Smile magazine - a Shanghai contribution

I recently contributed to the November cover story of Smile magazine, the inflight magazine for Cebu Pacific based in Manila. My former colleague and friend Noelle de Jesus asked me to provide some shopping tips for Shanghai. Here's the result (you can open the story in a new tab for a larger version):

Book Review: The Art of Fielding - a disappointing read

Earlier this year, I read an interesting article in Vanity Fair entitled "How A Book Is Born" which recounted the story of how author Chad Harbach toiled on writing his manuscript for a decade, finally got it in front of book agents and publishing houses and ultimately published to wide acclaim (with one of the most striking cover designs of the year, see above). It was an interesting article and piqued my interest in the novel itself, which was getting massive buzz.

Having just finished the novel, I'm sad to say it was a mediocre experience. A compelling premise let down by a bloated delivery, surprisingly shallow characters and tedious plot. The original Vanity Fair article is a far more intriguing read. And obviously contributed hugely to the buzz! It's unavailable online, but you can purchase it here. A little more info on the article here:

How a Book Is Born: The Making of The Art of Fielding by Keith Gessen.

The highly anticipated novel The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach, has just been published. But what is the riveting story behind the story—and what does it take to make a bestseller these days? As author and n+1 co-founder Keith Gessen reveals in this 17,000-word e-book (expanded from the article appearing in the October issue of Vanity Fair), the passage from MFA classroom to national book tour is its own treacherous, absorbing—and wildly unpredictable—adventure. Harbach, Gessen’s friend and colleague, was a struggling writer who toiled relentlessly for ten years on The Art of Fielding, before it eventually hauled in a $650,000 advance. At each step of the way several vivid characters fought tooth and nail to ensure the book’s survival, including Chris Parris-Lamb, Harbach’s passionate young agent; Michael Pietsch, a renowned editor at the publishing house Little, Brown; and Keith Hayes, the book’s tireless designer. In this e-book of sweeping scope and fascinating, behind-the-scenes detail, Gessen pulls back the curtain on the insular, fiercely political, and cutthroat literary world of Manhattan—a place where the “Big Six” publishing houses, owned by multinational conglomerates, reign supreme, while smaller houses are left to fend for themselves. Gessen exposes the modern-day book business for what it is: a largely uncertain enterprise—but rife with courageous, enthusiastic individuals—struggling to redefine itself in the face of its own digital revolution.

Album on high rotation - "El Camino" by The Black Keys

LOVING this new album from the Ohio rock duo, The Black Keys. Perfect bluesy rock.

Check out their live performance of the first single, "Lonely Boy" on The Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

2011 Review: The 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011

Buzzfeed has published an excellent round-up of some key news events of the last year as told through photography. Go here to see all 45 pictures.

(Reuters / ASAHI SHIMBUN)

A woman cries while sitting on a road amid the destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan after the massive earthquake and tsunami.

2011 Review: in Lego!

This is pretty cool. As reported in The Guardian, some of the major news events of the last year have been re-created in Lego. Check out more pictures here and here.

The Royal Wedding

Obama and his security team watch Osama Bin Laden's killing

Occupy Wall Street

2011 Review: Best and Worst Magazine Covers

While I have not seen every single magazine at newsstands, I do try to keep up to date with as many covers as I can by browsing online. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are my picks for best and worst this past year. I judge by concept, brand and audience synergy, styling, coverlines, creativity and overall impact. For me, the worst covers have terrible styling and picture selection and have missed the mark considerably in terms of their audience/brand suitability.

BEST MAGAZINE COVERS 2011

 

WORST MAGAZINE COVERS 2011

Lady Gaga makes the cover of Vanity Fair again.

It's pretty impressive that Lady Gaga has made the cover of Vanity Fair again. Her last cover was just over a year ago in September 2010. She must really sell magazines.

Meryl Streep lands a Vogue cover. Aged 62. Alright!

Congrats to American Vogue for putting Meryl Streep on the cover and giving us a rest from the twenty-something starlets. Well played Anna Wintour.

A Christmas Getaway

As this will our last Christmas pre-kids, we've decided to head away for one last holiday. Because I've grounded myself from flying, we found a great deal at a new hotel just a two hour drive from Shanghai. It's called Naked Stable Private Reserve. And "naked" means "eco", not "nudist". Check out our digs. Nice!

