Thursday 29 September 2011

5 Things I'll miss about the UK.

For once I have been organised and have starting packing in good time. I may not be an accomplished traveller by many people's standards, but a few serious packing oversights (a towel?!) have taught me to be a little more savvy. A serious 4 week-long declutter operation I had after coming back from uni has also made the whole process a lot easier. So whilst I was attempting to iron a jumper within an inch of its life to the size a postage stamp, it got me thinking about what I'd miss most about the UK, (apart from family and wonderful friends of course)...

1. Queues. We Brits are pros at waiting in line. Our continental friends seem to think its a dog eat dog world out there.

2. Tea. Afternoon tea must be the epitome of all things English. That humble brew, ideally with a rich tea biscuit, is surely the ultimate remedy in a crisis.




3. Pubs. Europe may have chic bars and a thriving cafe culture, but nothing beats a proper British pub complete with uncomfortable wooden stools, beer mats and dodging a dart board. Not to mention those obscure Real ale names: Bitter and twisted, Nun's ruin, Cornish knocker anyone?

4. British Comedy- We excel at puns, sarcasm, irony, "black comedy" or needless poking fun at one another.

5. The Royal Family- The pomp, the pageantry and ceremony of the Royal wedding this year arguably inspired a renewed sense of pride in our Royal family and some furious flag-waving.

I'm smitten by Britain it seems.

Sunday 25 September 2011

An "All Things British" Farewell




I've finally got my act into gear and written another blog post. In 5 days time I'm leaving the mother country bound for Corsica for 7 months. I'm hoping to mix my Corsican adventures with all things running related. This shouldn't be hard as according to google images, the rugged mountains, beaches and harbours will be perfect backdrop for a run.

I decided to celebrate my departure to the continent in style with an All Things British Party. The French might do cheese, wine and delicate pastries very well, but our frog-eating counterparts will never appreciate some undisputed British classics such as scones, cucumber sandwiches,and sausage rolls washed down with a few delectable few gin and tonics. Incidentally, a knowledgeable friend informed me G&T was invented to make the quinine in tonic water, an anti-malarial substance, more palatable. I came across this beautiful mini scone recipe which was too much of a gem to keep myself.

So all in all, A perfect farewell full of bunting, union jacks, delicious treats, excellent company and safe in the knowledge that after my favourite tipple I'm much less likely to catch malaria.


Mini buttermilk Scones

I like a scone as much as the next person, but I find the huge, stodgy raisin filled ones a bit daunting. These mini ones are light and fluffy and are everything you could wish for in a scone.

Ingredients:
200g plain flour
25g self raising flour
15g baking powder
25g caster sugar
150ml buttermilk
50g butter or margarine

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the baking powder and sugar. Rub the butter in with your fingertips under the mixture resembles bread crumbs (I find this bit is quite therapeutic) Then gradually add the buttermilk until the mixture is a moist dough. If it gets too sticky, mix in a little more flour. Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for an hour. Then preheat the oven to gas mark 7 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Roll out the dough to around 1cm thick using a small cake cutter. Place in the oven for 10 mins until golden brown. I think these are best served with a bit of good jam and a spoonful of cream.