Sunday, July 10, 2011

Back home

Well, vacation is over and I've safely returned to the ensconcements of my Toronto routines. England was lovely - 11 days of travelling around London, Oxford and Manchester seeing the sites and taking in the fun and beverages all around us. Highlights including watching a Tom Stoppard play in London, visiting the International Anthony Burgess Centre in Manchester, visiting the British Museum, pretty much all of Oxford, and drinking at least three or four pints of proper English ale every night. Oh, and Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolates. Yes yes, I know we can get them over here, but they're not the same, I swear. The milk is different over there, or something.

Speaking of addictions, I had a little run-in with a wonderful condiment called clotted cream. It's supposed to be eaten on scones but I was prone to munching the stuff clean off the knife. Considering it's about 60% pure fat, I'm glad I was able to leave it behind.

There were shockingly few developments waiting for me upon my return, I'm disappointed to say. But I'm looking forward to getting back into the grind: working on a new essay as well as some poems and some reviews. Will keep you all posted if there's any news.

M.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, absolutely agree about clotted cream. I was in Cornwall a few years ago and remember the pans of it in shop windows (on ice, I think. I hope...) and the lovely sheen of it. So delicious with strawberries -- and English strawberries are wonderful. A bowl of them, with clotted cream, and maybe Cadbury's flake as a garnish?

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  2. Hi Theresa,

    Now THAT would be a kind of British culinary nirvana. I have yet to see clotted cream on sale here in Canada, but mind you I haven't been looking too hard. That may change after reading your scrumptious description.

    Best,
    Mark

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  3. You can buy small pots of Devon cream sometimes -- I see it in the dairy section, in little jars -- but it's not really as flavourful as the Cornish clotted cream. My Cornish friend says that clotted cream is cultured, like creme fraiche, so I bet you could figure it out -- and then share the results with your readers!
    Best,
    Theresa K.

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