My Custard Pie by SallyP:
At a friend’s house the other night, the husband was cooking a delicious slow cooked dish with many ingredients. “I will never chop an onion though” he said, “I buy them ready prepared.” I was shocked as it’s that basic food prep that acts like a warm bla
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
When I get to @vanillasukkarcafe for a cup of mint tea after yoga, I feel limber and renewed. Today, after a pleasant chinwag with good friends, I tucked a cheese and chilli sourdough loaf under my arm and walked home. It was still warm from the oven as I
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
The birds are twittering outside the window and the sun is streaming in but I’m curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a new book (see below). . My calligraphy pens are on my desk, watercolours rescued from the back of a cupboard and there’s a warm,
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
When I moved into our villa 18 + years ago it was surrounded by sand. The nearest coffee shop was a twenty minute drive away, Our neighbourhood is unrecognisable now with a flourish of new openings including @vanillasukkarcafe this week. Congratulations t
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Do you remember getting little pressure points on your fingers at exam time? Over the past two days I’ve taken pen to paper and written reams as part of setting my intentions for 2019. Instead of the usual list of resolutions, I signed up for the Write No
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
The sun sets on 2018 and I’ve never been happier to wave farewell to a year. . . Have some big decisions to make in 2019 so resolve to be braver. More openness about things like ageism (I’m 55) especially in the digital arena. Creativity at the heart of e
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Light, crumbly cake, raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream. The kitchen has been at the heart of Christmas. There are four of us jostling for position as we all like to cook. KP’s Mum is here so he asked her to bake a Victoria sandwich cake. I managed to
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Still scaling the gingerbread mountain but not complaining. How do we Christmas when 2 out of 5 of us are vegan? All the side dishes are meat and dairy free (courtesy of my daughter). Potatoes, parsnips and swede all prepped. Gorgeous vegan bread sauce, s
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
A snifter of mulled wine before we walked down to the beach for boules yesterday (girls vs boys - not competitive at all 😉). Beautiful sunset and solstice moon. Finally got the tree up today while singing along with Handel’s Messiah (enthusiastic rat
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
There were many frantic waves, running into open arms, and the odd tear at arrivals today. It was wonderful to witness so many happy reunions. I’ll be there tomorrow too; early, eager and waiting. And again on Saturday. The tree will go up while we tuck i
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Every 6th December, my Ciocia Eva would visit us with chocolates and say “a strange man stopped me in the street and said give these to Sally”. It all sounds a bit sinister now but we loved St Nicholas day. 🎄 🎄 I’m behind on
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Seeking creative self care strategies by accident. Sara Tasker (@me_and_orla ) mentioned creating something just for fun with zero expectations to show anyone or make it perfect. This struck a chord as I realise I got sucked into the Instagram treadmill o
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
There’s been mostly food here recently but, although I’m fascinated by stories about all things edible, there’s much more that drives my curiosity. What sums up My Custard Pie? It’s easy to see with crystal sharp focus when assessing other people’s blogs
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
The change in seasons here in Dubai means breakfast outside in the garden every morning for the next few months. Overnight oats steeped in homemade kefir with fruit, nuts and raw honey and a cup of tea. A pause after my dog walk, n the soft low rays and s
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Last night, candlelight flickered and sudden booms of fireworks formed a backdrop to our more sedate dinner in the garden. Thousands of families were celebrating Diwali - the Festival of Lights. Down on the streets of Bur Dubai there was an electric atmos
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Our house rang with chatter and laughter from friends who stayed this weekend. We put everything breakable up high as their toddler hurled himself around madly, full of the joy of being in the world (Hazel was very patient). A relaxing supper in the garde
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
What would you like to see more of here on my feed? Having a focus is so much more motivating and a catalyst for creativity than a blank sheet don’t you think? The photography challenge by @thelittleplantation is over and I realise, with a jolt, that a 7
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Ice cubes clink, sharp beads of lemon juice scatter as I slice it, Tonic is fetched from the fridge, cool and wet with condensation. I choose my gin (this is no easy matter as there are more than 40) and pour it into the measure, there’s a crack and a his
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Tall buildings flashed past the taxi window in the bright Dubai morning light. My suitcase wheels rattled up the path and Hazel shot out of the front door, too excited to stay still, with an exuberant, waggy welcome. It was a wrench to leave family, frien
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Pottering round pretty Painswick and turned away from the only place open on a Monday (bursting at the seams). Hopped in the car, round the corner to the tranquility of @rococogarden . Watched the clouds race by out of the picture windows, while snuggled
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Umbrellas dripping, we shuffled through the dedicated throng at Stroud Farmers’ Market and came away with the best pies, beautiful bread, wild boar salami, homemade kombucha and bags full of heritage apples and pears. Later, we sat enthralled by David Mit
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Marmite. A brand that polarises people so much that it’s become part of our language. The delicious brown stickiness that, scraped thinly on a thick slice of hot buttered toast, is what always tempts me to eat when I’m feeling under the weather or I’ve lo
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
I’m all packed and ready to fly to Heathrow tomorrow morning. My cupboards have been ransacked for thick socks, cosy coats and warm scarves, but the weather looks disconcertingly warm. Longing for a stiff breeze, some roses in my cheeks and the excuse to
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
If there’s one thing that sums up why KP and I got together, it’s stuffed veg. We are very different characters indeed - maybe opposites do attract - but with this we’re in total agreement. One of my favourite dishes is golabki, the only Polish dish my En
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
The tree was outside the back door by the kitchen in a square pocket handkerchief of a garden. The apples, of indeterminable variety, tumbled to the ground where my Aunt would gather them. They all had a bruise, or a brown smudge, or a worm hole but she p
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Amazing how accommodating muffins are. I never think about baking them until there’s something to be used up. A pile of imperfect fruit, a handful of nuts, the odds and ends of flours, you fold them together, pop in the oven and they emerge transformed ma
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Do you resent the time you spend deleting email? I certainly do... in which case why on earth would I willingly sign up for any email newsletters? They really have to add something extra to my life, even if it’s just putting a smile on my face, to stave o
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Do you ever bake your own bread? Making a wholemeal loaf ie brown bread is always a bit of a challenge as it can turn out like dense cardboard. Made the recipe on the packet of this here (from @waitroseandpartners ). It included butter in the mix so it’s
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
Bumped into a good friend unexpectedly on first morning back in Dubai. We stretched, breathed, creaked wobbled and ‘om’ed at yoga then sipped fresh ginger tea and coffee over a good chin wag. • • Grateful for small comforting things today as a very specia
My Custard Pie by SallyP:
What’s your ultimate luxury? Mine is a cup of tea brought to me in bed. Preferably after a good night’s sleep on a firm mattress, two good pillows and 100% cotton bedding with over 400 thread count (not very fussy 😉). • ☕️ It’s an ill wind that
