Bath, Prior Park & Wells

Post-exam adventure: days 3 & 4

In this episode of my grand 6 day post-exam adventure, we'll be focusing on Somerset (a south western English county which is home to the famous UNESCO historical spa town Bath). If I could have my pick of living anywhere in the UK, Bath will win hands down. I've been here a fair few times already, to the extent that I know the majority of the main roads and how to get from A to B by heart. However, the feeling of awe towards the elegant Georgian architecture in the town centre has still yet to falter.

The Royal Crescent

The above photo clearly explains this feeling.

Sells the BEST biscuits ever

Totally worth applying for :)

Uber in Bath

Having been to Bath on several occasions, there wasn't much need for myself to go down the stereotypical touristy route of visiting the Roman Baths, Sally Lunn's and the Jane Austen centre (although they are highly recommended if it is your first ever trip). I did stop by several places that I had been to before this current visit, mainly my most favourite shops. Seriously, if you consider shopping to be a therapeutic cure to stress then Bath should be your number 1 stop. I guarantee that you'll definitely find the perfect independent retailer for any need that you may have.

Henrietta Park

Sydney Gardens

Sunny day in Sydney Gardens

However, the highlight of my vacation was clearly my exploration out into the wild unknowns (i.e. I went to a bunch of new attractions that I hadn't had the chance to go to during the previous couple of times I'd voyaged to Bath). Personally, I find fun out of simplicity. And that's precisely why my journey led me to three of the most beautiful parks/gardens in the city. Thanks to the consistently crystal clear blue sky, I managed to take quite a few decent photos in Henrietta Park and Sydney Gardens - don't you think? My favourite park would undeniably have to be Prior Park. It's a bit of a trek to get there (seeing as it's up on a huge and steep hill), but it's totally worth it seeing as you get to see and go through its magnificent Palladium-styled bridge (one of only four left in the entire world).

The lone swing

Bath from Prior Park

The Palladium Bridge

Call me old fashioned but I go with whatever floats my boat (i.e. sightseeing in parks).

I'd planned to have a pause in between my park visit and my next destination, but fate had a contrasting idea in mind. So, after walking back down the hill towards Bath's town centre, I immediately boarded the bus to head to Wells. Famed as the smallest town in England, Wells offered me two spectacular attractions to explore. The first was its cathedral which, not only looked architecturally spectacular on the outside, was equally amazing on the inside. I was most intrigued by its unique scissor curve-shaped arches standing just behind the altar - well worth seeing if you're ever in town. 

Wells Cathedral

The scissor arch

The second was the Bishop's Palace and Chapel, which was located just next to the main cathedral (convenient right?). If the weather hadn't been so sporadic (i.e. sun then snow then rain then sun and again), I would have definitely stayed longer in its 14 acre garden in order to explore every nook and cranny. Apparently you can see Glastonbury Tor from a certain point within the garden - wasn't lucky on that particular occasion but I will make sure I head back so that I can see it next time!

The chocolate jug

Needless to say, all that walking made it a very tiring couple of days. It was therefore enough justification for me to devour an entire pizza plus snacks for dinner on the very last night.

And what about days 5 and 6? You'll just have to wait till tomorrow to see ;)

Birmingham Christmas Market 2015 - BlogMas Day 1

Let the festive season begin

Advent calendars are traditionally bought to help one remember how many days there are until Christmas (as well as for a special daily sweet treat!). For me though, the countdown doesn't begin until my work is complete. That joyful day happened to be yesterday. Aside from spending time with family and friends, I thought I'd take this opportunity to start my first ever BlogMas. I've seen YouTube video makers do something very similar with VlogMas (where they upload a new video every day starting from, for example, the 1st till the 25th December), so I thought it'd be fun to do something like that with my blog (through writing blog posts of course)

So, for the 1st Day of my Christmas countdown, we'll start with my absolute favourite hobby (ever): Travel!

Birmingham Christmas Market 2015

I've been wanting to go to this event ever since I first came to England to study (2012 to be more precise). However, the train routes were never in favour of me going. So for the Christmas periods of 2012, -13, and-14, I had to visit the North Eastern Christmas markets instead (which were all very delightful). This year however, owing to a change in academic institution, Birmingham was only 30 minutes away from me by train.

