When traveling to strange and foreign lands, it’s fun to discover new fauna and flora. Last Saturday I saw mistletoe for the first time and I also ate pheasant. Very English indeed.

I wrote a post about squirrels but the other animal I have been introduced to is the deer.

But I’m pretty stupid when it comes to deer. I know that they pull Santa’s sleigh and I saw Bambi about twenty years ago but that’s about the extent of my knowledge. I was on my lunch break in Covent Garden and saw two reindeer. I was mesmerised. They were so cute. But I didn’t even know if the antlers are real. At first I looked at this deer head and tried to see where the stitching could be, or if they had given it some sort of headband with antlers glued on. But no, the deer’s head looked like two wooden sticks were growing out of it’s skin/fur. Which if you think about it too closely is actually kinda gross.

My other impression of a deer was at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. This Christmas spectacle is like England has taken the German Weichnachtsmarkt, pulled down its pants and done a massive fart on it. It’s bordering on vulgar. And I found this deer to be a poncy moron.

And, that’s it folks.  No more crazy early mornings filled with  intense baking sessions, vats of soup and spiced bramley apples. No more frenetic tweeting of mes petits désastres. No more waking to the intense  savouriness that is the smell of  kilos of slow roasting pork, wading through the aroma and the sleepiness down the stairs, and opening the oven to a rush of steam and porky goodness. The draining of the fat and the crisping of the crackling. Dipping my hand into the meaty cavern and pulling out the tender shreds of juicy meat.

That’s it The last week is down. A snow filled Wednesday, but cheery to the end and committed to the market, we carried on. We went out with a bang. Yeterday at market was a fantastically busy day and a perfect day to go out on.

The night before, I was exhausted, and really not in the mind for cooking. On the way home from work, I stopped at Selfirdge’s, knowing they had Brindisa chorizo which I wanted for my stew. Sadly, I was too late for Brindisa itself. Then  a quick pit stop in Covent Garden to collect my enormous stock pot, which I had loaned to Denise of The Wine Sleuth, who had taken my place at the market for the previous two days while I was at work, selling her Spicy Tortilla Soup and toasties. Finally, a quick stop in King’s Cross, to see a visiting friend from Tokyo.

By the time I got home, lugging pots, chorizo, kilos of Bramley apples, and what was left of me, I had no energy to cook.  But I had to. That pork ain’t going to slow roast itself. So, in I went, preheated the oven to 220, prepared the pork, put it in the oven, and went to wait the 20 minutes before turning it down to allow it to roast gently. Perfect, no?

No. I fell asleep. I was so very tired, and it was only for half an hour or so, but that was enough to destroy that precious crackling. Luckily I had some extra meat in the fridge, so I could start again. Although, I felt terrible, guilty and annoyed. What a *waste* of lovely meat. I could save the inner portion for my own use later, but I would not be selling it at market.

I decided against boiling the soaked dried chickpeas for the stew, as clearly, I could not be trusted to stay awake, and left this for the morning, setting the alarm a little earlier to fit it in. I went to bed annoyed and, ironically, unable to sleep, worried that I would not have enough food for Saturday, or the time to prepare it

Roll on the morning. I am tired, and it is very cold, I’ve had very little sleep. A peer out the window reveals a carpet of snow on the roof tops.  Shivering, I proceeded down the stairs, by now loathing that porky fragrance.  I sorted out the pork, boiled up the chickpeas and started the stew; sauteeing onions, garlic, chorizo, paprika and adding several good glugs of good red wine, before adding the tomatoes and the chickpeas. Things were smelling good. Bay leaves for extra fragrance, and then it was  time to start the spiced apple, peeling all of those apples, how I’ve come to dread it! Some time later, they’re bubbling in the pot,their sturdy mass  slowly giving way to the water, the spices and the sugar, and transforming to the sweet and spicy condiment that would nestle next to the pork, conspiratorial in their bread blanket later that afternoon.

