The Nightmare before Xmas

So with just 10 days before we are due to fly south, BA cabin crew vote to strike for 12 days over xmas - dashing our hope of any sunshine over the festive season. Despite being the highest paid of all cabin crew on all the British airlines, and despite the fact that they WILL be getting a salary increase in 2010 (I haven't had one for 2 years), they decide to ruin xmas for over 1 million people and their families.
BA had to force court ruling to get the bastards back to work. So, the good news is we ARE flying... but only if it stops snowing. Last Friday and again yesterday the whole of south east England came to a grinding halt after snow storms.

Last night it took me 3 hours at 10 miles an hour to commute home through a blizzard on icy roads.. I passed 5 car accidents along the way, one car turned on it's roof on the motorway.

This was the scene outside our apartment this morning.
At least we can look at the stars at night. On Sunday evening, braving the freezing temperatures, William and I stood on our balcony and were able to see Jupiter and 5 of it's moons through this baby.

Winter Wonderland

Where: Hyde Park
What: German Xmas Market
When: On the Eve of St. Niklaus







Every year London brings a bit of the continent to the UK with the German Xmas Market at Hyde Park. You can get everything German at the market from bratwurst to glühwein and continental gifts like wooden handcarved toys from a village of wooden chalets.

This year it also boasted London's largest ice rink and a giant big wheel.


We chose to go there Saturday afternoon and had a german garlic potatoe salad from the Bavarian Village and a beer and some glühwein at Café Grell.





http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

oh xmas tree, oh xmas tree....

December has arrived and our xmas tree is up and dressed and the presents are wrapped!

On Saturday I dragged William to Westfield Shopping Centre at Shepherd's Bush in West London. This mall is massive! with 256 shops. We managed to get all we needed from House of Fraser, M&S, Next, Debenhams, Zara Home and of course La Senza ;)
5 hours later at 6pm, with sore feet, we drove back home through a grid locked London in the pouring rain.

Next weekend, xmas cards.....

http://uk.westfield.com/london/

Chez Gérard and the ROH

Last week William and I had tickets to the ballet. It was William's first time seeing Sleeping Beauty and I haven't seen it since I left SA.

After a very busy day onsite at a customer in the city's square mile, I made my way to Covent Garden around 5pm on Thursday evening. I got there before William - who was coming from the apartment, so I wandered into Chez Gérard who were just opening for dinner, to have a Bellini at the bar. I have always wanted to eat at Gérard's and when William arrived we asked for a table. The ballet started at 7.30 so we had enough time on our hands.
I ordered Millefeuille aux champignons - sautéed wild mushrooms in puff pastry with a poached egg and some pommes frites and haricots verts AND a large glass of Merlot. William had Boeuf Bourguignon - braised beef in red wine. I finished with a glass of Amaretto coffee liqueur and William had an espresso.

We had really good seats at the Ballet - front row balcony left - though I had to lean forward a bit. They should make special seats for short people!

Sleeping Beauty was beautiful - the costumes, the choreography, everything was just perfect. But I must say I prefer the tragic stories of Swan Lake and especially Gizelle...

http://www.chezgerard.com/
http://www.roh.org.uk/

Xmas lights and Seasonal Veg

Swede, Parsnip, Brussel sprouts, Turnip, Onion, Garlic, Pumpkin, Beetroot and Sweet Potato.. Tonight we will enjoy these wonderful winter root vegetables :) bought fresh from Borough Market yesterday afternoon. For the first time since moving to the UK I am looking forward to the dark and cold winter season. And it may be due in part to this blog - which allows me to reflect on the things we do and how they are shaped by the seasons.

On Friday evening, we made our way to Oxford and Regent Street - in the rain - to see the Xmas lights. The rain meant there were less people on the street, but the lights were a bit of a dissappointment.
Afterwards, with soaked feet, we had a fabulous dinner at Marsala Zone near Covent Garden. We came across this place while walking home a few weeks earlier and really enjoyed the food. It took us 30 mins to find it this time since neither of us actually took note of exactly where it was :) As before, we both had thalis for mains washed down with a bottle of red. This time we also shared a gol guppa (tamarind biscuits with corriander dressing) for starters and pistachio ice-cream for dessert.. all for 40 quid - not bad...

http://www.masalazone.com/

Remember remember ...

...Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605...

Last night Southwark Council gave us a pretty good free 15 minute fireworks display in Southwark Park accompanied by music. We got there 30 mins early and I was starving so we shared an expensive crepe, followed by roasted chestnuts - also overpriced! And then my camera batteries died! At least the display was good.

These pictures are from the very first bonfire night I experienced in the UK - in Norwich in 2005. The large bonfire was lit in the middle of a sports field - it looked amazing.
When roasted properly these are delicious little warm, slightly sweet in the centre, treats.

