There are two types of sauce: a red, tomato based chicken and onion sauce and a white, prawn and green peas cream sauce. Served side by side on a bed of fried rice giving it the yin and the yang.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of steamed jasmine rice (cooled)

3 egg yolks for the fried rice, 3 egg whites for the white cream sauce (both well beaten)

Vegetable oil to grease the wok

1 cup of chicken stock

¼ cup of ketchup

100 grams of fresh cherry tomatoes

¼ cup of tomato puree

2 tsp of corn flour

2 tbsp of whole milk or single cream

¼ cup of frozen peas

100g of raw king prawns (optional)

2 chicken breasts fillets

2 tsp of minced fresh ginger

3 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 small onion thinly sliced

1 ½  tsp of table salt

Marinade for the chicken:

2 ½ tbsp of light soya sauce

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of corn flour

A dash of ground white pepper

Instructions:

Heat a tbsp of oil in a wok on high heat.  Put steamed rice into wok and toss until rice grains are evenly coated with oil.  Add beaten egg yolks and salt. Mix well until egg yolk bits are cooked and fully incorporated in the rice.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a tbsp of water in wok on high heat.  Add frozen peas and ½ cup of chicken stock and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Add beaten egg whites whilst stirring the mixture.  Add milk/ cream and stir well. Turn down the heat to medium high.  Add prawns and simmer in the stock until prawns are cooked.  Mix 2 tsp of corn flour and 2 tsp of water together – add into wok to thicken the cream sauce.  Pour the cream sauce on top of half of the fried rice.

Heat a tbsp of oil into wok on high heat.  Add seasoned chicken breast strips into wok until golden brown on one side.  Add onion and ginger and mix well.  Add tomato puree, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, cherry tomatoes and the remaining ½ cup of chicken stock into wok and mix well.  Add a dash (1/2 tsp) of sugar to balance out the sharp tartness of the vinegar and ketchup.  Bring to a boil before adding corn flour solution to thicken the sauce.  Pour red sauce onto the remainder half of the fried rice and serve.

Last week marked the grand opening of the city’s newest shopping centre.  Located on Cheapside, the heart of the city and also directly adjacent to the historic St Paul’s Cathedral, One New Change is really an amazing piece of architecture.

There were over 2000 people who attended the opening ceremony and listened to Sir Stuart Rose’s opening speech before the red and champagne colour helium balloons floated into the sky.   The shopping centre is fitted with 60 retail shops and restaurants with clean and sleek marble finished floors and beautiful display store-front windows.  Shops include Topshop, Next, Nando’s, H&M, Hobbs, Banana Republic, Reiss, Zizzi’s and Calvin Klein Underwear.  My personal favourites are Dermalogica, LINKS of London and LK Bennett.

One New Change hopes to be an alternative, more impressive shopping destination than the West End or Westfield.  There are also some upscale choices for dining such as Jamie Oliver’s Barbacoa.

One New Change opened it’s doors last week and is open 7 days a week just in time for the Christmas shopping craziness!

Hallowe’en has come and gone.  It’s time to get ready for the holiday season.  Have you booked your caterers for your private dinner party?  or for the even more organised you, you may have already ordered your turkey from the grocery store for your Xmas food shopping delivery to ensure a flawless execution of your family Christmas feast.

Plan early to avoid disappointment, especially for those hard-to-find items.  It’s time to buy Xmas cards and compile your mailing list on the computer so you don’t miss mailing deadlines abroad.  Find out mailing deadlines, stock up on stamps from your local post office to avoid queuing up during peak times.

Start creating your christmas gift shopping list and need I remind you to book your tickets for Santa’s Grotto?  Harrod’s is already fully booked from Nov 19th – Christmas Eve.  Your best bet to get tickets is perhaps the Santa express at Selfridges. Or if you’d like to take your little ones to have breakfast with Santa.  Tickets are available at Hamley’s for £45 – includes breakfast for one adult and one child at Hamley’s Toy Store.  There is a minimum age requirement of children aged 3 years +.

Good luck and have a stress-free Christmas holiday season!

x

Just found a cute little cafe near Holborn tube station called Fleet River Bakery.  It’s an absolute gem!  AND they have free wi-fi!  The decor is quirky, furnished with vintage furniture with a long list of tasty savoury snacks, scrumptous cakes and my favourite hot drink on a typical Autumn afternoon – the apple ginger drink served hot in a mug.

So the next time you find yourself wanting to surf the internet whilst sipping a cuppa and would prefer something other than Starbucks, give this little cafe a try. There is also ample seating down the stairs.

Here is a photo taken inside the cafe when I was enjoying a slice of their banana-pineapple cake + apple ginger drink whilst writing this blog entry. =)

Pretty soon, you can start snapping lovely photos of your products for your online shop!

Are you perhaps thinking of moving to Canada for a year or two?

There is a Canada job fair happening this weekend. 18-19 September.  There are still some tickets available if you want to check out what Canada has to offer for your mini adventure. Similarly, I made the move the other way around and have now been working and living in the UK for over 4 years.  It really is a great adventure to move to a new city, make new friends, find a job, learn the culture, and more!

Be sure to quote the discount code “POST” when purchasing online for your tickets to get 2 for £10!

http://www.canadalive.co.uk/

Fortnum and Mason hosted free scones & tea that attracted long queues and many other merchants were promoting their services & products at their store fronts.  I especially enjoyed admiring the lovely Morgen on display.

Don’t miss it next year! It really is a fabulous event to receive the Autumn season.

The Art of Being British. Saturday 4 September

The Jermyn Street Association is delighted to announce an exciting new event, The Art of Being British. Generously supported by the Crown Estate, from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday 4th September, Jermyn Street will be decorated in the manner of a traditional English garden party. Traffic will be banned, allowing each shop to dedicate itself to customers outside and in. Musicians from the Royal Academy of Music will play English Airs, vintage cars will be on display and Fortnum & Mason will be offering tea. Come along and join the party.

I have personally enjoyed every moment of planning my very own wedding. From the colours of the centre pieces, to the detailing of our guests seating plan, every detail was in need of a personal touch. Naturally, I love planning and organising, so I was very passionate about the whole process from start to finish.

I didn’t think there would be so many things involved and at first was a little overwhelmed. However, I’ve made a conscious effort to write everything down. This list of things eventually turned into my Wedding Golden handbook of ideas, contacts, crafts and mood board.

Planning a wedding doesn’t have to cost a lot. No matter what budget you have in mind, there is always a way to put your personal stamp on it and make it memorable for both you and your future husband.

Thank you to all the staff at The Brock House.  Your kindness and care from the kitchen staff to the Maitre d, Kenneth was much appreciated on our special day.