Who doesn’t love the pop-up shop, which seem to be increasing in popularity and occurance every year. There are ones for books, others for food… and then there’s the latest for Marmite.
   Love it or you hate it, even if you don’t want to buy the product, you can now buy the t-shirt. Of course that’s not only what they stock. There are the usual branded mugs, coasters, plates, teatowls, oven gloves and books. If you feel hungry you can even pop upstairs for a cuppa and marmite on toast.

   You can find the Marmite pop-up shop at 82 Regent St. Click here to visit the official website.

My parents just left after a lovely week long visit. I am sad to see them leave but luckily they left lots of treats behind including three jars of marmite (2 special editions) which will help to console me. As well as marmite, chocolate and christmas crackers I also have a pile of new books and christmas presents to look forward to.

Except on skype I don’t get to see my parents very often and it was a couple of years since their last visit to Columbus. It is not surprising that I had a long list of restaurants and food places that I wanted to take them. It was a chance to share some of my favorite places, for them to experience first hand some of the places they have read so much about, and an excuse to try somewhere new. The highlight was probably our omakase dinner at Kihachi which felt like a mini vacation in Japan. We also had lovely dinners at Alana’s and the Refectory Bistro (excellent value at $24 for 3 courses) and a cosy drink at Nida’s. Alana does a fantastic job of showcasing Ohio produce in a creative and interesting way. The highlight of the dinner were the sweetbreads that topped the risotto du jour, but I also loved the broccolini dish that I had and golden beets with almond skordalia.

White bean brushetta at Alana's

Lunches out included Rigby’s for their blue plate special and of course there was an obligatory trip to a taco truck (Los Potosinos), followed by dessert from Otro Rollo, fantastic sweet bread fresh from the oven. We also took a trip to the Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs, which we combined with a fascinating trip to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Westcott House in Springfield (photos).

Somewhere that was new to me was the fifty year old institution that is the Top Steakhouse. It had been on my restaurant wish-list for a while and I thought my parents would enjoy the step back in time with the classic decor and menu. They did and so did I. It really is a taste of another era with steak diane, oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail, accompanied by the background pianist. Unfortunately we were seated in a room that used to be a private bar and it didn’t have quite the same atmosphere. The steaks were delicious although they seemed to be cooked to the chef’s whim regardless of how they had been ordered. Going to The Top is a good excuse to stop in at Wings for a night cap as they have the largest collection of single malt scotches in Columbus. I enjoyed trying the Wild Scotsman black label.

Shopping trips included the North Market (fish, eggs, vegetables and a rosemary tree), Katzinger’s (cheese), Pistacia Vera (cookies and cakes), Jeni’s (Ice cream) and Thurns (pork chops, smoked trout and bacon). We couldn’t resist stopping for coffee and cookies at Pistacia Vera. The almondine and lime ginger cookies were the favorites of the day and the winning Jeni’s flavor – blackstrap praline – I think my father would have packed some to take home if he could.

Cheeses on display at Katzinger's

Our visit to the North Market was well timed: Chef David MacLennan from Latitude 41 was at the Wayward Seed stall cooking up pork belly, pickled beets at rutabaga mash. The recipe for the delicious mash (with turnips, cream and pear) is on the Wayward Seed blog. We bought brussels sprouts from the Rhoades’ and celery root at the Greener Grocer.

My parents were intrigued by the peanut pumpkins (Galeux d’eysine)  having never come across them before. The pale salmon colored skin is covered in protruding warts which look incredibly like peanut shells. Apparently they are great for cooking although I have not tried one.

In between all this eating we also had a lovely time at the Franklin Park Conservatory, admiring the Chihuly, Poinsettias, koi and orchids and walked around the Topiary Garden. Photos on flickr.

