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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The Worlds Biggest Egg-Hunt, v 2.0

Guess what's back, back again? Huge Eggs are back, tell a friend...



Last year in the month leading up to Easter, London was overtaken by a strange phenomena - giant porcelain eggs popping up on street corners, in shop windows and hotel foyers.

We became strangely obsessed with hunting down every single one of the 101 eggs. From the Sloan-ey market squares, to Mayfair and as far as the platinum towers of Canary Wharf, we were determined to, and managed to spot every one of them and take photographic proof.

We also helped them collect one of two world records the made - most participants in an Easter egg hunt and the worlds most expensive chocolate Easter egg. Sadly it wasn't the latter.

This year, much to our geekery excitement they are back! Focused initially on (my favourite London spelling mistake) Covent Garden, they have unleashed another 101 artist designed eggs, in order to fundraise for the charity Action for Children. In their own words "The Big Egg Hunt is a record breaking, egg hunting, fundraising spectacular - a public art event with a BIG difference"

This year, instead of having them dotted to the four corners of London, they are on tour to Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester to end up in London again.

I must admit to a tinge of disappointment that we aren't having the same format as last year, but logistically it must have been a nightmare to organise with them spread so far. And I mustn't be selfish - everyone should have an equal chance, not just us Londoners.

It's great for kids of all ages - there were as many middle-aged-no-kids pairs and groups as there were families excitedly shouting "there's one, there's one!"

It's so cheap - a minimum £3 donation gets you a glossy brochure to tick your eggs off as you spot them - and it includes a Chocolate bunny. For sustenance you understand. It's a great excuse to mooch about the vibrant Covent Garden area, with it's buskers, food, and installations. And the artwork is incredible.

They are staying in London until Sunday (tomorrow) and are back for the finale, 22nd March - 7th April, visiting more cities in between. Set aside a couple of hours, and keep your eyes peeled for some eggs-celent art (sorry)!

How many do you think you could find?

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(Mostly) Wordless Friday

It's funny, we spend most of our weeks wishing for Friday morning, and yet when they do come, it feels as though it's flown by. I'm very, very guilty of this.

I'll say - just look at the below expression. I call it "Ever-so-slightly-deranged cat".

  

 

 

Have a lovely weekend!

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(Mostly) Wordless Fridays

With yesterday one of my favourite days of the month, today seems a little lackluster. That was until I realised it's Friday, and then that it's almost the weekend already! Time for a little Tea with the Ladies and then perhaps Sunday Eggs.

It's only January, and we've already broken the first Easter Egg in the office. Oops!

Life is balance.

GREAT start to a book.

 

Look, no snow! 

I'm definately coming back as a cat! She's so lazy, she only opens one eye to check out me patting her.

 

 

Did I mention we also got a spare door seal for our Washing Machine as the old one kinda exploded? Life on the edge my friends, life on the edge.

 

 Do you prefer hectic weekends, spur of the moment weekends, or to relax in your PJs?

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Snow Survival Kit

I am a wuss when it comes to Ice. Snow I love - Snowmen, Snow Angels, Snowball fights, Sledding; I'm in. Ice? Not a chance.

The Highways Agency have said anyone travelling in icy conditions should take a shovel, blankets, sleeping bag, extra clothing, including a scarf, hat, gloves, 24 hour supply of food and drink, de-icer, rock salt, torch, safety triangle, tow rope, petrol can, first aid kit and jump leads.

 

I propose an alternative. You will need:

- A local home (your own or a family/friends is preferrable, strangers may not take it the same way)
- Warm clothes
- Thick Winter Coat & Waterproof shoes for Snowman, Snowball and Snow Angel Making
- Mittens and Marigolds for the Snowman and Snowballs
- Heating
- Pyjamas
- Movies/DVD sets you have been meaning to watch, that unfinished craft project lurking in the back of the cupboard or that book you've been meaning to finish
- Soup, Stew or a nice Roast
- A few naughty nibbles (perhaps Lolly Cake or Ginger Crunch)
- Water, Juice and your favourite winter-time beverage
- Carrot and decorations (for the aforementioned Snowman)
- First Aid Kit (always be prepared, Crafts can be surprisingly vicious)
- Moggy or Dog (optional)

Do not be tempted to video call your antipodean family and friends. Their gorgeous weather will only make you jealous.

Anything I've missed?

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(Mostly) Wordless Fridays

This weekend with a ridiculous amount of snow forecasted, I'm hoarding fellow bloggers recipes, hunting down a load of baking supplies and hunkering down in the house. I have no intention of going anywhere.

"Snow? What snow?"

Oh, and PS. Breakfast rocks according to the BBC Good Food 'Olive' Magazine, it's going to be 'big' this year in Foodie circles. (Check the link out for a few healthily decadent ideas).

What are your plans?

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World Clock, Picadilly Circus

Happy 150th Birthday London Underground!

The London Underground (aka. the Tube), along with the River Thames, is the lifeblood of London. It's pulsing veiny network runs to 250 miles of track, transports 1,107 million passengers a year, has 270 stations crossing 3 counties and generally keeps London ticking along.

I love it, not just for it's transport capabilities, but also for it's entertainment value & oddities contained within the network itself.

With commuters spending up to 3 hours a day nestled in trains travelling the maze of options, and can start to get up to mischief in order to entertain themselves. Take Tube surfing for example - this is the act of standing up (inside the carriage) for the duration of your journey, balancing without holding on. Wobbling = failure. Sometimes during rush hour you don't really have much of a choice.  If you attempt this, you need to take precautions

(Nb. This shouldn't be confused with Train Surfing, where people sit on TOP of the train eg)

The full game rules of Tube surfing (thanks to h2g2):
To Tube Surf place one foot perpendicular to the direction the tube is travelling and then place your other foot ⁹up against it to form a T. Then place your hands on you pockets and try and stay upright for as long as possible. There is a 'newspaper' variation, whereby you read a paper while surfing. Bonus Kudos Points (tm) are gained for negotiating a particularly 'gnarly' sharp break into a station. You must also shout 'WIPE OUT' very loudly every time you fall into someone or something else.

