You say Macaron, I say Macaroon

Whether you pronounce this delightful treat the French way ‘macaron’ or the English way ‘macaroon’ there is no denying they are heavenly! The price of these delights suggests that in spite of their ‘petite’ size and simple ingredients there must be a small degree of magic put into their creation. I do thrive on culinary challenges so I set out to discover if there was indeed magic in each small bite.

When FOCUS treated me to a voucher to Leith’s School of Food and Wine it was nearly a certainty that I would enroll for a baking course. And so it was never a more appropriate gift for me… my ticket to discover the secret behind macaroon making.  Keeping the calendar of FOCUS events running at a hectic pace this year meant I spent months anticipating the day I would finally get my chance to take this class. When the day arrived I waved goodbye to the team with a spring in my step.

Entering Leiths was like stepping into my dream world- pristine kitchens brimming with all the kitchen essentials plus enviable gadgets that only true foodies make room for in their kitchen.  Graciously greeted by one of the Leith's team members I was shown to the library where I met four other women equally eager to learn the art of macaroon making.

Before I could choose a book we were escorted to Kitchen 4 where the lovely and talented Ansobe started our tutorial. While demonstrating each step with precision, she calmly and clearly talked us through the recipe and we feverishly took notes in the recipe booklet provided.

At last it was our chance to give it a go ourselves. The excitement mounted as we boiled our sugar syrup and sifted our almond mixture. Ansobe moved between us ensuring we were not going off track. It was not long before we had each produced baking sheets with 20 beautifully coloured circles. While our creations rested Ansobe made a delicious salted caramel and discussed trouble shooting for some of the most common pitfalls.

The moment of truth then arrived!  As the oven doors opened baking trays revealed 120 perfect macaroons- each one with the essential ‘foot.’ A cheer was let out by all! We had in fact uncovered the magic behind macaroon making.

It was time to leave Leith’s so we waved goodbye with our treats in hand. I can’t wait to return to uncover the magic of another delight!

 

Written by Nancy Dickinson.  Nancy is the Director of Events and Seminars at FOCUS.

 

For more information please visit www.focus-info.org

Trooping the Colour

This year I was lucky to have been invited to Trooping the Colour. This is an important and extravagant ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies to mark the official birthday of the Queen.

Although I was not particularly thrilled when told I had to wear a hat, I admit that it was fun to go out and shop for one. My friend and I headed to Whitehall Saturday morning and were surprised to see so many other “invitees” travelling on the tube. The show for me started when we arrived at our allocated stand. There were representatives from the military and from the Church of England as well as British socialite habitués who knew each other.  Almost all of the women wore hats or fascinators and the men wore morning suits or formal uniforms.

Although it was only decided in 1748 that the parade would be  used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign and would become an annual event, it is believed that the Ceremony was first performed during the reign of King Charles II (1660 - 1685). Queen Elizabeth II has taken the salute at every parade since the beginning of her reign in 1952, with the exception of 1955 when there was a national rail strike.  Until 1986 she took the salute riding side-saddle on her horse, but since then the Queen travels down The Mall from Buckingham Palace seated in a beautiful carriage as part of a royal procession escorted by the sovereign's Household Cavalry.

It was thrilling to see her at such a close distance and lovely to see her smiling. It was exciting to see the other members of the royal family as well. After receiving the royal salute, her Majesty inspected the troops of the Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards. There was a lot of marching and many customs that I did not understand but it was still fascinating to watch. “God Save the Queen” was played several times and of course, we had to stand each time.

It is amazing to see such traditional and formal ceremonies in such a modern country and I guess it is this constant contrast we are all experiencing that makes this a great place to live in.

Written by Alessandra Gnudi who is FOCUS Executive Director.

For more information about FOCUS visit: www.focus-info.org

The Vikings are here (again)!

I recently visited the 'Vikings: life and legend' exhibition at the British Museum. It was with a bit of mixed feelings that I went to this exhibition.  Being Danish myself it was my ancestors who were the barbarians who pillaged, plundered and raped when they came to England. The exhibition tries to explain and show that the Vikings were so much more than cruel invaders of England.

The exhibition was opened by the Danish Queen Margrethe in March.