Clearly, nothing could stop me from attending the metropolitan city's Christmas market and enjoying its other festivities this year.

Top highlights

It's a bit difficult to summarise how I felt about the event in just 1 blog post (simply because there was SO MUCH to do, see, and of course, eat). So, just for a change (because it is almost Christmas), I'm simply going to describe my top favorite moments:

Number 1: Arriving at Birmingham Christmas Market (was greeted by bubbles instead of snow!)

 

Number 2: Shopping, shopping and (even more) shopping! Definitely worth buying the following:

 



 

 

Number 3: Food Glorious Food (esp. frankfurters and chocolate)



 



Number 4: Unexpected festive surprises

Ostrich eggs or reindeer meat anyone?

Perfect Christmas prezzies for all dog lovers

 

Number 5: The Christmassy scenery (plus the awesome Ferris Wheel!)

 

  

 

Tomorrow's nighttime treat

So hopefully today's blog post has brought you joy, laughter and, undoubtedly, travel inspiration. Join me again tomorrow at 8PM UTC (Hong Kong time) for another Christmas countdown blog post -> this time, a theatre review!

Santa Claus has landed in Birmingham



Crunchy peanut butter & chopped chocolate cookies

Excuse my use of alliteration but I thought it was absolutely necessary to make this recipe sound extra special. I don’t normally bake in the morning; I tend to bake at the dead of night (just ask my mother if you don’t believe me). But last Sunday morning, I woke up craving to create something delicious. And since my jar of peanut butter had been staring at me from the bottom shelf of my kitchen cupboard for ages, I thought that it was definitely about time for it to be used in something other than just with toast and strawberry jelly.

So with that, I quickly pulled out my copy of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook and flipped immediately to their “peanut butter cookie” recipe.

With a crack of an egg, a whirl & twirl from the kitchen aid, and a quick tanning in the oven, my house was soon filled with a delicious aroma of warm peanut butter mixed with dark chocolate, casually wafting above my freshly baked and golden brown cookies (a dozen of them to be exact because I’d halved the recipe). I personally think that the secret behind achieving cookie perfection was definitely not over baking them and actually sticking to the short, “10 minute in the oven” instruction the book stated. I know it doesn't sound very long but believe me, if you let them cool for a bit, you’ll get the ultimate soft and chewy treat that I for one, and many others would too, lust for. Plus the tiny bit of crunch from the peanut butter makes it irresistibly delectable.

And of course, don’t forget to serve them with cold milk; that’s the most important part.

Bibliography

Malouf, T (2009) The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, London: Ryland, Peters & Small Ltd. 

Profiteroles with white and dark chocolate dipping sauce

Pudding for two

Hey ho it's a "baking" recipe - at last! Honestly, does anyone ACTUALLY remember the last time I blogged about one of my famous baking adventures? I certainly don't. Normally I'd make one of my old favorites (e.g. my fudgy (pure) chocolate brownies) because I am a total sucker for comfort food. But since I was making it as a dessert to share with my male half, I decided that it had to be something special. And who better to consult than the UK's "Queen of Cakes" herself? That's right, you guessed it - I'm talking about Mary Berry.

Her book entitled Mary Berry's Desserts to be more precise!

The blog title says it all - I obviously went for the profiteroles/ cream puff recipe (Berry, 2008: 195). Choux pastry has seriously never been easier to make. With simple instructions that are easy to understand, who'd thought that combining butter, flour and eggs together can come to create such sweet and delectable delicacies? And don't forget patience; these little French pastries require time, effort and the correct technique in order to make. The most enjoyable part in my opinion comes after all the hard-work (i.e. mixing, stirring and, of course, baking -- 30 minutes at 200°C to be exact), and no it's not eating them that I'm talking about (although that's nevertheless enjoyable). I personally like the part where I pipe oodles of homemade vanilla whipped cream into them.

Forget retail therapy, THIS is the sort of relaxer you need (i.e. baking).