2011 Review: Songs of the Year

These are the top 10 tunes that got a major run on my iPod "most played" list in 2011:

"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye, featuring Kimbra

"Feeding Line" by Boy & Bear

"Otis" by Kanye and Jay-Z

"Night Air" by Jamie Woon

"The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Battery Kinzie" by Fleet Foxes

"Calgary" by Bon Iver

And my guilty pleasure: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5

I'm having a bikie baby

Apparently, at 27 weeks, my baby is able to hear sounds in utero. I fear I may be having a bikie baby as we've become addicted to the TV series "Sons of Anarchy", about a motorcycle club in Northern California. Great acting, great scriptwriting, lots of drama. Perfect.

Either that, or he/she will be a Real Housewife. I'm not sure what's worse?!

Getting ready for baby, aka "get your wallet out"

Who knew such a small person needed so much paraphernalia?! And who knew HOW MUCH baby stuff is out there to buy? Luckily, both my sisters have had babies this year, so they have been very helpful in providing comprehensive lists of what's necessary and what's not. I can tell you I was shocked at their initial list of "must buy" items! My husband almost passed out.

That said, I do have slightly different needs to them, i.e. I don't have a car or a house. This will be an apartment baby in a big city where I'll be walking and catching cabs or trains a lot. Everything needs to be compact and light. And we don't have a great deal of room to store unnecessary items. I also had a strict budget. But I did want to buy quality products if they were worth it. Thankfully I have a saviour - Ikea!!! - so I plan to buy most of my nursery furniture from there -- cot, feeding chair, change table, etc. Best of all, I know the safety standards will be good for baby.

In many ways I'm lucky to be having my baby in Shanghai as there's not a great deal of choice. There are only a handful of baby shops and boutiques - many with severely inflated prices!! - and I have had to spend a fair amount of time researching if products are even available here in China at all.

I've taken a gradual approach and have been slowly buying stuff each month so we wouldn't have a massive blow-out in one paycheck. I did have a bit of a shopping spree when we were in Singapore a few months back. I took the opportunity to buy up a lot of stuff I knew I either couldn't find here, or that I knew was significantly cheaper. Glamorous stuff like a breast pump and bottles. But at prices 40% cheaper than Shanghai, it was worth it.

Here's some of the haul thus far...

Pram and Baby Capsule - Baby Jogger City Mini and Maxi Cosi CabrioFix car seat with car seat adaptors. Bought from Baby318. I was initially going to splash out and buy a Bugaboo Bee Plus, however I opted for the Baby Jogger for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's light. Secondly, it's a one-handed fold. Thirdly, it was half the price. I didn't mind spending the cash if it was worth it, but I found the Bugaboo to be too heavy, too hard to fold on my own and the baby was too low to the ground.

  

Cot - Gulliver crib from Ikea. Simple, budget-busting and safe.

Bouncer - Bloom Baby Rocker. Bought second-hand for less than half the retail price on the Shanghai Mamas classifieds. I'll probably end up with a Fisher-Price all-singing, all-dancing brightly coloured rocking chair/swing/bouncer, but I'll give this designer looking rocker a go first...

Nappy Bag - Skip Hop messenger bag "Dash" from Lollipop. Not too big as I want to keep as streamlined as possible. Yes, this may be a pipe dream, but I'm going to try.

White Noise Machine - Sleep Sheep from Lollipop (it attaches to the cot with some ties at the back, so it looks like a fluffy toy, not a white noise machine). Usually I hate fluffy toys, but this thing is cute.

Infant carrier - Ergo carrier with infant insert from First Few Years in Singapore (it was 20% off).  I was initially tempted by the Baby Bjorn, but after a fair bit of research, I decided on the Ergo as I can use it from newborn to toddler, it distributes weight more evenly across the hips and should prove to have more longevity when the baby becomes heavier.

Muslins and Blanket - Aden & Anais muslin swaddles and muslin dream blanket. On special from Mothercare in Singapore.