It takes place in the new Sainsbury Gallery that had to have its doors adjusted to welcome the large Roskilde 6 ship from Denmark. Unfortunately less than 20% of the timber remains from this ship and there is a new metal frame showing its original size. Even though this was the largest Viking ship ever  found in Scandinavia -  37-meter long, I think that it would have been nicer to have a whole ship on display.

There is a large display of items that were used in the daily life of a Viking, and also a large number of items that were worn on special occasions and by the very rich. The Vikings were very fond of “bling” and the jewellery and decorative items were worn by women and men alike. One of my favourite things from the

exhibition was the necklace found in Tissø in Denmark, made from solid gold and weighing an impressive 2.5 kg.

I have visited a number of museums in Denmark and Sweden with Viking items, but I still had some take-away from this one. The exhibition explains how the Viking art was influenced by all the countries they visited from Russia to the Muslim world. There is a display that shows how the Vikings used Muslim coins for jewellery. But from objects found in England it is very obvious that the Vikings also influenced the cultures that they visited and where they settled. This was absolute a new part of history for me.

Furthermore their religious beliefs are nicely explained in the London exhibition. During the Vikings era the Scandinavians went from cherishing  the Nordic Gods to becoming Christians. The influence of Christianity is also shown in the Viking art. This is evident in the replica of the 10th century Jelling Rune Stone that depicts a standing Jesus but without the cross.

There is also a display that shows how the Vikings influenced the English language in many ways.

Did I leave the exhibition feeling less humble and embarrassed to be a descendant of the Vikings? Well not really. But may be that is just me….

Bonus info: Did you know that there was never evidence found that the Vikings were using helmets with horns? This image was a misunderstanding from the 19th century when artists pictured Vikings with helmets with horns.

The exhibition closes on 22nd June 2014.

Written by Marianne Sloth, who is  FOCUS Director of Marketing. Marianne is Danish and has lived in London for 4 years.



For more information about FOCUS visit:  www.focus-info.org

How to watch a World Cup game… Brazilian style !

With the World Cup in Brazil coming up, and being  Brazilian myself, I thought I could suggest a few tips to enjoy the games with  friends, in  the Brazilian style.  Unfortunately I will be watching  ALL Brazil AND England games from this side of  the Atlantic, which breaks my heart, as I would  love  to join the huge party with my family and friends back home.

In my  home  town, streets will be filled with yellow and green flags, people will have their faces painted the same colours, and the Brazilian spirit will reign during  the magic 90 minutes when  the “Selecao Canarinho” (Canary Team, as my country team is famous for!) plays. Oh well…

To watch a World Cup Game the way my family does it, first of all, fill up your house with friends, move the sofa to the side as many will be sitting on the floor.  I cannot imagine watching a game without a bowl of popcorn. It is pretty much like going to the movies in the US.  My mother always made sure that we had a good stock of it for the beginning of the games and another batch for half-time.


For the end of the game, have some warming comfort food ready… just in case your team loses - as the World Cup happens in the Winter in the Southern hemisphere. However, before, during and after, a good stock of beer is essential. Mind you, in my city, winter means a light sweater and around 8 degrees and that’s really cold!  Alternatively, head outside in  the garden and start a fire (charcoal, please, never gas!!) for a yummy barbecue is  a great option and for Brazilians burgers and hot dogs are a no-no as far as barbecue  goes. My favourite cut of  beef (and for most Brazilian as well) is

‘picanha’ (literary ‘rump cap’). It is really hard to find here, but check out  ListaBrasil* and you may find a supplier. A  hearty salad, vinaigrette sauce (red vinegar with lots of chopped tomatoes, onion and parsley)  and ‘farofa’ (basically manioc  flowers, chopped onions and parsley again!) will be a great way to celebrate our country’s victory or cry over a defeat! Well, here in London one could always go to a Brazilian ‘rodizio’ restaurant, where lots of different cuts are served on an ‘eat-as-much-as you-like’ basis. I am sure all Brazilian restaurants will have a TV on during the games, but don’t expect good and efficient service if Brazil is playing… However, whatever side of the ocean, Brazilian homes will be filled with green and yellow flags, and screaming  (and sometimes a bit tipsy) friends!

 E ‘Vamos la Brasil’!! (translation: Go Brazil!)

*Website: www.listabrasil.com/en-london/c/65/brazilian-food-in-london/

Written by Valeria Fleury.  Valeria  is the Director of  Membership at FOCUS.

For more information about FOCUS visit:  www.focus-info.org