The melting pot

Homemade White and Dark Chocolate sauce

If you've read my other foodie posts, you'll know by heart that I like to add a touch of creativity to every recipe I follow. It's simply a way of me being slightly rebellious but all for a good cause of course. So what exactly is your little twist this time? Simple: chocolate dipping sauce (aka. large-bars-of-pure-chocolate-melted-in-a bowl-on-top-of-a-boiling-hot-pot). And not just any old shop bought chocolate dipping sauce. This one, or rather, "ours" had white and dark chocolate in it. Colorful and delicious - why bother covering profiteroles with chocolate and then placing them in the fridge before consumption when it's SO much better (and more fun!) to dip them in yourself? Plus you avoid the (perhaps) occasional complaints from guests who argue that their cream puffs have less chocolate than the others - definitely a double bonus. 

A professional-looking dessert that takes minutes to make and will definitely impress and satisfy (the stomachs of) your guests (particularly if they're romantically attached to you). 

P.S. Don't forget to lick the spoon - that's (kinda of) the most important part ;)

x

Bibliography

Berry, M. (2008) Mary Berry's Desserts. London: Dorling Kindersley. 

York - the shopping edition

Confessions of a Shopaholic

If you thought London was the place I traveled to most, think again. If the statistics (i.e. train ticket purchases) are true, then York is in fact number 1 on my list. Be it for a day out with friends or alone, York has a wealth of attractions and surprises that are tempting even to the pickiest of all tourists. And as for me, I just can’t get enough of it. Its sights, sounds and scents will never get old.

Simply put – I formed a bond with York since the first day I set foot in this magnificent town only one year ago.

Normally I’d give out tips on what to best see. But I thought, just for a change (and to try something new), I’d dedicate this post to the shops of York that I adore. So here’s the outcome of my adventure today.

Number 1: Fat Rascal by Betty’s

Placing this as my number 1 buy is not even a question – it’s a must. Call me crazy, mad or even slightly insane if you want, but I promise that you’ll be swallowing each and every word back once you’ve had a bite of this tasty treat. Sweet and fruity, Fat Rascals are best served hot so that they’re crunchy on the outside but ever so moist and soft on the inside – incredibly mouthwatering.

Made me even happier that I got the last one in stock!

Number 2: Handmade cupcake bath bombs by The Yorkshire Soap Company

It’s impossible not to stare in awe of these delicate and scrumptious-looking handmade creations. Even the shop itself is charming with its girly pink prints, glistening chandeliers and the occasional staff member humming “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music whilst serving the humble customer. Undoubtedly elegant, The Yorkshire Soap Company presents a contemporary twist on bath time products by combining fresh scents and patisserie craftsmanship with a sprinkle of imagination.

Just remember: enjoy but don’t eat.

Number 3: Robin – the furniture bird

Other than being an extremely pretty place, York’s full of independent shops selling trinkets and treasures galore. It’s no wonder my wallet undergoes incredible weight loss every time I’m there. My favorite street to shop? Definitely Stonegate (aka. One of York’s oldest street!). I just love walking down the cobbled path, breathing in the atmosphere created by street entertainers whilst simultaneously admiring the colorful windows of shops before heading in.

So on this occasion, robin can home with me.

Number 4: Chocolate

If you’re a chocoholic (like moi), then you’re definitely in the right place. Local, national and international, whatever sort of cocoa related delight you’re looking for, York’s got it all (and an awesome museum to tell you all about its chocolate-making history!). Chocolate-coated coffee beans were calling me (or rather my stomach) today, so off to the shops I went – simple as that.

The next time you think Kit Kat and Chocolate Oranges, I expect you to think of York.

Number 5: (Poetry) books

I know what you’re thinking: Books, really? How’s this supposed to be a “spectacular” ending to another one of your oh-so-famous (lol) blog posts? My response: I beg to differ. I think you have to be absolutely MAD if you don’t spend at least an hour relaxing among the greenery or in a cute café, of which there are plenty, in York. For me, I like to spend this period away from the hustle bustle of the town center, to a less touristy area where I can step back from reality and have some quiet and peaceful alone time. With me I bring a chunky and hearty poetry book, full of adventure, mystery and surprises; the power of rhyme  is simply phenomenal.

