Yesterday I went to the nail salon and asked to remove my talons. I’ve had long nails for a long while, I wanted to feel my finger tips again. Now, I sit here with stubs at the end of my hands and I feel mighty strange, but I will have to get use to this feeling because they’re gone now.
Salads:
Thai coconut curry with roast squash
Ginger + sweet chilli rice
Mushroom + tomato pasta
Soup: Lightly spiced brown lentil
Sandwich: Chorizo, Provola cheese, chilli relish + tomato
We’re a three man band for the next two weeks. When I frequent other establishments, I always look at the set up, who does what, do they have a system I can learn from. It’s pretty crazy that Mother is so logistically sound that we can operate with just 3 people. My biggest task over the next couple weeks is to not get too caught up in conversation, sounds easy.
Salads:
Mushroom cacciatore
Spinach + herb rice
Sausage + ham pasta
Soup: Lightly spiced vegetable
You stand outside the house you once lived in but it’s not your home anymore. It’s time to move on, we’re not the same people anymore and that’s okay. We can’t dwell on the past but we can alter the future. You’re accustom to sitting round a table and bluffing, keeping your cards close to your chest but I have a full house. I’ve learnt from the best.
Salads:
Beetroot, dill + chickpea
Sumac rice
Courgette, tomato + basil pasta
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Sandwich: Cumberland sausage, Cheddar, Spicy peach relish + tomato
The happenings of the weekend ahead should be weighing heavy on me but i’m oddly excited. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a perfect life. There are aspects of lives that pass before me that I can be envious of but I wouldn’t ask to swap. Parts of my life could do with a system reboot but I wouldn’t request a redo on the life i’ve lived.
Salads:
Roast vegetable, herb + chickpea salad
Tomato + French bean pasta
Panzanella
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Sandwich: Milano salami, Manchego, Spicy peach relish + tomato
Do you why the caged bird sings? Why would a being let out such a cheerful tune when it’s freedom is not its own? You could assume that it sings for hope, a sound that can be heard beyond the compounds of it’s prison. When you bang on the cage the reality becomes all to much for the bird and the melody stops. The bird doesn’t want to be reminded of the cage, let it sing or set it free.
Salads:
Lightly spiced lentils
Fattoush style salad
Smokey aubergine + tomato
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
We all know science is awesome but have you ever sat there for long enough to think about how amazing it really is? We live in an age where a broken bone is nothing, get a cast, wait, recover. How did we find out that we can heal? The bone can fuse back together, that’s crazy! I’d assume a lot of the advancements happened during the intense wars that have taken place in the last 100 years, mix that with the ability to travel, communicate with communities far and wide, compare research and now we can do heart transplants, like what?
Salads:
Chickpea + cauliflower with ginger + coriander
Cracked wheat salad
Sausage + ham pasta salad
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Benny was the man who owned the fish and chips on the corner, he had the place for 43 years. It was a simple establishment but Benny made it sing. He closed his doors 10 years ago because it was time to retire, unfortunately he passed a few years later. It’s insane to see how the area has changed since he left. I just wanted to recall this memory, I think some of you will appreciate the trip down memory lane.
Salads:
Many bean salad
Rainbow rice
Sausage + ham pasta
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Everyone loves a scandal; when they’re a spectator. Everyone is a guru when the issue is not their own. Everyone is shocked when they find out the cast of their favourite show don’t get on in real life, one might even be a predator. ‘But he was so good in that thing’ it’s called acting. We all do it, just some have made it their occupation. Our best performances take place in our daily lives. I would have received an Oscar by now and I know exactly who I’d dedicate it to.
Salads:
Chickpea + borlotti bean with roast peppers + herb dressing
Broccoli, chilli + garlic pasta
Panzanella
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Sandwich: Spicy salami, Smoked mozzarella, Jalapeno relish + tomato
Thank God it’s Friday, I’m so ready for a weekend. I’ve comprised a list of tasks I want to complete and I need some time away from the general public. While I love people watching, said people can also make me want to shut my eyes and never re open them. A little weekend of R&R will help me recalibrate for next weeks deli dramas.
Salads:
Chickpea + sweet potato with mango + lime pickle dressing
Oriental rice salad
Sausage + ham pasta
Crab stick potato salad
Soup: Spiced chickpea, tomato + spinach
It ended up being an irritable Wednesday, who’s surprised? Not me. One of my last interactions of the day was a gentle man who told me that my prices online were cheaper than what’s in store. If he had known he would have ordered differently. Turns out he used a google review photo from 4 years ago to make his choice. Easily done, my confusion came from the fact that he’d been in the deli before and paid the current prices. He was less gentle when telling me that he thought that we were expensive, ahhhhh people.
Salads:
Aubergine + black bean
Lemongrass + lime leaf rice
Cauliflower + cashew pesto pasta
Soup: Spiced sweetcorn + tomato
I’m in a good mood, I’m just going to leave it at that.
