Persephone bookshop
Wonderful, small, independent book shop on 109 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN. Persephone “reprints forgotten classics by twentieth-century (mostly women) writers”
Persephone Bookshop
I confess to a bias, as I used to work in Elgin Books and when Elgin Books had to close down, it survived in a non-shop form for many years. However, it has now joined Persephone and its spirit lives on. I bought three books; two cookery and one fiction.
Good Things in England by Florence White is an amazing recipe book and record of old English recipes.
The blurb suggests: “‘Ever wondered how to cook Thomas Hardy’s frumenty, make Izaak Walton’s Minnow Tansies or pickle elder buds?’ asked the Sunday Telegraph. ‘Good Things in England is a collection of 853 regional recipes dating back to the C14th. First published in 1932, it was written by Florence White, the country’s first ever freelance food journalist, and, like all classic culinary works, it is a pleasure to read.”
Growing food
I’ve eaten my first crop of rocket. Tomatoes are growing. Radishes have just sprouted. I’ve had flat leaf parsley for a year, all over winter, but it decided to flower as is its way and I chopped it away to make for spring onion amongst others.
And I just ate my first one. Yum.
Japan
I am about to go to Japan. I hope to see a Noh play. If anyone has any tips, do let me know.
I’ll be going to Tokyo, Kyoto and I think Osaka and Nara too.
It’s my first time and I’m looking forward to it. Especially all the crazy (and delicious) food and its presentation eg:
Ancient noodles
Researchers have found 4,000 year old noodles, in North-West China
I ought to write this in my food/resturant blog, but I can’t get on to blogger so easily, so I’ll count this as part of “life”.
The noodles oxidised immediately when exposed to the air, but there was still enough to figure out they were made from millet. Now, I wonder what the recipe was?
Also, is it almost definitive evidence that the Chinese were the first to the noodle?
“The prehistoric noodles were on top of the sediment cone that once filled the inside of the inverted bowl. Thin, delicate and yellow, they resembled the traditional La-Mian noodle that is made by repeatedly pulling and stretching the dough by hand…”
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About me
I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.
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Recent Work
Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).
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Nakamitsu
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Yellow Gentlemen
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