Artichoke Bruschetta

Having passed my viva in November, I'm turning over a new leaf - or perhaps simply reclaiming old habits - to discuss good tucker again! Which starts with what's in my fridge at the moment: artichokes. I could eat them by the bucketload. I stare enviously at them in WholeFoods and other supermarkets I can't afford. I sometimes pick them up and wonder what life would be like if I could casually splash out and lay down big bucks for these crinkly green beauties. In my imaginary life I'd have a dog too. And heck, a car parking space. And a garden. I'm living the London dream.

Fresh Ginger Biscuits

I think I’m allergic to history. I went to the National Archives for the first time a few weeks ago and caught a cold. Then last week, I went to the National Maritime Museum and now I have the flu. See what I mean? I’ll admit that both times I was more nervous than I should have been, which resulted in me being able to eat only a pear for lunch on one occasion. But still. It’s got to be all that history. Or maybe it’s the fact that I feel that I shouldn’t sneeze near archival materials, which inevitably makes me need to sneeze so badly! 

"Spanish" Paella

Not having set foot on Spanish soil, my experience of paella so far hasn’t been that great. A market stall in northern France does shine through in my memory; heaving with onlookers all ogling a steaming pan the width of a double bed, we fought our way through the crowd for a family-size portion of the stuff, studded with spindly langoustines, peppers and tomatoes. But of course that was good; I was ten for god’s sake and it was the holidays!