Christmas and 2015 reflections

The year is drawing to a close and what a year it has been. I may post again before the year is fully over, but it felt right to combine reflections on Christmas with thoughts on this year as a whole.

First, Christmas. It was lovely. I was getting a cold, which was less lovely, but it was our first Christmas in our new home and we enjoyed a relaxed and laid back day. There were lots of presents, lots of food, and just the right amount of effort to make it special. There is something to be said for a Christmas where you do everything just the way you want to.

 

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In my kitchen - November 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

We're back! Scotland was wonderful and I look forward to sharing photos and highlights in future posts. For now, though, I am joining Celia's monthly In My Kitchen series to summarise some of what is happening in my kitchen this November.

In my kitchen, there is the tried and true mix of (soya) yoghurt with oats and fruit. I go through phases with this combination - sometimes I can't get enough and then suddenly I'm over it for a little while. Right now, I'm in the can't get enough phase.

In my kitchen, there are assorted products from Morrisons. Until recently, this was the British supermarket we didn't shop at, on account of not having one within walking distance in London or particularly close to our new home in Kent. In Scotland, though, they were the most frequent chain and we enjoyed discovering their products. I was especially pleased to see vegan millionaire's shortbread (caramel slice) in their own brand 'free from' range. I liked it a lot and more so than the other vegan millionaire's shortbread I've tried.

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In my kitchen - October 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Last month I was feeling nostalgic about the end of summer. This month I am back to embracing autumn, my long-time favourite season. The days have been delicious lately, with clear sunny skies and a crisp but not painful chill to the air. The leaves are yet to turn, but the light has mellowed from summer bright to autumn glow. The only downside is the dark mornings - I am looking forward to daylight savings ending so my early runs are not black.

Other than the weather, I am enjoying some fun items in my kitchen. This bowl came back from Italy with us and is the perfect size for nuts, chocolate or other small snacks.

Not in my kitchen, but related to the bowl, are other small Italian ceramic purchases. We loved this motorbike and curious duck.

More kitchen-specific are another set of new items from Tesco. Honestly, they expand their 'Free From' range by the month! I was delighted to see the vegan strawberry-vanilla ice cream cones and Mr Bite and I both enjoyed them. The only downside is that the vanilla ice cream component tastes creamy rather than vanilla-y, which I don't love. That is motivating me to eat the ice cream in a mixed up fashion rather than taking the flavours in separately (my tendency). When eaten in that way, the cones are delicious.

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3 days in Dresden

Having posted recent images of our new home and neigbourhood, it seems a bit odd to now reveal I am in Germany. It has been a brief, jam-packed work trip (Tuesday through Thursday) and I return home today. It's actually my first real visit to Germany, other than a night train from Prague to Brussels that included an hour at the train station in Cologne. I have spent most of my time here indoors, but am fortunate to be staying in the attractive central old town area.

Dresden, views through to central square

Contrary to appearances, the old town is actually, in large part, rather new. Dresden was one of the many German cities bombed in WWII and most of the buildings pictured above and below were destroyed. They only finished rebuilding them in the last 5 years, but they have done an amazing job of the work. Other than looking particularly clean and well kept, the buildings could pass for their historical counterparts.

Dresden central square

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In my kitchen - September 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

This is my first IMK post since we've moved. I'm still figuring out where things sit in the kitchen and learning the temperament of our oven and hob. So, as well as some of the food within it, I thought I'd feature the kitchen itself in this post. Eventually we will redo the kitchen, but it is perfectly serviceable in its current form.

One of the nice things about this kitchen is it has room for my cookbooks. I like having them easily accessible for inspiration or direction.

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In My Kitchen - August 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

I have come to really value these monthly In My Kitchen posts. In addition to providing a peek into others' kitchens, they are a nice way to take stock of the last month and mark the passing of time across the year. For example, looking at my July IMK, I was reminded that we'd just had our heat wave. Summer has mellowed since and whilst the evenings are still long, it is getting darker slightly earlier.

This month, Celia is dealing with family difficulties but has kindly still done her own In My Kitchen post. You can see what other people are up to through the comments section on her post.

In my kitchen this month, there have been more green smoothies, as pictured above (banana-kale), and more peaches, as pictured below. Peaches make a particularly delicious topping for my vegan French toast and the plate below was made with almond essence in the toast batter. 

Peaches on vegan French toast

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In My Kitchen - July 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

In my kitchen last month, I mentioned signs of summer. In my kitchen this month, summer is here with a vengeance and it is currently too hot to cook. London registered the hottest July day ever yesterday (36.7'C / 98'F) and with no air conditioning at home or at work it has been a sweltering few days. I thought I was leaving such heat behind in Western Australia!

So, my kitchen is not producing many hot dishes. I am enjoying lots of soda water with lemon and fresh mint, plucked from my windowsill, and lots of salads and ice cream.

Prolific mint

I am also enjoying more dairy-free products from Tesco. Layered yoghurt pots are the latest addition to their 'free from' dessert range.

These have a sweet fruit layer at the bottom and a surprisingly thick yoghurt layer above. I am really enjoying them as a dessert-worthy alternative to plain yoghurtsl

I am also enjoying - wait for it! - my beloved Sakata roast tomato and balsamic rice crackers. These were my favourite of Australia's small flavoured rice crackers, and my parents kindly brought over two packets.

The UK does do large chocolate covered rice cakes well, and the Nature's Store dark chocolate orange version is a favourite. I never see this variety in supermarkets, but it is usually available to buy online when we do our 4-6 weekly online supermarket order.

