(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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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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Foodie Penpals - The Czech Edition

I love Foodie Penpals, it's definitely my worst kept secret. This month that adoration hit up a major notch when I was paired with a) one of my first and longest friends here in London and b) the lovely Jade at Wild Pickings whom I sent a box to (she runs a foraging walk business in Wales - why oh why don't we live closer?)

{Ps. London & UK based foodies, I've got a giveaway of Foodie Festival tickets in May, details here!}

When we used the box as an excuse to catch up, I also fell in love (sorry puss).

Forget Royal Mail, Puppy Post is THE BEST 

My first taste of proper Europe was spending 10 days in Alena's hometown of Prague, and it will always have a special place in my heart - between the history, beer, Svickova and friendliness (I've found the key in any country is taking the time to learn the phrases: Please, Thank you, and I'm from New Zealand hehehe).

Thank you again Alena, such a lovely and thoughtful foodie package!

  

My favourite meal whilst in Prague was Svickova; a Czech delicacy of Slow cooked Sirloin, Cream Sauce, bread dumplings and jam; closely followed by Pork Knuckle and Goulash served in a hollowed out loaf of bread that you eat with the Goulash. We've found a couple of pubs in London that do the above, but Alena kindly has included Svickova with Pasta (a quick alternative) and Goulash sauce mix. They have been a perfect antidote for the winter weather we are still having.

 

Did I mention the freshly baked Creme Egg cupcakes which may not have made it home, or even to the Shard later that night?

 

I received a plethora of goodies including snacks ready for eating; delicious Chocolate Waffles Tatranly, a Chocolate coffee bar Kofila, Kinder Easter Eggs (which lasted all of about 3 seconds) and Cocoa Pudding which I've not had a chance to try. I'm intrigued by the Cocoa Pudding as Alena says it has a tangy note to it (much like salted caramel I suspect?)

A few weeks ago they kindly hosted us for dinner, which included homemade cheese balls (below) that we ate with Czech Tartar Sauce Tatarska omacka which is delicious. Lighter than the UK version this is softer and lighter, going perfectly with fish fingers.

 

 

Savoury snacks were also on the menu; Smoked cheese that looks like baled hay with a lovely tang Parenica, naughty string cheese Korbacik and Tcinky which are similar to pretzel sticks.

 

To add to my spice cupboard Alena also included a 7 pepper steak sauce (black, green, white, red, cayenne, jalapeno & sechuan!) and Lovage Libecek a herb that I've quizzed her about several times, which she uses in soups. I can't wait to try them out!

 

On top of all of this was included a beautiful card, and recipes for the ingredients.

 

It's just a shame I couldn't fit puppy in my bag too!

 

Alena and I have had quite a few adventures together, and I look forward to the next ones we have in the near future!



Camping during the Olympic Opening Ceremony

Fancy a lovely thoughtful box of goodies arriving on your doorstep? Foodie Penpals was created by Lindsay at theleangreenbean in September 2011, and is administered in Europe by Carol Anne from thisisrocksalt every month. You will get to know two lovely people and are assigned one person to send a thoughtful foodie parcel to and a different person will send one to you. It's a lovely way to try things you've never tried before, match up with some awesome bloggers (and readers too!) and it's so nice to receive something in the post that's not a bill. Join in today!

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Guest Post Q&A with Kit, from What a Peach!

Hi, I'm Kit and I blog over at What a Peach! I'm a fellow ex-pat, but from America, and I moved here with my family when I was just turning 16. When Emma suggested a guest post, I thought a swap of interviews would be fun. Emma gave me some great questions and I had lots of fun trying to reflect on my life now.

When you first came to the UK, what did you feel was your biggest adjustment and is it still a big part of your life now? How do you know identify yourself nationality-wise?

When I moved here, I had just completed my Freshman year at a really fantastic high school where the students all wanted to learn. We came here and none of the schools knew what to do with me. I was at an awkward age for the education system and I was slotted in with a year group that was really below me but would mean I would be better prepared for taking my GCSEs. The way of learning was very different (we were very specifically learning for a test and no one seemed that interested in learning just for the sake of it) and we were treated like children. The school I had just left had treated us all as adults with respect and so I was quite taken aback by calling people 'miss' and 'sir'. I have no problem with respect at all, I always have respected my teachers, but it just felt really false to me. I guess it's still a little bit apart of my life because my schooling has affected my future, I think overall in a positive way though my gaps on both American and English history (they are taught at different stages in both countries which means I managed to miss out on quite a lot) are quite shocking! 

How is day to day life similar to Oregon (bar getting up for the daily school/work grind)?I don't think I can say my life now is really at all like my life in Oregon. Partly because I moved here when I was just turning 16, so in Oregon I was a kid- babysitting, doing a lot of dance classes, hanging out with my friends at the mall, working hard at school... Now I'm 28 and I work full time (6 days a week actually!). I work in the arts, so still have my links to the dance world, still hang out with friends- just not at the mall! I'm still really close to my parents, they're my friends, so I talk to them most days by phone or email so that link hasn't been lost (they're only 2 hours away anyway). But I do sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I had stayed in Oregon. 

