A rainy Jubilee weekend and Jubilee inspired fresh fruit tarts
You have to be grateful to the Queen for giving us an extra day off in her 60th year of reign. I would have been even more excited if the weather were as nice as last weekend’s, and if the boyfriend didn’t have to study for an exam. I am left with:
- Cleaning/laundry sprees: since we moved house, the amount of laundry seems to have skyrocketed. No matter how many loads I wash, the basket is always full. I start suspecting there is a ghost in the house who changes its sheet with an embarrassing frequency.
- Excursions in South Woodford’s surroundings. That is, its shops. Grocery-wise, I can choose among a Sainsbury’s, a huge Waitrose and an M&S Simply food. But I am loving the way less fashionable International Supermarket, where I even managed to find some Italian buffalo mozzarella. Even more exciting, they offer an unbelievable choice of spices and beans. Entire isles. One day I might even know what is possible to do with them. And then there’s Treasure Chest, a household store. Every time I pay a visit I want to buy all their kitchen gadgets. More importantly they sell Astonish cleaning products, which are entirely cruelty free.
- My morning jogs in Epping Forest, which eventually will bring here. I am an incredibly lazy person, constantly out of shape, and I find physical activities unbearably painful and boring; I hate the feeling of my muscles getting tight and sore and being out of breath. So I thought that running a 10k wold be a heroic enough gesture to support a good cause [HUGE quotes around the word heroic]. In the past few years I have seen too many people taken away by cancer, one of them being a young man gifted with exceptional intelligence, sensitivity and kindness. With him in mind, last year I joined Cancer Research Race for Life. I did well in the run and raised way more than expected, having obviously underestimated my friends’ generosity. Straight afterwards, blinded by the excitement, I registered for the 2012 edition… But when I started training last month, half-hearted, I thought this would be the last time I joined a 10k run: too much effort. Four weeks later I am seeing a constant improvement and actually enjoying my early morning jogs in the forest. Depending on how long I can hold onto the running bug for, I might even join a half marathon next year =)
- And, of course, the unmissable baking session… I was unsure about what to do in occasion of the Jubilee weekend, also due to my renewed commitment to healthy eating. I have seen some truly lovely ideas online [this being my favourite so far], but all I could think of making seemed very unoriginal. Besides, my renewed commitment to healthy eating imposed me to choose something that wasn’t full of butter. Something with fruit maybe… Well I guess i partially succeeded! You can witness there is fruit on the top of my tartlets. One of your five a day indeed.. Shame about all the cream and the pâte sucrée.
Nevermind, I renew my commitment every other week anyway.
I took the recipe from the ever so precious The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts.
It certainly sounds like you’ve got purpose, multiple loads of washing, check! Remember to compete in marathon, check! Bake extravagant tart for jubilee & summerise for blog post, check!
I’m currently on holiday but looking at your schedule I think the Brits definitely deserve the two (3day) weekends coming up! Not to mention the Festivities for the Olympics!
Ha I think many Londoners [including me] would rather not have the Olympics considering all the disruptions they’re gonna cause! Queen Lizzie is a completely different story =)
K – all sounds very virtuous, especially the running bit. Go you! We, in the colonies, do not get an extra day! Have a Pimms for me?
I had Prosecco for you, hope it’s ok? =)
Yeah, Baby! Cheers, Possum!
beautiful looking tarts!
Thanks Leah! x
What perfect little tarts. I’m about to head out for walk/jog…. but need a goal as I normally just can’t be bothered anymore. But don’t like the way THAT makes me feel either. So i literally FORCE myself out.
Keep up the good work!
I feel your pain.. that’s what fun runs an running clubs are for: motivation.
What a perfect tart!
Thanks so much, for someone who used to be very sloppy this is a huge compliment!
Your tarts are lovely, and I’m impressed with the running bug (and the worthwhile cause).