And where exactly is this enchanting refugia I am speaking of?

“That’s one secret I’ll never tell”

x

M&M and chocolate chip cookies

Edible color palettes #mylittlepieceofheaven

They always say that the color black can NEVER go out of fashion. Well for me, it’s generally out. Sure it can go with a lot of different sorts of items, but I daresay I much prefer the whole spectrum of colors that our world is made out of. I guess the perfect compromise would be to start off with a blank canvas or the color black and add splashes of blues, greens, reds, yellows etc. to it. It’s kinda similar to what I did with these cookies. I started off with a plain but good ol’fashioned chocolate chip cookie recipe (ELIZABETH, 2014) and then altered it to suit my style (i.e. adding pops of color, or in this case, M&Ms); I also had to adjust the size of the cookies (a rough estimate of them would be around the size of my face!) ß as you can see, I do like my cookies.

Be imaginative – try and “taste” the best of both worlds.

ELIZABETH (2014) “Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie” Recipe. [Online] Available at: <http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie/Detail.aspx> [Accessed 10 July 2014]

Fudgy, (pure) Chocolate Brownies

Death by Chocolate

Quite simply, the best way to die in my opinion. I'd have chocolate in anyway - milk, dark, white (I don't care if it doesn't have cocoa in it, it's still an amazing type of chocolate), fruity, nutty, you name it. Chocolate and I are definitely  best friends. And what could be better than spending a day indoors baking something extra chocolatey whilst listening to the pouring rain outside? That basically summarizes one of the many highlights of my Saturday. I was in the mood for brownies but didn't have any cocoa powder. After a quick google search, I managed to find the perfect brownie recipe (from the website, journeykitchen.com) that didn't require any cocoa powder - just pure dark chocolate (delicious, period).

Mmm...melted chocolate... :)

Ingredients

Quintessentially easy-to-purchase essentials are needed for this recipe. I didn't have any walnuts in my pantry but otherwise I would have definitely added some/ a lot into the brownies for an extra bit of crunch and texture.

Note: I could only make half the amount because I only had 100g of dark chocolate - definitely worth making the whole amount or even double that (dieting can start another day ;)

Yields: 12

• 200g dark chocolate
• 175g butter
• 130g all purpose flour
• 325g caster sguar
• 3 eggs

Utensils

• A baking tin (33x23x5cm is the recommended size)
• Pot
• Scales
• Wooden spoon
• Rubber spatula
• Baking paper
• Whisk
• Knife
• Metal bowls x 2

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 170°C

2) Line the baking tin with baking paper

3) Measure the needed ingredients using the scales

4) Boil water in the pot and place one metal bowl on top of it.

5) Place the chocolate and butter into the metal bowl and let them melt; stir until well mixed/ incorporated

Resist the temptation to eat the entire mixture immediately (not as easy as it looks!)

6) Take the bowl off the heat and whisk in the sugar

7) Pour in the flour and mix until well incorporated

8) Whisk in the eggs until thick and smooth

9) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan - use the rubber spatula to scrap every last bit into it (wasting is a big no no in my household/ kitchen).

10) Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes.

11) Cool before cutting it up into squares or rectangles. 

Before the oven treatment :)

And c'est tout! Very simple and obviously delicious. I do advise everyone to wait until it's cooled down to eat as the brownies can burn your tongue if they're too hot. Although...I wouldn't say that it's necessary to wait too long because then you'll miss out on having a brownie with a crunchy top, a chewy interior and a minutely but perfectly moist centre. I basically melted as I had my share of the lot. 

Death by chocolate, literally.

Definitely a keeper and a great thing to share with friends/ eat by yourself when you're feeling down or is simply craving (a lot of) chocolate ;)

Madeleines (chocolate and walnuts)

When life gives you lemons
An overly used saying (well, at least in my life anyway) but often accompanied with the ending "make lemonade". Normally I'd agree with that - lemonade is an absolutely amazing drink! But, with the incoming cold weather, lemonade for me was definitely off the menu - lemonade and summer is the most inseparable combination, definitely not so much for autumn (feels like winter to me already though!).