As we are celebrating the Tube's 150th birthday, I wanted to bring you my favourite novelty tube feature. The World Clock, in the already famous Picadilly Circus.



No-one ever seems to looks at this beauty, rushing in their journeys. It's in the middle of the round tube hall, with exits close by, but nothing directly opposite. Even my hubby and I have never noticed it, both if using the tube station for years.

The station was opened in 1906 and refurbished in 1925-28 by architect Charles Holden. Part of the updating was the installation of this clock with its band moving to indicate the time around the globe. It shows solar time, and is thus not entirely accurate as an international clock since time zones only broadly follow longitude.

What do you do to entertain yourself on long journeys?

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Everything-in-the-Fridge Soup

After an overload of Christmas parties, wine & canapes I got (stumbled a wee bit) home last night, stared into my fridge and my belly keened for some vege. No wonder everyone gets so virtuous in January! The sheer level of chocolates, biscuits and fudge in the office is almost criminal.

This is an excellent recipe for this time of year - with the excesses Christmas brings, and the groaning Fridges that are then emptied at the end of Christmas - I have a solution. Well, a meal solution anyway!

Can you tell that hubby and I have a love for soups? Whenever one of gets run down, I flick the crockpot on and clear out the Fridge. It works wonders.

Everything-in-the-Fridge Soup

Ingredients:

• An Onion
• Root Vegetables - about 1.5 handfuls per person
• Green Vegetables - about a handful per person
• A couple of nobs of butter
• 3 cups of homemade Chicken or Turkey Stock from Christmas Dinner
• 1 Tablespoons or Curry Powder or 2 teaspoons of Paprika or a Bay Leaf & Nutmeg
• Any ready cooked meats to serve it with
• Fresh Sliced Rustic Bread

1. Turn your slow-cooker on. If on high the soup will take 3-4hours, on low the soup will take 6-7 hours (another reason I love it - turn it on when you leave for work, come back to a hot cooked dinner).
2. Dice the Onion, and cube the root vegetables and green vegetables*.
3. Add to the cooker with the butter. Leave to cook for about half an hour. This par-roasts the vege, giving it a little richer flavour.
4. Mix, then add the stock and Curry Power / Paprika /Bay Leaf & Nutmeg. 
5. Leave to bubble away for either 3-4 hours on high, or 6-7 hours on low; until all the vegetables are soft**.
6. Mash with a potato masher, if like me, you like your soup chunky or blend once a little cooler for a velvet like texture.
7. Enjoy on it's own, or with cream fraiche and meat stirred through, accompanied by fresh bread. It actually makes you feel better. 

* A stick of Celery/Peas/Broccoli is great in soups like this.
** Essential Tip: Cover the slow-cooker with a folded tea towel!

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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I love the green and red glitter explosion that is Christmas. There is just something in me that loves it - maybe it's a lack of a Y chromosome?

As a Kiwi on the other side of the globe, Christmas was really different. Instead of going up to a Bach at the beach (a small holiday hut/house) or putting up a Marque/Tent in the backyard, it's cold, gets dark really early and we've had quite a few White Christmasses.

It's really lovely, to have a cold Christmas; egg nog, chestnuts, roast dinner & scurrying out of the cold.

Christmas Trees via the Train, gotta love life in the UK!

Over the years I've amassed a few Kiwi ornaments that we nestle amongst their English and European counterparts, we have picked up over the years.

Christmas tree ornamentation is rooted in a German tradition; the evergreen tree represents eternal life as it stays green all year. Candles or lights are now placed to represent "that Christ is the light of the world". We place a star on top to remember the star in the east, or an angel to represent our guardian angel, or the angel that appeared to the shepherds.

 

 

 

Hubby and I have started a tradition of picking up an ornament every year, so we will end up with a Tree full of memories.

 

 

What are your Christmas Decorating Traditions? Popcorn Strings, find the Pickle (a German tradition), home baking?

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Christmas Overload

I just wanted to take a little breather, a cup of Tea and a Mince Pie, and have a natter. I love Christmas and the silly season. It's a recent discovery as I always used to dislike the commercial side of Christmas, but in recent years I've discovered that anything is what you make of it.

If you enter something with a positive mindframe, the odds are that you are going to enjoy yourself. Perception is so important.

This year has been an important year - family, friends, settling, all of these things seeming to take on the importance that they are due.

Christmas is a celebration of this -  maybe I have rose tinted spectacles on, but it really should be a time for catching up with everyone you love - life is so busy day-to-day it's nice that there is a time of year essentially put aside for celebrating those you love.

Sure, there is a gross/dark commercial side to the holiday season, but when else do you spend as much time thinking about your loved ones, bar at Christmas when out shopping for a present that they may enjoy? At the end of the day, there should be no obligation when present giving - if you don't have expendable income (and let's face it, in this day and age, who does have much?) something thoughful and sweet is enough to convey that you love the person you're giving to.

We are definately having a festive Christmas season, and I'm getting very excited with getting our Tree today. It's a bit later than planned, but who cares.

It's also the season of whimsy - everyone just seems to be a little bit more unbent. I just wish that it could be like this all year - or maybe it is, but we don't take the time to notice it?

 

Have you reached a Christmas overload this year? Have you done your shopping yet?

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