Swaddle Wrap - Kiddopotamus from Mothercare in Singapore (half price!). I bought this as I'd read great reviews. But mostly I just wanted to buy it because of the name. My husband had seen the name on my list and was like, "what the #*% is a Kiddopotamus?!!".

As for clothes, I've found it very difficult to find neutral, non-gender clothes. Absolutely every shop has defined girls and boys newborn, baby and toddler collections. Does no-one have a delivery surprise anymore? But I have persevered and have managed to amass a fairly decent collection of cute white, grey, red and navy onesies and more. My favourite places have been Gap, H&M and Marks & Spencer and I did stock up on Bonds pieces from Australia. But I've tried not to go too nuts as I'm very aware that babies grow. And quickly  So my rule has been to only buy on special. So far, so good....

I've also ditched a few things from my list as would-be-nice-but-I'll-see-if-we-can-do-without. Tell me if I'm wrong but I'm not buying a baby monitor, nappy bin or fancy bedding.

"Hold it away from me and set fire to it"

This has been around for a few months, but it's worth another viewing. A compilation of Nigella's best bits. I think I lost it at "clam flesh".

Kate Moss does Ziggy Stardust

Say what you want about Kate Moss' messy personal life, but you can't really argue about her ability to model - and sell magazines. I'm loving this French Vogue cover inspired by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character. I particularly love how clean this cover is. No distracting coverlines, just a striking concept and image.

Even I wouldn't watch a Lara Bingle reality TV show. And that's saying something.

I love reality TV - when it's done properly and showcases entertaining people. But even I wouldn't sink as low as watching Lara Bingle in her own Kardashians-style reality TV show, as The Daily Telegraph is reporting today.

What is this talentless bimbo even famous for? Starring in a TV ad when she was 16, hooking up with an Aussie cricketer then dumping him, shagging a few D-List music and sporting stars and generally hanging around in Bondi thinking she's a fashion diva. From previous reports, she's dumb as a bag of rocks, can't act, is too short to model and is incapable of making it as a TV presenter because she can't remember a script or deliver lines. This doesn't leave much to work with if you want to make it in the entertainment industry. So logically, the next step is.... to star in a fly-on-the-wall show covering one's vacuous life.

There's a lot wrong with the world when girls like this think they can become famous for doing so little.

It was bad enough that she was wheeled out on the recent series of Australia's Next Top Model to mentor the model wannabes on "the perils of fame" and "dealing with the paparazzi". Here's a tip Lara: do something worthwhile with your life instead of chasing paparazzi and fame. Get a real job and pay your own way through life.

Daniel Craig recently gave an interview to GQ magazine about the rise of the talentless reality star who invites the public into their personal lives. As he so succinctly said:

"You can't buy it back - you can't buy your privacy back. Ooh I want to be alone. F*** you. We've been in your living room. We were at your birth. You filmed it for us and showed us the placenta and now you want some privacy?"

Bjork and a polar bear

Bjork just shared this picture on her Facebook page (become a fan to follow her musings).

I just love this image! Bjork can do no wrong.

My Shanghai: grocery shopping

One of the things that has taken a bit of getting used to since moving to Shanghai is grocery shopping. Unlike Australia, Singapore or the UK, there is no one-stop shop like Cold Storage, Woolworths or Sainsbury's. Here, you can spend HOURS and HOURS shopping for your groceries from a combination of sources. Fortunately, Shanghai is really, really into online shopping and home delivery. You could literally get one lemon delivered to your door. If you were really lazy, that is!

So here is my shopping hit list:

Fields - For some reason I avoided using Fields for a long time. But recently they have improved their delivery times. For example, if you order before midday, you can have delivery between 4 and 6pm; if you order the night before, you can have a delivery between 9am and midday. And I'm sure their prices have dropped slightly. Their fresh fruit and veggies are great quality - and most of it is organic. As is their meat. I've not tried their seafood, but will do at some stage. I find their website very easy to navigate, so this is now my main go-to place for a weekly shop of fresh goodies.

Feidan - this is my closest shop (left) within walking distance that I can pop into for import goodies. Perfect for milk, cheese, yoghurt, wine, cereal - whatever I've run out of, really. And best of all, they stock the Financial Times weekend paper (from 5pm on Saturdays). And they will home deliver if you spend over 200 kuai.

