Petersons Fund for Children Charity Fundraiser & Some Delicious Nibbles to Share

Posted by Ozlem on May 7, 2012 in A Slice of England, Appetizers and Mezes | 14 comments

I was delighted to be a part of a good cause last week; Petersons Fund for Children Charity Fundraiser in Surrey, England.

Peterson’s Fund for Children’ is a registered local charity that supports children who struggle with cerebral palsy and other similar mental / physical disabilities. It has been in existence for nearly 4 years and through extensive fundraising efforts has provided therapy and equipment otherwise unavailable at the NHS in England. The aim of the charity is to help as many local children in need as possible in the hopes of improving their quality of life and offering them opportunities in order to maximize their individual growth and potential.

Twice a year, Charlene Peterson hosts this fundraiser and kindly opens her house to vendors to raise money for the charity. Wonderful vendors from different lines of businesses have joined forces together last week to help raise funds for the charity, and it was a big pleasure to be a part of this wonderful event. Here are some wonderful vendors from the fundraiser:

Here are Ilgen’s wonderful Turkish Peshtemal towels and natural soaps from the fundraiser event. Her light, super absorbent 100% cotton peshtemal towels (or mixture of luxurious blends including bamboo and silk) are simply wonderful and practical. llgen’s website Cotton & Olive will be up and running within a month, for further enquires please email ipaydas@btinternet.com.

Anila's delicious home made curry sauces

I was delighted to meet Anila’s and taste her award winning curry sauces and samosas!!

Maro's wonderful herb infused olive oil

Maro’s Kitchen was another wonderful vendor, with her herb infused extra virgin olive oil from Crete, so delicious. She also carries individually made spice mills; for further enquires, please email maroskitchen@gmail.com.

Home made baklavas for a sweet treat

I had some delicious home made baklavas, walnut, red pepper paste and olive oil dip over crackers at my table. I served the dip with rocket salad over the top; very easy to prepare and great for entertaining. The spice bowls are hand painted from Turkey, they have been a big hit. My heartfelt thanks goes to my parents and my sister for providing them

Walnut and red pepper paste dip on crackers and spice bowls from Turkey

Olives with Red Peppers, Spring onion and Parsley

I would like to leave you with this easy to prepare but very tasty, refreshing mezze, appetizer. It’s ready within minutes and goes very well over crackers or toasted bread. I also like to mix it with cooked pasta, bulgur or couscous for a healthy and delicious meal. Pomegranate molasses, a southern Turkish dressing, adds a wonderful, sharp and tangy taste to it. If you can’t get pomegranate molasses, you can replace with a good quality balsamic vinegar.

Seasonal, fresh ingredients make refreshing, healthy, delicious meals

Serves 4

Preparation time:10 minutes

175gr/6oz Turkish, Greek, Italian or Spanish olives, pitted

1 small red pointy or bell pepper, quartered and sliced coarsely

1-2 spring (green) onions, finely chopped

Handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

10ml/1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5ml/1 tsp pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

This refreshing appetizer would also be lovely mixed with cooked pasta or bulgur wheat

Simply mix the chopped vegetables and olives in a bowl. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil and the pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar) over them, combine well. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Serve the mezze over crackers or mix with cooked pasta, bulgur wheat or couscous for a delicious and light meal.

Afiyet Olsun!

Natural History Museum – A Fantastic Day Out in London

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 11, 2012 in A Slice of England | 2 comments

My son Mark wanted to have a day out in London for his 8th birthday – which we all embraced happily!- NHM, Natural History Museum is one of his favorite spots in London. NHM is a home to more than 70 million wonderful specimens from the natural world. In their permanent galleries, the museum has a broad range of exhibitions about Earth and Life on Earth. My son especially loves the age of dinosaurs  - check out the terrifying T.rex!- , marvels at the blue whale, the largest animal in the world.

Red zone in the museum hosts our ever changing planet, space and the natural forces that shape it. You can even experience what it feels like to be caught in earthquake and witness the devastating impacts of volcanic eruptions.

