Oh, no biggie, just a cheese shop nearly as old as my country.
Category: Britain
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
Chocolate has played a significant role in our social lives lately, so brace yourselves for a week of it here on Small Dog Cocoa Beans Lovers and Consumers, Inc. First stop on our tour of goodness, the Chocolate Museum in Brixton.
Frankly on its face it a bit…dinky. It’s not the museum’s fault. It’s a tiny, tiny two room independent establishment with about three display cases and a few wall displays of historic artifacts relating to the history of chocolate in Britain.
Which is a fascinating subject! Chocolate and coffee houses were places of major political and social unrest and discourse, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s rise as a sweet beverage (instead of its original state as a bitter, odd tasting thing drunk by the people of the New World) coincided directly with the rise of sugar…and therefore the slave trade – which Britain played a major role in both spreading and ending. Cadbury’s supported troops in the First World War with supplies (including chocolate of course), and in World War II converted part of their factory to to making airplane parts. Also during WWII chocolate was deemed an “essential food item” (truth!) and its manufacture and distrubution was carefully monitored, which it became a major black market item until rationing for it ended. While not on the level of Belgian, German, and Swiss chocolatiers, British candymakers are responsible for a lot of the popular appeal and commercial availability of chocolate. John Cadbury is the man responsible for inventing the method responsible for the creation of solid chocolate bars – for which humanity should be duly grateful.
In other words, yeah! Topic deserving of a museum! A museum with more than a couple of rooms.
But despite the seemingly limited setting, the Chocolate Museum has quite a few things going for it. First of all it puts on a number of chocolate making workshops and themed events throughout the year. Secondly it stocks some genuinely stellar chocolate items from artisan and free-trade growers and makers.
It was at one such event that Jeff and I made the museum’s acquaintance. Their Christmas Fair to be precise. Along with their wares, on display for nibbling, other artisans were invited to pair their offerings with the chocolates. Wine, beer, coffee, tea, cheese, breads, cured meats, and honey were prominent, but Jeff and I got distracted by a woman selling funky Italian, naturally made sodas.
We came away with lots of chocolate bars (ginger and lime for him, cardamon and nutmeg for me), and a hunk of farmhouse cheddar that was scrumptious. I’ll definitely be heading back to the Chocolate Museum, even though I’ve seen it in its entirety, for two reasons. First of all because I’ve not found cardamon flavored chocolate anywhere else that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Secondly because I believe strongly in supporting small museums dedicated to telling narrowly focused historical narratives.
“No weekend, all weakened.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
A few misadventures this week (including a ticketing office splitting up tickets over two separate dates, which annoyed and vexed me greatly), but also goofing off with Katie and Adam, and Ruth and Terri. Also this has been significantly less frantic than last week, which can only be a good thing! A few freelancing projects to get through today, lots of housework (blech), job apps, and a run to the dry cleaners is all that lurks on my Must Do list. Here are your links, tell me what you’re up to this weekend.
Hide yo’ hedges, hide yo’ shrubberies! Actually, this is one of the more puzzling and intriguing mysteries I’ve seen in a while. Perhaps my next mystery will be of the horticultural variety.
Freelancers, assemble! New York Time journalist and author Caitlin Kelly’s webinars for success in freelancing or for boosting your blog or site traffic are available for sign up now, and so are her individual coaching sessions which I wholeheartedly recommend!
History nerd find of the week! A blog exploring the clothing collection of Charles Paget Wade, who lived from the 1880 through the 1950s. (People with that kind of lifespan intrigue me!) Apparently he was one of those magnificent, British eccentric collectors, whose archives are now maintained by the National Trust. His passion was Georgian, Regency and early Victorian clothing, and the collection looks incredible.
I want – nay, need this table. Though I fear to obtain it might require obtaining the boat it’s attached to…
A brief article of the mostly forgotten sister of Benjamin Franklin. The differences between the siblings’ circumstances are quite stark. Considered one of the Great Men of his age, a self-educated wit who made a profession and legacy of words – and a woman who only read “as much as she dared.”