City Shop - I usually shop regularly at two of their branches - the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing Xi Lu or Huahai Lu (near Shanxi Nan Lu, downstairs from Sephora). You can also order online, however it's actually quicker to pop in and do a shop yourself and pay at the checkout as they will then deliver it within an hour or two. They stock loads of imported brands and have a decent selection of fresh fruit & veggies and sometimes meat and salmon. Remember to check the prices before buying. This place can add up!

The Avocado Lady - I don't know what this lady's real name is, but she's known around town by this moniker and it has stuck. She has a fruit & veggie stall on Wulumuqi Lu (about 10 mins walk from my place) and always has a queue of laowai (expats) and locals running out the door. She stocks more than just fruit and veg; she also sells imported cereals, wine, olive oils, olives, sardines, anchovies, capers, muesli, tinned chick peas and a good selection of fresh nuts and herbs. She also has a fridge full of cheeses that you can buy by weight. Best of all: she is CHEAP! And she's honest to boot. She'll often throw in free herbs with my veggies. And if she thinks the raspberries aren't going to last well, she'll tell me to eat them that day or not bother buying. A smart lady. And she almost always has avocadoes in stock.

Dia - is located directly opposite The Avocado Lady on Wulumuqi Lu. Apparently it's a cheap chain run by Carrefour (but don't quote me on that). It's good for stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, soap, shampoos and the like as their prices are considerably cheaper than the import-heavy supermarkets like City Shop and Feidan. I give their "fresh" fruit and veggies a wide berth as they look like about as fresh as Lindsay Lohan after a night on the tiles. They don't do delivery (or if they do, I can't figure it out), so bring your own bags and muscles for the walk home.

Baker & Spice - this is my favourite bakery. It's on Anfu Lu, just a hop, skip and a jump from Feidan. I absolutely adore their baguettes and mixed olive sourdough bread. And I'm quite partial to their zucchini and carrot cupcake, jam doughnuts and raspberry/chocolate tart. Oh and their lemon meringue tart and pain au chocolat. And their parma ham and rocket panini. You get the drift. It's all good. There's always a queue here. You can eat at the big communal table (or out on the footpath on a stool - no tables) but I prefer to take-away and avoid the crowds.

Sunflour - this bakery (left) only opened recently (at the Wukang Lu end of Anfu Lu). Their croissants and pain au chocolate are better than Baker & Spice and definitely worth trying, as are their cakes, particularly their chocolate mousse cake. I've not tried their bread, bagels or pretzels yet, but am sure they are delicious. It's nice to see B&S with some competition. It can only be a good thing for the consumer.

Marks & Spencer - I really got into M&S when I was living in Singapore, mostly for their frozen foods  particularly their quiches, curries, fish, sea scallops and pasta (I love their spinach and ricotta ravioli). We pretty much stock up here at least once a fortnight and fill our freezer for easy mid-week meals (for those nights you don't really feel like cooking from scratch). I also throw pasta sauces, tea bags, canned soups and biscuits into the trolley. And don't forget to stock up on their wine. If you buy six bottles, you get a discount. The store is located on busy Nanjing Xi Lu but there's a metro station next door - or you can get taxis fairly easy at the front door (but avoid rush hour).

Ikea - it might sound odd, but I visit this Swedish furniture store to stock up on their food. It's only two metro stops from my place and they have some great products: crispbreads, condiments, cordial, salmon, chocolate and their famous Swedish meatballs.

Carrefour - if you have a death wish, you can shop at this big French supermarket chain. Prices are cheaper but you have to get yourself to Gubei (about a 25-minute taxi ride from my place) then battle crowds, hideous muzak, more crowds and yet more crowds. But if you want to buy wine, toilet paper, a live fish, a duvet, a billboard-size TV and an electric scooter, you can do it all under one roof. They also have a good selection of organic veggies and their wine selection is vast. But there's a catch: there's no dedicated taxi queue. Good luck finding a taxi and battling the crowds on the footpath while wrestling with your heavy shopping bags. You can also shop online, but the site is clunky, takes hours to navigate and then when you do press "buy", a message appears: "we'll deliver sometime in the next three days. Cash on delivery". So you're then house-bound for three days waiting for the delivery. Burned once and never again.