All done, it’s time to turn my attention to me, and get ready. Bolstering myself with layer after layer, fleece socks over wooly tights, thermals under polo necks under jumpers. Time to call the cab, and collect the bread, get to Covent Garden and set up the market.

At the market it’s busy, and things are looking good. I set up, ask my neighbouring Argentinian stallholder to make me a quick coffee (as that is what he does), and, lastly, as always, I reveal the pork. I’ve come to learn that once this is exposed, I get busy, and there really is no time to do anything else.

It’s the last day, and it’s nearing Christmas. There’s a lovely atmophere. Lots of smiles, is it me or the mulled wine? I expect the latter. It’s lots of fun, and non-stop for 3 hours. I am desperate for a break and a bowl of my lovely Chorizo and Chickpea stew, for I have not eaten since I got up. A girl cannot live on coffee alone.  In the end I have to steal bites in between customers, and in the end consume most of it cold. But who can complain, when everyone is enjoying what I am serving? It makes me very happy.

Several hours later, the pork is gone, and I am relieved. The stew follows shortly after, and friends arrive. We chatter, and indulge in some Bisol Jeio Prosecco. We eat gorgeous shot sized desserts from The Dessert Deli, chocolate mousse and panacotta, and follow with chocolate marshmallows from Sugar Grain. We’re indulgent and we’re having lots of fun. It must be Christmas.

It’s time to pack up! Hooray, it’s been a long day.  I hate this bit normally, but I have lots of helpers, and swiftly, the stall is deconstructed, the wash up is done, everything is put away and it’s time for dinner and wine at Terroirs.

And that’s it. No more market until mid February 2010. Hopefully, I’ll be back. Market days are rumoured to be Fridays and Saturdays next year, which hopefully is true, as I can no longer do Thursdays and I want to continue and explore further. Who knows, maybe I will learn to drive, get some equipment, try new things. I really, really want to.

It’s been a fun 5 months. 5 whole months! I can’t believe it either. Getting out there, cooking, trying new recipes, selling my food, seeing what people like, talking to people about my recipes and getting tips from them. I’ll miss the regulars, I never would have imagined that I would have lunch time queues. Most of all I’ll miss the camraderie with my neighbouring stallholders. Even in Wednesday’s snow, people were smiling, and that helped me smile too.

End of a chapter, but not of an era. Bring on 2010 and it’s culinary adventures.

PS. Photos are from my iphone, forgive the poor quality.

On a snowy day we decided to head to covent garden to see what the fashionable females of london were wearing whilst keeping cosy in the extreme weather conditions! Thanks for stopping girls and looking so fabulous! Looking forward to spotting more of you looking stylish and rocking the new trends in the new year! Merry Christmas street style icons!

Listen to a Londoner. This is a weekly post where people who live (or have lived for a while) in London answer a few questions about the Big Smoke. If you fit the bill and want to be interviewed, give me a shout at littlelondonobservationist@hotmail.co.uk. Always looking for new victims volunteers….

 Rakeem Neil Peebles-Nazir, 33

Rakeem is a journalist and writer who moved here, studied here and will, most likely, live out his days here; a naturalised Londoner, who discovered that it’s much more interesting to be Scottish somewhere other than Scotland!

LLO: How long have you lived in London?
RNP-N: I’ve lived in London for 11 and a half years. I moved here in may ‘98 when I was only 22. The day before I moved to London, I didn’t know I was moving. It was a snap decision at about 7.30am!

LLO: Where are you from originally?
RNP-N: I’m originally from Edinburgh. Beautiful place, but too cold for my liking.

LLO: Best thing about London?
RNP-N: The best thing about London is the fact that it’s so big. There is so much to do and see. I think I could live here the rest of my life and not see most of it.

LLO: Best place to catch a gig?
RNP-N: Best place I’ve been to catch a gig was the Dublin Castle in Camden. I’ve been quite a few times and am rarely disappointed by what’s on.