What are your most favourite and least favourite aspects of London?I love London so so much. I think it is just such a fantastic city for culture (I'm a big theatre goer), it's great for getting lost in and I love feeling like I'm in the centre of it all. I really enjoy wandering around Barbican or the South Bank if I'm at a loose end. One of my favourite views in London is about 3/4 of the way across Waterloo Bridge. To the left is the OXO Towet and The Gherkin, to the right the London Eye, Southbank Centre and Parliament.

I'm not always a fan of the people- it's really easy to get grumpy and caught up in the rush of it all and my family have noticed that I can take on these traits, so I perhaps need to work on being nicer myself! There's all the pushing and shoving you get on your commute which is not pleasant.

What aspect of reading keeps you going back for more, especially the books that you re-read and want to delve into them in for more indepth reading?

I've always loved reading and was a big writer when I was younger too. I like interesting characters and situations that I can either relate to or that feel so different they provide an escape and a sense of 'ooh, that's new'. I'm a big screen head and so have found that a lot of the books that I enjoy feel quite cinematic. They have rich, lush descriptions, clear dialogue and are written beautifully but in an accesible way so that it's easy to read and get really involved in the story. Some of my favourite authors currently are Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro and Sarah Waters. I got really into Daphne Du Maurier for a bit as I loved the gothic and fantastical routes her stories take. I also keep meaning to read the new Mark Haddon as I loved his previous two books- he really seemed to understand the characters- and I've just got into John Green as well.

Re-reading books can be really comforting and exciting. When I re-read a book, it's interesting to see how my memories have altered the plot, but I love coming across favourite lines. Books I've enjoyed re-reading are: Pride and Prejudice (maybe a bit of a cliche?), Cold Comfort Farm, I Capture the Castle and all my old illustrated children's books when I'm back home and pulling through boxes!

Finally, Chocolate or Vanilla, and why?

A bit of both really! I have a dangerously greedy sweet tooth and generally will eat pretty much anything! I love really dark (85%) chocolate as well as super cheap milk chocolate. Love both flavours when choosing ice cream and same for cake too! I don't think I could choose...

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Brookes Counter & Table: Restaurant Review

This is an old favourite spot from when I used to work locally. I had to return (quality control you know, oh the things we have to do for blogging!) and check that everything was as delicious as before.

How can you say no!?

Happily, Brookes seems to be going from strength to strength if the queues are anything to go by - basically the process seems to be bags a free table, line up, order your coffee/munch/brunch/lunch either from the counter selection of delectable items or from their menu.

The biggest problem I have is deciding what to eat. By the time the queue (which moves fairly quickly) shifts you to the front, I normally have my options whittled down to 3, and hope that 2 of them have been eaten by other people so I don't have to choose.

I used to lunch here weekly with a friend, I've brought hubby here and my discerning Aunt whilst on a pit-stop from her flight to New Zealand to Edinburgh - this is a mark of how tasty it is. Hubby and today's brunch date, a connoisseur of all things Sausage Roll and meaty declared their Sausage Roll the best they've ever tasted(I must remember to get hubby one from the Ginger Pig as they are immensely delicious too!).

I enjoy their Berry Shakes and Eggs Benedict (actually, I seems to have a predilection for Eggs Benedict - maybe I should have a sub-blog and call it 'Adventures eating Eggs Benedict in London', not much of a catchy jingle though). It's much lighter that several other places do, but it was utterly perfect for the wee hangover I was nursing whilst my friend and I gabbled away.

Our favourite lunchtime treat was to wander into Brook's, get a Sausage roll and a coffe and stroll onto the grass on Brook Green Park in the sunshine. Bliss.

Located in on Shepherds Bush Road in the heart of 'Brooks Green' an affluent (Estate Agent named) area tucked between Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush, Brook's is a local haunt that you wouldn't nessecarily know about if you weren't in the know. It's stuffed to the gills with foodie stuffs (fresh bread, a dairy fridge, RJ's red liquorice stuff with white chocolate!?) and their counter meals, a lot of them Vege, are truely scrumptious and change daily. It's not too expensive either.

Futher info can be found on their website. I haven't been comped & they don't know who I am, I just wanted to share the deliciousness.

Oh, hai.

 

Did I mention Kiwis (that have made it to the end of this post) that the Tesco's behind has recently started stocking Kiwi and Aussie fare in their ethnic section? Tomato Sauce, K Bars, Tim Tams, Shapes, L&P...

 

Ps.

GIVEAWAY: Foodie Festival (2 London locations): I have something to brighten your day. With the dank, dark and... bit.ly/WVPXMW

— Emma (@LondonKiwiEmma) March 23, 2013



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The Shard - Epic Fail

Sometimes London is a brat. Most of the time she is lady; elegant, amusing, enticing, busy, and, let's be honest kinda dirty in some respects. She does occasionally like to show her more tempestuous side, possibly just to prove that we are mere mortals inhabiting her shores and to treat her with the respect she deserves.



