Top Writing Blog Nomination

Online Colleges

I was absolutely delighted - in the midst of our move - to hear that I've been shortlisted for a Top Writing Blog Award by eCollegeFinder! It's such and honour especially as this is the first time the site has invited the public to vote for The Best Writing Blog.


eCollegeFinder, which matches students with colleges, set up the competition to promote sites by 'talented bloggers' which encourage writing. Why thank you! (I blush...)

And now comes the appeal: please vote for me here! The competition is tough, as you will see there are some very deserving blogs on the list, so I will fully understand if you (for example) choose Liz Fielding over me! The most important thing is that good writing blogs are supported and read!

The Knowledge Crouch End - Part One: The Maynard Arms

In the UK, there's a test called 'The Knowledge' for London black cab drivers. Before being awarded a licence, they have to pass a test of the best ways to navigate the thousands of roads, cul-de-sacs and one way systems in London. Basically they have to carry a complete A-Z in their heads. Not an easy task.

But this same term of The Knowledge was also used by a very good friend of ours a few years ago when he decided (together with a willing victim) to visit all the pubs in Portsmouth during a twelve month period. We are still enjoying the benefits of his Knowledge when we visit Pompey, as there's never a time when our friend is doubtful about which pub we should next go to.

So....now we're installed in Crouch End, the Englishman thought it would be befitting if we did a similar exercise here. Only in order to repay the courtesy afforded to us by our Portsmouth friend when he's visiting us...we wouldn't want to be ignorant of the best pubs in our new neighbourhood, now would we? (My liver is already curling up in horror...)

The Maynard Arms became the first pub of our Crouch End Knowledge, when on the day of our move, exhausted by the day's stresses and strains but buoyed by the thrill of having finally moved into a place of our own, we needed some sustenance. Unusually for me, I hadn't read any reviews, or had hardly even noticed the place. It was just a pub that we happened upon and once inside were very impressed by the buzzy atmosphere and friendly staff. There's a large bar area at the front and a restaurant at the back, as well as a large garden with tables.

We decided to get a table in the restaurant in the back. The boys (The Englishman and Son) went for a pint of Grandstand, which is brewed in Twickenham, and which when I tasted it, I wanted half a pint of immediately. It was very well kept and fresh.

A half a pint of Grandstand

the main bar at Maynard Arms

The girls (Daughter and Son's lovely girlfriend) decided to have white wine, a Viognier, which was very nice too. When we scanned the food menu, I was even more impressed. There were a couple of pies, a fish dish, belly of pork and a special stewed lamb with gnocchi.

Daughter and I had chicken and leek pie, which was the best pub dish I've had for a long while. Son and the Englishman chose the lamb, and ate it heartily, and Son's Girlfriend had the belly of pork. There were approving noises made around the table as we filled our moving day hungry bellies.

Lamb stew and gnocchi.

The chicken pie came with fresh greens and mash.

There was proper crackling with the belly of pork.

The boys finished off Daughter's Chicken Pie. 

We were a happy party after our mains and didn't really need dessert, but decided to share a sticky toffee pudding and an apple and rhubarb crumble. And then I spotted my favourite, Affogato (vanilla ice-ream drowned by a shot of expresso), on the menu and was lost...

If all the pubs of our Knowledge tour of Crouch End are as good as The Maynard Arms my New Year's diet might be in serious danger....

The Maynard Arms
70 Park Road
Crouch End
London
N8 8SX

On the move - again!

I have started the sorting out - honestly...

We've finally found a place to call our own here in North London and are moving this weekend. I feel quite calm about it all, mainly because this move just cannot be as horrendous as the previous one (read all about it here), and also because this time we are not moving such a distance.

Last time the down-sizing was such a nightmare; this time we only need to be a little more sensible in what we take and what we throw away (or give away). Of course there are the usual frustrations: a lack of internet connection (Sky, true to form, are making us wait for a month - a month!), worries about the removal men actually turning up on the day, and concerns whether our furniture will get through the doors and hallways (last time we took a bit o the wall off with one of the sofas). But all of this is pretty run-of-the-mill stuff to us now.

