London is Calling – It’s the London Fashion Week!

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 19, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 2 comments

London is buzzing at the moment, it is the London Fashion Week (16-21 September) and the wonderful Somerset House, home of the British Fashion Council has been hosting various shows. My sweet sister-in-law, Judith, very kindly took us to a few shows – thank you Judith! , the whole experience is amazing -Scottish designer Holly Fulton won the hearts! By simply people watching at the Fashion Week, you appreciate how London embraces and celebrates diversity; folks from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds – and outfits!- blending and existing in harmony. A feast to the eye!

Any excuse for going to London is welcome, what a fascinating city. This is one of the best views of London; you simply need to walk over the Waterloo Bridge and look both ways! One side is the City and the glorious St Paul’s Cathedral,

On the other side are the Big Ben, House of Parliament and the London Eye, quite a spectacular viewing – and free!

Seasonal, organic produce, delivered by your door & Chard recipe

Posted by Ozlem on May 24, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 2 comments

I got a leaflet thru my door the other week, a company, Abel&Cole;, offering organic fruit and veg delivered to my door. I did hear about this though haven’t had a chance to try before, so decided to give it a go. As much as I would love to make it to the Farmer’s Market every week, I can’t always do that, so thought, this is great; Farmer’s Market comes to me. It is a great value and feels good that it is a fair deal to the farmers too.

Last Thursday, our first box of organic fruit and vegetables arrived and it was a happy sight! Wonderful, seasonal organic produce; Swiss chards, portobello mushrooms, bananas, lovely carrots and bell pepper, apple, onions, potatoes and more. I liked the fact that you are delivered whatever fruit and veg seasonal at the moment, and there is a surprise element to it. I can get the same or similar veg over and over again when shopping, and this has been a welcoming change – take chards, never really got into them before, but now that it was in my box, I was excited to try a new thing.

For the chards; I simply sautéed some garlic with olive oil, chopped the chard coarsely and added to the pan. I sautéed the chard for about 4-5 minutes, until wilted but still has had a bite to it. Seasoned with salt and pepper and squeezed half a lemon over it. Finally, I added a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes and served as a side dish. It was utterly delicious and I am won over

I am already looking forward to my next box!

Happy Cooking and Afiyet Olsun,

Sofra Restaurant, Covent Garden, London

Posted by Ozlem on May 9, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 4 comments

My parents were visiting us last week and we had a day out in London. Covent Garden is one of my favorite spots and decided to take my parents there. While walking around Covent Garden, we spotted the wonderful Turkish restaurant, Sofra (I had been to the Sofra Restaurant in Mayfair before but not in Covent Garden). What a pleasant surprise it was and for my parents, it was like seeing an oasis; my dad’s face lit up big time with a great smile, and he dived into the restaurant, so did we! The smells and looks of his favorite and familiar Turkish food made him happy beyond words

Huseyin Ozer’s Sofra Restaurant deserves all these praise and many more; healthy, delicious Turkish food, served with genuine Turkish hospitality. Friendly staff greets with wonderful wheat pide bread (not only healthy, but this version of pide (pita) bread was so delicious, we must have had a few extra servings of them) and home made hummus with wonderful Turkish olives over it. We enjoyed a delightful Turkish breakfast with eggs of your choice, wonderful olives, white (feta) cheese, cheddar cheese, succulent slices of tomatoes, rose petal jam, honey, wonderful fresh orange juice and of course Turkish cay (tea) served at tulip shaped glasses. I had my fix of eggs with Turkish sausages (sucuk), it was wonderful. If I had closed my eyes for a moment, I would have certainly transferred myself to Istanbul by the Bosphorus, enjoying this feast. Sofra is indeed a wonderful oasis for us all who enjoy Turkish food. Please visit www.sofra.co.uk for various branches in London, for a real treat of Turkish cuisine.

Wisley Gardens in April Sunshine

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 26, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 2 comments

The pleasant and unexpected warm weather in England brought wonderful colours all around, and one of the best places to see this has been at the RHS Wisley Gardens; absolutely stunning display of plants and flowers. A few shots to share with you all. Hope the sunshine continues for the Royal Wedding

England in full bloom

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 12, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 0 comments

The unexpected (but very pleasant!) summery April temperature in England has left the trees in full bloom and us in summer clothes, just wonderful! Different shades of pink, white and red blossoms have been like firework displays on trees, feast to the eye and soul. A few photos here from Surrey, the Cotswolds and the magnificent 12th century Abbey in Malmesbury with daffodils still on the ground. Enjoy!:)

Exotic Butterflies at the RHS Wisley Gardens, England

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 27, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorized | 0 comments

It is a joy to walk around the Wisley Gardens anytime of the year. At the moment, they are hosting amazing varieties of tropical plants and exotic butterflies at their stunning Glass House. Entering into the Glass House takes you a totally different world, a tranquil paradise where exotic butterflies take flight amongst wonderful tropical plants. It sure does brighten up any grey winter day! You can watch the butterflies until 27th February, for more information, please visit www.rhs.org.uk/wisley.