LLO: Favourite London discovery?
RNP-N: My favourite London discovery is a cool little Polish vodka bar behind Holborn station. The way the alleyway is built, it’s totally hidden from view from the main street. It’s not very big, but they have every flavour of vodka you could think of and some really nice Polish beers too. It used to be called Na Zdrowie, but I don’t know what it’s called these days… I must go check soon! [Editor’s Note: Because no one could pronounce the name, it’s now called Bar Polski.]

LLO: Best time of year in London?
RNP-N: The best time of year in London is definitely the middle of summer. If we’re lucky enough to be enjoying a heat wave, there’s no better place. All the parks fill up with people, the streets are awash with happy faces… even the traffic seems to slow down a bit. The only downside is being on the tube for any length of time!

LLO: First place to take a visitor?
RNP-N: The first place I’d take a visitor to the city is the London Eye. I can’t think of a better way to show someone the city than to see that view of it from over the rooftops before setting out to explore it.

LLO: Boris is…
RNP-N: …probably going to go down in history as London’s greatest ever mayor. He’s pure comedy value, which is where I think half of his votes came from and the other half are from those of us that think he’s a lot more astute than he let’s on. He might well witter when he’s speaking, but he’s still got a good head for politics. Well, I think he does, anyway.

LLO: What would you change about the city if you had the power to do so?
RNP-N: If I could change one thing about the city, I’d have the tubes running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For the relatively small amount of people that would use it through the night, you could easily afford to have some of those Police Community Support Officers on every train during the night and London would be that bit safer.

LLO: Best place to spend a Sunday afternoon?
RNP-N: For me, the best place to spend a Sunday is quietly reading my newspaper over breakfast with friends somewhere in the city centre. I’m a big fan of Covent Garden, but down by the river’s really nice too. Then slope off somewhere to watch the football. It’s what Sundays are all about!

Thanks Rakeem!

This production by John Copley, with designs by Susan Trevelyan Oman, suits the Royal Opera House perfectly. Its depiction of wintery cold in Paris combines well with the human warmth of the story, and our protagonists were young singers whose charm and vivacity gave a welcome freshness to this frequently performed opera.

The four bohemians contrasted well with one another, and each gave an excellent portrayal. Rodolfo the poet was strongly sung by Polish tenor Piotr Beczala, who appeared in the Metropolitan Opera live relay in February this year as an impassioned Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Here he was equally impassioned as Rodolfo, and with his Che gelida manina he fully opened up the emotional side of the performance. The painter Marcello was also strongly sung and delightfully performed by Italian baritone Gabriele Viviani, as were the musician Schaunard and the philosopher Colline, the one by South African baritone Jacques Imbrailo, and the other by Lithuanian bass Kostas Smoriginas, whom I last saw this summer in The Royal Opera’s Tosca as a redoubtable Angelotti. The young women were both Russian born singers, and I thought Hibla Gerzmava gave a very fine portrayal of Mimi, quietly reserved yet full of intensity in the high moments, especially in her Act I aria, as she refers to the thaw after winter, and sings il primo sole è mio. Musetta was strongly sung by Inna Dukach and I thought she came over well in the last two acts, but in Act II of this dress rehearsal she was simply a drama queen without the sexiness that attracts her escort Alcindoro, her old lover Marcello, the waiters and all the other men in the cafe.

The orchestra, under excellent direction by Andris Nelsons, gave a superb rendering of the music. This, along with the singing and wonderful staging, made the whole performance a delight. John Copley knows exactly how to match the action to both words and music, and must surely have rehearsed the singers in this fine revival. He knows the opera inside out, and in a previous revival when Mimi was missing in a rehearsal, Copley simply sang the entire role himself! With opera directors of such knowledge and talent why would anyone hire those dreadful ‘concept’ producers? Let us have productions like this that allow the singers to portray the characters in the drama, so we can concentrate on the singing and music without awkward distractions.

one [Sat, 12-Dec / Sun, 13-Dec]

I awoke to a beautiful London sunny Saturday shining in through my curtains and onto my bare walls and packed luggage.  This was it, the final day…

Avey and I headed north to the place we shared so many memories throughout the semester: Camden Town.  We strolled through the market stalls, Avey stopped for some nachos, and we ended our brief visit at The World’s End pub, a place we spent several hours and several pints.  We curled up next to the fireplace, sipped our final snakebites, and reminisced about our times there…….and then 100+ Brits dressed as Santas bombarded the pub!  The entire place filled with them while there were hundreds more outside screaming “What do we want?! CHRISTMAS! When do we want it?! NOW!”  It was precisely the note Marie and Avey Camden time needed to end on.