As well as a lot of eating out, we also had some delicious dinners at home. From top left: Thurn’s smoked pork chop with celery root puree and an acorn squash baked with bacon and maple syrup (an excellent James Beard recipe); home made bread; english style fish pie (fish and hard boiled eggs in a white sauce topped with mashed potatoes); a salad from my garden with arugula, nasturtiums and mesclun greens. I also shared some of my home canned tomato sauce from the summer. One of my requests for my parents visit was a bread making lesson from my dad. He has been making bread my whole life and I wanted a practical class, my previous attempts not having turned out as well as hoped. Although my father makes bread by feel and not measurements, he gave me some good tips that I think will help.

We also made mincemeat, ready for mince pies and traditional english christmas puddings. These were made to a very old and secret family recipe and this is the first time that I have been entrusted with the recipe. The puddings were steamed for 8+ hours and can then be kept for years as they improve with age. AD is skeptical about aging desserts but I made one for this year and one for next year. The smell of fruit, spice and alcohol as it was simmering away made the house smell warm and festive.

For thanksgiving we were invited to AD’s family for a traditional thanksgiving dinner with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie. We also had some of the best mashed potato ever – apparently the secret was baking the potatoes and using lots of cream. One of their traditional family accompaniments was oyster stuffing – a new dish to me – and obviously very popular.

I hope that you were able to spend thanksgiving with family or friends. This was very different to last year’s thanksgiving but both were fun. There are many different ways to feast and to be thankful.

A big, big hat tip goes to my friend CB. CB, inspite of his fierce alligence to Vegemite, brought over a full 1kg of the black stuff. Talk about drug trafficking between countries. He narrowly escaped paying a surcharge in over-weight luggage.

Thanks CB.

Two camps exist. Those that like Marmite, and those that like Vegemite. Neither twain shall cross.

Heres an interesting link on Vegemite, Marmite and what’s in both of them.

For over a month the Shell Garage in Kingsthorpe, Northants has seen all of its jars of Marmite vanish from the shelves. Don’t look at me I hate the stuff! The shop has been forced to stop stocking the spread until the thief is caught. So far 18 jars have vanished. Despite the culprit being caught on CCTV camera the jars continue to vanish. In one raid he stole all but 2 jars but the next day he came back and took those too! No one has a clue what he is doing with the condiment but some have suggested he might be using it to hide drugs because it would hide the smell of friggin anything! So if you happened to know anyone with a shit load of jars in their cupboard you might want to give the police a buzz or not!

After making an agreement with my siblings to never move abroad, my brother chose to emigrate to Spain. At one time this would have been horiffic news but in actuality, we stay in touch as much as I do with the other siblings. Thank you social media.

I would like to give particular thanks to Skype and it’s iPhone app. This means my brother and I can message each other any time of day and when I get home we see each other face to face on the web cam. That’s more than I get from the northern brother!

So, why is skype only worth $2.75 billion? Alright, that’s a lot of cash but nowhere near what certain social networks are going for.

Facebook has just been valued at an estimated $9.5 billion. That’s a lot of bread for not a lot of work. Skype allows people to truly connect, Facebook allows people to boast about what they had for breakfast.

When formulating a social media campaign for clients, it’s clear we’re overlooking a crucial factor: people want to boast more than they want to interact. I just wish I had Marmite as a client!

Devout fans of Marmite across the globe are being given a unique chance to prove their love for the stuff, and  if chosen as honourable enough are being rewarded with one of 200 jars of “MXO” (unique super-strength spread) as a trophy.

As part of a 100 year celebration campaign for Marmite this Autumn, that has included a pop up shop/Toast Bar in central London among other items, lovers (rather than haters) of Marmite are encouraged to the site to submit evidence of their love for the brand. The quirky cult-like page adds an amusing edge to just how far some brand lovers will go to show their adoration for the spread, from dittys and poems to artistic paintings.

The site is a very amusing read, fellow lovers can browse through agreeing enthusiastically with the entries, while haters can still get their fill by having a good  laugh at the absurdity of some of the devotees. Personally we think it is a great way to get consumers on board as true brand advocates, and a really fun way to display how passionate they are to the world. I  thoroughly recommend you take a read at The Marmarti home page!