GL Japan Plaza - this is a new supermarket to my repertoire. Located in Xintiandi, it's a basement-level Japanese supermarket chock full of imported goodies, fresh meats, fruit & veggies, a bakery and sushi counter. The prices are good (particularly with a member card) and the experience is entirely pleasant as the shop is clean, easily laid-out and spacious. I've never encountered any crowds here and it's never a problem to get a taxi on the street. If I'm down Xintiandi way, it's an easy supermarket to pop into.

Wet markets - I do know that some of my friends shop here for their fresh veggies - and some meat. I don't. Since falling pregnant I am extra careful about what I buy and where. Mostly because of pesticides and health standards. Prices are much, much cheaper, but for me, it's not worth the risk. Particularly when I see meat that's been sitting out for hours and from dubious origins. My Chinese teacher once said to me: "We Chinese believe that every food is poisoned, so we just eat a little bit of everything rather than a lot of one thing. Just in case." 'Nuff said.

Things to remember when grocery shopping in Shanghai:

1. Cash is king. With all home deliveries, you will need to have cash for the delivery driver. Some places accept PayPal (for example, Fields) but most don't. So you always need to have a cash supply handy.

2. Meat comes frozen. If you want to cook dinner tonight with the meat you're having delivered at 4pm, think again. It will be frozen. Plan ahead.

3. Not everything is in stock. Most places will give you a heads-up phone call if something you've ordered online is not in stock. But if they ring me at 3:55 for a 4pm delivery and I placed the order at 9am, they can expect me to be annoyed. More often than not if I get suitably outraged, the item magically appears at 4pm.

My Shanghai: favourite weekend afternoon pub

One of our favourite spots to hang for a few hours on a weekend afternoon is Boxing Cat Brewery. They have a couple of locations in Shanghai, but we prefer the one nearest to our place on Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu. In the warmer months, it's lovely to sit outside on the terrace. But in winter, it's just as lovely inside, either at the bar or nearer to the fireplace.

They have their own beer on tap, but really, it's the food we love - Southern comfort food. Think sweet potato fries, pulled pork sandwiches, grits, biscuits and gravy. I cannot call myself an expert in this style of cooking, however I can tell you, I love Boxing Cat's menu, particularly their snack menu. We often pop in here for a late lunch/afternoon snack or with friends if we've done a bit of a mini pub crawl in the area. Top of the list: "Fists of Fury". Chicken wings with an incredibly spicy sauce. And by spicy, I mean lip-burning spicy. I can usually only manage about three wings before my lips fall off. But it's worth the pain.

Boxing Cat Brewery
82 Fuxing Xi Lu (near Yongfu Lu)
复兴路82号, 近永福路

Cooking at home: pesto eggs; Moroccan cottage pie, spicy cauliflower, fish tacos and apple crumble

The combination of cooler weather and my growing bump has led to me being a major nesting mode lately. As a result, I've really been enjoying cooking at home more.  I've been ordering up a bunch of fresh veggies each Monday so I can have a stocked fridge to inspire me.

First up: Sunday brekky. Usually I have my eggs poached, but I couldn't be bothered with the faffing about, so I opted to just fry them up. I popped some sourdough bread in the toaster, squeezed some fresh orange juice and cut up some organic tomatoes and topped with some basil pesto I'd made the day before. (I also put some on the toast under the eggs). It was all on the table in less than five minutes.

Home-made pesto is super easy. A bunch of basil, a handful of parmesan, a handful of pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Whizz it all up in a food processor and give it a taste and adjust if you need. It keeps for days in the fridge, or you can freeze it. I have it for lunch with wholewheat pasta (I just drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil through it to lube it up a bit more and shave some fresh parmesan on top, and toasted pine nuts if I can be bothered). It's a good way of using up leftover herbs and nuts. You can also substitute coriander for basil (hold the parmesan) or macadamia nuts for pine nuts. Have it as a dip or a pasta sauce or a spread. Whatever you fancy, really.

