Category Archives: Food

Nom

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So I got a job! An actual real life job where I go to work and everything. I’m a Marketing Assistant and I think it’s going pretty well so far. Getting up early every day and not getting home until 7 is taking a bit of getting used to, but it’ll all be normal in a week or so I’m sure.

And on the back of having a job, I no longer have to panic about money – hurrah! I don’t actually get paid for a month, but I can totally spend it now so there.

So with that in mind I went for a potter around Chorlton today to find food-based goodness. I don’t think I’ve really even scratched the surface of Chorlton’s foodie delights, but my parents are coming to visit tomorrow and I thought we’d have a wander as well so I didn’t want to exhaust it.

The highlight of my day has to be the Chorlton Sourdough I bought from the Barbakan Deli on Manchester Road. It’s so good – soft and chewy and acidic and lovely. Yum. They were frying up some epic looking sausages on the BBQ outside as well which I gather is a weekly event, but I think I’ll save that one until next week when Duncan is with me.

I also discovered the Unicorn Grocery wholefoods shop, which has a nice range of fruit and veg but more excitingly (is that a word? Not sure) for me a really good choice of dried herbs and spices, including chipotle and ancho chilies. Hurray! Not cheap, but then when is organic food ever cheap? I think I will have to combine trips to these various shops with trips to Tesco and Morrissons. That’s until I’m rich.

So that’s my day so far. I think the rest of it will consist of watching Sherlock and Skins (not at the same time, that’d be weird) and sitting on the sofa. Things that start with S then. Good.

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So a while ago I decided to remove myself from Twitter. I figured I didn’t really have anything too interesting to say and I don’t own a fancy internet phone, so it didn’t make much sense to me. But now I have been advised that if I want to make friends, meet people and do things in Manchester I’d better get myself back on there. So I have. So far it’s a bit better than last time in that I’ve found plenty of food and book-related people to follow and already discovered a few new places to go in Chorlton for good food. I’m still feeling weird about having ‘open air’ conversations with friends on the internet though. And about following people I don’t know who now probably think I’m weird. Ah well.

No other news really; a bit of potential job-based luck today but not sure how it’ll turn out. It’s just so hard to know what people are looking for. Something will turn up I’m sure, I’d just like to to turn up sooner rather than later because I want to get exploring (when I say exploring I mean drinking and eating). Found out today that a deli literally around the corner holds a monthly supper club which looks scrummy, there’s a really good fishmonger near here and lots of good bars. Money is definitely needed. Oh and we have sheets at the window instead of curtains so it’d be good to do something about that as well before people start to think we’re squatting…

I fall for this season every time…

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I love English summer. I know it rains a lot, but I have no time for moaners. I also have no news to report so I’m just going to show you some pictures I took of the Park estate (my parents’ house, not mine unfortunately) in the sun and some of the epic things my Dad has been growing and letting me eat. Summer = win.

Vegetable patch, complete with polytunnel.

The Field

Ruby Chard

Gooseberries, yum

There are also loads of strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, fennel, peas, broad beans, lettuce and other things I can’t remember. So yes, it’s raining most of the time, but if it didn’t we’d be living in the desert (not necessarily a scientific fact…) and we wouldn’t be able to grow such lovely food. So stop moaning and enjoy it. Just buy a brolly for God’s sake.

I should cocoa!

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Cadbury's Cocoa Powder

Those who know me will know that I have a habit of getting excited by little things – often the sillier the better. I personally think this is the best way to be and it keeps me entertained as well.

Anyway, my newest little thing to be excited about is a drink I ‘invented’ last night (I put invented in inverted commas because I’m sure others before me have done it. Perhaps discovered would have been a better word). Duncan and I were waiting to buy some milk in Spar because I was desperate for hot chocolate. I spotted a pack of After Eights while I was waiting and decided that I would be an idiot not to see what happened if I melted them into hot chocolate. The results were pretty thrilling even if I do say so myself.

So here is my first recipe to ever go on the internet: minty hot chocolate. It’s excellent.

Ingredients:
Cocoa powder (about 1 tbsp)
Sugar (to taste)
Pack of After Eights (the kind you get at the sweet counter for 70p, not the big expensive box)
Milk

All I did was to measure 2 mugs’ worth of milk and pour that into a saucepan.  Put onto a medium heat and add the cocoa powder and sugar (to taste depending on how bitter you like it). Whisk while it warms up and then squish some After Eight sweets into  it (I used 6) and continue to whisk until it’s all melted. Pour into mugs and enjoy (preferably with an open fire and a blanket).

Look – I did a recipe!