Ommni's Bakehouse

  Isle of Wight: Part 2 It’s Isle of Wight: Part 2 ! I said I’d be back, and this time, I delivered! The Bay, Vegan Deli If you caught Isle of Wight: Part 1 , you’ll know my feet and legs were protesting loudly after a long, long walk. That evening, I had a chat with my trusty friend GPT about how to plan the next day. I wanted something fun but less demanding on my legs. After a bit of research, I discovered that the Isle of Wight is famous for dinosaur fossils. Being a bit of a geek, this sounded like the perfect adventure. It turned out Sandown was the best spot for fossils, so the next morning, I hopped on the bus from the conveniently located stop near my accommodation. There was just one little hiccup—I took the bus in the wrong direction! Luckily, the island’s bus routes are loops, and the fare is set, so I eventually made it to Sandown. On the bright side, I got an unplanned scenic tour! While en route, I looked up food options and found a vegan deli called The ...

Bakehouse Wanders: Isle Of  Wight Part 1 This one has been a little slow in the digital printing press, but the mental toner got topped up. Since the time of COVID and lockdowns—which I miss in an introverted, slower-paced kind of way—I haven't had many excursions. A couple of trips to Devon, and that's about it. This year has been particularly testing, each month seeming to snowball on the last. Are we really still in 2024? It’s been rough. I’m sure others have had it worse, but it hasn’t exactly been a joyride here either. With a lot of unused leave and the year running out, I decided to plan a little trip. As I've gotten older, the idea of going on holiday has started to feel like effort. Picking a destination, the expense, packing, early starts, flights, language barriers—you get the idea. Exhausting. Anyone else feel the same? Then I had a brainwave: a short train ride followed by a ten-minute ferry would land me on an exotic island—the Isle of Wight! Okay, "exoti...

Bakehouse Wanders: Brighton Part 1 As mentioned at the end of the previous post, here's another instalment of Bakehouse Wanders—aren't you lucky! Notice that ended with an exclamation mark, not a question, purely rhetorical. Today we're off to the seaside. Brighton. An strange eclectic world of liberalism, pebbled beaches designed to be difficult for both walking and sitting, and ninja-trained seagulls. Of course we're here predominantly for the food, spoiler warning, and a tipple too! This trip was not planned, purely a spare of the moment decision made.  I booked some leave for my birthday, and while I’m not one for big celebrations, it felt like the perfect excuse to indulge in a spontaneous food adventure.

Bakehouse Wanders - Dorking Part 2 Hi foodies!   It's been a wee while since my last post. In all honesty, I can’t blame anything beyond a mix of procrastination and the general mundanity sapping my motivation. I did start writing an article on mental health and the saviour that was, in part, the culinary world. There are words typed, awaiting their limelight; however, it’s such an important topic that I want to make sure it’s of the highest quality. Stay tuned for that one! On the topic of returning—when I did my Bakehouse Wander of Dorking, I mentioned there would be a part two. Well, here it is! Having lived in Dorking since the beginning—of my life, not Dorking; I’m not that old—I feel qualified to talk about the area. It’s such a beautiful part of the country that even with my very conscious bias accounted for, it’s still worth a few articles.

 Recipe: Ginger Parkin Introduction An old classic, no I’m not talking about myself. In part, driven by a desire to preserve near-historical artifacts, something that I’d like to visit on this blog is uploading some old favourite recipes that have been accumulated over time. My mother has a book, that appears to have been born in the land before time, within which, is a collection of recipes collated over time. I’ve been informed the book started life, with Auntie Xene, I assume I've spelled that correctly, albeit vaguely, apparently a shortened Alexandrina, a new name to me. She was my grandmother’s auntie, meaning that this dates back a long time. I’ve been told to picture the most stereotypical little old lady. When my sister and I used to get home from school on a Friday, which was literally around the corner, often there would be a home cooked project that we could sniff the identity of when entering the house. Often the food we received was from said ancient tomb....

Cookbook Review: Little Swedish Kitchen  by Rachel Khoo Hi readers, we’re back to regular content this week; no more milking the New Year! This week I’m reviewing a cookbook; I imagine over time this will become a recurring feature; I have a lot of cookbooks that I’ve collected over the years. One of the first things that got me into cooking when I was young was receiving a cookbook; I actually gave my niece a copy of the first one that I had for Christmas just gone. I hope it gets her into cooking as much as it did for me. Somehow this is the first book review on this blog, I’ve mentioned a few others, but no dedicated posts. We’re starting off with a relatively new addition to my collection that I bought towards the end of last year, while out Christmas shopping for others. Browsing the shelves of the bookshop this one caught my eye because I’d recently watched the associated TV program, and I really enjoy watching the chef. I’ll be reviewing, as the title of the post s...