Loved this article in the Atlantic about the importance of telling stories (h/t Mel). There are massive gaps in my understanding of my family history. Partly because my immediate family’s relationship with extended family has not always been smooth and so a lot of lore simply hasn’t had the opportunity to pass itself along, and partly because my immediate family has been busy for most of my life creating our own story all over the world. But as I get older I think about my family stories more and more, and try to think of ways to learn and preserve them. I never knew until this past summer that my great-grandfather on my Dad’s side supported his siblings and made his own way through Harvard (in the 1920s when it was still a place of privilege that he had not been born into). Or that my Scottish great-great-grandfather (I think) on my mother’s side followed his brother to the Western frontier with Mormon pioneers to stay close to him even though he wasn’t part of that faith himself. What else have I missed!
Current resident favorite Tom Hiddleston has a Jaguar deal, his commercial for which is basically a homicidal riff on his Loki character (which I’m sure will have some clever twist come Superbowl time). I had a moment’s pause thinking that for such a talented actor it might be frustrating to be defined by a single role… And then I remembered he’s already won an Olivier Award and is probably laughing it all the way to the bank, and got on with more important pop culture ponderings.
If ever I design a home, you can bet it’s going to have a secret passage or room.
Another map. Everyone’s good at something! (h/t Matt)
This made me laugh (h/t Heidi who is living in Denmark). What are the dressing stereotypes where you live? At some point I should knock together a Brit style post, but frankly I’m still trying to figure some of it out.
Complicated issue, blah blah blah, lots of feeling on either side, etc. I’m unabashedly pro-vaccine and I’m a bit alarmed at how many people give credence to the anti movement especially given how many of their concerns have been utterly debunked. (h/t Savvy).
Through a glass (or the 18th century) darkly. At the Geffrye Museum.
“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Awkward realization. Without exactly intending it it, this week’s content is moderately themed. Which wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that next week’s tales of adventure and mayhem are explicitly themed (and that theme, kittens, is chocolate so you know you’re going to love it). Regardless, the unintentional theme this week is decor!
On Saturday Katie and I met up to go to the Geffrye Museum of the Home, showcasing how the design, decoration, form, and function of British homes have evolved over the last 400 years.
The building itself is made of almshouses from the 18th century, originally built by Sir Robert Geffrye, but acquired by the London County Council early in the 20th. Instead of demolishing the site, it was turned into a museum and today holds authentic furnishings and home goods stretching from the 1600s right up though today. It’s focus is on the everyday life of the British middle class, which makes a nice change from most institutions which tend to focus on the Great and Important. Walk with me.
It’s a wonderful museum and well worth a look in if you’re design minded. In their galleries there is currently another exhibit that I loved documenting the private history of homes around the UK. Current owners look into their the past of their dwellings and found some amazing things, including children’s toys under floorboard discovered during renovations, and tales of hauntings.
The museum is totally free (donations encouraged) and open Tuesday through Sunday.
“You can all go to hell; I will go to Texas”
― David Crockett
Explaining the US can be tricky, especially since the truth is that in spite of our best endeavors, we really are in many ways a “nation” of separate countries. The word “state” was precisely chosen as a replacement for “colony” when our upstart ancestors declared independence because it meant a sole, sovereign entity.
Which makes for fascinating political philosophy, I hear you ask, but what’s the point? Well, having lived there once (and I admit it was largely a negative experience, though I wouldn’t mind trying out Austin since I’ve heard good things), my family and I sometimes joke that Texas at its heart really is a separate country altogether. London recently confirmed my suspicions by way of a chalk artist in Trafalgar Square.
Unless of course they’ve actually gone through with the threats of some of their most disgruntled citizens and seceded lately? Have I missed an announcement?
“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
― Anna Quindlen
Last week Ruth from The Planned Adventure had an extra ticket to a blogging and freelancing event hosted by fabulous and hilarious ladies from Domestic Sluttery, and very kindly asked me to go along! It was a fun evening and I got to hear a lot of really good stories and advice from some ladies who know what’s up in the world of London writing. Many notes were taken, many business cards exchanged.
