No Easter Bunny at M&S

Two days ago, I stopped at the local Marks and Spencer to stock up on food for Easter. They have plenty of goodies, but something struck me when I went in their Easter chocolates section: I could not see any rabbit. Not a single one. So I asked one of the staff member if there was a shortage and if they were expecting more to come before Sunday. Her answer: there is no Easter chocolate bunny this year. No. Easter. Chocolate. Bunny. I was shocked. I mean, it's THE emblematic Easter animal, you must have at least one Easter bunny in your chocolates for the big day. And they have all sorts of creatures: ponies, sloths (?), cats, dogs... But no bunny. Well, it means that I will have to go somewhere else.

Mince Pie Day

My wife said earlier: "Isn't today Mince Pie Day?" It is and her question deserves to be a great unknown line. And don't for it on Google, this is not the official Mince Pie Day, which was actually yesterday here in the UK. But today is Mince Pie Day in our household. If you have been following this blog, you know what I am referring to. One evening a few years ago, back when I was studying at uni, I was bored and feeling peckish, so I went to the residence's kitchen to eat a mince pie. Then in walked an English girl, who was visiting a friend, housemate of mine. The English girl, of course, was Veggie Carrie. And this was our very first meeting. Since then, I always eat a mince pie on that date.

Observations sur les calendriers de l'Avent

J'ai vu ce calendrier de l'Avent à M&S, mais je ne l'ai pas acheté, hélas. Ma femme en avait déjà acheté d'autres, un pour chaque membre de la famille. Avec des chocolats, bien entendu. Cela dit, j'aimerais parfois en avoir avec d'autres choses. Comme, mettons, un polar, comme l'an dernier. Je discutais de cela avec mon frère PJ hier: nous nous rappelions comment nous avons commencé à avoir des calendriers de l'Avent. C'était dans les années 80, quand ils recommençaient à être populaires. À l'école, nous en avions des religieux, mais nos parents en avaient acheté qui avaient des bébelles en plastique cheap à chaque jour. Et un chocolat à un moment donné, qui était lui aussi dégueulasse. Ces calendriers ont fait place à ceux plus connus maintenant. Mais ce que j'aime dans celui-ci, c'est la couverture festive et élégante. Et puis, c'est cute un ours à Noël. J'espère que je reverrai Spencer l'Avent prochain.

M&S Halloween Train

We went to Marks & Spencer before October and I was pleasantly surprised to see their Halloween display already. Even more pleasantly surprised to see this box of chocolates. They outdid themselves this year.

No but seriously, sometimes you buy food just for the container. A Halloween train? How much cooler can you get?

Jack O'Lanterns at M&S

As I said a few days ago, with all its flaws Marks and Spencer does sell nice Halloween products and has a nice Halloween display. it is one of the very first shops that does have a sort of Halloween display, albeit a discreet one: they have Jack O'Lanterns at the bottom fo their window. Cool ones too, looking just nasty enough.

Batcurrant Fizz

I have to give it to Marks and Spencer, even though they irritate me when they sell Christmas stuff way too early (or keep them in shops way too late), they do have a lot of nice Halloween products. Like for instance this "Batcurrant Fizz", basically a blackcurrant flavoured fizzy soft drink. I don't think how it could be more fitting for a Halloween drink. Maybe if it was pumpkin flavoured, but there are Jack O'Lanterns (as well as bats, obviously) on the label, which is orange, so that should count for something. Growing up, there was some special Halloween drink for kids I used to enjoy, a mix of orange or pineapple juice and cream soda and I think grenadine. This Batcurrant Fizz reminds me of that, not because of its taste (it is not sickeningly sweet, for one), but because it's my new special non-alcoholic cold drink.