Only one thing makes my head spin - we have to get rid of most of our books. I am not giving up my hardbacks and will sleep on top of them if need be, but the paperbacks will have to go. I have yet to make the trip to the local charity shop (why do you think I'm writing this blog post - blogging is always a good distraction), but later today I do have to sort out the books that I have to say goodbye to. It's like killing your babies....

My babies.

So wish me luck with giving up my books - and oh yes - with the move too!

PS. There may be a little break in blogging - all depending on the good people at Sky, of course.

Presidential elections in Finland

I ventured all the way out to Belgravia from Northwest London this morning to carry out an important national duty: to vote in the first round of elections to select a new president for Finland. It was a beautifully sunny day and for once the Embassy on Chesham Place was teaming with my countrymen. What a lovely sight it was to see so many turn up to do their bit! Many of those in the long queue were also young people, which was doubly pleasing.

Though I don't usually make any political points on this blog, I am sure most of my Finnish readers will agree that it is important to keep the (so called!) True Finns out of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. It would be disastrous if the six-year tenure fell into the hands of a party with such extreme right-wing policies.

Lets all hope for a sensible choice from the Finnish people.

The Best New Books of 2011

Last year was a very busy reading year for me. Not only did I start working in a bookshop, but I also ran three book groups and arranged and took part in various author events and readings.

But out of all the fiction titles, children's books, non-fiction books or crime thrillers, a few books by authors which I hadn't read before stood out. These are titles by - to me - new writers that I particularly enjoyed, stories that I keep thinking back to, or books that I was surprised about.

Jubilate by Michael Arditti

The first book on my list is a novel which I (honestly) only read because I knew the author was coming to England's Lane Books. I had never even heard of Michael Arditti before, so I had no expectations of the novel. But boy, did it blow me away! Jubilate is a cleverly written passionate love story, and it's also a funny and touching story of faith. It's set in France and follows of a group of British Catholics on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. As it happens, this particular trip is also being filmed for a BBC documentary. Enter a handsome TV director. But there is no slapstick humour, or run-of-the-mill romance here, the novel is beautifully and skilfully written from two points of view - both running in opposite time-lines. The tragic story between a married Catholic, Gillian, who's husband has been left brain-damaged following an accident, and the wordly-wise, intensely sceptical TV film director, Vincent, is portrayed against a backdrop of a tourist trap with a difference; the promise of a miracle cure. Since reading Jubilate, I've found myself thinking back to the story several times. This remarkable novel is well worth a read, whether you're interested in religion or not.

Purge by Sofi Oksanen


I'd been trying to read Purge for some time. It was published in Finland in 2008, and a good friend lent it to me with the highest of recommendations. (It had also won the acclaimed Finlandia Prize). But the violent themes of the book were too painful for me to read in Finnish. Or the language was too complicated; I don't really know what it was, but month after month when my friend asked if I'd read Purge yet, I'd have to make excuses of being too busy. (Not like me at all). When the book was finally translated into English, I had no excuses left. I read the book in few days: the plot is so thick with intrigue, and so intense, I just couldn't put it down.

Here is a clip from a radio broadcast where I talk about Purge. Again I highly recommend this novel - it's truly unique and a terrific roller coaster of a read.



Comfort and Joy by India Knight

The next book on my list has to be Comfort and Joy by India Knight. I'm an avid reader of India's column in The Sunday Times, but I hadn't read her novels before. But as soon as the paperback of her latest title came out, I had to read it. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but this one was so Christmassy, and I needed a 'happy read' after having ploughed through Zweig's Beware of Pity, which is truly wonderful but heavy going in places. Comfort and Joy didn't disappoint - it's a perfect modern antidote to any turn-of-the-century drama. It's a funny, heart-warming story of a woman who every year hosts Christmas for her two ex-husbands, an ex-mother-in-law, a highly critical mother, two step-sisters, her children and other revellers who could be loosely called 'family'. It's also a frank look at modern marriage (and divorce); and the complicated relationships therein. This is a up-lifting read which I again consumed in just a matter of days. I highly recommend India Knight to anyone who, at the long queue at Waitrose/Tescos'/Sainsburys/Morrisons (Hope I didn't forget a major food retailer?) on Christmas Eve, laden with a last minute food dash (which for some strange reason has turned into a full-trolley shop) has ever wondered if it's all worth it for just one long day...

