#Project366 – week 15

In week 13 I recounted tales of introducing my boyfriend’s family to some of our favourite eateries, and this week it was my parents’ turn to journey up to the big smoke from the Dorset coast. As a little girl I was a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz, even spending my weekends pretending to be Dorothy (and forcing my poor Dad to play all the other characters…!), so I was delighted that we finally experienced the incredible Wicked musical as a belated Mother’s Day gift.

On Saturday I also clicked my ruby slippers three times and transported my parents to the two South London food havens where I feel most at home - Brockley Market and Brixton Village. Their last trip to our little flat had actually coincided with my first ever visit to Brixton Village, where we had enjoyed a superb meal at the Brixton Village Grill. But at that point had no idea that there was another whole hall full of good food across the road in Market Row, so I was desperate to show them the gastronomic wonders we’d previously missed out on!

Day #99 – Adapting Pieminister’s Guru recipe into a spicy beef dhansak curry, packed with protein-rich lentils, chickpeas and spinach

Eating by numbers

 

This isn't a recipe, a restaurant review or a recommendation. It's a confession.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or has checked out my #Project366 challenge will know that I'm completely obsessed with food - if I'm not cooking in our little flat then I'm taking photos of my culinary discoveries, researching recipes to test or drooling over the latest Pinterest foodporn.

But when fellow foodies meet me in the flesh for the first time, they seem surprised that I'm not the size of a house. Recently a friend quizzed me on my "secret for staying so slim", and my initial response was to display some classic British self-deprecation and laugh it off. Deep down it felt like a huge compliment though, because the truth is that I refuse to view myself as thin.

Cheat’s meaty mini pizzas to lighten up your lunchtime

I don’t have any children, but I wouldn’t blame you for mistaking me for a parent if you saw me interacting with my boyfriend in our little flat.

What is it about living with your beloved that makes a young woman suddenly morph into a mother?! Despite never previously having a particular appetite for cleaning, its feels like my life is becoming a constant cycle of washing dishes, airing clothes and tidying things away…just rinsed and repeated as required on a daily basis.

Please don’t get me wrong – I think my man is truly amazing, constantly inspiring and I wouldn’t ever want to swap him. But I do find it equally incredible that someone so hugely talented and intelligent can lose his keys within five minutes of entering our home, and appears incapable of eating a meal without spilling some of it down himself.

#Project366 – week 14

During the first few weeks of my #project366 challenge it was fairly easy for me to photograph a dish or snack I’d enjoyed every day. But as a creature of habit and counter of calories, my daily diet usually follows the same routine – which means it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find new foods to capture on camera! Thankfully Easter’s celebrations have provided some seasonal snapshots for this week’s round-up…

 Day #92 – As a huge fan of Outsider Tart’s baked goodies, I felt honoured to grab a front row seat at David’s demonstration of the secrets behind their black and white cheesecake during the Southbank’s Chocolate Festival

#Project366 – week 13

My boyfriend’s parents were visiting us this week, which meant there was plenty of opportunity for me to capture culinary snapshots whilst we introduced them to our favourite London eateries. Whilst my other half has accepted my need to document our dining experiences in photographic form, I realise it’s not really acceptable in polite company, so I had to resist the temptation to shoot every dish we ate over the weekend!

Day #85 – Tearing open a crispy Arancini Brothers fried risotto ball to expose the gooey mozzarella filling during a lunchtime stroll with a friend around the Real Food Festival

#Project366 – week 12

I hadn’t appreciated how behind I’d become with my #project366 posts until I realised that Mother’s Day kickstarted this round-up of week 12, and it’s now Easter Sunday…oops! Please accept my apologies and cast your mind back to those brief moments of sunshine we enjoyed last month as you check out these food-related photos…

Day #78 – Delightful Dorset restaurant Alghero previously featured amongst my finest dining experiences of 2011 as a family favourite…this pan-fried seabass with saffron mashed potatoes and Sardinian-style tomatoes was the star of their Mother’s Day menu

Two trips to Brockley Market

Once upon a time, Brockley was one of the hidden gems of the south London food scene, where those “in the know” could easily fill their day with food as fine as anything found at nearby Borough Market without battling the crowds of tourists. The flakiest almond croissants from The Broca washed down with a morning coffee; rich duck rillettes smothered on a crunchy baguette and accompanied by a slice of comté from Degustation for lunch; then a relaxing evening enjoying an organic feast over a glass of wine in the Toads Mouth's conservatory.

Fast-forward a few years, and Brockley is now the latest "next big thing" on London's food scene, thanks to its Saturday market held in Lewisham College’s car park.