It occurred to me yesterday that the year was almost over. And like any year since the invention of recorded sound, there have been many recordings made throughout its duration, some collected on discs, some released as a bundle of faceless files, but nonetheless albums, ladies and gentleman. For this blog and the ones intended to directly follow it, I aim to conveniently forget that extended plays exist, and concentrate solely on full-length statements.

So join me, if you will, as I list 10 albums that have been released in 2009, which I have come to absolutely adore, in some cases fairly quickly. I feel I am qualified to do this, though we are roughly 10/12ths of the way through the year. Expect another of these in January, detailing the albums released throughout November and December that I absolutely adore. Note that I am holding out hope that I’ll find ten more albums and fall in love with them in little under two months. Of course, this won’t happen, but to justify this post, I might as well say that it may.

Alright, I’ll get to the point, shall I? Okay. Here goes.

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (January 13^th)

Now I must admit I was sceptical at first. Almost drowning in critical success, it didn’t seem like there was any way that Merriweather Post Pavilion, the eighth album penned by too-clever-for-their-own-good noise pop outfit Animal Collective, could possibly live up to the expectations set for it. With rave reviews popping up from every angle, and Noah Lennox himself popping up to state that the disc might just be the group’s best-recorded album (not that the self-consciously lo-fi recordings contained in previous works such as Sung Tongs and Feels would ever be particularly hard to improve on in terms of recording quality); it seemed impossible to take the hype surrounding the group’s most recent effort seriously.

Well, taking into consideration the praise heaped upon the release before it had even hit the shelves – not to mention the sheer amount of Animal Collective sound-alikes spawned since their millennial inception, some even surpassing the group in scope and ambition – I approached the release with what seemed like a closed mind. The optical illusion on the cover served as a visual representation of my expected view of the album: that all the positivity regarding the record was something of a sham, an illusion in itself. My mind was already made up. This album would be awful.

I have to say; I never expected to be proven wrong so quickly. From the shaky induction of ‘In The Flowers’, with its bubbling synths and gently reverberating guitars recalling Panda Bear’s now distant solo effort ‘Person Pitch’, all trepidation I felt going into the first listen melted away. By the time the drums rumbled into place beneath crackling percussion and a gradually building cacophony of sound, I was well and truly hooked. A few minutes later, when all traces of the contents of such a discordant mixture had been washed away, I was genuinely fascinated as to which direction the music would flow next.

While I was pondering this oh-so-strange experience of being so swept up in an album, the opening strains of ‘My Girls’ crept into my ears, sounding like a conventional pop song completely drenched in reverb. The phrase ‘Beach Boys harmonies’ is thrown around much too often to describe the gentle lull of the densely layered vocal tracks on display here, which manage to be both impenetrable, yet somehow oddly accessible. Indeed, the vocals are one of the first things one notices when plunged waste deep into a concoction of sound; equal parts radical improvisation and carefully measured ambient atmosphere. Maybe it’s the surprise of finding something to relate to in the static. Or maybe it’s just because they’re performed so excellently that it very nearly sounds like two opposing forces of unimaginable power clattering together and generating an entity of pure beauty. The Beach Boys never came close to this.

But that’s what Animal Collective do so well. Taking foundations from preceding release ‘Strawberry Jam’ and building upon them with unmistakable style and grace, Merriweather Post Pavilion manages to achieve what that record could not; making pure experimentation seem almost approachable. Sure, moments have always existed where the indie, ‘underground’ nature of the group seems ripe for questioning, but this album definitely comes across as the most consistent of statements. And despite the flood of gushing, swooning reviews of Merriweather Post Pavilion planting the idea that all this attention may be nothing but an elaborate hoax, the sentiment of said reviews is undeniably correct. Why else would I be fawning over it right now?

