Patio Drinks: Pimm's Cups

I don't think I'd ever even heard of Pimm's before I moved to England. I think the first time I noticed it was while watching 30 Minute Meals, and Jamie Oliver drizzled some Pimm's over sliced strawberries that were waiting to be spooned on top of cream and meringue to become Eton Mess (I haven't tried this myself but it sounds like a solid idea if you ask me).

I was intrigued. Then summer rolled around and Pimm's Cups started to become a "thing". I was keenly aware of all the signs at pubs and restaurants advertising pitchers of Pimm's and lemonade (i.e. 7-Up or Sprite, to us North Americans). I knew enough to piece together that Pimm's No. 1 is gin-based, and I like gin, and therefore I should probably hop on this sweet, sweet Pimm's train ASAP.

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Millionaire's Shortbread

Can you think of anything more boring than having to go to a philosophy seminar on a Friday afternoon, after a long week of classes and assignments and trying to make sense of the dry, dry texts you were supposed to read? Then, even worse, having to discuss those dry texts, trying desperately to sound like you have a clue about what's going on. That's how I felt before I had my first Friday seminar when I was going to school in London a few years ago - total dread.

... But then I actually went, and it wasn't that bad. We were just a small group of girls having a conversation for a couple hours before the weekend. Our instructor was awesome and made us feel like there were no stupid questions, and gently led us in meaningful, interesting conversations. I started to really look forward to Friday afternoons. It didn't hurt, of course, that we all started bringing wine and chocolate and cookies to these little seminars of ours.

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Love Bars

 

I know that our sense of smell is supposed to be the sense most strongly linked to memory, but I think you'll all agree that certain foods can act as little time machines, zooming us back to a time and place buried in the past. Love Bars, which are sold at Pret A Manger (a sandwich chain in the UK that sells really tasty to-go meals), have this time machine effect on me; one bite and I'm back on the slow train to Chelmsford, eating my lunch after a long morning in the library. The ironic thing is that I would've been in the library researching nostalgia - the subject of my thesis - and now I'm waxing nostalgic about the delicious treats I enjoyed after studying (...and before studying, and during studying).

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Orange Scones with Clotted Cream

The English have been responsible for many great inventions - television, jet engines, David Bowie - but the best, I think we can all agree, is Tea. I mean Tea in the sense of Afternoon Tea, High Tea, Champagne Tea, or - most importantly - Cream Tea, that post-lunch/pre-dinner event that involves a cup of milky Earl Grey, a scone, clotted or Devonshire cream, butter and jam. What a gorgeous idea. Thanks, England!


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Ginger Creams

In most cookbooks, the table of contents reads something like: Appetizers, Mains, Sides, Desserts (et cetera, et cetera). If I ever made one, the only categories I would need are: Breakfast, Desserts, Breakfasty-Desserts, and Stress-Eating (...and maybe a brief addendum for all the tofu and vegetables).


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Maldon: Earl Grey Shortbread

When I moved to England in 2010 to go to school, my friend Christina and I hadn’t found a place to live. We had been seriously stressing out about it for a month or two – we didn’t want to be homeless when classes started, but it was impossible finding a flat when we weren’t there to see it. Christina left a week before me, and by some "friend-of-a-friend" miracle she met up with Brad and Tony, also from Canada, who took her in to their home. When I landed at Gatwick a week later, Brad had driven well over an hour from Maldon, Essex to get me. At like 7 in the morning. Can you imagine doing that for someone you’ve never even met? I wouldn’t – I’m ashamed to say I’m not that nice.

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