Dear London Town

Here’s a quick look at the actual Nom Nom Nom ‘09 event sponsored by QypeUK and the Cookery School last Sunday.

Shopping took place at the Marlyebone Farmer’s Market.

We were given bags from the school and a 40gbp limit to produce a 3-course meal for 4 people.

After we returned with out goods, we were given stations and we set all our goodies out.

Photo credit: Chris Osborn/QypeUK

Then it was time to cook:

Photo credit: Chris Osborn/QypeUK

Finally, we plated it up for the judges to review. Starter: Prawn Summer Rolls with peanut sauce

Photo credit: Chris Osborn/QypeUK

Main: Thai Green Curry with chicken, tri-color peppers and courgettes served with Jasmine Rice

Photo credit: Chris Osborn/QypeUK

Dessert: Honey, lime and mint dressed berries over vanilla ice cream

Photo credit: Chris Osborn/QypeUK

The judges’ review of our meal was:

• Tom: The dishes were very good, with some great tastes overall. This team made a great effort and produced some great flavourings!
• Rosalind: Lovely idea, however the food needed to be a little tastier (think salt).
• Dan: A lovely selection and combination, but it needed more care in the finish and cooking.
• Alegra: Summer rolls were my favourite, they looked very sexy. Seeing the prawn through the wrapper made me think of silk knickers.
• Jenny: I liked the South East Asian focus, the summer rolls were very refreshing.
• Nick: Started looked great and very appetising. It was a lovely summer dish that followed through on taste, and I especially loved the watermelon for its colour and freshness.

We didn’t win, but we did take home lots of goodies!

Congratulations on a job well done to all the finalists!

For more pictures, see my full set, Tom’s set and the official QypeUK Nom Nom Nom 09 set. You should also check out the excellent documentary on the Qype blog.
Voting is still open for viewer’s choice… we’d love your vote, but we’d have a lot of ground to make up to knock out the front runners.

Qype and Cookery School are sponsoring a cooking challenge for bloggers. Each team has 2 bloggers preparing a starter, main and dessert. One item must not need to be cooked and the focus is on foods that are local, sustainable and seasonable.

I had really hoped to enter this competition earlier on, but I decided to take on a consultancy role to support one of the teams rather than participate. (My schedule has been crazy, so there was no way to know if I’d be available.) But after a conversation last Tuesday, I found that Tom and Chris’s team were going to be a man down due to a conflict. I volunteered to pinch hit and well…I’m ready to play ball.

I received the recipes that the boys had chosen just a few hours ago and, while I like the menu, I am skeptical of the choices based on the season, however I am game to try it.

The menu includes:
Pork Spring Rolls with Sweet Chilli Sauce
Thai Green Chicken + Potato Curry
Fruit Salad

I’m off to go have a think about making the menu a bit more summery and and the dessert a bit more special.

Tomorrow, I’ll update the blog with the final showing of what we and the others did. There is also an opportunity for people to vote on a winner – like a people’s choice award. Please support Tom, Chris (in spirit) and me! If you vote for us, I’ll cook for you.

London is filled with buskers, or people who perform for entertainment, money or the hope for fame. Covent Garden is one of the best places to watch circus acts, hear opera or symphonic groups, see the statue people interact with little ones or generally see something you wouldnt see everyday.

I’m toying with the idea of capturing some of these people and making a small series here on the blog about it. When I can, I’d like to ask them some simple questions, like: name, website, goals, favorite busking memory, and where to see them perform.

Till I have an opportunity to sit down and ask them, I’m going to post the videos I have at random to give you an idea of what I see on an almost daily basis somewhere in London.

Today’s feature comes from Covent Garden. There are two clips – sorry the first one got cut short…

The normal celebration of the 4th would be spent at home with my family in Arkansas and attending an annual get-together that I’ve only missed a couple times in my life – usually due to being in another country.

My sis and the kiddos sent me a care package of Independence Day treasures and fun. I still missed out on the Huber potatoes, Jody’s meatballs, hanging at the lake and playing pyro for the kids’ firework watching pleasure, but it sure is nice to feel loved all the way from home!

“A heatwave warning has been issued for England and Wales, with temperatures in some areas potentially rising as high as 32C (90F) in the coming days.”

I sent this to both my mom and sister, who both wrote back “big deal! It’s hotter in the Ozarks.” Yet, they both forget that air conditioning is not something that comes standard in London flats.

Fortunately, my room is on low ground with no direct sun. The temperature difference between my kitchen area above and the rooms below feels like 10 degrees.

I had a real need to cook today and spent the majority of my time upstairs. It got quite warm indeed! I finally gave up sweating in the kitchen to take a cold shower around 5pm and then sat in my room with my fan on full blast.

Yowza! It’s hot here!!

Dear London Town,

I wish I could say I missed you on my holiday, but I didnt. I enjoyed the carefree days of lounging by the pool, drinking coffee, eating my weight in pasta and trying to speak Italian with E’s parents. Such a perfect trip away…and so close! In less than a 2 hour flight, I can return some day.

Still, I have come home to your warm embrace! How strange, London Town! Has summer finally hit your streets? Perhaps you and I will need to sit in the park, drink Pimm’s, and reacquaint ourselves.

xx