Inaugural Sunday Brunch

Brunch is my favourite meal. I love the excuse for sweet and savoury on one plate (pancakes and crispy bacon!) and morning boozing (mimosas!) The timing of brunch sets you up for a perfect lazy day, so far removed from the quickly crammed toast of a Monday morning or the snaffled sandwich in front of a computer screen. Brunch says ‘Take your time guys, and can I get you seconds?’

And brunch is the perfect way to celebrate a lovely shiny new kitchen. We’ve been dreaming for years of a bright new kitchen, to max out the space in our little terraced house, and bring in as much light as possible. And this is the result…

We’re so excited to have it all finished. We’ve got more space, more light, and no horrid beige! Open shelves mean we have to be tidier. At the moment the novelty of it all means that we’re keeping on top of the washing up and choosing only pretty mugs for the shelves. We’ve still got some cupboard space to hide the ugly essentials like super noodles..

We invited the Rusts round for a celebration brunch, to show off the kitchen and put it to work. Coffee, mimosas and bacon sandwiches were an easy win. Smitten Kitchen struck gold once again with a delicious ginger spice pancake recipe. Pancakes are my very favouritest, but they are a pain to cook for a crowd. This baked version is an easy alternative I’d heartily recommend. This is the first of many meals I can’t wait to share here.

A Windy Day and a Birthday

Windy days like these are perfect for blustery beach walks after filling up on a birthday brunch. My brother was home from London for the weekend, so we took the excuse to get the family together and celebrate his birthday a few days early.

Driving out to the countryside, it felt like late autumn; the strong winds have made a mess of tidy road edges, and the rapidly stripped leaves reveal creaky old oak. Mum welcomed us with hot coffee, while we caught up on our weeks and stuffed our faces with fried potatoes and bacon.

We had bright sun on our beach walk, and the wind was whipping the waves in to a froth. Something about the wind and crashing waves makes me want to run around and twirl. Food, family and blustery walks are the makings of a good Sunday. And chocolate cake helps too..

A Paris reunion

Last Thursday I took an early Eurostar, headed for Paris and a girls’ family reunion with my mum and grama. We celebrated our triple birthdays, spanning the summer months, and stretched out our long weekend with plenty of coffee, art and wandering.

New discoveries included beautiful gardens at the Jardin des Plantes, tea at the grand old Cafe du Lion of the Musee d’Orsay, and sweet things on the streets of St Germain. We walked our feet off and, when they would take us no further, hitched a ride on a rickshaw.

Paris always offers new delights; an old city that never gets old. We stayed at the Hotel Chopin, which I would recommend to anyone. It has a lovely old shabby feel, with immaculate rooms, and friendly staff. I hope I’ll be returning some day soon!

Meanwhile, my mum and grama have headed South, to the Loire, while Tom and I head up North, to catch up with friends and explore the Lake District for the first time. Boots and bikes are packed. Can’t wait!

Mothering

In one of my favourite songs Alela Diane sings of her mama giving her melodies that she will one day pass on to her own daughter. I love the thought of sharing and passing on the things we love best. I have many happy memories of baking and sewing with my mum as I grew up, and many more of us exploring new places by bicycle. So it seemed fitting this Mother’s Day to meet my mum at a favourite cafe, mid-bike ride, and give a hand-sewn gift.

Bikes, stitching and cake; three of my favourite things. And only a few of the marvellous things that my mum has passed on to me.

Derek: World Explorer

Tom is not the only world explorer I am lucky enough to have in my family. My dad has always shown a passion for understanding how the world works. He’s a man of extreme adventure, always aiming to reach the edge of the land, the top of the mountain, or the middle of the ocean. As a child, I recall many trips by foot or by bike that were a little too long for my little legs. As a teenager, he would drive me crazy with his insistence on stopping to point out an interesting outcrop or ponder a museum display. But, with my teenage eye-rolling days over, I suspect that his adventuring spirit has rubbed off on me, as I dream of new places and new ideas.

A few days ago Tom and I went to hear Derek speak for the local Geological Society about his recent trip to El Hierro to study the active volcano. It’s always inspiring to see someone who has clearly found their element and wants to share it with others. We heard tell of spatter cones, parasitic vents, and flank collapse; all new ideas to me, despite having grown up around a Geologist!

I may not think geology rocks quite as much as my dad does, but it’s always a privilege to spend time with a world explorer.