Hollow Man by Oliver Harris

Oliver Harris is a new writer, and Hollow Man is his first title. The book made waves at England's Lane Books as soon as the reading copy was out. Hollow Man is also the first crime book on my list, but it well deserves its place here. The story is set in Hampstead, and the sleuth is a down-and-out policeman, Nick Belsey. There is murder, explosions, rich Russians, shady financial dealings, and love. If you've ever lived, or even visited London you will recognise places in the book - all, in my mind, adding to the charm of this intelligent crime novel.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm not quite sure how, for all these years, I'd missed Eugenides - he wrote the highly acclaimed Virgin Suicides as well as the Pulitzer Prize winning Middlesex. He's also a contemporary (and friend) of Jonathan Franzen, a writer who's novels I adore. I first read Middlesex and was so impressed, I decided to read The Marriage Plot straight after. I completely adore Eugenides writing, it's precise, descriptive and seemingly effortless. And his plot structure if flawless. (Actually, as a writer, I hate him).

The Marraige Plot is a much more intimate story than Middlesex, which traced the whole history of a Greek family during three generations. In contract, The Marriage Plot is set in 1982 and is in the main a coming-of-age novel. It follows three main characters lives for over a year or so. Madelaine Hanna is a beautiful English major; Leonard Bankhead, her charismatic boyfriend; and Mitchell Grammaticus, authorial surrogate, a Greek from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The novel opens on graduation day and recounts the characters intertwining back stories in a way which immediately makes you want to learn more. The story then carries onto the their first year out of university. The Marriage Plot is an engaging story, a book which again I couldn't put down.


These were some of the books I read in 2011. Did you discover any new writers last year?


(No books were gifted to me for this post.)

New Year's Day Supper: Lobster and Prawn Chowder

Photo from Sky News Online 

So it's 2012! Hope you are all having a great first day of the year.

Well, our lobster last night was phenomenal. So good that we decided to use the shells to make a base for lobster and prawn chowder. It was so delicious that I decided to share the recipe:

Begin by removing the nasty bits from the lobster, like the grey, feathery gills, and the sand sac from between the eyes. Then crush the shells as far as you can. 

This is the shells of two large lobsters.

Fry a couple a chopped shallots, carrots and celery in a little olive oil. Add the shells, a garlic glove (thinly sliced) and a large beef tomato, chopped into small chunks. Fry for another few minutes, then add a small glassful of dry sherry and boil for 5 minutes. Next add enough water to cover the shells. Add a couple of bay leaves and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for one and a half hour. 

The colour of the stock is beautiful.

Strain the stock through a muslim cloth and leave to cool.

Finished lobster stock.

For the chowder I used stuff that I had in the fridge, including the prawns we bought at Billingsgate Market yesterday:

2 shallots

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

Cubed pancetta - about 150 g (bacon would also do or you can leave it out all together)

200 g of baby new potatoes (any potatoes will do, including cubed baking ones)

Glass of white wine

1.5 litres of lobster stock (or any fish or vegetable stock)

Knob of butter and olive oil for frying

100 g of butter (brought to room temperature) and a tablespoon of plain flour

150 ml single cream (or double cream or creme fraiche)

A couple of bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste

Juice of half a lemon and 

A small packet of dill to add just before serving.

And this is how to do it:

In a heavy based pan, fry the shallots, carrots, celery and pancetta in the oil and butter for a few minutes or until the shallots are translucent. 

Add the wine and boil for another few minutes. Then add the potatoes and the lobster stock. Season with salt and pepper. Boil the chowder until the potatoes and vegetables are cooked. 