Halloween cookfest

To celebrate the 31st October this year I decided to buy large orange pumpkin and make a spicy pumpkin soup. The recipe I chose calls for ground coriander, red pepper, paprika and curry powder. To soften the pumpkin, I cut it in half, removed the seeds and roasted for 45 mins at 150 degrees C.
Once cool, I added the flesh to some chopped onions I had softened and spiced earlier. After adding vegetable stock, I blended, then added brown sugar and milk.
For a bit of fun I toasted the fresh pumpkin seeds with some salt and paprika and added as a garnish. At the last minute William made us the most fabulous fresh bread in what must have been record time. His method of using water that has been boiled has done the trick - every loaf is perfect now.

Earlier on that same day I had attempted a Charlotte dell'Abate.
I got this recipe from our new Italian cook book: The Vegiterranean. Ingredients included masala wine, espresso, cream, dark chocolate, amaretti biscuits and sponge fingers. I also had to make a zabaglione (which is like a custard) by slowly heating 3 egg yolks in a double boiler before tranfering to a bowl cooled by icecubes, taking care not to curdle the mixture. The Charlotte then needed 4 hours of freezing followed by 1 hour of thawing before it was ready. I was quite pleased with this attempt, it looked and tasted really good.

Thanks to Nicky's blog, I had a meringue recipe for my left over egg whites. This was SO easy and the result was all gooey inside as promised. Meringues are way too sweet for me, but I still ate 3!


http://sabakersdozen.blogspot.com/
http://www.epiculinary.com/ita_vegetarian.html

The Gun

On Saturday Will and I met up with Bryan, Marti, Natalie and Anthony for lunch at Jamie's Italian in Canary Wharf. I love this place and once again the food was really good. This time I chose very flavourful mushroom ravioli after a shared veggie board with all kinds of italian treats. Delicious! 4 hours and 2 bottles of red wine later we took a walk to "The Gun", a gastropub on the Isle of Dogs with views of the O2.

I started visiting this little gem in 2004 when my brother and I rented an apartment just a few 100 yards away on East Ferry road. And when I moved back to the area with William in 2006, we often spent lazy summer afternoons on the outside deck or cozy winter evenings inside by the fireplace...

Autumn has arrived and
although the forecast said rain, Saturday evening was fine and mild :) so we all sat outside as the sun set and the O2 lights came on across the water. It was great to see everyone again, only a pity that we don't do it more often.

http://www.thegundocklands.com/

The Old Vic

The Old Vic opened for the first time in 1818 as The Royal Coburg Theatre, only to be renamed The Royal Victoria in 1833 in honour of the then Princess Victoria. For over almost 200 years it has played host to pretty much everyone and everything from Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith in Othello and Alec Guinness in Hamlet to Neve Campbell in Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues.
Last night, after a fabulous meal at the Waterloo Brasserie, we saw Inherit The Wind with Kevin Spacey and David Troughton. We both LOVED the play. Everyones performance was outstanding, especially Spacey. I saw the 1999 movie with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott years ago and found the story compelling then, so it was great to see this adaption.

The Waterloo Brasserie is a french style restaurant across the road from The Old Vic. I chose a parsnip soup starter and a butternut risotto with sage foam as a main - which was delicious! William had a goats cheese and zucchini starter and sea bass for mains. We then shared 3 smelly cheeses with fruit chutney for afters.
A little expensive but absolutely worth it. We both had to spend a little extra time on the treadmill this morning!

http://www.waterloobrasserie.co.uk/
http://www.oldvictheatre.com/

Le Petite Croissants

William wanted croissants for breakfast on Saturday, so he spent most of Friday afternoon making the pastry from scratch - with almost no butter because he knows I won't eat it if there is too much fat in it :) After chilling in the fridge overnight, he rolled it out, cut them into triangles and rolled them into the croissant shape. 20 minutes in the oven and the yummy petite croissants were ready - topped with "low low fat" cheese (yes it's really called "low low fat cheese"!). They were a little heavy - not quite as puffy as expected. I suspect it's the lack of butter ;)

Mediterranean Vegetarian

Inspired by our fabulous mezes in Turkey, Will bought us 2 new cook books during the week and they arrived from Amazon on Friday. The Vegeterreanean (Italian cooking) and Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking (includes recipes from Italy; Croatia, Greece; Turkey; North Africa; France; Israel and Spain)
:)
So Saturday we walked to Borough Market for some fresh ingredients.

Yesterday we had Avocado and chickpea with tahini, garlic and paprika and today I made an aubergine and yoghurt dip with walnuts, mint, garlic, lemon and black pepper. We had both with some of Will's home made high fiber pita bread.

