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He raises both hands to touch the cloth, asks, Which is this? This is persimmons, Father. Oh, the feel of the wolftail on the silk, the strength, the tense precision in the wrist. I painted them hundreds of times eyes...
I have said it before, but let me repeat it again for those at the back who were not listening: I. Love. London. It contains so many things that I love. It has iconic buildings, monuments and museums (many of...
Carvalhal beach, Portugal - October 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in Saturday Snapshots are available to...
When I was growing up, we had the kitchen basics: a fridge, a freezer, a stove/oven, a toaster and a kettle. The most exciting gadgets in our kitchen were an ancient blender for milkshakes, and a Kenwood mixer. There were...
As many of you know, in a previous life I was a criminal lawyer. I loved criminal law - I loved its very precise world-view and the way it tested every day your belief in the presumption of innocence -...
Shine on you crazy diamond - November 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in Saturday Snapshots are...
I set foot in France for the first time when I was 14, stepping off a UTA flight and into the warm air of a Nice evening. My father had finally decided that at 11 years old, my brother would...
When I was 19 years old, my father decided that it was time to take the family on an ocean cruise. Strictly speaking it was not the first cruise I'd been on: when I was about 2 he had attended...
I always feel like somebody's watching me - Celebrity Reflection, October 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured...
"The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things; Of shoes and ships and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings..." So wrote Lewis Carroll in The Walrus and the Carpenter, one of the very few poems in...
Anybody home? - Gascony shutter, September 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in Saturday Snapshots are available...
Everyone who has seen the spellbinding film Amadeus must at some time have pondered thisquestion: how do you know which cultural artefacts from your time will survive for centuries to come, and which will sink into the mists of obscurity?...
When you have lived in London for a few years, it's easy to become blasé about the old place. You get so frustrated on the days when youtr train is delayed by 10 minutes that you forget what a total...
Crest - Bologna, September 2012 This is a detail shot of one of the hundreds of ornate gilded crests lining the walls at the old Bologna University building. I visited the university, the oldest in Italy, recently and you can...
When I was a little girl, I often asked my mom why I had brown eyes when she had bright blue eyes. Surely if I was her daughter, I would also have the blue eyes that I so hankered after?...
"Spaghetti Bolognese? Pah - there is no such thing! Here, we serve a ragu on tagliatelle, never on spaghetti." And what if you happen, by accident or ignorance, to serve your bolognese sauce on spaghetti instead of tagliatelle? "Then you...
Ocean sunrise - Celebrity Reflection, October 2012 One of the many shots I took on a recent pre-official launch cruise on the gorgeous new Celebrity Reflection. A few more pics of the cruise are available on the CookSister Facebook page....
When I was a teenager, I once found myself on a plane with my mom, flying somewhere. I can no longer recall where we were going, but I do recall my mom idly leafing through the in-flight magazine and suddenly...
Bordeaux is a wine producing region, centred on the the city of Bordeaux on the Gironde river, in south-west France. Its total vineyard area is over 120,000 hectares, making it the largest wine growing area in France. The approximately 700...
All by myself: the last of the Gascony sunflowers - September 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured...
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." So says Shakespeare's ill-fated heroine Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. But clearly Juliet never had to make flight reservations, or deal with...
The story so far: After a long and slightly arduous drive from London, we had finally arrived in northern Provence, spending our first afternoon explosing the lovely Coustellet farmer's market. Our next stop was the hilltop village of Menerbes where...
Rose window in the Eglise St Pierre, Auvillar, France - September 2012 Auvillar is a Mediaeval village on the banks of the Garonne and has been named one of the most beautiful vilages in France. It is a stop for...
There are some food-related questions that are always really easy to answer - things like "wine or beer?" (wine); "plain or salted?" (salted); with or "without whipped cream?" (with!); or "chocolate or vanilla?" (chocolate, always chocolate!). But then there are...
Well, the English have their chicken tikka masala; the Italians their pizza; the French their escargots; and the Americans their apple pie. Each nationality seems to have one meal that they embrace 100% and make their own, build legends around,...
Sunset on the Adige River - Rovigo, Italy, September 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in Saturday...
