Lemon Poppyseed Cakes

Had a little baking spree this morning & finally got to use the little mini cake moulds I bought a very long time ago.

Jumble Finds

Some friends had a stall at the the Wills Moody Jumble Sale at the Aloysius Social Club last Sunday so I popped down to say hello.


Found some lovely pearls for £2 & this badge for a mere 50p.


Couldn't resist the chance to get into the aloha spirit for the bargain price of 50p with this vintage Hawaiian LP. What with this & last weekend's hula fun I'm really in the mood for our Hawaiian honeymoon now.

And so to... Bar Italia

I enjoyed myself so much that I wasn't ready to go home once it was all over & so I had a lovely post hula chamomile tea & chat with Anne & Cara into the early hours. Thanks so much everyone who came along for making it such a great night & big thanks to Anne for sending me her photos.

More Hula Hens

Everyone enjoyed the Lindy Hop class & especially the teachers' demonstration afterwards but the surprise hit of the night was definitely the hula hooping.


Especially popular were the hoops with little light in them. Three of our number are now proud hula hoop owners.


This girl was very, very good although she did somehow manage to make a wholesome children's activity look really dirty.


These lovely creatures are the Whoopee Beaux Belles. Apparently they're a tap dancing troup from East London (get it? Beaux Belles?) but on Friday they kept us entertained by running ahead of us and making arches for us to walk through. Very bizarre!


Here is the hot tub. Sadly none of us were brave enough to get in it but that didn't stop up nipping in there for a few snaps.

Hula Hula Hen Night

Last Friday was my hen night. A gang of us went to Rock a Hula at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. No L-plates or veils for me. Just your regular 1950s Hawaiian beach party themed hula hooping & swing dancing night.


Here are the girls...


Watching Elvis shake his thing at the showing of 'Blue Hawaii'.


We like!

A Walk in the Country

We went out to visit Paul's Parents yesterday & had a walk in the surrounding Chiltern Hills.


That's Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat.


Here we are setting off again after our pub lunch.


Map boy!


the final trudge up the hill was pretty steep but we were rewarded with great views over the vale of Aylesbury.

Cannellini Bean & Rosemary Burgers

I found a really good vegan bean burger recipe online.


Check it out at 'What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway'.

London Vegan Festival

Last Sunday I went to the London Vegan Festival at Kensington Town Hall.


There were more vegans there than you could shake a stick at.


If you think that a lack of meat makes vegans mild-mannered creatures you should see how they behave when a tray of free vegan sausages is on offer or watch them squabble over the last chocolate tiramisu.


To be honest most of the vegan festival was a bit much for me. Too many hunt sabs (isn't that the government's job these days) & white people with dreadlocks. I was just there for the food which happily was great. I also liked the 'Secret Society of Vegans' stall. They have great design & a sense of humour about themselves. Apparently they have a stall in Camden Town now. Must go and check it out.


Mmm, ginger cake.

Birthday Treats

It was my birthday yesterday & I had a lovely, lovely day. I had to go to work (boo) & didn't get any cards in the post because of the wretched postal strike but this didn't stop me from having lots of fun & feeling thoroughly spoilt.


Paul got me this ukulele. I'm so excited about learning how to play it!


I love the dolphin-shaped bridge.


In the evening we went to Saf, a vegan & raw food restaurant in Shoreditch. Here's our starter: a taster plate of beetroot ravioli, vegetable maki, cashew cheese & flax-seed crackers - all raw.


Here's Paul's main course: a raw mushroom lasagne. I pinched a bit. It was very tasty.


And my main course: squash & rosemary cannelloni. Delicious! Really enjoyed our trip to Saf. It's not cheap but it's lovely for special occasions & we were pleasantly suprised by the raw stuff we tried. They also have an excellent cocktail list. The importance of this cannot be overstated ; )

Step Away From the Book!

I found this in the library I work in. Although it was published in 1962 I thought I'd have a browse. Things can't have changed that much for brides & grooms in 47 years, right? Wrong! Absolutely terrifying stuff! So glad it's 2009.

Tofu Omelette

This is the first recipe I've tried from my new 'Vegan Brunch' cookbook. The only thing I really miss since becoming vegan almost a year ago is eggs so I decided to have a go at creating a vegan 'omelette'.

I combined silken tofu, chickpea flour, olive oil, nutritional yeast, arrowroot & seasoning in a blender to make an eggy looking batter. It held together in the pan just great.


There are lots of suggestions for vegan omelette fillings in my cookbook. I went with mushrooms & spinach, fried with a little garlic.


The moment of truth. Does it taste like an omelette? Well, it's not exactly the same but pretty similar & even omni fiance (the ultimate critic) thought it was mighty tasty. Thumbs up indeed! : )