Second up: mid-week dinner. I've been trying to eat less meat lately, however it hasn't gone down too well with my meat-loving husband. I came across this recipe in one of my cookbooks and thought I'd give it a go. It was super tasty! And a really easy recipe. Perfect comfort food. And I loved that we had our own individual portions. I actually froze half of the mince. So next time, I'll just heat it up and make some fresh mash. In fact, next time I might even double the recipe and freeze three batches. It's that good.

Moroccan Cottage Pie

Adapted from "Delicious: Quick Smart Cook" by Valli Little

Serves 4-6 (in one big dish, or small individual dishes)

For the pie

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

650g lamb mince

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground turmeric

2tbs tomato paste

150ml red wine

150ml beef stock

½ cup roughly chopped pitted green olives

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves, plus small leaves to garnish

For the mash

2 extra-large potatoes, peeled and chopped

knob of butter

dash of milk (or ½ cup sour cream or crème fraiche)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the lamb mince and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until browned. Add the dry spices, reserving 1 tsp turmeric for the potato mash) and the tomato paste and cook for a further minute. Add the wine and stock, bring to a simmer, then decrease heat to low and cook for 15-18 minutes until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the olives and mint. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish (or small individual dishes) and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the potato and remaining turmeric in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash well. Season with salt and pepper, stir in butter and milk. Spread the mashed potato over the mince, and garnish with mint leaves.

I'd also bookmarked a recipe a while back on a food blog I read regularly, but I'd never got around to actually cooking it. I was looking for a side dish to the cottage pie that would complement the flavours but also add some veggies to the equation. Enter: Spicy Cauliflower.

I modified it a bit as I didn't have all the ingredients to hand, but it didn't matter. Even without the sesame seeds and jalapenos, it was a winner. I'll give it a go with those ingredients next time, but for my money, it actually didn't need it. What's more: the dish was even better when I ate the leftovers cold a few days later for lunch.

Spicy Cauliflower Recipe
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1 teaspoon cumin seeds


1 big yellow onion, finely sliced


A pinch of turmeric


Sea salt

1 medium cauliflower, thinly sliced

4 dried red chilies, stemmed and halved


1 garlic clove, grated

4 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated


2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to crackle, just 30 seconds or so. Stir in the onions, along with the turmeric and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions caramelize a bit and turn lightly golden, roughly 7 - 10 minutes. Add the red chilies, garlic and half of the ginger. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the cauliflower and stir well. Cover the pan and cook the cauliflower over low-medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes, until just tender. (I added some water to the pan here to hurry along the steaming of the cauliflower). When the cauliflower is nearly cooked, remove the lid, increase the heat, and stir in the remaining ginger. Salt to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy.

Weekend dinner: Fish tacos!  I had some frozen cod fillets in the freezer and some tortillas that needed using up, when I remembered a recipe I'd bookmarked a while back. It's from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook (ugh Gwyneth!) and was a pretty great recipe. I actually made the fish two ways. One following her recipe (beer battered and fried - kinda surprising for health nut Gwyneth) and another more healthy choice (marinated in lime juice and coriander, then grilled).

The picture above is of the beer battered version. It was pretty fantastic. I followed the recipe pretty faithfully. You can read it here. I've made pico de gallo and guacamole before (I add chopped red chilli and lemon juice to mine) but I've never made salted cabbage. It was so easy and really very, very tasty. It definitely added a new element to the dish.

Lastly: dessert!  I have never really had a sweet tooth, but my pregnancy seems to have brought out the dessert lover in me. I had bought some fresh green apples and had not used these cute little single-serve ovenproof dishes we'd bought. Hey presto: apple crumble. 

I used this recipe as inspiration but I don't measure anything and substitute rolled oats instead of flour for the topping. I find it tastier - and I think it's healthier? Minus the two scoops of ice-cream! Whoops. But what's crumble without vanilla ice-cream? The dish I used fitted one green apple perfectly. You could of course make a bigger crumble in a bigger dish, but I like having my own plate!

Apple Crumble

Adapted from BBC Food

For the crumble

Rolled oats

A little bit of plain flour

Some brown sugar

Knob of unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature

For the filling

1 green apple (per head), peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces

Handful of brown sugar

Handful of plain flour

1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the rolled oats, flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Place the fruit in a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir well being careful not to break up the fruit. Spoon the fruit mixture into the bottom, then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.