, chilli and cloves. Once bought they last kept in a dark place, unopened for up to a year, and opened in the fridge for 3 months - though I'm not sure how that could happen.

Don't just take my word for it. Pop on by their stall at Broadway Market on a Saturday (they are situated in the School Yard around the corner from the main market) and you can nibble before you buy. The only problem was deciding which one! I wasn't the only one - a lot of people who were visiting the stall walked away with 2 or 3). Flavours change with the seasons & good fruit and there seems to be no lead flavour as yet, people can't quite settle for just the one pot. There are rumours of a Mexican Mango Chutney in summer.

It's surprisingly easy to get to the market where 'barra' boys have been selling produce since the 1890s, the nearest rail stations are London Fields (a few minutes walk away, 10 minutes to Liverpool Street) Haggerston on the London Overground and Hackney Central near the Empire. The nearest tube station is Bethnal Green & from there it is 2-3 stops on the bus & a wander away. If you can't get to London, I believe that an etsy/mail order method is being developed. Watch this space.

They also occasionally have a bowl of feijoas for sale on the stall (dependent on availability, ripeness and demand) ... do you need any more reasons?



What is your favourite way to eat Chutney? In box, with a fox, in a house or with a mouse, here there or anywhere - no wait, that's Green Eggs and Ham, Actually, a bit of Chutneys would go really well with them... I wonder where I can get my hands on some green food dye.

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Hackney Broadway Market

Tucked away on Saturdays in the midst of East London is a secret (well, to me) full of locals and deliciousness.

Flanked by a full variety of shops selling almost everything else you can think of, the Broadway is busy and buzzing with the hum of good foods and smiling stallholders. There is also a green not far away, where you can enjoy your spoils.

Have I piqued your interest yet?

Quality Specialty and Variety are the market's watchwords, and I for one can attest to all of the above. Coffee, olives, cheese, spit-roasted chicken and pork, fresh seafood, bread, fruit and vege, creole prawns, oysters, African jollof rice, mushroom risotto, samosas, eels with pie mash and likker, pastries, cakes, vintage clothes, records...

It's surprisingly easy to get to the market where 'barra' boys have been selling produce since the 1890s, the nearest rail stations are London Fields (a few minutes walk away, 10 minutes to Liverpool Street) Haggerston on the London Overground and Hackney Central near the Empire. The nearest tube station is Bethnal Green & from there it is 2-3 stops on the bus & a wander away.



But wait Kiwis stay tuned, there is more...

Ps. please check out the lovely Guest post and blog by my lovely fellow expat Kit, posted over the weekend!

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London's oldest Gents Loos (or so it's claimed)

Sometimes within the rhythm of a normal life, I do find myself in the weirdest places. One afternoon it just happened to be in the (claimed to be) oldest gents toilet in London. (This is not an April fools joke, just random as!) Let me rewind slightly.

After a morning brunching at nearby Ozone, my friends and I said goodbye, and I wandered back towards where I thought the bus stop was. The below beautiful building and courtyard caught my eye, and in I strolled.

So far, so normal. A beautifully reserved Grade 1 listed Georgian building, the Chapel was commissioned and paid for by John Welsey a wealthy philanthropist & credited with founding Methodism. The chapel is open to the public, and really passionate guides who are happy to chat and show you around, look after it. They know all sorts of fascinating stuff about the building, for instance the pillars supporting the gallery were originally ships' masts donated by George III.

As they are close by, the chapel has a close working relationship with two of 'my' Oranges & Lemons Churches; St Giles & St Anne's both beautiful buildings with fantastic architecture.

We roamed around this rather beautiful and immaculately kept church and grounds.

We start chatting about local London history, and with a twinkle in her eye, the guide says "Well, I have a little bit of weird history for you, the Chapel has the oldest Gentleman's Toilets, and I know they're empty and are being cleaned at the moment if you wanted to have a look." How could I say no?!

So off we trot (sorry), and it turns out that the poor gents have to walk outside and down a little flight of uncovered stairs before entering their throne room (sorry again).

It's actually really beautiful, if you can call a wall of Urinals beautiful. What opulent surroundings in which to relieve ones self.

She told me that the flush-toilet was invented by a English gentleman called George Jennings, and revolutionised public sanitation. These particular toilets were designed by the infamous Thomas Crapper and are a "beautiful example of a public convenience" just after Jennings' time, but a style similar to his.

As I walked out I found myself humming "Ooooh I gotta have faith" I couldn't help myself (sorryimnotsorry).

Credit.

I never in a million years thought I would be living in London, typing a post on a blog about a men's toilet.

There is also a museum & house you can walk though full of well kept Georgian daily furniture and items.

Only in London.

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