The Time Short Foodie

As a time short foodie, if there was ever a case for practicing out my recipes yesterday was a fine example. I’ve been getting up at 5 am to write, indeed, it is as I am writing this it is 5.35am. This way I get peace and quiet before the family wakes and the mad school dash. I dropped the children off and headed with Bunny, father in Law, to the market. I should explain at this point that Bunny is a nick name (real name Brian Dunstone.) I should also explain that Bunny is an artist. Not just any old artist, but the real McCoy he was resident at the Royal College of Art and won the Priz de Rome. He has offered to do some of the photography for the book. I feel very privileged.


I headed straight to Mick’s fruit stall where Anne and Mick have the best fruit and vegetable stall you can imagine. It is so beautifully presented that it looks as though it is laid out waiting for a photo shoot every day. Josie, and Anne and another lady were delightful in helping me buy the vegetables in super slow motion, whilst keeping my three year old entertained with strawberries and serving other non posing clients.


A chap called Nick, whom I have known since school days, was on the market square buying Breakfast. He invited us for a coffee on the way back to the car & seeing as we’d finished earlier than expected we headed back up to Zebedee’s on the Drapery. Nick has opened an amazing eclectic retro collectables shop above the coolest cafe bar I have ever stumbled on. Seriously. With my basket stuffed to the brim with fruit and veg, the sun shining at just 10:30am, the atmosphere in Zebedee’s was like an Italian Riviera cafe. We had a spontaneous coffee and a Vecchia Romagna, Italian brandy.


The rest of the morning was spent at home photographing some of the Elderflower chapter. They are only in season for a short time. The cottage opposite is being rethatched and I couldn’t help but notice this gorgeous hunk of chap, with a mop of blonde hair, and a wicked grin working on the thatch. Luckily he is a friend of my brothers, so he very amenably agreed to pose for some shots drinking Elderflower cordial and eating cupcakes for me. Wez ate three, sitting on a pile of thatch in hob nail boots and a string vest. The photo’s work brilliantly. Real life. Delicious.


With a recipe to write up, the shopping to do for the recipes tomorrow and the children’s supper to organise, and the work I do for our own busines I took vanilla cupcakes out of the freezer before heading out. I cheated and fed the children in the supermarket restaurant. I arrived home just 20 minutes before I was due to be picked up for the bring your own dish Year 3 mum’s night out. As Cathinka arrived in her open top sporty, looking glam, I was just finishing piping the butter icing on the cupcakes. Isobel saw no reason why she shouldn’t some to the party, and joined in grabbing handfuls of Geraniums to decorate the cakes. She was not happy as I explained it was just me going out. Alastair thankfully arrived home just in time to scoop a screaming Isobel up in his arms and kissed me goodbye. I sat in the car with a sense of living the dream. . I had managed to do everything I needed to do for the day. Well Almost. Husband asked me what I had left him for supper. You know, he is going to have to learn to boil and egg.