 Above all, admission to NHM is free of charge, what a fascinating place to explore for all ages, if you are inLondon. The wonderful museum building is a piece of art itself, and it looks magical with a touch of snow

And right across the NHM is the wonderful Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the world’s greatest museums of arts and design. One of the Exhibitions they are hosting at the moment features the photographs of the Queen Elizabeth II by royal photographer Cecil Beaton. This exhibition celebrates Her Majesty in her roles as princess, monarch and mother and coincides with the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. This museum is also free of charge and a fascinating spot to explore.

Hope these get you in the mood for exploring fascinating sites, happy travels!

Blossoms and exotic butterflies at the RHS Wisley Gardens

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 1, 2012 in A Slice of England | 6 comments

We have had a mild winter in England so far (and now we’re feeling the chill in the air!), which resulted in early blossoms in the trees.

We were at the RHS Wisley Gardens at the weekend, and it was incredible to see blossoms and buds on the trees, even daffodils – little too early!

Snowdrops are everywhere and gorgeous to look at. We are expecting some frost and colder weather, so here is the hope for the blossoms to survive.

RHS Wisley Gardens are hosting the exotic butterflies at the Green House until February 26th and that really is worth seeing if you are around.

They are absolutely beautiful, and the tropical plants and the warm air transport you to exotic locations.

Hope you enjoy the butterflies!

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Time to be Thankful and Share the Love of Food

Posted by Ozlem on Nov 23, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 2 comments

I prepared a Turkish stall for my son’s school’s Christmas event; there were yummy Turkish Delights all the way from Istanbul (my heartfelt thanks to my sweet sister Oznur and my parents who very kindly provided them); lovely Turkish “blue eyed” key chains and necklaces; wonderful dried peppers, baby okra, aubergines (eggplants);

I made some spinach and cheese fillo pastry and let folks try them. There were copper pots, Turkish coffee pots and lovely little hand painted pottery for spices and dips. It was just wonderful to talk about food, hear everyone’s happy memories visiting Turkey. And it was wonderful to share all good things Turkey, my homeland has offered.

I just wanted to express how grateful and thankful I am for all the support from my family, friends and you all, who kindly share love of cooking.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and Festive Season; it is time to be thankful. And why not revisiting some wonderful appetizers like the cheese & spinach pastry, or red pepper paste & walnut dip or a lovely aubergine (eggplant) recipe from the blog to share with family and friends? I feel they all taste better when shared

My best wishes,
Ozlem

Anissa Helou’s Middle Eastern cookery demostrations at the Leighton House Museum, London

Posted by Ozlem on Nov 7, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 3 comments

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure to attend the wonderful food writer and the cookery author Anissa Helou’s -www.anissas.com- Middle Eastern cookery demostrations at the Leighton House Museum, London. She kindly shared with us her extensive middle eastern ingredients and explained us how they are used in classic dishes. A very informative class, learned a great deal on especially Persian cuisine – it was also wonderful to sample the delicious Turkish dried apricots and sumac berries!- Anissa will continue to be the chef-in-residence at the Leighton House Museum on November 10th and 17th for more demonstrations on Middle Eastern cuisine. Delightful and very informative sessions, if you can make it. For more info, please visit http://www.nourfestival.co.uk/courses1.php

Autumn Heatwave in England!

Posted by Ozlem on Oct 3, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 0 comments

We have been enjoying a glorious Indian summer here in England over the last 10 days or so. In the last few days, the temperature reached its peak to 30 C (86F), breaking the records! So we are back into shorts and sandals, fantastic!It is quite surreal to see the beautiful autumn colors on the trees and kicking the leaves at the unsually warm weather, enjoying while its here!:)

We were in Malmesbury last Saturday, visiting friends. This photo is from the 12th century Abbey in Malmesbury with lovely autumn colors.

And here is the French Market in Malmesbury at the historic Market Cross,

and the Turkish Delight stall,what a pleasant surprise!

The flower baskets looked gorgeous in front of the Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury, regarded as the first hotel in England.

It has been wonderful to be back to Malmesbury; and even more special to see friends.

Wishing you a good week ahead!
Ozlem