We tend to wax-lyrical viewing London in a rose-tinted spectacles manner (a bit of a love-in), sharing what we've enjoyed recently, until it goes wrong. Through our adventures, we try to share some of the delicious oddments and corners that we've found on our wanders, for instance the Worlds Biggest Egg Hunt (now back in London until Easter, be quick!) a 900-year old oak stump carved with elves, the Great Christmas Pudding Race and the fact that you can actually see Big Ben.

We do like to keep it real though. 

 

We planned a trip to the Shard about 6 weeks ago, thinking that weather in late-March should be pretty ok and if we were lucky, we might even get a little bit of blue sky.

The Shard is London's most recent addition to the fold of skyscrapers, and is currently Europe's tallest building. On a good day from the 68th and 69th floors you get the most amazing view over London for around 35 miles.

Ummm, snow, in late March?

Honestly, it wasn't an entirely wasted trip - we got to experience the Shard, get a taste of the view and be amused by their crazy lifts.

At £25 a pop, London's 'most eagerly awaiting new attraction' was a bit disappointing beccause of the murky London weather but we will re-book and go again.

Moral of the story? Don't trust the weather, and always have a back-up pub to go drown your sorrows in the worst case scenario.

 

What is your worst experience of bad holiday weather? Does it upset you, or because you are in more of a 'holiday mode' do you find that you can roll with it?

 

Ps. Instead of dwelling too much on the weather, check out my giveaway.

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(Mostly) Wordless Friday

Sometimes, I do wonder if this blog should be called 'Baking Misadventures of a London Kiwi'.


From careful planning and a trial cake (I somehow typed 'tria cakel'??), to successfully baking it, making Lime Curd from scratch, cutting through the centre and filling it with Lime Curd and tucking it away for decorating when I got home from work...

to:

Enough said.

This week did however have a few bright points: we saw the end of 'Marmageddon' (it even broke into the UK Telegraph news and the BCC)

(Not mine sadly, not yet)

Perused some interesting Tube Artwork:

And decided to have a week-long sugar hiatus. That's it, no more sugar. I think I may possibly be crazy, so watch this space! So far it's going well.

Bring on the weekend of adventures! Wine, a FPP personally delivered, a horrendously cute pupp, Steak, an exceedingly tall building and Football all await.

 

 

 

What would your perfect weekend entail?

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The Elfin Oak, a London oddity: London Living

If you go to Kensington Park today,
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go to Kensington Park today,
You'd better go in disguise.

Well, actually, you don't need to go in disguise as it's not the Teddy Bears picnic, but there is a whimsical folly, nestled in one of London's premier addresses - found in a corner of Princess Kate & Prince Williams official London front yard - Kensington Park.

The figures were created by the illustrator Ivor Innes between 1928 & 1930 on a c.800 year old Oak stump relocated from Richmond Park, carved and painted with elves, princesses, fairies and woodland creatures.



Random? Yes. A little mad? Without a doubt. Cute? Absoloutely.

The Elfin Oak of Kensington Gardens, the children's book which Ivor Innes published with his wife Elsie in 1930, describes how "for centuries now it has been the home of fairies, gnomes, elves, imps, and pixies. In the nooks and crannies they lurk, or peer out of holes and crevices, their natural windows and doorways. It is their hiding-place by day, their revelry place by night, and when the great moon tops the bare branchless tree the Elfin Clans come out to play and frolic in the moonlight."

"Those with whom the 'Little People' dwell find their hearts' desires"

"These [figures] include Wookey the witch, with her three jars of health, wealth and happiness, Huckleberry the gnome, carrying a bag of berries up the Gnomes' Stairway to the banquet within Bark Hall, and Grumples and Groodles the Elves being awakened by Brownie, Dinkie, Rumplelocks and Hereandthere stealing eggs from the crows' nest." I love Wikipedia.



Caged to prevent vandalism and ward off some of the inclement weather, it's a sweet way to utilise an old oak 'stump'.

There are even Pink Floyd & Spike Milligan links; Dave Gilmore poses infront of the tree on the inside cover of Ummagumma, and Spike Milligan was a lifelong fan and led a very successful campaign to have it restored in 1966.

In 1997 the oak was declared a Grade II listed structure, after another restoration capaign by Spike Milligan. Good man.

It's super easy to get to - simply make you way to the NorthEast corner of the park, and look for the Diana Princess of Wales playground (circled in yellow below). There will be lots of happy excited children, young and old.

  

Thataway!



Random fact: nearby Kensington Palace has long been a collection of flats for royal relatives - the Duke of Windsor used to call it 'the Aunt Heap'
What are your favourite childhood figure? Elves, Fairies, Hairy Maclary? The Hungry Catepillar?

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