We quickly stopped in Russell Square so Avey could pick up a few final souvenirs at a bookshop she visited during the semester.  We quickly headed back to South Kensington for our 3pm pre-departure flat inspection.  After getting a thumbs up, we headed to Covent Garden and Seven Dials, another area we wanted to say a final farewell to.  I had one final errand on my list in Holborn: visiting the Princess Louise pub, a perfectly preserved old school pub featuring ornate decorations and 8 separate room divisions around the bar.  It was definitely the coolest pub I went to in London, and I’m glad I saved it for the end.  The night was well upon us, so we again headed home for a final pub meal at our local, The Zetland Arms.  We were joined by Mike and all indulged in classic pub grub.  I savored every bite of my Welsch Rarebit with chips and every sip of my final Strongbow pint.

Back to Manson Place we went for final showers and a few hours of shut eye.  We arose at 1:30am for a cup of tea and final packing.  The Marist men returned to the flat and even thought they were drunk they were a great help in getting my 90 pounds of luggage down the 5 flight Mount Manson walk-up, where we stored our luggage in John’s flat on the first floor.  Saying goodbye to our flatmates was definitely strange, but considering we all go to school in Poughkeepsie it was more of a see you later–much more manageable!

Avey and I then embarked on our final London adventure: 3am breakfast at Vingt Quatre, a 24-hour bar/restaurant in the neighboring area of Chelsea.  One of the very few 24-hour eateries in London, it was no surprise that we arrived to a 45 minute queue of extremely drunk and hungry yet still posh (that’s what you get in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea!) Brits.  I can confidently say it was well worth the wait.  Our final meal was a very metaphoric one: Avey had the American Breakfast (pancakes=US) while I indulged in the Full English Breakfast and a Bloody Mary, the final legal cocktail.

We strolled through the borough for the final time and arrived back at Manson Place at 5am with a bit of time to spare before our 5:30am cab.  It came and we were off to Heathrow.  That was probably one of the strangest car rides of my entire life, and I will never forget the last glance of Manson Place I took over my shoulder or the last street sign I saw before entering the airport: the very quintessentially named Devonshire Passage.

My bags just made it in under the weight restrictions (phew!), security went smoothly, and we killed some time in the duty free shopping areas and chatting to a fellow traveler in Costa Coffee.  Our fight crew went MIA so we boarded a bit late, but soon enough we were in our seats with our luggage stowed, our seat backs upright, and our tray tables locked.  And up we went, engulfed by the dense London clouds I so often admired from the ground…

Cheerio!

The Feeling - Super Busking in Covent Garden

Friday saw the return of the superbly Christmassy Super Busking in Covent Garden’s Market Building.The secret gigs took place at seemingly random times from 4th-14th December. This is busking with a difference, instead of your classic bearded guitarist at Baker St or the vivacious violinist at Victoria you have some high-flyers taking to the streets to serenade passers-by.

The gigs took place under the innovative new LED installation, which acts as a space-age equaliser. From The Saturdays to The Stereophonics, the Super Buskers wowed the crowds, and all for a good cause too – CRISIS – the charity for single homeless people.

The precise time of the super busking gigs were kept a secret until four hours before the acts are due to start, with fans receiving the gig times after they text Covent Garden for information. £1.24 from each text sent went to the Crisis charity.

Alas, the Super Buskers are now safely packed away for another year. Great campaign with great music for a life-changing charity – I’ve got that warm Christmas feeling already.