See also:

Bike For Three! – More Heart Than Brains (May 26^th)

Atlas Sound – Logos (October 20^th)

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – The Century of Self (February 17^th)

I’m not exactly sure how many people have been faithfully following the convoluted contours of the career of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (who I will refer to as simply Trail of Dead from here on in, for simplicities sake) since their self-titled debut in 1998, but even those who haven’t will probably be familiar with the concept: rumbling, punk-inspired production and songs which veer wildly between unparalleled displays of ground-shaking turbulence and frequent bouts of heart-rending emotion. Sure, the decidedly rough sound of the production has been smoothed out and updated between albums, but the fundamental element still remains; the steadfast refusal to tone down their sound. Even when singer Conrad Keely sounds the most fragile and wracked with sorrow, his accompaniment will be banging and crashing its way to the forefront of your consciousness, unable to be ignored, impossible to push away.

I believe it speaks volumes about the bands sound that the rhythm section is often the first thing you notice on a Trail of Dead record. This isn’t to say that their melodic and harmonic constructions are lacking, or that the group favours intensity and atmosphere over substance and style – one of the next things you notice is how recklessly beautiful the soundscapes they create can be, how the mood of a piece is weaved throughout its spiralling layers – but the sheer immensity of their sound is often either an aspect one falls in love with, or a point of contention. I’d say that the band is a lot like Marmite in this respect, but 1) I wouldn’t want to perpetuate the myth that it’s necessary to either love or hate that particular product, and 2) that’s sort of a dumb comparison.

After my rather rambling generalisation of the band, then, you might find yourself wondering how their sixth studio album managed to make it on to my illustrious list in the first place. The answer is that originality is often the most important factor in placing a new release firmly within the grasp of my adoration, and this album is, quite simply, original. It’s not even a case of ‘however many times you hear it, it always sounds fresh and exciting’ – as I would’ve expected of myself upon first listening – though admittedly, that’s a part of it. It may be partly due to the group’s two most recent efforts being remarkably sub-standard following two works of such understated majesty (‘Madonna’ and the much-lauded ‘Source Tags & Codes’), and the ensuing relief that this record didn’t also turn out to be a dud, but to embark on an exploration of that explanation would render well over half of this review to be obsessed more with previous work than what this album actually sounds like. Let’s forget for a moment that this is already true, and move on to the description.

The Century of Self finds the band further exploring the intricate links between balls-out heaviness and breathtaking beauty, still somehow managing to experiment with conventional song structures along the way. The false ending and eventual return to the theme in ‘Isis Unveiled’, the sombre acoustics and alt-country sound of ‘Luna Park’ and the elements of déjà vu inherent in ‘Insatiable One’ and ‘Insatiable Two’ rank amongst the most interesting parts of the album, though simply naming these moments moves nowhere towards a full description of the overwhelming nature of the complete experience of the album. Instantly immersive, it seems to resonate deep within you as it flows, freely and ceaselessly. Words don’t do it justice, so I’ll let you find out for yourself.

In other, much more confusing words: I like Marmite, but I’ll be the first to stand up and say that I have no strong feelings for it. This album, however, may be harder to remain unbiased about.

See also:

Malajube – Labyrinthes (February 10^th)

Thrice – Beggars (August 9^th)

I grew up eating Marmite which is made from yeast and vegetable extract and hails from England. It is a gooey dark brown almost black paste that has an intense salty, savoury flavour to it. You either love it or hate it (which is the marketing slogan). and most of my friends do indeed hate it as they didn’t grow up eating it. It is great spread on toast especially if you add cheese. Most people only spread a thin layer on as it is quite powerful stuff but my cousin Graeme and I lay it on thick-as we always say “the thicker the better”. You can also add it to hot water to make a nice cup of broth, or to some of your recipes that call for an asian flavour as it has a somewhat comparable flavour to soy sauce. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians (which I am not) as a great substitute for bovril.It comes in a glass jar either small or large and now comes in a plastic squeeze bottle–a great idea. I was recently given a squeeze bottle from my friend Maxine when she got back from England-thanks Max!

Marmite glass and squeeze bottles with the new Marmite Cheddar Bites and Piccalilli

Marmite is available in many countries and I used to be able to buy it in Canada when I lived there though it was much more expensive than in England. Unfortunately it is not found here in Mexico which means I now have to stock pile it or rely on friends and family who visit England to bring me a jar back. My mom recently came to Cancun and she brought with her a new Marmite product called Marmite Cheese Bites I have one word to describe this little piece  of heaven YUMMY. It is cheddar cheese infused with Marmite and encased in black wax.We are eating it slowly bit by bit to prolong our pleasure.