Hide and seek - can you spot the madeleine tin? :)

Thinking hard of what to do, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eyes. I have a variety of baking tins in my house from a normal muffin tin to a butterfly shaped one - they're an absolute essential for any (amateur) baker. But on this occasion, it was the classic and oh-so-Français madeleine tin that appealed to me most. When life gives you lemons, I say, make madeleines :-)

Lemons - to use or not to use :)

Attention s'il vous plaît

I think that there's a tendency for people to think that French food is difficult and strenuous to make. Rest assured that this recipe is a complete foil to this common misunderstanding; you mightn't even need to go shopping for anything as what it calls for are simple ingredients that should be found in any household! It might be more tricky without and egg beater, but it's definitely possible (it's a good workout if you don't have one like I did - actually I did have one but I was too lazy to use it/ forgot that I had one. The recipe I used taken from Judy Farris's (2002) French Butter Cakes (Madeleines) recipe on allrecipes.com with some (yummy) alterations by me. A dozen light and lemony French cakes coming right up!

Geting started...

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 Teaspoon salt
• 1/3 White sugar
• 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour, plus some extra for the madeleine tin itself.
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup butter plus some extra for buttering the madeleine tin
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration
• 60g dark chocolate, melted*
• 35g walnuts or almonds, crushed*
• Icing sugar for decoration (use as much or as little as you want)*

* things I added that weren't used in the original recipe - you don't have to use them but it's highly recommended if you do :-)

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Dessert spoon
• Egg beater (an electronic one is preferable if you have one)
• Measuring spoons
• Sieve
• Rolling pin or kitchen mallet (to crush the almonds or walnuts -- alternatively you can get packets of pre-crushed walnuts or almonds in most supermarkets)
• An oven
• Madeleine tin (I got mine at Lakeland  which had 12 very cute madeleine molds- you can use a mini muffin tin if you want but it seriously isn't the same)
• Saucepan (to help melt the butter and chocolate - I was worried about burning my chocolate and butter so I put the e.g. chocolate in a goblet and then placed it in a bowl of boiling hot water; If I'm not making sense, which is usually the case, Lesley Waters's tutorial on the BBC Food web is pure genius).

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°C, then butter and flour the madeleine molds
• Melt the butter in the saucepan and let it cool to room temperature before use.

Mixture + tin = delicious baked goods in the making

• In the mixing bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light 
• Whilst beating, add the sugar; continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale. Ribbons should form when the beaters are lifted; beating should take 5-10 minutes (if you don't have an electronic egg beater, you can use a normal egg beater instead - just takes a much longer time, and more muscles!)

A dozen golden madeleines ready for the oven treatment

• Sift the flour into the egg mixture in three portions (hence 1/3 at a time); fold each portion in gently with the wooden spoon.
• Add the lemon zest and pour in the melted butter. Gently and quickly fold the butter into the batter.

In the oven...

• Using the dessert spoon, spoon the mixture into the molds. Do not over fill them - put enough so that there's still a 10mm gap between the mixture and the top of the mold.

• Bake the madeleines in the oven for 14-17 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the saucepan and crush the walnuts or almonds using a rolling pin or mallet.

Freshly baked and ready to be decorated!

• When the madeleines are done, take them out of the oven and place them onto a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Place in the fridge for a further 10 minutes to cool.

mmmm...melted chocolate :)

• Take the madeleines out of the fridge and dip each of them into the melted chocolate; roll half or all of the madeleines in the crushed walnuts or almonds.
• Let the madeleines chill up in the fridge before consuming

Et voila! Your madeleines are complete! I packed mine in a cute, vintage styled tin to bring to my friends - sharing is caring and it makes me happy; plus it's a great way to get people to unintentionally become your personal guinea pigs :)

So simple and scrummy, madeleines are seriously the perfect teatime treats for anyone who wants to live a slightly more classy life.

C'est vraiment la vie en rose une belle vie :)