Mix the flour with the softened butter. Take the soup off the heat add the paste into the chowder while whisking it gently so as not to break up the vegetables. Bring the chowder back to boil and simmer for a few minutes until the soup has thickened. Shell the prawns, removing the blue veins from each with the tip of a sharp knife. If using shop bought prawns you escape this long-winded process.

I use a teaspoon to mix the butter and flower into a paste.

The chowder is nearly ready.

Cook the chowder until the prawns turn pink, add the dill and serve with freshly made aioli and bread.

The Englishman said this was one of the best things I've ever cooked. Good start to the New Year?

New Year's Eve Morning at Billingsgate Fish Market in London

Billingsgate Fish Market

We rarely go out on New Year's Eve. When the children were young we did what many parents of small children do - miss 12 o'clock altogether by nodding off in front the sofa, desperately trying to stay awake. Occasionally, especially when the children got older, we'd be invited to parties, or skiing (bliss!), or even have a party ourselves (in our old country house I was the Millennium party host - a memorable evening for many reasons....).

But we've never been keen on going out on New Year's Eve, even when the children grew up and went their own ways. Instead of the difficulty with babysitters, there was the difficulty (and expense) of taxis to the middle of nowhere.

When we moved away from the country into London, I thought we'd take up going out again - there was no problem with babysitting or transport - the tube in London is free and runs all night. But last year - our first here in London - after umming and arring for the days between Christmas and New Year, we decided to try our local, The Holly Bush, in Hampstead. With post-Christmas budgets pinching us, a night in a pub would be less expensive than going out somewhere (proper), we mused. Typically for us, after some cocktails with Daughter and her friends at home (they were staying over in our flat), we walked to the pub and ended up buying a very expensive bottle of champagne on the stroke of midnight. So much for saving money...

This year the same umming and arring has been going on again. But after such an extravagant (and so worth it!) night out for Daughter's 21st, we decided we'd treat ourselves to something nice at home and settle down in front of Jules Holland's Hootenanny on TV instead. Then I had a bright idea: why don't we go out to Billingsgate Fish Market in the morning to buy - hopefully - live lobster, and cook them for the evening? Why indeed not....

At 5 am this morning when the alarm went I regretted my bright idea, but after a cup of coffee I was up for the adventure. I'd always wanted to see the new Billingsgate market. I love fish, and I wanted to see if you really could barter for your supper. After a long and a lonely drive across the dark, empty streets of London, we finally reached the Isle of Dogs where the market is. And boy was it busy! There were obviously many other 'private' shoppers who'd had the same brilliant idea as us.

There was some serious haggling going on...

Some stalls sold fish which was already prepared.

But most sold the fish in boxes which looked like they were packed at sea...lovely!

When we walked along the aisles we realised we'd forgotten to go to a cashpoint en route. After a quick count-up we mustered £40 in cash and hoped we could get at least two lobsters. But there weren't many stalls selling this king of seafood. When we finally came across some, there were many other buyers. But we were relieved to find they were £18 per kilo. We bought two lobsters for £38-00 without even trying to haggle. It just didn't seem right with so many other buyers circling the stall.

The lobsters.

Then the Englishman found more coins in his pockets and we mustered another £15-00 for a box of uncooked king prawns, which we'd spotted earlier. At least here we were able to haggle and got the price reduced from £18. For two kilos of prawns that's pretty good value.

By eight am we were back at home, exhausted. I looked at the lobster and decided they needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. We'd never cooked lobster before, but the Englishman is a dab hand at crayfish. Lobster is only large crayfish, right? After a reviving cup of coffee, we decided to boil up some water with a teaspoon of salt, some bay leaves, thyme and a squeeze of lemon. According to several sites on the interweb, each lobster should only take 15 minutes to cook.

The lobster in the pot.

With some home-made mayonnaise I think we have not only got a delicious meal for New Year a deux but also a meal of excellent value. The proof of the lobster will be in the eating, I'm sure. So wish us luck with our nearly self-caught supper. Lets hope it tastes as good as 'catching' it was fun!

Happy New Year To You All 
and 
Many Thanks For Reading My Ramblings Over 2011!

