Exotic Packaging: Just William Chocolate Box

This little cardboard box came from Just William, a great sweetie shop in the Sydney Suburb of Paddington. I had forgotten the name of the shop, but not the name of the road: William Street, so I was able to track it down online. There are scraps of the Just William label on the side of the box and I matched the typeface to the one on the website, just as Miss Marple would have if she had owned a computer.

The pattern is vintage French and Italian postcards, and butterflies. Inside and out.

I will recycle it as a Christmas present box.And no pictures of the contents because of course they ever eaten years ago.

Exotic Packaging: Aēsop

Aēsop is an Australian company that makes wonderful creams for face and body. As I write my face is (I hope) drinking in their fabulous Damascene Rose Facial Treatment. I have been taking a load of prescription drugs recently and my skin has really suffered. I itch all over the place. Especially my ankles (itch itch itch) and my forearms (scratch scratch scratch) and the doctor has no solution.

So when I spotted the very smart Aēsop shop in Hampstead I had to go in. I bought Geranium Leaf Body Balm which smells divine and doesn't make my skin itch (hurrah!) and I was given a handful of freebies.

And the exotic packaging? You don't get a plastic bag; of course not it's far too ethical a company. You don't get a paper bag. You get a small cotton drawstring bag with a quote from Victor Hugo printed on it. It's a very nicely made bag (made with love in India) with a gusset. Very smart.

Buying an Aēsop product reminds me of Sydney. I bought my first Aēsop creams from the wonderful David Jones, and then some from Grace Bros., and once my lovely Australian friends sent me a very lavish care package. I'm not sure I thanked them nearly enough. It was very generous of them.

Aesop.com

Exotic Packaging: Australian Golden Wattle Soap

I can only suppose I bought this soap when I was in Sydney in 1993/4. But I don't remember that at all. I don't recall the soap itself either Never mind; it's a very Australian design.

Adventures with Cookie Cutters

There's something very comfortable about cookie cutters. They come in fun shapes but they're supposed to be useful.

I say supposed because I've struggled for years to find a cookie recipe I like. I have one fabulous recipe with dough that you just drop on to the baking tray and let the shape of the biscuit take care of itself, and another where you make a little ball of the dough and then flatten it with a fork. But can I find a roll-out cookie dough that I like? No. 
Or not yet.

The wombat doesn't look tremendously exciting but he makes a terrific scone. Just exactly the right shape to make a top quality scone. 

Remember that's pronounced "skon" not "skoan" in this house unless you are talking about that place in Scotland called Scone (also of course New Scone and Scone Palace), in which case you pronounce it "skoon". When I was about 7 we lived briefly in New Scone. We had a plague of froglets in the park in the summer, went to a children's party and had rabbit-shaped jellies, and a steamroller got loose and ran down the hill into a sweetie shop. And after about 3 years of trying I finally learned to ride a bike. A place packed with incident.

Don't have a scone recipe? Here's one which I hope Delia Smith won't mind me borrowing.
                                                                

8oz SR flour, 1.5 oz butter: rub into breadcrumbs
Add 1.5 tablespoons caster sugar and a pinch of salt
Gradually mix in 5 fluid oz milk
Knead into a dough
Roll out to 3/4 inch thick
Cut out scones and place on greased baking tray
Cook at 220 degrees (200 for fan oven), gas mark 7 for 12 - 15 minutes
Eat warm with clotted cream (or butter) and your favourite jam.

I hadn't made scones for years before yesterday, and never in the oven in this house so I think I need a little practice but not a bad effort after so long.

Australia makes a good scone-shape too.

I was given both the Australia and the wombat for Christmas 1993 when I was staying with friends in Sydney. I also got the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. What great presents! And they sort of kick started my collection.

Here's a turkey I bought in Buffalo when I was visiting my friend Lynn. He's rather smart.

I suppose he must be for making special Thanksgiving cookies although most of the recipes I've seen online seem to be of the drop the dough on to the baking sheet variety. Obviously we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK and I don't have a pile of family recipes featuring pumpkin so I'm not sure I've ever used this cutter in anger. But he is rather handsome.

I'm not very big on making New Year's Resolutions. At least, I only ever made one that I managed to keep which was to create a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. Which actually worked really really well. Bit of a triumph really because given half a chance I'm incredibly untidy and never put anything away. Only now, when I go to look for something I try to look in those long-ago (4 houses ago) places. Which no longer exist. So in the end not very helpful. I ought to try it again.

However, I think perhaps I will make an end of October resolution to try and find a really good cookie dough to make good use of my collection.