About Iced Tea

 We went to see my wife's family this weekend. To my surprise, I saw my sister-in-law drinking... iced tea. The M&S range, which from what I understand is new. I said to my surprise, aslike her sister I know she does not like tea one bit. But she told me she now likes iced tea. Strangely enough, the same happened to my mother, she found a place in Montreal that serve an ice tea she enjoyed, because it is apparently very refreshing. So these conversations got me in the mood for this drink myself, which I haven't had since 2019. Back in 1999, in my very first few weeks in England, when I had started studying here, they were providing free bottles of iced tea for new students during freshers week. I must have drunk gallons of the stuff. I remember it was Twinings. I cannot find them anymore, which is a shame, as I really enjoyed it. Maybe because it was a freebie, but still. In any case, I have decided to drink iced tea again and see if it is as enjoyable as I remembered.

Hot Cross Buns

I bought this at M&S recently, a couple of packs. You will easily recognise hot cross buns. We have traditional ones and a number of iointeresting varieties. It will be our main breakfast for the upcoming week, until Easter. Because Wolfie loves hot cross buns and because I live in an English household and this is a very English tradition.

20 years of mince pies (an anniversary)

 I met my wife 20 years ago today, around this time in the evening. I lived and I was eating a mince pie. You can read more about it in this post. Because it is an important anniversary, every year since then, I eat a mince pie in the evening. At least one. Even though I don't like them all that much.

Anecdote sur le fromage

 Voici une anecdote qui date de deux ans, lors de l'un de nos vins et fromages. J'apprenais à Wolfie les différentes sortes de fromages qu'il y avait dans la sélection. Alors c'est allé comme suit: "Regarde Wolfie, ça c'est du Brie, c'est du fromage mou que tu n'aimes pas. Ca c'est du morbier et je sais que quand c'est bleu tu veux pas y goûter. On a aussi du Stilton, du fromage anglais bleu et encore une fois je sais que tu ne veux pas y goûter. On a aussi du cheddar que je sais que tu vas aimer, et le rouge là c'est du Leische... du Leischeche... Du Lesichecheche... Bon, okay, tu demanderas à ta mère pour la prononciation."

Spilled red wine

Here is a completely trivial anecdote that I have witnessed yesterday. I am not sure why I am sharing it, maybe because it is trivial and a bit silly and it is one of these little nothings that make life. So anyway, yesterday I went to Marks and Spencer to buy some Valentine's Day presents. There was an old lady among the customers, with a rather large purse. Walking down the aisles, she swung her purse a bit too much and it hit a bottle of red wine, which fell down and broke. Everytime I see this happening, I just hope it was a cheap bottle. I guess it is just a bottle of wine, but I can't help thinking it's a wasteof a good drink, even if it was most likely cheap. The staff was very efficient getting rid of the broken glass and the spilled wine. Almost a shame: it gave the shop a lovely fragrance.

Buck's Fizz with a twist

This may be my last Christmas post until next year (and I may add: at the end of 2022). So anyway, you may know about Buck's Fizz, the Briths cocktail made of orange juice and champagne, or fizzy wine. Two parts champagne, one part orange juice. My wife is quite fond of it, especially during the Christmas holidays. Well, M&S made one for the Season, with clementine and cranberry instead of orange juice. It is much, much sweeter, so much so that you don't really taste the alcohol. I find it quite treacherous and not that great, but it does have a festive colour. It has been my wife's poison during the whole Christmas holidays. But, as she is not a big drinker (a few sips and she is done), I had to finish her cups. I can't say I was very enthusiastic. It is truly too sweet.

Mince pies cogs

Today is my wife and my meeting anniversary. 19 years ago. As we met over a mince pie (more details in this post), I bought some mince pies from M&S. I always have them on that day, even though neither my wife nor I are big fans of mince pies. Yesterday, I was having one as a dessert and I tried to explain to Wolfie how his mummy and I met. I did not manage to keep his interest for very long about it, I think too many concepts needed to be explained (university life, friends of friends, a time when he did not exist). But he did enjoy the mince pies. Not only eating them, but playing with them. In fact, that was his great discovery yesterday. As I was telling the story of his parents meeting, he said: "Look daddy, I made mince pies cogs." And well, he did. Of course I had to take a picture. I love how his mind works.