 When I decided to write this post I was curious to see what results would come back from googling Marmite and I was pleasantly surprised by 566,000 results. I also checked out their website and discovered some more new products like Marmite bread sticks, Marmite rice cakes, Marmite crisps and Marmite cashews. What is a girl to do with all these new Marmite inspired goodies and nowhere to buy them? I don’t think they even have them in Canada yet. Has anyone seen them and if so where?

I must of course mention Marmite’s inferior knock off called Vegemite that  hails from Australia and it too has vegetable extract as well as yeast extract. It is much weaker than Marmite and has had Brits and Aussies debating which one is better for years and years. My Aussie friend and I have had many heated debates over wine as to which one is superior …which of course is Marmite

I could go on and on raving about this elixir from the gods but I am afraid that until you try it out you just can’t truly understand what Marmite is all about besides I am hungry now and I think I will make myself a cheese and Marmite sandwich with Piccalilli - another great British product but I will save that for another post.

Last night was the evening of marmite television. Love it or hate it, tonight’s x-factor results show and the first of a new series of I want to be a celebrity get me a career, (see what  I did there) are the source of equal excitement and dread across the land. And love it or hate it, these two programmes are the pinnacle of realiTV, the flagships of an entire genre.

I’m not a fan of realiTV in general. I have no time for Big Brother, a bunch of nobody’s who want to be somebody’s, battling it out to become gross caricatures of themselves and claim their five minutes of notoriety.

I have less time still for the likes of Bailiffs looking hard, traffic cops looking harder or airport security playing soldiers with their high-vis jackets and walkie-talkies.

These shows are indeed the dregs of televisual output, the very last scrapings of the genre’s barrel, but that does not mean however that there is not value in this cheap Ronald McDonald format. X factor and I’m a celebrity represent this value, and to deny it is to deny our own morbid curiosity for the highs and lows of other peoples lives.

I was thinking about this when it occurred to me that social media- Facebook and Twitter especially are the children of this realiTV craze. We are both the viewers and the stars of a perpetual big-brother world through these sites. We watch with glee the highs and lows of other people’s lives, and willfully provide material for our friends and stalkers to view. And all of us are cynical producers of the worldwide show, tagging often inappropriate photo’s of our friends for the amusement of all before the victim has a chance to untag him or herself.

But, I digress. X-Factor last night failed to eject the lacklustre Lloyd, a contestant so dull I’m sure even his mother nods off during his performances. Worse still, my Sky Plus decided to fuck up (technical term) resulting in me missing the bushtucker trial on I’m a celeb.

I wonder how long it will be before Jedward are presenting that show. Ant and Dec should be very scared.

I blogged previously about how architecture divides us.

New bungalows at Abel Collins Nottingham November 2009

I took the photograph here yesterday morning and was quizzed by the son of one of our residents. He wanted to know what we were thinking – and what Prince Charles would have to say. Firstly, what we were thinking is that we had an opportunity to make a statement. Secondly, I personally dislike pastiche architecture and was keen to avoid replicating what went before. Thirdly, these are very sustainable – with green credentials – rainwater harvesting, a sedum roof, high levels of insulation, a low carbon footprint, solar shading and underfloor heating. The level of ‘green’ is somewhere between 25-44% better than the current Building Regulations require. What would Prince Charles say? He would think they were a Carbuncle no doubt. I respect his views, but don’t always agree with them. We have moved on and need to move on further if we are to hit our sustainability targets. Highgrove House won’t quite have the same levels of insulation! Nor is Poundbury, in my view, great architecture.

What really counts though is whether our residents will like living in them. In their current bare state they appear warm and light & airy. The rooms are well proportioned and the space will hopefully turn into a home for the new residents. Time will tell!