As some of you may know, I spent 8 very happy years of my life as a lecturer - one respect in which I did follow in my mother's footsteps. On my first day, I walked into a banked lecture...
Much like first time parents, I imagine that would-be restaurant owners who are standing on the cusp of opening their first restaurant must spend inordinate amounts of time agonising about the name. What are you trying to tell people about...
Shine a little light - Swedish tealight holders, Malmo - August 2012 You can read all about the Swedish crayfish party where I saw these candles. Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously...
When I was a kid, my parents had clearly not read the parenting book that advised parents to "give your kids some freedom and space to grow". Oh no, instead they had opted for the book that said "be very...
There are some iconic things in life that everybody needs to do once before they die. You know - things like swimming with wild dolphins. Seeing your favourite painting in real life. Getting lost in Venice. Drinking wine in the...
Colour by the bottle - Conservatoire des Ocres, Rousillon - June 2012 And here's more about my visit to the Conservatoire des Ocres on my recent visit to Provence. Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday...
The story so far: we had driven from London to northern Provence, where our first stop was the charming Coustellet farmer's market. Our next stop was the hilltop village of Menerbes where we enjoyed a truffle-tastic lunch at the Maison...
On the airport bus in Malmö a couple of weeks ago, I was seated in front of a group of twentysomethings whose clipped vowels betrayed their expensive education. I kind of filtered out the first part of their conversation which...
Eye spy - London South Bank, August 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in Saturday Snapshots are...
In my ongoing attempt to clear my drafts folder of half-completed posts, here is another account of a truly enjoyable wine dinner in great company that I attended at the end of last year. One of the great things about...
Isn't it funny how some nights, you get ready for a party effortlessly: everything you put on looks good; your mascara goes on without a smudge; and you arrive on time and relaxed. Once at the party, the smooth sailing...
The braai. Aaah yes, that institution of South African social life, practised and beloved by all of us, whether abroad or at home. So revered, in fact, that South Africans even created a day to celebrate the braai. Officially, 24...
Please, sir, may I have some more? - Sweden, August 2012 Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in...
If somebody were to ask me what driving in Provence is like I would answer as follows: Picture the rigid grid of Manhattan, near-completely flat and 99% in a neat grid pattern wuth dead-straight streets meeting each other at right-angled...
London 2012 Olympic park wildflower meadows - August 2012 Although I usually confine myself to a single Saturday Snapshot, in a break with tradition I thought I would throw in a few extra shots to make a photo essay of...
How did I manage to leave this post about a supper club I attended towards the end of last year languishing in my drafts folder for the better part of ten months? Well, I have a pretty big drafts folder!!...
And so after all the highs, lows, drama, medals and excitement of the past two weeks, the London 2012 Summer Olympics finally drew to a close on Sunday night with a much debated but (in my opinion) dazzling closing ceremony...
Isn't it funny how nobody who does family research ever traces themselves back to Godfrey, son of Godfrey, mediaeval street-sweeper extraordinaire? Oh no, it's always "King Henry VIII was my third cousin's nephew, twice removed!" or "We can trace our...
Flying the London 2012 flag - Basketball Arena, Olympic Park, Stratford Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on the Saturday Snapshots archive page. Many photos featured in...
When I got the message on 30 June that Barbara Harris, wife, mother, cook food blogger and human being extraordinaire had passed away the day before, I was struck with a pang of deep sorrow. Sorrow because death is so...
ArcelorMittal Orbit - Olympic park, London August 2012 The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 115-metre-high sculpture and observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. Designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, it is Britain's largest piece of public art...
I love a good cause, I do - even more so when you can support it by kicking back and enjoying some fabulous food ;) A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Dehesa, one of the restaurant in...
Pop quiz, ladies and gentlemen: Who can tell me what the following list of items have in common: Xiri Catawba Manx Coeur d'Alene Gamilaraay Chamacoco Faetar Occitan If you said they were rare heritage varieties of fruit or vegetables, you'd...
For weeks now, there's been something in the air here in London (and no, before you ask, I am not referring to clouds or rain!). There's been a tangible air of excitement, tinged with annoyance and lightly sprinkled with apprehension....