The Full Line-up:

The Feeling: Friday 4th December
Gabriella Climi: Saturday 5th December
Jamie Cullum: Wednesday 9th December
Ben’s Brother: Friday 11th December
Stereophonics: Monday 14th December

And a personal favourite: The Feeling- Sewn.

One happy chappy...

Very nice beer.  Quite light, with a smokey after taste.  Bought in Covent garden so the price was a little bit on the high side.  Paid £5.45 for ONE PINT, phew!!!!

But all in all a nice pint

31/2  Beer Mats

Bought in The Lowlander.  Price: £5.45 (Wow!)

So yesterday we hosted the launch of Elton John AIDS Foundation’s ‘Out the Closet’ pop-up shop at the Covent Garden, Flower Cellars. Essentially, David Furnish and Elton John sold off their designer wardrobe for the AIDS charity. The clothes were A-FUCKING-MAZING. The Covent Garden Flower Cellars were literally DRIPPING in designer, from LV to Versace and Yohji Yamamoto to Bottega Veneta.

Obviously a lot for EJ’s rather outlandish pieces and accessories were on sale, however there was an array of more demure high-fashion items from his partner, David Furnish. I managed to pick up an amazing pair of Bottega Veneta patent leather shoes (thank god I am a size 8.5) and a Versace belt for less than £150 all up. Frankly for any male fashionista, it is WELL worth heading down. It is the fifth pop-up shop for the foundation, but is the best stocked this far – thanks to EJ losing weight and DF putting it on. Overall, prices range from £10 to £2,000 – it is going to be there until 19th December, when there will be a clearance sale for all remaining stock.

All proceeds go to EJAF. The last sale in Britain, in 2002, sold 15,000 items and raised £400,000. A sale in New York four years ago raised £700,000.

Finally, it is a shame that GQ magazine and GQ online don’t communicate with each other/share content, because if you pick up a copy of this month’s GQ, you will see a shoot by Jo Levin, of celebrities including Sting, Neve Campbell and Natalie Imbruglia kitted out in some of the more iconic items on sale.

Probably not, but still pretty bad.  “Elton John Comes Out of the Closet with Sale of Flamboyant Clothing Collection“. Oh, artdaily!

Not art market news per se, but it’s amusing and for a good cause.

Out the Closet 2009 will be the fifth pop up shop that the Elton John AIDS Foundation has held. The last Out The Closet, in 2002 on Regents Street, sold approximately 15,000 items and raised £400,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton commented, “Out of The Closet has become an amazing fundraising opportunity for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. We always get a fantastic response from the public – I think the idea that the items we all buy and enjoy can help someone in dire need, particularly at this time of year, really strikes a chord. I’m so grateful for everyone’s support in making this happen.”

Still in shock!

I’ve arrived a couple of hours ago from Covent Garden, where Jamie Culllum has been performing (and busking) for the Crisis Charity. I’ve been following his last tweets to know exactly at what time it was going to be, so at 5 pm I was already there, trying to find the best location to take pictures and videos. I don’t know if I have succeeded or not but anyway, I could speak to him for 5 seconds and ask for an autograph, which is far more than I was expecting.

The show has started with “These are the days” from his 2004 album, Twentysomething followed by this year’s Rihanna’s hit “Don´t stop the music“. To be honest, a much better version than the original and with much more feeling at the same time.

After some other songs from his last album, as “Just one of those things” the concert almost finished with an improvised version of Caravan in the middle of the Piazza, without micro and just his voice and his musicians.

Such an amazing gig for free and such an artist and a best performer I think, as he always plays the piano and sings in live. Great band as well, thank you very much to all you  five. I know it’s been a busy day for you after being on TV at 3 pm, so don’t give up and see you next May in concert again.

Feeling like a snack? Head toward Covent Garden and look out for Ben’s Cookies lovely logo – drawn by Quentin Blake – to indulge with huge cookies filled with melting chocolate chunks.