University of Nottingham Grace Building

Would either of these buildings worked in ‘brick and slate’…. I think not, but I am willing to be challenged. Architecture, like Art, is a matter of personal taste. A ‘marmite‘ moment! And it’s got people talking… which they tend not to do about our other houses and bungalows?

p.s. I love Marmite!

From two man band Frederick Wissler and George Huth in Burton-on-Trent in 1902, to the largest Facebook following of any food brand in the world, Marmite really is a British success story.

It was 100 years ago when the recipe and its makers went underground, but last week the Marmarati, Marmite’s secret society, revealed itself to forty dedicated Marmite lovers, to help decide on a recipe for the strongest Marmite ever and find its next 160 new recruits.

In a formal setting in the heart of London, Marmite’s blending and production process was revealed last week to the lucky forty, who have all now been sworn into the society as its first circle.

These forty people, of which I am honored to be one, were blindfolded and invited to try three different blends of the yeasty spread.  Noting down which was our favourite, we then posted our results in a wooden box, ready to be collated – the winning blend will be made into Marmite’s next spread, codenamed MXO. 

Are you Marmite enough to be in the Marmarati?

There are 160 places left before The Marmarati conceals its existence from the world once again.  Declare your love for the dark sticky elixir, join Marmite’s Appreciation Society on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, comment below – do what you can so the best possible membership selection can be made.

Fakta – Biltemas Induktionshäll

Effekt: 500-2000 watt

Hertz: 50 Hz

Pris: 449 kr

Fakta – Konradw´s Digitala Smältugn

Effekt: 600 watt

Hertz: 60hz

Pris: 4850 kr

Efter att ha läst runt på internet och letat efter information om detta med induktions värmning har jag kommit fram till detta.

Hertzen eller den såkallade frekvensen bestämmer vilket material som värms upp,

och det verkar som att ifall man har en hög hertzdå har magnetismen svårare att gå igenom material och ger dålig värmning, men det lägre man har juh lättare är det att värma och smälta materialet.

Och med tanke på att biltemas induktionshäll har högre watt och lägre frekvens så borde man kunna smälta metaller med den.

MEN, jag tror att man måste göra smärre modifikationer på biltemas induktionshäll, ta bort glasplattan och lägga om koppar ledningarna så man kan sätta dom runt en rund degel, så man kan smälta metallen, men jag är långt ifrån säker på att detta funkar, men så som jag har förstått ska det vara möjligt att göra enda stora problemet är ifall själva koppar ledningarna är för “veka” och behövs bytas ut mot större.

Love it and you have to pop into the new Marmite pop-up store on Regent str, hate it and you should still swing by as I can guarantee there will be something in there that will tickle your fancy. If nothing else other than as a stocking filler for someone you know is a lover of the British version of black gold.

Although in my somewhat pre-Christmas cash crisis I find the prices a little steep it’s still perfect for those “what the hell am I going to buy this person” little gifts that take an age to choose.

The store is open for 10 weeks and sells a variaty of products from t-shirts, aprons, cook books, coasters and key rings to bags, biscuit tins mugs and stationary. All the art work in the store is also for sale. The wonderful scent wafting from the upstairs cafe is enough to tempt most souls into having a little sit down and enjoying one of the small wonders of the world. Marmite on toast with a nice cup of tea.

In my view it’s worth a trip into town for but for many that may sound a bit ridiculous. However, if you already feel you might need to make the trip to do something else. Ad this to the list of to do’s because we all know it’s much better to kill two birds.

The store is open Mon-Wed 10:00 to 20:00. Thur-Sat 10:00 to 21:00 and Sun 12:00 to 18:00.

I hope you love it….

Pop-Up Shop Review: Marmite Pop-Up Shop on Regents Street
Londonist, November 11, 2009 9:38 PM

Pop-up this, pop-up that. With vacant retail space throughout town and a palpable air of economic uncertainity, there’s a lot of non-committal pop-upping going on. The latest is a pop-up shop dedicated to all things Marmite. Located at …

READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW:
Pop-Up Shop Review: Marmite Pop-Up Shop on Regents Streett

marmite armour, i’ll bring the drama

Paul Burgin writes the Mars Hill  political blog. I am blatantly half-inching the ‘Twenty Questions’ concept from him, and so it is only right that he should be up first for a return leg of the questioning.  Thanks to Paul for agreeing to kick off this part of the Uncooked Data experience.

