Add to List - #67
LDN Easter, abstinence, and indulgence
Hello, thank you, and welcome. I love you for being here!
Add to List is my Sunday round-up. It’s the small things that brought me joy, evoked an emotional reaction, or became some short-lived stability in the past seven days.
Obsession
Easter Sunday, but make it LDN.
Tell me: how did you spend your Easter Sunday?
Confession
Yes, yes — this Add to List is one day late.
But that’s because last week you got a long read on dating (the juicy part for paying subscribers only) and on Good Friday, I wrote about Catholic guilt, giving up chocolate, and my food-entwined memories of the people I love most.
Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder
I grew up in a Catholic household. I definitely tried my hardest to rebel against my Catholic shackles, snogging boys in the back of their cars while I was supposed to be at netball practice. It might have been my highly-strung parents, or my terrible teeth plied into braces until I was eighteen but I was never that successful at romantic misdemeanour; …
I thought a delayed post today might be a welcome break for your inboxes, and act as something of an Easter book-end of my thoughts. I hope you enjoy it.
Shook
These kind words from one of my paying subscribers (and it isn’t my mum).
Honestly, when you’re constantly putting yourself out there online, it can feel a little strange, daunting; I consistently wonder if it is purely self-serving. Sometimes you wonder why you’re writing, if it’s landing, if you’ve overshared, undershared, over-indulged, underscored. Messages like this from readers remind me exactly why I write.
Cook
Easter treats.
This week, despite not giving it up for Lent, I have managed to avoid chocolate. I have indulged in MANY other ways. Highlights include:
Cocktails at Tabac Bar, with
. And much like the name of her Substack, The Shoulds, you should order at least two because they do a fantastic happy hour from 5-6pm. A dirty martini was had — but the Saint-Pierre-De-Chartreuse in its seriously adorable, dinky glass with herbaceous honeyed green chartreuse and fired up pink-peppercorn and paprika gin, was a syrupy, doe-eyed sibling a negroni. Delicious.Lunch at Jamie Oliver HQ - Team Pasta Grannies were invited to work from Jamie’s office this week, and included in their communal lunch time kitchen. A butternut squash risotto, balsamic dressed purple and green salad, and healthy side of elongated conversation with the man himself. Jamie is quite honestly, absolutely lovely. What a nice guy. And the risotto was great too. I love my job.
Lunch spreads at The Tamil Prince. I was dining with fellow foodie,
(author of .) Madi writes such beautiful prose, letting you in to her kitchen, through her mind, and then into her heart. Following this pocket rocket from Brooklyn’s musings on her time in London, her formative solo moments, and her reflections on dining in a new place I’ve fallen a little in love with London at a time when I’ve been considering leaving. This is the power of really good food writing. We shared our dating anecdotes and travel tips over crisp dosas with tangy chutneys; sweet, buttery paneer masala; and a whole roast sea bream subtly laced with spices and sweetened with base notes of tomatoey goodness. Plus, the Bloody Mary there is now in the running for one of my top 10 in London.
Breakfast at Broadway Market after an early morning swim in London Fields Lido. I felt proud of myself because I pushed myself to upgrade from the slow to the medium lane. And a thick, strained yoghurt with rhubarb compote and granola was my reward.
Cheddar Relish sando, Jolene. Yes it was eight pounds, but it was worth every penny. It travelled in my Lime bike basket before consumption. A new meaning to fast food.
Pasta at Popham’s. In general, the plates were giving light, and very green: wild garlic gnocchi, leek and pecorino; goats cheese ravioli with walnut and cavolo nero. Washed down with a Verdicchio from Marche. Yet the highlight? And this is rare for me — dessert. Two spoons, one bowl, a great sweet conversation with a friend, and a matrimony of flavours match-made in heaven. Rhubarb Eton Mess croissant pudding with tarragon ginger cream. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Book
Fundamentally, Nussaibah Younis
This debut has been on my radar for a while, so I was delighted to discover it went into a Spring book sale this month.
It’s on the Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist; Stylist named it Debut of the Year; and The Times said: 'A real treat . . . basically Bridget Jones In Iraq.' As much as I adore Bridget, I wonder if that’s a little reductive? The book follows Nadia and Sara, who are tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women across global aid projects. They find common connection in their muslim upbringing, their love of Cadbury’s chocolate, and outspoken personalities. That is, until something looms to threaten their newly-formed relationship…
It arrived yesterday — I’m excited to nestle in on the sofa with a handful of mini eggs and a cuppa this afternoon.
What’s been on your Easter reading lists? I’d love to know.
Look
I went gingham for Easter.
Of course, I had to balance out the Cath Kidstone vibes with something a bit more me. Twee underneath, edgy up top. I call this one: ‘The Hackney Easter Egg.’ Thank you to my lovely friend Harriet for providing her flat for outfit shots.
Can’t Stop Scanning
More Catholic stuff.
Catholicism has been on my radar and after writing my article for Good Friday, I also stumbled across these two BRILLIANT reads:
This parallel narrative of Catholic versus Anglican choices in The Spectator. Particularly, Margaret Mitchell’s well-observed predictions Gen Zs are well-primed for some of the extremisms that come with religious practice.
“I think many young people already have this strong sense of the ‘spiritual’ – Gen Z are quite comfortable playing around with crystals, astrology, tarot cards, manifestation and sorts of witchy things that derive from a sense that the world is more than material. Young people are primed for the stranger aspects of Catholicism that require a leap of faith.”
- makes the contrasting case to me on upholding traditions of Lent for — and almost has me changing my view point. That’s the power of beautiful, emotive writing.
“My siblings and I are spread out quite widely now. Still, each of us – atheists, anarchists, marine biologists, and drama students – continues the tradition in our own way. Lent connects us with our childhood, our sensibility as socialists, our cultural history, and our wider human family.”
“The fasts offer those who undertake them the chance to reflect on the power we have to shape the world, to take up self-denial as a meditative focus, to give thanks for what we have, and then to stuff our faces.”
Forward Planning
Hosting x2.
Meet cutes in bookshops! On Tuesday, I’m joining the team of hopeful romantic event hosts at Bored of Dating Apps for their first London book shop meet cute. The brilliant BookBar will be full of singles for one night only.
What’s the catch you say? Well, there isn’t one. The only request from the events team is that singles who attend their socials always treat people with kindness; there is a no-ghosting policy. It’s an intentional, digitally-minimalist zone; a space where being open and honest is encouraged and human connection in all forms is paramount. Here here! Bring back the spirit of old-fashioned dating.
Plus, writing sprints that go all the way round the world. Next weekend, I’ll be part of the hosting team involved in the 24hr writer sprint with
. I love the way this community encourage writers to keep writing, whatever stage of their journey. This will be my first time hosting with them for this event. The virtual sessions will work round the clock: London, Honolulu, Berlin, Wellington, Male, and New York…just to name a few. They have special writer guests at various hours and different motivational Words of Wisdom shared in each one. I’m particularly excited to see two writers — and — who I avidly follow on here are featured. There’s bound to be a surge of exciting energy penetrating through my zoom screen during the course of the weekend and I can’t even fathom the collective word count.Think this sounds fun? Fancy checking it out? Full details here.
Sign up here.
ALREADY dreaming of the Bloody Mary……. and hoping to recreate in my kitchen this summer. The best sunny lunch! 💕💕💕
What a way to celebrate the bank holiday 🥰 I hope you love Fundamentally as much as I do!