Billingsgate Market
Trafalgar Way
London
E14 5ST

Tel 020 7987 1118
Fax 020 7987 0258
Email Billingsgatemarket@cityoflondon.gov.uk

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I was very sceptical about watching a Hollywood version of the first book in the wonderful Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  Although I felt the Swedish films left a lot to be desired, mainly because the plot of the books was completely mixed up between the three films, they had some authenticity as films made in the country where the crime novels originated from. Watching the whole action in English would surely take a huge amount away from the Swedish atmosphere?

I also absolutely loved Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in the three films by Oplev. She seemed to capture Lisbeth's complicated character - and she spoke Swedish. (As aside, I've yet to forgive the actress for leaving her lovely husband, Ola, just because she's become the more successful actress - or at least this is what the gossip magazines in Sweden cite as the reason for the couple's marriage breakdown and I believe them...).

But as the opening credits rolled on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I got a feeling that this version by David Finch could be quite good.



And I was right. The relatively unknown actress who portrayed Salander, Rooney Mara, was absolutely brilliant. She completely nailed Lisbeth as the distrustful, vulnerable, yet talented and confident modern sleuth with some serious issues with the 'perfect' Swedish society she inhabits. Lisbeth's apparent lack of social graces became both tragic and funny in Mara's skilled acting hands. There is a moment when watching Blomqvist work his laptop, she shuts her eyes in frustration at his slow speed at the keys. It was both funny and sad.

Just as when reading Larsson's first book, during this first film we all completely fell in love with Lisbeth. We felt sorry for her, we admired her, we worried for her.

The rest of the cast - apart from a couple of dodgy, faintly German-sounding, accents - weren't bad either. Daniel Craig is on top of his game; he totally sold his version of Blomkvist to me. My only beef with the accents was a minor one. Although I wondered why the director felt the need to have any accents at all - neither Craig as Blomkvist or Mara as Salander have Swedish accents. Perhaps the Swedish cast, led by Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger, couldn't do the mid-Atlantic English? I highly doubt it.

In any case, the story's authenticity did not suffer from this lapse in accent discipline, especially as the film was obviously shot in Sweden. In the final scene we even get to Blomkvist's Stockholm stomping ground in Söder, something I was gladdened by.

I now cannot wait for film two in the trilogy. Larsson's second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire is my favourite, mainly I think because it's set in Stockholm, near Blomkvist flat on Bellmansgatan. There is nothing like reading a book, or watching a great adaptation of a favourite book which is set in a city where you grew up. And I hope the disappointing viewing figures in the USA aren't going to stop the sequels. Now that really would be a tragedy.

So if you, like a few other million readers, loved Stieg Larsson's books, do go and see this film. It won't take away from the magic of the novels, on the contrary, it'll add another dimension to the story.

Birthday dinner at The Savoy Grill, London

It sounds terrible but Daughter's birthday has always been a bit of a headache for me. I'm sure anyone who has a child born around Christmas will know what I mean. 


Firstly you have to make sure friends and family refrain from using same wrapping paper for both the birthday and Christmas presents. Then there is the horror of horrors: the Combined Present! Or even worse: people forgetting the birthday all together. 


Before I had a child with a Christmas birthday I was guilty of all the above. I really didn't give it another thought; my view was that anyone who was born around Christmas time would've got used to it and wouldn't mind he odd mistakes or forgetfulness which most us ( especially if you are the Christmas organiser) suffer from during the festive season. 


I now realise that the odd lapse in present etiquette seem much more important when all your celebrations are crammed into the space of one or two days in a year.

Anyway, all this preamble is to try to explain why I try to go that extra mile for my Christmas birthday girl. But inevitably, as her birthday falls between Christmas and New Year, no-one wants to celebrate, or if it is a Bank Holiday in the UK, only a few places are open. Plus on many a year we've either been travelling back from celebrating Christmas in Finland or on our way skiing somewhere remote. Not such a hardship, you think, but ask yourself would you really want to spend your birthday queuing at passport control or sitting in a car on a long drive to Northern Sweden? 


