September 2023 Favourites list

This month I am saying hello to the new academic year and saying goodbye to the Summer. It is thrilling and enjoyable to get to know my new students. At the same time, it is obvious that the season is changing and soon we will have cooler, greyer, and less cheerful weather.

Therefore this month’s photos are the last of the Summer flowers, as we hope for a last few glorious days before we have to accept the onslaught of Autumn and then Winter. As the seasons change, so will our clothes and our food preferences. I hope that my future lists will ring those changes, but I am not quite ready yet. 

Food articles

What’s in season in September? Apples, blackberries, marrow, kale, plums and spinach. With recipe ideas. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/g42814703/september-recipes/

CAMRA have picked their prettiest pubs in the UK. Lucky for us in London, four of them are in the capital! https://metro.co.uk/2023/09/05/uk-prettiest-pubs-full-list-london-19448858

British people can’t appear to agree on the ideal shade of brown for the perfect cuppa. https://metro.co.uk/2023/09/07/how-dark-do-you-go-brits-divided-on-the-correct-shade-of-tea-19463529  The Twitter post which created the furore: https://twitter.com/SoVeryBritish/status/1698636192953102413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Did you know that “prison ramen” (instant noodles for prison inmates) are a thing? Not only that, but someone has been taste testing them? Here is the best prison ramen recipe, y’know, in case you recently tried to escape jail but didn’t get far 4 days later… https://www.theramenrater.com/2019/08/13/best-prison-ramen-burrito-texas-beef/

This is going to be contentious… a list of red flags which will warn you a restaurant is going to be bad. Not sure I agree with all of these, but there are some very interesting observations here. https://www.grubstreet.com/2023/09/restaurant-red-flags.html

Kitchen and cooking tips

Many households, particularly Asian ones, use an electric rice cooker to cook fluffy rice using the absorption method. If you love perfectly separate grains with their integrity intact, just cooked and not too soft, a rice cooker is a great solution. Another thing to consider, whether your are thinking of buying a rice cooker or whether you already have one is – can I use it to cook a meal in one, rather than a rice accompaniment to another dish. This will help: https://www.eater.com/23831511/rice-cooker-meal-prep-one-pot-meal-the-move

Nutritional yeast is another way of adding flavour to your cooking, it isn’t vegan, but if you are seeking to cut down on your meat consumption, or looking for new ingredients, this might be for you. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/nutritional-yeast-2

 

Recipes

Although this is suggested as a side dish to be eaten with other Indonesian food, I think this sweetcorn fritter recipe from Petty Pandean-Elliot's book The Indonesian Table (£24.95, Phaidon Press) would make a great lunch for sunny days: https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/entertain/indonesian-sweetcorn-fritters-with-chilli-and-tomato-sambal/

Aaron and Claire share a recipe for a soupless tantanmen noodle dish called tsuyunashi tantanmen, of chewy noodles tossed in a creamy sesame sauce with a spicy pork topping. https://aaronandclaire.com/soupless-tantanmen/

TV

The Woman In The Wall

The Magdalene laundries were a painful part of Irish history, which Joe Murtagh has used as the basis of this complicated series which combines whodunnit and thriller genres with an examination of how the past affects the present day. Ruth Wilson (who is always worth watching) makes you want to follow Lorna Brady as she struggles not only to come to term with what happened to her, but her battle to find out the truth about what happened to her daughter. It’s a tough and uncompromising watch, with many dark moments, but the performances are excellent all round. (TW: murder, violence, arson).

Available on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001q28v/the-woman-in-the-wall

Music

Available for another 20 days, Johnny Marr, currently Radio 6 Music’s artist in residence shares his most loved musical collaboration in a career spanning decades. Some of these tracks are little known (other than to fans) and some are old friends. Dig in, because they all contain guitar perfection! On BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001qmzw

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.