What’s your all-time favourite blog?

That’s a hard question, but Iain Dale’s Diary, LabourList and LabourHome, Rupa Huq’s, yours, and Kerron Cross’s (when it existed) are/were must reads.

As a blogger, what’s your proudest blog moment, all-time favourite or most commented post?

That’s a bit difficult. I am proud of my actions during the Draper/McBride affair & the MP’s expenses scandal, because not only did my posts get noticed and I made my views clear, I did not stop to look and see if many people agreed with me or not. Sometimes you can come across an issue which is so black and white in it’s morality that you have to make a stand.

What is your day job? Is your blog linked to, tangential or completely separate from what you do?

I work as a Supervisor at a bookshop, so apart from the fact we sell some political books (at reduced good prices I might add), then no.

In the future of the internet and information, which will win: speed or accuracy?

I don’t want to even consider that. Information I hope, but the rise of a media over the past century which relies more on sensationalism does not inspire me with hope.

What is your favourite journey?

I like the Cambridge/King’s Cross train journeys, apart from the occasional delays and crowding, but I enjoy flights as well (apart from sustained turbulence and just before take off), as I rarely get to go on a plane.

What one thing (material, spiritual or emotional) would change your life for the better?

A number of things, am sure. A stronger faith would help go a long way and, like many other thirtysomethings, marriage, children, and a place of my own. But if these things do not come about, then it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

If you were stranded on a desert island, which book would you wish you had with you?

Apart from The Bible and The Complete Works of Shakespeare, which I would want to take? The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis and a decent biography. Nearly took Susan Howatch’s Starbridge Novels which are good, but there are six volumes.

What’s your must-see film?

A Bond movie, or Gandhi. Now there is a contradiction for you

Which song sums up your life?

Tough questions, but possibly Amazing Grace

Marmite: Love it or hate it?

Love it, but appreciate a lot of people hate it

How do you relax?

Watching TV, reading, and going for walks

Who is your greatest inspiration?

Is it cheesy to say Jesus Christ?

Where would you most like to visit? And where do you never want to have to go again?

I’d like to do a grand tour and revisit the US and Canada, with Ireland as a stopgap either on the way there or coming back. I can’t think of anywhere I’d never want to go back to. That said I had a miserable time doing school work experience at Hitchin Library. It took me ten years to even consider re-entering that building, and even now on the rare occasion I do, I feel very uncomfortable. The woman who ran the place at the time (nearly twenty years ago) was quite vile towards me and her report to the school made them gasp with shock and almost reduced me to tears.

Do you have a favourite website/ tool for work? Or for leisure purposes?

Is it sad to mention the BBC News Website, the Doctor Who Website, and Facebook for social!

Do you read a newspaper? Is that online, or in paper form or both?

I read The Guardian and The Independent in paper form, and The Sunday Times, although I do sometimes go for The Observer. I tend to read individual articles online more than the newspaper itself

What’s the best piece of advice you have been given? And what’s the worst? 

Best piece of advice to always think of others. The worst must have been so bad that I can’t remember

Smiling, an expression of joy, an expression of empathy….or a simple mask to draw over the sorrows of the soul…(very profound)      Today was a day for masks, a day for blinds and curtains, a day to hide the truth.

The truth is a dangerous thing, it is often said……but that depends on the scope of the truth, a simple truth like “yes, i did eat the last biscuit” is not very dangerous at all, but ”i love you” is an altogether different and more dangerous thing.

Another dangerous question, was the one posed to me today, the outcome of which would either change my life or let it carry on in the way it has done for the past 17 years……i dont want to be an outcast……So i started the smoke, and maneuvered the mirrors, and the truth was swept away with…a smile.