The event itself was held in Made’s showroom in Notting Hill Gate which impressed me greatly. Knowing approximately squat about interior design and decor, unlike Ruth who has a real eye for it, I wandered the room between speaking and Q&A sessions and took in the funky designs for your view pleasure.
Thanks so much for inviting me, Ruth!
“We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work”
― Thomas A. Edison
Another busy week, my possums. I’m so grateful to Ruth for getting me out of the house on Wednesday to go to a freelancing event (more on that later), but I was honestly worried I wouldn’t be able to go at first and spent the whole day at a frantic pace to carve out that evening. Ditto for pizza on Monday.
You wouldn’t think it, especially based on last week‘s theatre adventures, but January started off fast and hasn’t slowed down for me at all. I’ve been helping a client with a major rebrand project since mid-December and it’s basically eaten my life. I have tons of personal emails to catch up on that are just piling up, thank you notes still to send for Christmas gifts and letters, and even job hunting (while still very much an active project) has given way to it on the priority list. Since I’m so many hours ahead of the client I’m usually kept up quite late every night, and I’ve started obsessively checking my phone like one of those people I used to poke fun at. Because every time I step two feet away from my flat, a major and highly urgent project arrives in my inbox. Without fail.
It’s a bit stressful, but really rewarding at the same time. All of 2013 seemed to involve being thrown into situation after situation that was completely uncharted territory for me, which I loved even though it frequently intimidated the hell out of me, and 2014 looks to hold more of the same. I never thought I’d be working on some of the projects I am, or have the skills I’ve been able to acquire. I’m still figuring out how to balance competing demands and projects (and occasionally failing to find a balance at all, reduced to eating gummy candy for lunch and working until 2am), and there are still many things I can do much better than I’m currently doing. But I’m learning quick and working hard. So, even though I’m feeling pretty tuckered out from this week, I’m happy as a clam.
Here are your links, tell me what you’ve been up to lately in the comments!
Goodness knows the sports world has a long way to go in respecting and embracing social/gender/cultural inclusion across many groups of people, but I still think this is kind of a cool story.
Fascinating article on how and why people disbelieve what they do.
I’d read this 
True fandom never dies, I guess. I was a Spice Girls fan myself, unabashedly, but this level of devotion is quite foreign to me. Then again, I’m currently on a Sherlock kick so perhaps I need to judge less harshly.
h/t to Jeff for this commercial about the less glamorous but wholly necessary side of paper. I have a kindle for convenience sake, and I enjoy its many uses, but you will have to pull printed books from my cold dead hands.
Medical science is really just a staggering thing. This will either make some really awful dystopian scenarios come true, or…honestly I’m not sure I can think of an alternative. And I’m the woman who’d be fine with sprinkling the various elements and chemicals into a jar, letting is sit for a few months, and popping the cork on a fully developed infant as a reproductive system.
Etsy shop find of the week. A bit odd, but frankly also a bit adorable.
h/t to my friend Annette who works with refugees in Salt Lake City, patterns of forced migrations since 1975.
Kids write the darnedest things.
Photographs of a museum’s collection at night.
Loved this piece from Cup of Jo about living in small spaces. Our flat is bigger, but decorating it is a challenge and I found lots of this helpful.
Seriously. It took a fictional character being denied inheritance rather than actual people?
Speaking of fictional characters…in defense of Ron Weasley! (h/t Savvy)
“Those pizzas I ate were for medicinal purposes.”
― Amy Neftzger
Lauren (the fabulous woman behind Aspiring Kennedy) did such a fabulous job organizing a girl’s night out in December for people who knew each other – or didn’t know anybody and just wanted to meet people – through blogging, writing, expat-ing, etc. in London. It was a great night and I met some great ladies who I’ve been hanging out with ever since. Well, Lauren decided to do it again!
A slightly more low key affair, she organized a pizza night Monday evening at Otto in Notting Hill. They do cornmeal crust pizza with funky toppings that you order by the slice. May I personally recommend the grape, brie, and balsamic? Because I inhaled that sucker!