In my kitchen, I have moved on from summer berries to peaches, nectarines and melon. I should note that I still like berries just as much, but my local market stalls are now selling fewer berries and more stone fruit. The peaches (not pictured, as I ate them all!) have been particularly delicious.

In my kitchen, there have been roses from our downstairs front garden. Technically that land is shared, but our downstairs neighbour tends to it, so I always feel slightly guilty if I pick a flower. I usually wait until he's out before appropriating one! As the picture below shows, there are currently plenty available.

Summer flowers (and my bike)

What is happening in your kitchen this month?

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One year in London

Friday was the one year anniversary of our move to London. It seems an appropriate time to reflect on some of the Australia / UK differences I've noticed. Interspersed are some recent photos from day trips out of London, to Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

England is not a new country to me, but there are things you only really notice when you live somewhere for an extended period of time (and to that I might add, live somewhere for an extended period of time as an adult). Here are some of them for me;

1. Different words, phrases and pronunciations. 

There are the obvious words for food bloggers, like aubergine instead of eggplant, and courgette instead of zucchini. Then, there are the words that it really matters to get right, like trousers instead of pants (which in the UK are men's underpants) and flip flops instead of thongs (I suspect no explanation is needed).

I've converted to pronouncing 'yoghurt' as yog-urt (instead of the Australian yo-ghurt) and am working on the English pronunciation of 'room', which is a mix between 'room' and 'rum' (in contrast to Australia's longer pronunciation of rooom). Most of the time I remember to say 'jacket potato' instead of 'baked potato'.

I don't think I'll ever say that I feel 'poorly', but it no longer sounds odd to hear others use it in place of 'ill' or 'sick'.

In a broader sense I'm better now at identifying accents from different parts of the UK, and London accents sound normal to me. When I hear an Australian, either on TV or on the street, their accent is simultaneously familiar but out of place. (I do appreciate I still sound Australian myself!)

Ickworth House, Suffolk

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Ireland travels - a final stretch up the west coast (Dingle Peninsula, Burren National Park, Galway)

My Ireland recaps have been incredibly drawn out, but this is the final summary of our travels, other than one food-specific post to follow at some point.

The west coast of Ireland has some amazing scenery and it was a nice finish to our time in the country. Unfortunately, the area is also renowned for being particularly rainy and our time there was particularly wet! Even so, it was enjoyable and we managed to see things through the rain.

Views off the Dingle Peninsula

We did the Dingle Peninsula as a day trip from Killarney (discussed in my last Ireland post), as it is only an hour or so to drive between the two areas. Like the Ring of Kerry from Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula provides a loop drive with scenic views and small town stops. There are also ancient ring forts and other stone ruins and churches. The peninsula is the western most point of Europe and on a clear day the views extend far into the distance.

Connor's Pass

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In My Kitchen - June 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

In my kitchen, there are true signs of summer.

I have tomatoes, stored on the window ledge to stop the refrigerator from cutting their flavour.

They make a great base for a simple weekend lunch (pictured below with kale and basil, and sides of potato bread and apricots).

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In my kitchen - The Easter edition (April 2015)

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Happy Easter weekend! Whether you celebrate the religious aspects or not, I hope you're that enjoying the long weekend if you have one, or just the weekend if you don't.

There are certainly signs of Easter in my kitchen. The UK has an amazing array of dairy free Easter chocolate, and I'm harbouring a 'bunnycomb' (honeycomb) egg and a bag of small 70% cocoa eggs.

 

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In my kitchen - March 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Do you remember all the apples I had in my February In My Kitchen post? Some of them were turned into apple pie. It's not in my kitchen any more, but it was delicious while it lasted.

In my kitchen, there are signs of spring. The days are longer, the sun is brighter, and flowers are starting to pop up in local parks. It's rather nice.

Not in my kitchen, but near it...

Perhaps as a result of the weather shift, my kitchen is seeing lots of fruit, yoghurt and cereal. It's replaced porridge as my breakfast of choice, and I'm alternating between fresh blueberries and frozen mixed berries.

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In my kitchen - February 2015 (+ give away winner)

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

February 2015. It sounds both normal and a little science fiction-y. I'm starting to understand how people get to age 60 / 70/ 80/ 90 and still feel just as they did at age 20.

This month, my kitchen has love heart crumpets from Tesco. Oh, I know they are a marketing ploy and of course they cost more than the standard variety. But, Tesco also had Christmas tree crumpets in the lead up to Christmas and I exercised great restraint in not buying them until Christmas week. Sadly, come Christmas week, they were sold out. Sometimes restraint backfires, and so I didn't exercise any when I spotted these. They were into our trolley within seconds and I'm having great fun eating them.

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In my kitchen - January 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

2015. It really does feel amazing to write that. Happily, I'm beginning the year with plenty of good food and (as this post will show!) rather a lot of chocolate. With my birthday and Christmas both falling in December, this In My Kitchen post benefits from food treats galore.

First up, my Christmas chocolate, beautifully selected by Mr Bite. I have chocolate for all occasions, with a 55% cocoa 'luxury dark chocolate' block, an 85% cocoa Marks & Spencer's dark chocolate block, and some milkier and sweeter dairy free chocolate caramels. They are all excellent.

To complement the chocolate, I have two new packets of tea - a mixed assortment and a gorgeously fragrant aniseed, fennel and liquorice pack.

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