Each time I go there I face the daunting task of having to choose between the triple chocolate chunk, the dark chocolate chunk (my favourite!), the white chocolate and macadamia nuts, or other tempting cookies filled with various mixes of chocolate, nuts or candied fruits (around £ 1,30 each)…

The brand has several shops and has even opened a new one in Oxford Circus,  to recover after an intense session of shopping….

Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Click here to view B&W Gallery

]]> http://markronan.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/der-rosenkavalier-royal-opera-december-2009/ Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:15:58 +0000 markronan http://markronan.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/der-rosenkavalier-royal-opera-december-2009/

Wonderful period sets and costumes for this 1984 production by John Schlesinger, revived by Andrew Sinclair, are the background for an enchanting evening. With Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko giving Strauss’s music more colour than I ever remember hearing, this was a musical feast. The star of the show for me was Lucy Crowe as Sophie, the girl whose wealthy father wants to marry her off to the nobility in the form of the boorish Baron Ochs. He was very well sung by Peter Rose, who gave him just the right nuances, without going over the top. As the knight who rescues Sophie from this appalling mismatch we had Sophie Koch as a strong-voiced Octavian, but I would have preferred more masculinity in her portrayal. She compared unfavourably in this respect to Daniela Sindram, whom I saw doing the same part in Berlin earlier this year, but the presentation of the silver rose and the duet with Sophie in Act II was beautifully done. The Italian intriguers, Annina and Valzacchi, fed up with getting no payment from Ochs, turn to assist Octavian in taking him down a peg or two, and were very well played by Leah-Marian Jones and Graham Clark. In this production we see Octavian actually writing the letter to Ochs at the rear of the stage. This was all very well done, and I thought Act II came over brilliantly, helped of course by the simply wonderful set.

The audience seemed enthusiastic about Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski as the Marschallin, but the friends I know who liked her were seeing this opera for the first time. Having seen far better Marschallins, such as Anne Schwanewilms in Chicago in February 2006, I’m afraid I was underwhelmed. I found her voice too harsh in Act I and she lacked finesse and flirtatiousness with Octavian, though she certainly sang well in the trio at the end of Act III. Unfortunately, Lucy Crowe who had sung so well in the last two acts, seemed to tire right at the very end and lost her pitch, but this was the first night. The other disappointment was Thomas Allen as Faninal, Sophie’s wealthy father, who was surprisingly lacking in stage presence and vocal gravitas. But Wookyung Kim as the tenor in Act I  sang like a god.

Altogether this was a success, and it may be that some of the weaker points will be corrected in later performances. Watch this space two weeks hence.

The logo design above, for Eight, is by Stylo Design, a creative agency based in Covent Garden, London. I was reminded of the above design when looking through this years’ Eulda (European Logo Design Annual) winners.

nine [Fri, 4-Dec]

After cranking out a bit more of my British Cultural Studies final in the morning, I met Annie at Covent Garden to secure Christmas gifts for some very special loved ones.  Great success!  It was a beautiful day so I moseyed home via foot and bus, taking in London as much as I could–my strategy for a while now but getting ever more imperative as the days pass by.

Upon arriving home, I did a bit more work as I made a meal from the frozen food reserves–time to clear out!  The second to last Friday night was officially upon us, and ecen though we were all feeling a bit mellow, Lauren put it perfectly: “I know I will kick myself if I don’t take full advantage of my legality.”  And off to our closets Sarah, Lauren, and I went to get ready for a girls’ night out.  We headed south to a champagne bar, Amuse Bouche, in Fulham.  I didn’t get the chance to do a champagne bar yet, so checking it off my list made the evening even better.  We invested in our own bottle to start with but–in a throwback to our earliest London nights, minus faking names and pretending to be from exotic locations–ended up capitalizing on charity/drunkeness/wealth of 20-something Brits.  Cheers!

(To see the video in HD, click Vimeo)

Last night saw the second instalment of Super Busking in Covent Garden with The Feeling taking to the street.  I don’t know if it was because it was a Friday or because the Feeling are just more popular but last nights crowd was much bigger, even though it was freezing!

Again this is all in aid if homeless charity Crisis so to donate head over to their website www.crisis.org.uk