I really appreciate when people more established in any area or community take the time to introduce new people around, so I’m really grateful to Lauren for arranging such fun, low key ways for people to just hang out and make friends. Ruth and Katie and I bonded with a couple of hilarious ladies that I can’t wait to hang out with again.
Andrea from This New View
sparry
The girl who runs Maison Miru and brought some of her wares along to dazzle our eyes
Amber from Nouveau who is getting married in Hawaii soon!
“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”
― David Mamet, Boston Marriage
“Pie” means something quite different in Britain than in does in the US. Most pies Stateside are sweet concoctions of fruit and/or cream, trotted out typically in times of celebration. Pies over here are usually meat and vegetable dishes (mostly meat, let’s be honest) in some form of gravy or sauce, and totally wrapped in pastry. There are a few exceptions, such as mince pies which are small little bundles of goodness that have largely given up their meaty past, though there are a few holdouts scattered throughout the Isles.
I have nothing against meat pies, indeed I’ve inhaled not a few delicious ones in my time, but I’m afraid in this respect I will always be a Yank at heart.
My family has two pie recipes that are sacrosanct, an apple and a pumpkin. The pumpkin is the real treat and it is incredibly labor intensive, it takes months of preparation when you consider that the pumpkin puree is homemade. Courtesy of Halloween jack o’lanterns. However pumpkins never made it big here via the Columbian Exchange quite like turkeys and potatoes did. This fact, coupled with the reality that I have none of the equipment necessary to make it meant that Christmas Eve dinner this year was going to be an apple affair.
As it turns out this too was a labor of love that took two days start to finish.
I have to be blunt. British baking goods selections are dinky. Seriously small. Not just their packaging (which we’ve covered), but the actual space they take up on store shelves is tiny. Back in our old haunt the local grocery store had an entire aisle set aside for baking. Here at our nearest Tesco, we have three shelves that take up about a quarter of one side of an aisle. Finding what you need can be maddening.
I have theories about this, but my chief on is that like much of Europe, Britain has a larger number of bakeries and designated craftsmen who create their baked goods. Not that these don’t exist in America, but we also have a history of frontier dwelling which meant that for generations the well off might have a cook (and the extremely wealthy a French pastry chef), but most of us were responsible for providing our own treats and that sort of got into the culture. The French have boulangeries, the Brits have bakeshops, the Americans seem to do more DIY. Which I largely don’t mind, though I admit I do enjoy baking. And I use it constructively (I tend to make cookies when I’m angry or exceptionally bored, it’s probably kept me from using that energy less constructively. The results are pretty tasty too, rage cookies are the way to go, kids).
But I digress. Pie.
First I had to find a pie crust recipe that didn’t call for shortening (a heathen American device). I was fine with this because, butter. Then I whipped it up by hand because we have no kitchen equipment besides a mixing bowl that’s a third of the size of what we’re used to, before leaving it to chill in the fridge overnight. The next morning I rolled it out with a highball glass in lieu of a roller (see: lack of kitchen equipment).
Apple pie, no explanation required, right? Moving right along.
One of the (many) secret ingredients in this particular plate of mouth goodness is grated lemon peel. Which did not exist in that one quarter of an aisle space dedicated; believe me, I scoured that store. So I painstakingly shaved off paper thin slices of fresh lemon peel and chopped it to bits by hand. Do you know how long it takes to get a teaspoon of that stuff this way? A lot longer that I anticipated!
I admit until this point I was getting a bit stressed because we were attempting a lot of food for just two people, but in the words of Tevye, “TRADITION!”
Luckily after I tossed the seasoned and sugared mixture into that labor intensive crust, the grouchiness could simply no longer put up a fight. Even intense domestic irritation fades when confronted with this thing, it is that powerful.
We ate it for breakfast for days afterward. Regretting nothing.
Like I said, a bit of a labor of love. But in the end well worth it. However, I admit I will not be repeating this until next year, or unless I’m entertaining guests. Or until I get more and better kitchen equipment.
Small Dog Syndrome 