A haunted house for £5

Last weekend, I went to M&S for a quick top up of food and I was happy tos ee that they have a decent display of Halloween stuff. Among the many nice things they sold, there was a box of cookies that is shaped like a haunted house and that is also a lantern. It looked so cool and for a fiver it was such a bargain that I had to buy one. No but seriously, look at how detailed it is! It has black cats, bats, fiery orange colours and of course Jack O'Lanterns! And this is only one side! Wolfie loves the biscuits (shaped as ghosts, pumpkins, etc), but they are just ordinary butter biscuits. I would have bought the house even if it had been empty. I will take more pictures of it, in all its angles, and share them here. For any Halloween lover living in the UK, this is a must-have.

Vampire Crumpets (!)

I know I am a sucker when it comes to Halloween. And I fall into stupid traps. So anyway, I went to M&S recently and looked at everything they got on Halloween. And I must have bought the sillest thing in all their food stocks: vampire crumpets. Basically just crumpets looking like a stereotypical vampire. It looks very silly, yet it looks so cool. The packaging is great too, with its bats and coffin. And I'm not the only one thinking that: Wolfie was very impressed and has been asking for them every breakfast or so. I haven't had any yet. But I don't care: I have never been that into crumpets, I literally bought these for the vampire.

Les 'tites bières d'été

 Je ne suis en général pas amateur de blondes. Je parle bien entendu des bières. Cela dit, parfois, je vais me commettre à boire de la bière blonde, ou bien par curiosité (parce que j'aime essayer de nouvelles bières) ou bien parce qu'il fait chaud. Les blondes, je les bois donc surtout en été. Mais j'essaie quand même d'en trouver des pas trop insipides. Celle-ci, je l'ai trouvée à Marks and Spencer. En cannette, trois pour 5£, un assez bon rapport qualité-prix. C'est vraiment une bière d'été,une bière en cannette en plus. C'est encore plus rare que je boive des bières en cannette. C'est dire qu'il faisait chaud quand j'ai bu celle-là.

"The Train Beer"

It has been much warmer recently, so I have started drinking more blonde beers. I do try to go for the blonde ales though, not lagers. So I recently drank Cambridgeshire Golden Ale which is sold at Marks and Spencer. I don't judge a beer by its label, but yes, that it had a train on it did play a role in me choosing it among other blondes. Wolfie calls it "the train beer". So since then, I call it the Train Beer. My son seems fascinated by its label, if not the beer itself. He is like me really into trains. His mum told me that he will probably end up liking beer when he grows up.

Kylie Koala

Among the many, many chocolates I buy for Easter, I try as much as possible to buy a few from Marks and Spencer, because I think they are of great quality. They also have the nicest looking ones. I saw this year that they were selling a koala, called Kylie Koala. It is not a very traditional animal for Easter (well, actually, it is not at all a traditional animal for Easter), but he looked so cute that I could not resist. So I bought it for Wolfie.

Hot cross buns

As Easter is coming and I am preparing it, I had to add the English touch to the traditions in this family. A tradition I have adopted with enthusiasm. I am talking of course of the hot cross buns. I don't know why I like them like that, but I do. So I went to M&S as it is where I think they sell the best ones and bought four packs, two luxury ones and two different. I think we should have enough for Easter morning.

A cake for Mother's Day

It is Mother's Day today in the UK, which always represents a challenge for me. For years, all I had to remember is to send an email to or call my mum, now I have to make it a special day for my wife AND make it entertaining for Wolfie too. In the end, it's all about the children when you have them, until they grow up. So I went to M&S and bought my wife a few treats, including this Percy Pig cake. Because she loves the colour pink and she loves Percy Pig stuff. I thought it was kind of fitting. Wolfie did not seem to trust this cake, he never does when it is a dessert he did not choose, but I reckon he'll change his mind when he tastes it. Anyway, at least my wife will have one day in the year not completely dominated by tractors, trains and trucks.