Salads:
Chickpea + roast squash
Carrot + dill rice
Leek, black olive + tomato pasta
Soup: Indian spiced tomato
I tell you what to do, you say okay but you didn’t do what I asked. It’s fine, tomorrow we’ll try again. I tell you what to do, you do it wrong…again. Breath, it’s not a big deal. The third day I do the task myself, you say ‘I could have done that for you’. That’s nice. But you can’t. I won’t tell you that, you won’t understand because you keep doing it wrong and I don’t have the mental strength to explain this to you.
Salads:
Borlotti bean + mushroom
Spinach + herb rice
Courgette, tomato + basil pasta
Soup: Lightly spiced vegetable
Sandwich: Garlic salami, Smoked mozzarella, Chilli relish + tomato
A relatively unproductive weekend but enjoyable none the less. I was in the middle of making a shelf for the kitchen, suddenly my brain decided I was done with this task. I decided to have some mushrooms to pass the time. I didn’t trip balls (as the kids say) but the world became a little more colourful and my mind felt a little lighter. I will finish the shelf later today, or i’ll take more shrooms, we’ll see.
Salads:
Moroccan spiced lentils
Sumac rice
Roast squash + tomato pasta
Soup: Roast tomato + sweet potato
Sandwich: Cumberland sausage, Asiago, Onion relish + tomato
Another week comes to a close and what a week it was. The devil has tested me this week but i’ve been watching Daredevil and there’s an eloquent priest that tells Matt Murdock that the devil is in all of us, no matter how good you are. Will you choose the darkness or the light? You might have to dig deep to remain on the right side but it’ll be worth it in the end. Can’t believe i’m finding life advice while watching Disney +.
Salads:
Thai coconut curry + sweet potato
Tomato + basil pasta
Panzanella
Soup: Tuscan tomato
With the summer holidays in full swing (summer by name, not by weather forecast) the age old request keeps popping up. ‘Do you have croissants?’. No Sarah, we don’t do croissants, you’ll have to take out a second mortgage and go to Gail’s if you want little Timmy to enjoy an overly sugary, buttery, chaotic crumb causing breakfast snack. I have no intention of stocking viennoiserie and i’m not even sorry.
Salads:
Ginger + turmeric chickpea curry
Cumin + spinach rice
Sausage + ham pasta
Soup: Spiced lentil + tomato
Sandwich: Chorizo, Pecorino, Chilli relish + tomato
She sighs as she watches the sun rise. Dread kicks in, another day is dawning, there’s nothing she can do to stop it. She takes a moment, the last moment of peace before it begins, life. She musters the courage to leave her bed, she’s comfy there. She exfoliates, cleanser, moisturise. She still feels the dirt. But if she plays her cards right she’ll make it home this evening. She’ll feel comfort again soon.
Salads:
Braised white bean + roast peppers
Lemon + herb rice
Roast squash + tomato pasta
Soup: Spiced red lentil
Most days I scurry to my desk with an idea of what I want to talk about but then there’s those days where I twiddle my thumbs, stare at my reflection and let my mind conjure up a thought. Unfortunately it’s nothing but misery business at the moment. When I’m left to my own devices I tend to go to dark places. In true British fashion, I surround my anguish with comedy so the receiving party isn’t left feeling distressed. You’re welcome.
Salads:
Peri peri cauliflower + split peas
Rosemary + lemon rice
Roast vegetable ragu pasta
Soup: Spiced roast squash
Sandwich: Fennel salami, Provola cheese, Spicy peach relish + tomato
I’m fine but I have this churning sensation in my gut whenever I have to leave my sofa. I’m fine but my heart starts pounding a little harder whenever I think about interacting with another human. I’m fine it’s just that my body feels really fragile right now and that’s strange because I haven’t done any physical exercise in months. I’m fine as long as I don’t think about anything, be it the past, present or the future. I’m fine and I will continue to be fine because I have no other option but to be fine.
Salads:
Med veg lentils
Spinach + herb rice
Sausage + ham pasta
Soup: Chilled gazpacho
Sandwich: Speck ham, Pecorino cheese, Jalapeno relish + tomato
Does anyone else feel like they spend most of their life being perpetually disappointed? You end up being impressed by the most middle of the road behaviour because the idea of expecting anything more is ludicrous. Such a shame, such is life.
Salads:
Mushroom cacciatore
Lemon + parsley rice
Baked veggie pasta
Sandwich: Garlic salami, Asiago cheese, Jalapeno relish + tomato
If you were approached by a tourist in London and they asked you for suggestions on what to do while they’re here what would you suggest? Now don’t try and get in my good books by suggesting the deli, you’ll have to be more creative than that! But what’s your secret London scoop, somewhere the influencers haven’t found yet. A sandwich shack in Shepard’s Bush market? A studio with a Turkish cafe in Hoxton? Or a yard shop next to HMP Brixton that does 20 flavours of patties? Or just high tea at the Wolseley.
Salads:
Black lentil curry
Cumin roasted carrot tice
Roast pepper + tomato pasta
Soup: Paprika roasted peppers