Delicious!

Dinner @ Jamie's

Friday after work Will and I decided to meet at Canary Wharf for a movie - South African Neill Blomkamp's District 9.

Since the movie only started at 9, we had 2 hours to kill, so we opted to try out Jamie Oliver's new restaurant - Jamie's Italian. *WOW* It was like we were back on the continent! We had a fabulous Vegetable Antipasta Plank for starters with seasonal vegetables; Italian cheeses with pickled chillies and green and black olives. For mains I had Truffle Tagliatelle and Will had Ravioli Caramelle which was stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta cheese with breadcrumbs, parmesan and rosemary sauce.
But still we couldn't stop ourselves and also had espresso and tiramisu for afters!

The restaurant was really relaxed, the staff attentive, the food fabulously flavoured and the cost well within budget. Surprisingly unpretentious. We look forward to our next visit.

The movie was great too :)

http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/canary-wharf
http://www.district9movie.com/

Türkiye

Bodrum (Halikarnassos) - south east Türkiye, on the Aegean coast.

Just over a week ago we flew to Milas airport a few km from Bordrum in south east Turkey. Since Turkey is not yet part of the EU, visa application for a South African is easy - 10 euro at point of entry, no questions asked.

Our hotel (http://www.atriumbodrum.com/) was in Bodrum proper, 150 m from Bodrum beach and the promonade of shops and restaurants that line the water's edge.


September temperatures range from 26 (at night) to 32 degrees with a light onshore breeze on most days. We only had 1 afternoon of rain that turned into a torrential thunderstorm on Thursday night.

On Monday we took a boat trip to some of the bays surrounding Bodrum and snorkeled in their translucent warm waters.
12 euro per person - all day - includes lunch and tea. Seems impossible but true.On Weds William and I hired a scooter, to explore some of the other beaches in the area. Gümbet beach is just 3 km west of Bodrum beach and although sandy it is very busy and not recommended. Further west are cleaner waters and quieter stretches like at Ortakent and Yahsi (Camel) beach.

We stopped for lunch here on day 1. I love the Turkish cold starters (mezes) - there is so much variety for vegetarians. We have tried: beyaz peynir (a crumbling white cheese - very delicious); ezme (hot pepper paste and crushed tomatoes with garlic and pomegranate juice); patlican salatasi (cold aubergine salad); cacik (thick yoghurt with cucumber or mint or spinach and garlic infused with olive oil); dolma (rice-stuffed vine leaves); fava (beans cooked and mashed mixed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice); Russian salad (mayo with peas, potatoes and carrots); Seaweed salad... all served with bread, local Efes beer and local white or rose wine.
We had this a few times, with the bill never exceeding a total of 30 turkish lira (TL) - about £12 !

On day 2 we traveled further to Turgutreis and Gümüslük (the site of the ancient city of Myndos) and were caught in a rainstorm on the way back to the hotel! I was not happy :(

The rest of the time we spent lazing on Bodrum beach or walking along the shop lined walkways of the town. There is no charge for using the umbrellas and beds on the beach like in Italy and France - as long as you buy a drink from the restaurant occupying that section of the beach. A no brainer :)


At sunset the umbrellas and beds are replaced with dinner tables and chairs for sundowners, nargile (a Turkish waterpipe) and dinner. Because this month is Ramadam, as the sun sets a cannon is fired and chanting is heard across the town from the local mosque. The same chant woke us every day at sunrise !
Bodrum beachfront is very touristic, but balanced against the more traditional town itself in the streets just above the beach. The streets are narrow and the houses are all white washed with splashes of bright purple bougainvillea. Stray cats and dogs sleep in the streets during the heat of the day. They are neutered and tagged by the government and put back on the streets where they are cared for by the locals.

One of Bodrum's famous landmarks is the Castle of St Peter built by the Knights Hospitaller starting in 1402. The castle came under attack with the rise of the Ottoman Empire, first after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and again in 1480 by sultan Mehmed II. The attacks were repelled by the Knights. In June 1522 the sultan attacked the Order's headquarters in Rhodes from the Bay of Marmaris with 200,000 soldiers. The castle of Rhodes fell in December 1522. The terms of surrender included the handing over of the Knights' fortresses in Kos and St Peter's Castle in Bodrum. After the surrender, the castle's chapel was turned into a mosque and a minaret was added. In 1962 the Turkish Government decided to turn the castle into a museum for the many underwater discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea. This has become the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, with a vast collection of amphoras, ancient glass, bronze, clay, iron items.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodrum_Castle

On the last 2 nights we had dinner in town. Both dinners were exceptional - followed by the most delicious desserts from a famous little pastry shop that we couldn't resist.
http://www.trancarestaurant.com/