This year at least we weren't travelling anywhere, and also, being in London it was easier to find restaurants which were open (and busy). This year it was also a super special day as my little baby girl turned 21. When I asked Daughter what she'd like to do, she said she wanted to go out with us, her family, and celebrate with her friends on New Year's Eve.

Time for a thinking cap; what we needed was a place which was grown-up, which was classy, in an old-fashioned way, yet where the food was good and which would be memorable. 

Suddenly I knew exactly what would fit the bill: the recently refurbished Savoy! I knew the Savoy Grill is one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants and I'd only heard good things about it. None of us had been there since its refurb so it seemed perfect. I made the booking online and mentioned that this was a special birthday celebration. Back came an email suggesting champagne on arrival and a chocolate cake with a birthday message for pudding. I was buoyed by the restaurant's efficiency - and promptly forgot to reply to the email!

All through Christmas I kept the venue for the birthday a closely guarded secret. Even as we stepped into the taxi on the night, Daughter had no idea where we were going. I'd just told her it would be fairly smart. By incredible luck, earlier, on the morning of the big birthday I'd also spotted in my inbox the email from Savoy and even managed to telephone the restaurant to see if it was too late to order the champagne and the cake. The Maitre'D was more than helpful and promised everything would be fine. 
 

We arrived early and decided on a cocktail at the American Bar. In the dimly lit room there was a pianist playing classics. We could have been in New York in the 1950's. While we sipped our drinks the pianist began a song with the line, 'She's only 21'. For a second I thought the friendly Maitre'D I'd spoken to earlier had even included the pianist in our celebration. But I soon realised it was just a co-incidence. A nice touch, all the same.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were shown to a wonderful table with a corner  banquette so none of us needed to have their backs to the room. (I love this as I hate to have my back to a crowded restaurant). Looking around me I saw how well The Savoy Grill had been refurbished: the style was just updated not changed from its former glory.


With a glass of champagne in her hand, Daughter's eyes sparkled. Smiling broadly she clinked glasses with us, and I knew I'd got the venue right. 

The food at the Savoy Grill is traditionally French, and I must say, brilliantly executed. We started with baked Orkney scallops with roasted cauliflower, anchovy and shrimp butter, steamed Cornish mussels, and lobster bisque. For mains I had pan-fried liver, which was the best I'd ever tasted. Daughter and Son shared a Chateaubriand, and the Englishman had the day's special lamb dish which included every cut of the animal. He declared it excellent as did the 'children' their shared beef dish. 


All evening the staff were utterly charming. With a full restaurant they made us feel as if we were the only people that mattered. Even if their style at times was a little overflowing in a Disney cartoon French way, still the traditional service didn't seem at all out of place here. We were at The Savoy after all.  

A close-up of the chocolate cake. 

There was a nice antique looking Christmas tree in the lobby.

Even the loos were worth a photograph or two.

The Savoy Grill is definitely worthy of a 21st birthday celebration.
Savoy Hotel
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 0EU
T: 020 7592 1600
savoygrill@gordonramsay.com

Christmas preparations

It's strange how the little things make all the difference to Christmas. Even though I put a few decorations up for Pikkujoulu on the 1st of December, and I've visited the various seasonal ex-pat fairs, as well as been to the Swedish Lucia carols, to me, it hasn't really felt like Christmas yet.

But today, as I started making the two Finnish vegetable dishes Lanttulaatikko and Porkkanalaatikko (swede and carrot bakes) for Christmas Eve, the scent of rice pudding and swede being boiled, together with grated nutmeg which is used to season the dishes, made me feel completely Christmassy.

Lanttulaatikko and Porkkanalaatikko

While the two dishes cooked in the oven, Daughter decorated the Christmas tree and then moved onto making gingerbread biscuits. She put on the cheesy old That's Christmas compilation which we've had for years and years and which always brings a tear to my eyes on the first listen. It seems the tracks (eg Winter's Tale by David Essex) which I most hated when they came out are the worst....

You need nimble fingers to deal with the gingerbread biscuit dough.

The finished biscuits taste delicious.

The tree has a white and silver theme this year.

Hope you too are getting that Christmas feeling!