Tag Archives: food

Burger party

Posted on by
2

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law invited my mum, sisters, the kids and me over for lunch. We knew the food would be good as my sister-in-law always makes delicious food but we were in for a real treat when she revealed the theme of burgers and milkshakes. She made the burgers at home using her own recipe and even managed to get hold of shop burger boxes to put them in.
Extra touches such as tiny American style flags and little boxes for the chips to sit in pulled the whole theme together.

We had some refreshing homemade strawberry and chocolate milkshakes in cute glass milk bottles, and to finish off we had sweet and sticky glazed doughnuts.

We all really enjoyed the good food and had lots of fun playing games for the rest of the afternoon.

Tea curiosity

Posted on by
5

People in England are known for being big tea drinkers as are people in Pakistan, and being a British Pakistani you’d think that I would be a big tea fan too, but when it comes to hot drinks I just don’t feel that I need them (exception being the odd hot chocolate in Winter). Tea and tea time in London is very popular at the moment. There are so many places that you can go for tea and cake; posh, quaint, in castles, even one with cats to play with in between. And for tea in the comfort of your own home there are even more, including this curious place I came across, selling very pretty china and soothing teas.

Loose teas

Although I’m not really a tea drinker I am a fan of anything that’s quirky, pretty and takes my curiosity, and this being the case I just had to go and explore. There were teapots and teacups beautifully embellished as well as spoons, saucers and anything else tea-related, on colourful inviting displays; all of which together is any photographers delight!

What really took my interest though was the amazing variety of types of tea available, ones I’d never heard of and looked nothing like a typical tea leaf.

I didn’t buy anything on this trip but I’m certain I will pop in again, perhaps to treat some tea-lovers I know and maybe even sample something myself.

Mad as a Hatters tea party

Posted on by
6

My younger sister decided to throw all the women in the family a tea party. She spent weeks and weeks secretly buying and making decorations and props to complete the look of her theme; the classic, Mad Hatters Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland.

We were all amazed at how much effort had gone into all the little touches; the tiny book cover cake toppers (which were my favourite), quotes from book Alice, the decorations made of book pages, a real top hat and more.

Aside from all the snacks on offer, which we had after lunch, there was lots of food to eat. We had pasties, sandwiches, pasta, chicken strips and much more that we all enjoyed. My sister also set up a photo board so we could take pictures against a pretty, floral background and everyone had lots of fun playing with the different face parts that she had made too.

We all had a fun afternoon, enjoying all the good food and especially the various cakes and desserts on offer. I’m sure that we’ll have more parties to come seeing how much everyone enjoyed this one. You can see my sister’s post and more pictures here

Eid party

Posted on by
1

My older sister decided to throw an Eid party to celebrate the end of Ramadan and on this occasion she asked the guests to bring along a dish so we could all share something with each other, which was a nice idea. The guests who came were good cooks and really generous which meant we had lots of delicious foods to eat and sweets treats to tuck into.

There were a wide variety of savoury and spicy dishes which went down well; kebabs, rice, chicken curry, samosas and many more.

The desserts that were bought along were just as delicious, my younger sister made a tasty chocolate cake, jelly shots for the kids disappeared in minutes, and the healthier options of a fruit platter or fruit with custard and whipped cream, which looked great, was thoroughly enjoyed. There were also mini gingerbread men and muffins and sweets.

Everyone enjoyed the food, games and prizes and we were all exhausted by the time the guests left, but happy that everyone had a good time.

Iftar

Posted on by
4

On Friday all my siblings, along with their families, came over for iftar. Iftar is the arabic word for ‘break fast’ and is the meal that we have when its time to open our fast during Ramadan. My sister’s decided to help out and bring along a dish or two to share. We had a whole range of foods and what was planned as small meal quickly became a feast.

Traditionally dates are eaten to open a fast but with a whole range of foods to choose from everyone found something they wanted to eat. There was some delicious, fresh exotic fruit, chicken sandwiches and creamy pasta, as well as my mum’s famous kebabs. There were also some slightly unhealthy but tempting options such as curly fries and samosas. Other foods to eat were chicken curry, chickpea salad and mango salad, and my sister-in-law’s succulent lamb chops. I would have taken more pictures but there came a point where I had to put the camera down and dig in.

For dessert we had a choice of refreshing mango milkshake, sweet jalebi and pretty cakes.

When we put everything down ready to eat we all had some of everything and were soon full to the brim. It was a nice evening with everyone sharing a much needed nourishing meal and good company. I look forward to Eid which isn’t far away now to enjoy another big meal together.

meal

Garden strawberries

Posted on by
Reply

strawberries

I recently posted about the flowering strawberry plants that I have in my garden this year, and with the warmer weather they’ve now begun bearing fruit. There’s only a few ripe ones at a time but it’s satisfying to check them regularly and see if there’s any that can be picked.

The savory side

Posted on by
2

In an earlier post I talked about my visit to a chocolate fair and how diverse a range of chocolates were available and how pretty and creative they were. As part of the fair there was a section for cheese and wine lovers and other savory snack for those who don’t have such a sweet tooth. I don’t drink and I’m not a fan of cheese but I was intrigued to see just how many different colours and shapes there were of cheese, so I followed the cheesy whiff and came upon lots of varieties.

cheese

There were some impressively big cheeses, and some ‘holey’ ones like you see in cartoons, and there were lots I’d never encountered before; some with blue veins running through them and others in colourful hues, each with their own taste and texture. I didn’t taste any as I’m no cheese connoisseur but I did take a close look at a few.

I didn’t spend too long in this section and I moved onto other savory snacks that were available. There were some Italian truffle and olive oils and various pickles. I didn’t buy any of these but I did opt for some roasted chili flavoured cashews which tasted pretty good.

Some other things that caught my eye were some really unique cheese boards, each with a different style and embellishments. I particularly liked the ones with inlaid Mother of Pearl

I didn’t seek out this section especially, but having a quick look at the stalls was interesting. I think it was a bit different to find at a chocolate fair but I didn’t have to pay any extra and it was another taste for food enthusiasts to enjoy.

I really enjoyed my visit to the chocolate fair and liked seeing all the different foods and chocolate goodies. I hope to be able to go to more food festivals soon.