Hot dates, sweet peas & morning routines
Musings in May
Musings in May
A new personality at 27
It was my birthday at the end of April! 27! They say a shift comes at this age, and it’s a shift I’ve felt brewing for a little while. I couldn’t tell you what that shift is yet, but it’s a sense that something new is stirring. Moving somewhere new? Trying something new? Meeting someone new? Intriguing! But right now, I’m very content with the personality looking a little “green”, a little more “asparagus”, as my friend described. A colour that is pure, and a vegetable that knows its moments and leans all the way. I’m taking notes.
Hot dates!
The medjool kind, not the swipe-right kind.
Sadly, the latter has been a bit of a..how do I put it? Flop. It’s tough out there! The apps, the small talk, the ghosting. Bleurgh. A parade of sticky situations that aren’t quite as sweet. But the ones I’m sharing today are much sweeter, and stickier, in a good way.
Plump medjool dates split open and stuffed with peanut butter (crunchy), nestled onto vanilla ice cream, drizzled with melted dark chocolate, sprinkled with crushed pistachios, a pinch of Maldon salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
It’s a mouthful. A seriously delicious mouthful. Please try it.
But a hot date that will always deliver? A solo date.
“Table for 1"?” - eek! sounds daunting, uncomfortable. But once you say it - it gets easier, and is surprisingly empowering. It can be as casual or indulgent as you make it. A matcha in a coffee shop with a book, a laid-back bar table with easy nibbles, or a 3 course meal at a restaurant you really wanted to try. It’s usually these solo moments that lead to those realisations about yourself - those “shifts” mentioned above. Sometimes our own company is the best company.
Inside the bean factory
I’ve just spent the past week in La Rioja with the Bold Bean team, seeing our beautiful beans in action. Giant chickpeas tumbling onto conveyer belts for a gentle dry-down, rows of jars clinking into place, all ready to be slowly cooked with just a pinch of salt into melt-in-the-mouth chickpea perfection. There’s nothing quite like that first, fifth, one hundredth(!) time eating one straight from the jar. So good! Get to know, give ‘em a go.
For my morning people
A bit-of-a-swing I’ve been loving recently
10 minute yoga - I’m currently following this programme. I also bought a new mat. Felt really good about it.
get out for a walk - come rain or shine (it’s bad clothing, not bad weather).
green tea
breakfast - this rotates between:
~porridge topped with some kinda nut butter, berries, seeds, etc, like this
~a yogurt bowl with berries (stewed, if I can be bothered, as I like the hot contrast with the cool yogurt), with similar toppings to above.
~or on the rare occasion, i’ll go savoury. It’ll look a little like this or this.
No social media until at least lunch time - give your brain a chance to wake up on your terms! Not the algorithms!
Simple. Achievable. It makes me feel good, and I think it’ll do the same for you too (but if you’re a night owl, it probably won’t, & that’s ok).
Sweet Peas
I can eat a bowl of peas and be extremely content. No, extremely happy, actually! Simply with olive oil, lemon zest and a crackle of flaky sea salt. Decent snack.
But today we’re turning it up a notch by calling in asparagus - duh! - which, with the peas, gets bathed in a lemony, garlicky, basil-infused oil and then tumbled onto a mound of creamy ricotta. It’s fresh, it’s bright, it’s creamy, it’s effortlessly elegant! It’s just lovely this time of year.
Spring ricotta with peas, asparagus & lemon-basil oil
A simple side dish for spring entertaining, or a nice lunch you can scoop up with pillowy focaccia, stir through a cold pasta or orzo salad, alongside crunchy salad leaves, or any other antipasti pickly bits for that briny counterpart.
Feeds 2-3 as a share plate | Takes 30 mins
Ingredients
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