Fiction, Food, Faith and everything in-between

I made two small loaves of Cholla yesterday. One for me and one for a friend. I realised that my loaf wasn't going to last long so I made an additional two loaves for the freezer.  To be honest I don't even know if I have enough space for these in my freezer but maybe we will just eat it instead. I also made a spicy salmon dish from my Dominique Woolf cook book. It doesn't look as good as her's but it tastes great.  I wonder what the fish looked like when Jesus fed all those people with five loaves and two fish? In any case I also cooked a rice tray bake. Thai Green Curry Chicken and Rice Tray bake from my Dominique cook book. Yes - that cook book is a great favourite and I love it even more now I have tasted the peanut and coconut bites recipe and it is made without baking! I am not feeding thousands,  but I am grateful that I am able to try out recipies and feed my family, especially at this time when so many people are ...

I have cooked all kinds of things over the past few weeks. Some were my new but old favourites  Like the Red Red from my Zoe's Ghana Kitchen book.  And the Cinnamon Buns from the BBC website. But I also tried a few new things like Teriyaki Chicken Puffs from my Dominique Woolf book  and Barbecue Beef Short Ribs from the Jamie Oliver website. And I made a Lavender Loaf. It was perfect and silently disappeared from the fridge as my son quietly but determinedly sliced his way through it. The lock down and extended working from home gave me the time I needed to focus on my cooking. Instead of cooking a few favourites, I invested in some cook books, joined a cook book  club and rediscovered my love of cooking.  I plan our meals with precision and I have a good rhythm of cooking which means I am not in the kitchen everyday. But even if I was I would still enjoy it and so would my son.  My new job is most...

It has been a very odd few weeks. I accepted the offer of a new job and it created a stir. There is always a huge amount of interest in anything the Archbishop of Canterbury does and I think appointing a black woman as his Chief of Staff has definitely stirred things up in a number of different ways. There are many people who are happy to see a black woman in such a senior post and there are those who aren't happy at all. Such is always the case  but what truly matters to me is how I feel about this new direction.  How do I feel? It is really nice if people are happy for you when you achieve something, especially when family and friends are happy.   I am really not bothered about the opinions of people I dont know. I am not a popstar or celebrity, and this is about my personal life and my career but because it is the AB's post strangers wade in with their opinions and I ask myself 'who send you come'? A Nigerian phrase for 'who are you and what is your business here...

In her lovely cook book Dominique Woolf advices the reader to taste as they cook. This should be common sense but sometimes when you are so focused on the process it can be easy to forget. I never forget to taste at the end though! I am really enjoying this cook book especially the many different recipies for vegetables.  The photo above is Chilli and Miso Stirfried Pak Choi. I dont normally cook Pak Choi but I shall do so more frequently now. Sprouts! I am actually one of those people who eat sprouts all the year round and not just as some kind of Christmas tradition. I love them especially when they are accompanied with Chorizo. This dish of Kung Pao-Style Brussel Sprouts with Chorizo has taste and style. I could eat the entire pan in one sitting and I think I should put a pan of this on my cooking list for a future supper with a few roast potatoes. Then I made Stir Fried Rice with Gochujang Beef. This is where I failed the taste test. The Gochujang paste ...

There is something about cooking that is very centering for me. I think those few hours in the kitchen give me time to relax and create something that is both very satisfying and life giving. I get a huge sense of achievement and happiness from trying new recipies or old favourites. And then there is the eating which is always comforting and satisfying even when the recipie doesn't work out. Unfortunately after having stayed clear of covid for two and a half years I caught it and became ill. Despite vaccinations, mask wearing and reduced work/social contact I became unwell. It isn't surprising. I am clinically extremely vulnerable so I do my best to look after my health but there is only so much an individual can do when the prevalence of Covid is so high. The experience was unpleasant but I am feeling much better now and apart from a cough and fatigue, I am feeling more like my usual self.  Being ill disrupts daily patterns of activities and routines, especially those that giv...

     Source Wikipedia Luke 10:25-37 ‘But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And  who is my neighbour”?   The parable of the Good Samaritan is one that many of us are familiar with. It reminds us that we should always be willing to help people who are in trouble. And it raises an important question.  Who is my neighbour? At first glance this is a simple question. Generally, our neighbour is the person who lives near us, or the people we meet from day to day, but these days our neighbours also include people who are brought near to us in other ways. The digital age with non stop TV, 24-hour news, the internet and social media have opened us up to the world. Suddenly people in other countries and far places have become our neighbours. We now find ourselves involved in things that are happening elsewhere in the world. It might be really entertaining things like sporting events but it might also be really tragic things like wars and natural...

I came across this lovely pair of legs  just outside the Haywards Gallery at the Royal Festival Hall. They are slightly creepy and I am quite sure they stroll around the Royal Festival Hall at night looking for their torso and head. There wasn't any explanation but I am quite sure there must be more info in the gallery. For some reason this lovely pair of legs reminded me of the way women used to be cat called by builders years ago and how that doesn't happen any more (not to me it doesn't). Nowadays if you walk past a building site you might see a sign saying that the builders are considerate and the builders are busy at work instead of yelling at women like they used to in the 'olden days'.  The Considerate Constructors web site says it is a 'not-for-profit, independent organisation founded in 1997 to raise standards in the construction industry'. I am guessing that they are responsible for the cessation of catcalling. If they are t...