Crafty crafts day: How to make bunting

Spring is here, seemingly earlier then it was last year, so why not make some bunting to pretty up the garden for those sunny afternoons!



But, what will I need? you may ask.

- String or twine, enough for the full length of your bunting
- An assortment of pretty fabrics, I do like floral or summery patterns such as Kath Kidston. You'll need enough for the full length of your bunting. Four fat quarters will make you yards (or about 5 metres) and give you a nice assortment of colors and patterns
- Thread and a sewing machine or an eager attitude for hand sewing (you could also substitute the sewing for iron adhesive such as Heat n Bond)
- Iron, fabric scissors and a small safety pin

Method

Step One
Lay out your selections of fabric and iron flat. Once it's free from creases fold it in half, then in half again, and again, and again, and again, and so on until you have one small rectangle of fabric. Then iron the folded small rectangle flat. Unfold and you'll be left with the creases marking out your small rectangles you can then cut.

Step Two
Cut loads and loads of rectangles from your crease marked fabric.

Step Three
Set yourself up at the sewing machine and sew a half centimeter hem along the top of each piece of fabric. You'll need to thread your string through the hem later so leave enough space to avoid the personal frustration of not being able to get the string through.



Step Four
Break for scones. It's super fun crafts day after all!


Step Five
Attatch a small safety pin to the end of your string and begin to thread on the pieces of fabric. Mix the patterns up a bit, it'll look better in the end. Keep threading until you've reached your desired bunting length.
Tip: keep the string on the ball instead of trimming your desired length to avoid coming up short



Hang your bunting in the garden, and enjoy a pint of cider in the sun.

Ends.

E Mischkin's: Über sexy cool eating

Russell Normal does indeed strike again...

I set out this evening with the intention NOT to make the above statement. I wanted to form my opinion of the brand new (perhaps now not so new), über cool Mishkin's based on what any foodie would form an opinion on... Food, service, experience etc. It was only after a long walk to digest my massive meal that I realised I couldn't steer away from the statement.

E. Mishkin's is the 5th Soho restaurant Norman has opened in 2 years, and with the anticipated whispers on the London foodie circuit well before its opening, how could it not be a success. Norman has managed to do what any great artist does; make his mark on a booming industry... As dare I say an avant garde restaurateur, perhaps? He certainly has become his own brand.

Mishkin's oozes the same style and pizzaz as Norman's four other establishments(Polo, Da Pollo, Polpetto, and Spuntino), and screams retro New York chic. Keeping to this theme, upon arrival you can opt to sit at a table or at the counter(perfect for the solo diner) before a plastic menu is slid in front of you. Short, but sweet the menu is quaint yet still surprising, perhaps most impressingly is the cocktail selection... All gin. If you've ever read a single tweet from me you'll know I'm a maniac when in comes to gin. Of course I was going for the full pitcher. It was fresh, fruity and delicious. We had two.

After much deliberation we finally ordered; Reuben sandwich, cod cheek popcorn, meatloaf, baked mac and cheese, pickled herring on beetroot, plus a side of sauerkraut. Worth a whopping amount of prise is the Reuben salt beef sandwich, it was huge, greasy but not sickening, salty and cheesy. Another highlight was the medium rare, perfectly cooked and flavoured, neat and tidy meatloaf that sat in a dainty four bite portion perfectly hugging a runny egg.

I feel we ordered well, which is unusual for me as I can never make a decision, yet this perfect combination of what was possibly too much food made the meal tasty, unique and above all belly busting. After a few long hours of grazing and drinking we paid our bill and made the unanimous decision that we would definitely be back.





Images courtesy of The Skinny Bib.

Find out what Foodie-at-large Jay Raynor thought of Mischkin's here, in his review for The Observer.

If you go down to the woods today

If you go down to the woods today, you'd better not go alone.... because there is likely to be a massive party going on!



Dragging my muddy wellies through the forrest under the torrential rain, Latitude Festival chucked me knee deep into a joyous world of actual good music, arts, theatre, comedy and more! Highlights included The Naked and Famous and Foster The People, and now I just can't stop listening.

Want to see some videos? YES PLEASE.

The Naked and Famous



Check out Alisa Xayalith's hair.... It's "Karen O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs" meets my dream hair, but I promise this is not the only reason I love this band.



Foster the People





Can we go again please.

Happy birthday little birdie

Yesterday was Blushing Birdcages' first birthday. To celebrate we went for cupcakes at Brick Lane. Photos after words...



