I learned a new word today – sonder. It’s the realisation that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. It’s a lovely word and feeling. We walk past people on the street and we know nothing about their lives, they don’t exist in full form to us the way that our friends and families do…
Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals
10 May 2012 by Leave a Comment
As regular readers will know, I enjoy a bit of cookery and baking. One of my bookshelves is absolutely full of recipe books and my collection is growing. That doesn’t mean though that I actually use them all….
WeightWatchers Book of Recipes
5 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Yet again I’m on a diet. It seems like I’ve been on and off diets for much of the past ten years or so. Some have worked, others haven’t. This one is going quite well and that success is partly down to the WeightWatchers Book of Recipes…
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
31 July 2011 by 3 Comments
A delicious bakery book with amazing photography
I thought I’d do something a little different with my book review today. Instead of a novel or autobiography or the usual kind of books I review I’m going to share one of my hobbies with you – baking. I’m not a great baker, for that you have to visit my friend at Annie Bakes Cakes, but I find it relaxing after a stressful day and I love the end result. When I was a student my specialities were macaroons and biscuits, now I’m much more of a cupcake girl and my favourite recipe comes from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook.
For those not in the know, The Hummingbird Bakery is a trendy London cake shop with branches in Notting Hill, Soho, Kensington and Spitalfields. Celebrities flock there including some you would swear had never seen a cupcake in their microbiotic lives like Gwyneth Paltrow. To capitalise on the success of the bakery and its PR positioning as a luxury lifestyle brand, The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook was launched in 2009, sharing recipes and hints from company founder Tarek Malouf and the Hummingbird Bakers.
The first thing you notice is the fantastic appearance of this book. The photography by Peter Cassidy is more than simply an illustration of the recipes, it is the hook that makes you want to make your own versions of these delicious creations….
Julie & Julia
25 July 2011 by 1 Comment
An enjoyable biopic of two women and how cooking changed their lives
There’s an ongoing discussion on film blogs, review sites and magazines – why aren’t there more female directors? Why aren’t female directors recognised for their work? Are too many women shackled by the ghettoisation of making films for other women?