Thursday, December 16, 2010

Advent Calendar Day 16

Window #16

Today was devoted to Christmas food shopping and preparing for a supper party on Saturday night. Between trips to Marks and Spencer and Borough Market, I also signed my Last Will and Testament. The solicitor's office overlooks the Thames at London Bridge. Today London was dressed in taupe and greige between the grey buildings and sky and the brown churning river. Our weather is about to take a turn for the cold once again with perhaps some more snow this weekend. There were flurries in the City when the BBC was reporting from the Old Bailey the welcome news that Julian Assange has finally been freed from jail.

I haven't been to Borough Market in a couple of years. The birthplace of London's food revolution has been co-opted by the tourists, clogging the aisles, taking photos, but not actually buying food except take away sandwiches, so the character of the place has changed. Today was nice though, few tourists, not crowded in today's sloppy weather, and lots of stalls with old familiar food. I was there especially to buy the most amazing butter Bob found when he stopped off at the Market after signing his will a few weeks ago. So my haul consisted of French butter from unpasteurised cream with chunks of Ile de Ré salt, French Comté cheese, English potted shrimp, and Spanish smoked paprika.

I started baking my Christmas cookies tonight. I am going to cut back to only six kinds this year, so I am half way there with shortbread, clove crescents, and maple-ginger in the tins. On Megan's recommendation, I also made some fine looking banana bread from some not very fine looking bananas using the Flour Bakery cookbook recipe. If I hadn't nibbled too much cookie dough, I could try the bread, but that will have to wait for breakfast I think.

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