So…..smile and see what happens.  You know what they say:   

“Cards for sorrow and cards for pain“

Vegemite, Promite or Marmite – that is the question. In the great debate over “mites”, I have always been on the fence. When you are an Australian living in London there is something very comforting about being able to pop down to the local Tesco and buy a jar of Vegemite, especially when you’re homesick.

But lately I’ve started to experiment with Marmite, much to the horror of my Aussie friends.

 I also love our other great, but often neglected, spread, Promite. Sweeter than its counterpart, it serves as a nice vacation from your everyday Vegemite on toast. It’s my Mum’s favourite and my brother recently sent me over a massive jar (you can’t buy it here).

Now I have three yeast extract spreads in the fridge and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to choose which one to put on my morning toast.

So I’ve decided to put my loyalties aside and judge them on a few key factors to help decide the winning spread. These are taste, versatility and the key factor – can it cure a hang-over?

I loaded up a taste of each on a spoon and then tried them on a piece of buttered toast.

Vegemite

 Taste: A straight taste of Vegemite is enough to put hairs on the chest of a newborn. It’s distinctly salty, bitter and meaty (despite being made from yeast extract). It’s strong too – lasts about 10 seconds on the tongue. On toast it’s milder but retains that distinctive taste and depth of flavour. I’d say a 7.5/10

Versatility: This baby goes with anything. With cheese on toast, beneath poached or fried eggs on toast and it also works well with lettuce in sandwiches. You can add it to hearty soups to give them more flavour or smother it under baked beans on toast. I think the pattern here is anything you eat on toast– slap a bit of Vegemite underneath and your good as gold. 8.5/10

 Hung-over help: A stock standard choice for a weekday hangover. No time for a fry up, but get down a few slices of buttery, Vegemite toast and you will feel a hell of a lot better. Why? Salt and grease. 8.5/10

From left to right: Vegemite, Promite and Marmite

 Promite

 Taste: This one is much easier to handle on its own. Sweeter than Vegemite and smoother to spread, it doesn’t invoke the immediate cringe if you eat it on its own. On toast it’s salty but not as sharp as Vegemite. I really enjoy the flavour but I don’t know if it’s just because I don’t eat it a lot. 8/10

 Versatility: This one is a bit tricky. I haven’t experimented widely with Promite as I tend to see it as a toast/crackers/sandwich spread as opposed to a cooking aid. That being said, it works well on crumpets when you want something a little bit sweeter. It’s not as good as Vegemite with eggs or baked beans on toast, but definitely works with cheese on toast. 7/10

 Hung-over help: Not great to solve your handover as it’s lacking the salty punch of the other two spreads. It will do if you’ve nothing else. Try adding melted cheese. 6/10

Marmite

Taste: Ouch. After a straight taste of this I wasn’t sure if I could go on. It’s much saltier than Vegemite and almost tastes like a paste version of soy sauce. It’s sticky too; the texture is almost like honey. This is a bit of a pain when you’re spreading it on toast as it tends to go everywhere. But I really like this on toast – it’s very salty but if you have some nicely toasted bread and lots of butter, it really hits the spot. 8/10

 Versatility: Again, works well under grilled cheese, baked beans or eggs on toast. It’s too salty to lather on crumpets but it’s a pretty tasty addition to English muffins. I’ve been informed by my English friends that you can throw a spoon into your bolognaise sauce to really bring out the flavours. 8/10

 Hung-over help: As above like Vegemite but probably even better. It’s much saltier and meatier tasting, kind of a substitute for a sausage sandwich. 8.5/10 

Final scores

The scores out of 30 are:

Vegemite: 24.5

Promite: 21

Marmite: 24.5                                                                                   

Hmm.. I thought Vegemite would have been the winner but I am happy to accept a first-place tie. I still can’t work out which is my favourite – it depends on my mood (and if I’m hung-over.)

Ugh. I can’t get rid of that lingering salty taste out of my mouth. Think I’m going to give the yeast spreads a break and hit the peanut butter.