15 Things I Consumed Last Week
An homage to Maybe Baby
I feel somewhat guilty saying this from Edinburgh where it’s ‘only’ 31 degrees (I have borrowed the thermometer out of my fridge and it’s apparently 24 in my living room, which it helpfully tells me is too warm for a fridge), but it’s a bit warm, isn’t it?!
In the spirit of one of my favourite Substack newsletters, Maybe Baby, I’m going to round up 15 things I’ve consumed over the last week (or two), rather than writing anything long-form. Here’s a link to her most recent edition:
The fantastic show Come From Away, at the Phoenix Theatre in London. I’d wanted to see this show about the way that 7,000 stranded passengers were sheltered in Newfoundland, Canada, after 9/11 for ages - and it was about a thousand times more life-affirming than I had expected. I had read Jim DeFede’s book about it last summer and it was so poignant to see these characters brought to life in front of me. Plus, it turned out that the real Kevin T was in the audience. I’m gearing up to find the best way to pay the love forwards.
This article (NYTimes, unlocked article link) about the friendship between American Airlines pilot Beverley Bass and actor Jenn Colella, who portrays her in the show.
An iced chai latte from Pret. As with the hot version, I had it with oat milk, and it was a lovely alternative to a decaf [caffe] latte for a post-3pm cold drink.
Huge amounts of iced water, from the Rifle Paper Co edition Corkcicle tumbler I finally pulled the trigger on after lusting after for at least a year. This Wirecutter article might have helped enable me.
A tonne of slaws, made with the mandoline I picked up a couple of months ago. As ever, Deb Perelman has multiple recipes to use as starting points (always and forever a Smitten Kitchen fangirl!) - try her poolside summer slaw, broccoli slaw, or dead simple slaw
Plenty of those salads and ‘picky bits’ off the Emma Bridgewater crockery I bought when I went a bit spend-happy in their sale last month. Her stuff is pricy but very good quality, and discovering the Seconds section on her website was pretty dangerous.
A very delicious burrito at Chipotle on Charing Cross Road, coincidentally where I had my first burrito when I was about 16. The basket liner had instructions to make guacamole, one step of which was to dance around the kitchen - I can’t eat guac but I like that as a recipe instruction.
Many many cans of pre-mixed Pimm’s.
Alison Cochrun’s delightful reality-TV romance, The Charm Offensive. I’ve now read so many books that involve the US show The Bachelor, whether thinly-veiled (as in this case), or as a secondary plot device, that I’m desperate to see it. If you know how I can tune in from the UK… hook a girl up?
A lot of fresh hot falafel. I seem to go to Pilpel at least once every time I go to London. It’s pretty inconvenient having a food obsession that’s only available over 350 miles away.
Stanley Tucci’s Taste, on audio. I would listen to that man read the phone book.
The new flavour of Divine chocolate: dark with pretzel and caramel. Good ethics and delicious - yes please.
Plenty of ice cream. I will always argue that the Mars ice cream is the most successful chocolate-bar-to-ice-cream adaptation, but my current love is the Solero. I also had an incredible Kinder Bueno cone from Toppins in Edinburgh and delicious Peaches & Cream and Birthday Cake scoops at Udderlicious in London. Keep it coming, that’s what I say.
As someone who loves to swim all year round - in the winter it’s a rare opportunity to be completely warm and unencumbered by all those layers - I have for once remembered to top up my swimwear drawer while all the ‘summer holiday’ stock is out. I found this gorgeous and very classic black swimsuit at M&S in their sportswear line, Goodmove. It’s a thick and almost ‘heavy’ material which feels really good quality, and will be just as at home in the rooftop pool of my hotel in Nice later this summer as it is in the basement pool in my local gym.
My current breakfast obsession, which continues with no signs of stopping: toast, topped first with a nice thick layer of cream cheese (Philly or own-brand equivalent) and then with jam (Bonne Maman raspberry is my holy grail red jam). I know it seems off-the-wall but please try it before you judge me.
Hope you all stay cool and safe through this heat emergency.
Best,
Lily