The February List

Belatedly! But full of lots of extra-good goodies.

‘But it’s March’ I hear you say. Which of course is true. But also: where did February go???? It’s a short month, I know; but it really does feel like it went before it came, and now we’re pretty much already at Spring. Is it just me who blinked and missed it? Not that I’m complaining, I’m as excited as the next person for longer days, sunnier skies and warmer weather. It’s just the whirlwindiness of it all has taken me by surprise a little, that’s all.

So here we are now with a February-in-March List, if you like, with all my current favourites, all the bits and bobs I thought you might like too:

This time of year is peak rhubarb - the forced kind, with skinny spindly stems and that gloriously intense hot pink colour. I’ve been cooking it every which way I can and trying to make the most of the season while it lasts: I love this rhubarb and cheddar tart especially; but otherwise, I also love rhubarb simply roasted in chunks in the oven. Trim the stems and chop into 3-4cm pieces; arrange in a single layer in a roasting tray, and sprinkle over a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar (more if you would like your rhubarb sweet); cover with tin foil, then roast in a 180˚C oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the rhubarb fairly regularly: you want it tender enough that you can slip a knife in and not feel any resistance, but not so overcooked that it turns mushy. Then serve spooned over ice cream, with clotted cream, with yogurt and granola for breakfast, layered into the middle of a Victoria sponge cake, or spooned over pannacotta; but also serve it with cold cuts, with roast pork or roast chicken, in a salad, with mackerel and/or with cheese (hard or soft).

This is such a captivating book: part memoir, part King’s inspiring thoughts on how to tell a good story, as well as a fascinating insight into his own writing methods and his ways of working. Conversational and punctuated with anecdotes, it’s a pure delight to read (I couldn’t put it down); and while the book’s stated mission is to help and inspire the novice writer to pick up a pen and write fiction, I found that King’s words have helped me become a more engaged reader, as well as enjoy the process of reading fiction more too.

Natasjia Sadi, based in Amsterdam, is not only a hugely talented florist and floral photographer; but she also crafts flower arrangements entirely out of sugar paste! Yes, that’s right: beautiful, beautiful flowers that look exactly like real flowers but are actually made of sugar. Mind blown. These are things of such insane beauty I promise they’ll take your breath away. She’s written a book (which I have, love and strongly recommend); but her instagram account is a source of seemingly endless and absolute joy. Follow now!

Another beautiful book. This one by brilliant florist and clever wordsmith, Amy Merrick. You might think of this as a coffee table sort of a book, because the design is so very charming, the photos so very pretty, and it does look very fine indeed perched prominently atop a coffee table; but I’ve also found it to be a useful sort of a book too: full of practical tips and inspiring ideas, which anyone who likes flowers and wants more of them in their life is very much going to enjoy reading.

I treated myself to this coat (which I bought at Koibird, one of my favourite little shops in London) a few weeks ago and have been wearing it on repeat. Love the red check, love the Sherlock Holmes-esque vibe, but above all love that it’s lightweight and versatile enough to happily breach that awkward moment between winter and spring, when pretty much whatever you wear is the wrong thing for the weather that day.