I'll wait here once again

Diamond Geezer is frequently good reading - and sometimes he just goes ahead and writes the post I was going to write. Just a link for you then - Stratford has a Starbucks now??



(I'm a fence-sitter on the subject of major multi-national coffee chains. I see the arguments against, but at the same time, independent coffee shops are not falling over themselves to give me the option of sitting somewhere that's not a pub, chatting with a friend at ten in the evening. I figure that I'm not paying £3 for a coffee, I'm paying £3 for the place to sit and natter that isn't a pub full of loud drunks. I think that's worth it. Of course the new local is open more or less while I'm at work, so won't be getting my custom, but when and if they start offering me that essential service, I won't complain.)

You say "I ordered you a pancake"

Pancake day!

I'm a little too far away to get over to Brick Lane for the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race but I'll be celebrating later by cooking lots of pancakes for lots of friends.

And I've finally learned my lesson - it doesnt matter how many fancy toppings you offer, the average bear wants lemon and sugar at least half the time - so I've cut the menu to two kinds of sugar (dark brown for flavour, granulated for texture), lemon juice, lime juice, chocolate spread, maple syrup, and cooked apple and blackberry.

While foraging for supplies at the supermarket last night, though, I was momentarily heartened that, amongst all the mixes and packets, they'd actualy put out flour on the 'don't forget pancake day' display. And then my hopes were crushed, because it was self raising flour. The mixes and packets frustrate me, as pancakes are ridiculously simple (and cheap). But self raising flour is just wrong.

For ten or twelve pancakes you need

4oz / 110g plain flour.
2 large eggs.
10fl oz / 275ml semi skimmed milk. (Delia Smith, original source of this recipie, faffs about with whole milk and water, but really - life's too short!)
+
butter or oil for cooking. (Delia says butter, I use oil, which gets hotter without burning, but in any case she's right about the amount - you only need the slightest sugestion of either - the pan needs to be greased, but the pancakes must not fry in fat.)

Break eggs into flour, beat, and then gradually add the milk, whisking all along.

Just accept that your first pancake will probably be a mess, and make sure the pan's hotter and you use less batter for the second, and then - away you go!

I can mash-potato / And I can do the twist

Thanks to Londonist's recommendation, dinner last night was at Mother Mash, just off Carnaby Street, and very yummy it was too.

The menu's delightfully simple, but the mix-and-match style means that there's a fair amount of choice, and even us veggies had several options to pick from. Most of my favourite eating spots are oriental, but sometimes you're not in the mood for sushi, and a big plate of sausage and mash is just the ticket - and this was *good* sausage and mash. (The pie and mash was pretty fab too, according to my dining partner.)

And the service? Was great.

When we squelched in out of the rain they were full, but not only were we made to feel really welcome, and looked after while we waited for a table, they even offered to come and fetch us if we'd rather pop into the pub next door for a pint while we waited. As it happens a table came free within a couple of minutes, but the offer was appreciated.

Definitely a candidate for a repeat visit at some point.

Well, I spied a berry bush as I was strolling home

Today J and I headed south of the river to go to Nunhead cemetery, for blackberrying with my friend JJ. TfL's journey planner was more-than-usually off about timings, so we were rather late, but getting there was the only tricky part.

Roaming around the huge, overgrown, beautiful Victorian cemetery picking lots and lots and lots of luscious blackberries while chatting was ace. It really is beautiful, and peaceful, and I wished I had a camera with me. The giant colander full of rinsed blackberries getting frozen in batches is a most satisfying souvenir though.