I know it seems indulgent to devote an entire blog post to cakes, but these are likely to be the best cupcakes you will ever eat (that's right, I said it). Kooky Cakes frequent the Sunday Up Market at Brick Lane right at the end of the car park eatery stretch. Each cake is 'kookier' then the one before, rolling cookies, cupcakes, slices, biscuits and whoopie pies into one great big barrel of joy for a sweet tooth like mine. I suggest you go there, now. Or next Sunday. Buy a cupcake, I don't want to ruin the surprise but expect oozy fruity jammy goodness to run out the middle and icing that actually taste like fruit.

The great easter egg hunt of 2011

The English summer has come and gone, it happened, I promise you. Do you remember Easter? That hot weekend in April where we all had BBQs in the park, drank cider and stripped down to our bathers no where near a beach? That was Summer!

I did spend some time with my lovely friends in West London over Easter, and we had the most delightful easter egg hunt! Oh, to be 5 years old again.

Are you ready for the greatest show on earth?

This last year has gone by unbelievable quickly and Festival season is upon us again (yikes). Wireless on Saturday is first on the agenda, Lattitude and Love Box following closely after before the mother of all festival hits and I am all engrossed with the insanity, excitement, and fun that is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. While I eagerly prepare myself for what round two will have in store, I thought I would re-visit some fun street photos from last year.

See you on the flip side!

Polpo: Life as a food blogger's sidekick

I have been sampling the life of a London foodie of late, alongside me food blogger friend Caviar Girl. With an undeniable passion for food and new experiences there was no way I could shy away when she told me about her new endeavor over a Hot Pot dinner in China Town - a meal that has become somewhat a ritual for the two of us at the quaint Beijing Dumpling restaurant.

And so, the gastronomic journey around London began. First stop, Thai in Kensington, followed by tiki style cocktails in Notting Hill. We talked about the food and I sat and listened to Caviar Girl's accounts of the culinary delights she experienced on her travels to Moscow, France and Copenhagen.

More recently we decided to jump on the bandwagon with all other London foodies and take a long lunch on a Monday bank holiday at the brother of the most talked about restaurant on Urban Spoon (Spuntino). The Venetian wine bar Polpo did not disappoint.



The menu consists of small plates designed to share so the three of us chose a variety, determined to try the full spread. We started with a selection of Cicheti (bite sized starters) consisting of arancini, potato and parmesan crocchetta and artichoke wrapped in prosciutto. Our portion consisted of one of each, leaving us with modest bites of the three. I most definitely could have passed on the artichoke, but the arancini were perfect; cheesy, gooey on the inside, flavorsome and crunchy at the first bite.



One of the highlights of the meal came out next, broad bean and ricotta bruschetta. It was delicious and the flavours melded well together. The bread was crunchy, and the flavour of the mint and beans was fresh and strong when accompanied by the mild ricotta.

With starters essentially out of the way, we welcomed the heavier dishes to the already cluttered table. At this stage of the meal I could have seen the service improve, when our (very cute) waiter failed to take the used dishes away. Lucky the dirty dishes didn't bother us too much as we had a 4 person table for the 3 of us.



We went for the braised lamb with farro, which was full of striking flavours. The farro was perfectly cooked but the dish left nothing to be desired with tough and chewy meat. The prawn risotto was a good choice, seasoned with saffron cooked to the texture of paella. It complimented the meal, fitting with the style and flavors of the other elements we had enjoyed. The scallops cooked with peas and pancetta had so much potential, but alas let us down. The broth was thin and watery and took away from the delicious scallops which were actually lovely, fresh and smooth.



The pièce de résistance; a dish where none of us knew what to expect, blew us away. The 'midnight' cuttlefish gnocchi in squid ink with gremolata... it just sounds adventurous! The gnocchi was shaped in small unidentifiable bites, the cuttlefish was fresh and melted in your mouth. The gremolata added a subtly citrus zing which complimented the fish.



So full by this point, we were unsure as to whether or not to go on... but next was desert...! The flourless orange cake served with mascarpone was to die for. And yes I am aware that is a strong statement, especially to come from someone with such a ravishing sweet tooth. All I can say is you must try it for yourself.

The afternoon rolled to early evening and after three hours of eating we were more than satisfied. Looking around the room we examined what sat on other people's tables. Being the one person who will always have food envy I decided the table next to us ordered very well with the pork dish, calf livers, clam linguini and polenta. All are on the list to try next time. We finally ended the afternoon with coffees and a chat with our friendly and flirty waiter about the other restaurants in the family.

So until the next invitation from the queen bee foodie, I look forward for another afternoon with good friends and excessive amounts of good food.

*images taken from Caviar Girl, follow her blog. It's delicious.