Thursday 29 May 2014

Bread and Honey


Do you have a favourite comfort food? Mine is a jam sandwich. Mine is baked vanilla cheesecake. Mine is creamy rice pudding. Mine is eggs benedict. Mine is lemon drizzle cake. Mine is a BLT with lashings of mayonnaise, or crumpets soaked in butter. Some are the foods of childhood; a runny boiled egg with toasted soldiers, a fish finger sandwich smeared in ketch-up or a dollop of golden syrup in a bowl of steaming porridge. But the one that tops the page, the favourite above all the rest, is something so simple, so easy on the palette; it's but a homely slice of bread and honey. That smell of sweet, sweet nectar, the taste of peach sunrise on a purple petal, the way it wraps itself around a knife, sticky and golden, the way it sticks in droplets to a breakfast plate like teardrops from a bee. I prefer the bread toasted, a multi-seeded slice mind, with a geological layer of thick, thick butter, that way the butter and honey combines and melts into the fibres, the first dream-like bite a walk inside the craters of the moon or chasing painted ladies bareback on a rainbow unicorn. Heavenly. Bread and honey after an argument with a friend. Bread and honey for a sniffly cold. Bread and honey for a bad, bad day. Bread and honey when the words won't come...

And one day I noticed two spots on her collar bone, and then two became four, became eight, became sixteen, became well over sixty four. Over her chest. On her back. Over her face. On her scalp. Over the backs of her hands. On the tops of her feet. 'Try not to scratch,' I said, 'here, look at the tiny scar under Mummy's bottom lip.' Pink cream from head to toe. Pink medicine in mouth every fourth hour. Three heaped teaspoonfuls of bicarbonate of soda in tepid bath. 'They're really annoying me, I hate it,' she said, 'it's marching over my body like red soldiers, they go chattering and chattering all over me.' We sat in front of the TV, took walks around the garden listening to the monotone hum of lawn mowers and the unfolding creaks of outdoor furniture. And every morning without fail I toasted a slice of special-treat white bread, spreading butter and honey over its browned surface being careful to cut off the crusts, slicing it into four quarters. Bread and honey for a poorly princess. Bread and honey when she's feeling in distress.

What's your favourite comfort food?

I was over the moon, nay astonished, to discover I'd made the final six in the Writer category of the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging Awards (BiBS). I want to give an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who voted and supported my blog; it's meant a lot to me, so thank you very very much! The winner will be announced at a special ceremony at Britmums Live on 20th June.  

I am going away to sunny Pembrokeshire for the week so I may or may not blog, but I won't be on social media nor will I be reading any blogs for a week, so please don't be offended if you don't see any comments from me next week.


54 comments:

  1. I am going through a lemon curd phase at the moment, but whatever tops it, crusty white bread is my fav comfort food- and biscuits of course! Chickenpox is doing the rounds here at the moment, may well be going through this here soon, hope she is all recovered now!

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    1. I love lemon curd! And crusty white bread is wonderful too! She's all better now, and hopefully we won't have to go through that again!

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  2. Oh you've made me all hungry now. I hope she is better soon and you enjoy your break.
    My I do not feel well food is definitely soup and toast. My mom always used to make me chicken soup and toast.
    Well done on the BiBs.

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    1. Yes, she's feeling a lot better now! And of course, chicken soup is such a great comforter. Thank you.

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  3. '...walk inside the craters of the moon' that's a place I'd like to explore. Right now my comfort food is seaded loaf, toasted then spread with crunchy peanut butter and nutella. Try it :)

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    1. Your comfort food sounds lovely. Peanut butter and nutella are so good together :o)

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  4. Oooh I made lemon curd recently Sonya - homemade is the BEST!

    Sorry, I'm not with you on honey. I sued to love it as a child but I think I overdid it and now I literally can't stand it, which is a shame because you pretty much can't get anything more natural and healing.

    Enjoy your break x

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    1. Lemon curd is lovely. It's funny as I wasn't as keen on honey when I was very little but now I can't get enough of the stuff. I have just come back from my break - turned out to be quite interesting. X

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  5. Chocolate.
    Straight in... no messing - bliss!
    Congrats on the BiBs - deserved and have a really great holiday. x

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    1. Well you just can't beat chocolate - works every time. Thank you, and the holiday was good. X

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  6. I'm a sweet tooth so chocolate all the way

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  7. 'a geological layer of thick, thick butter...That is such a perfect description.

    I'm a jam sandwich girl too. Not so keen on honey, which is odd really.

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    1. Thank you. Jam sandwiches are the all time comfort food - just so good!

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  8. You described it so beautifully, I got a craving for a nice slice of bread with salted butter & Greek honey!
    A fave comfort food here too!
    Hope your little one gets better soon & congrats on going to the finals, it was very well deserved :)

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    1. She is all better now thank you, and I was over the moon to reach the finals :o). Salted butter with Greek honey - yum, yum, yummy!

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  9. I do think you deserve a nice break after all that, and I definitely hope the sun comes out for you! As for comfort food... Hmmm, too many to think of, soup, cake, scrambled egg, eggs benedict, cheese toasties, sooo many things! :D

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    1. The sun came out in dribs and drabs but it was a holiday nevertheless and I do feel fairly rested now. I love scrambled egg too, and cake; always, always cake. :o)

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  10. Poor little poxy princess, hope she is all better now! She's obviously inherited your talent with words, "chattering all over me", love that. Butter is a definite comfort food for me, too. Huge congratulations again on making the Final, so hoping you go all the way. Thanks for your lovely comments on my posts - they mean a lot. Have a wonderful holiday next week! xx

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    1. I know.... poor little thing but she is loads better now and it's all clearing up. I loved 'chattering all over me' too - what an imagination, I have no idea where she got that from. And thank you, but it's just wonderful to have reached the final six. The holiday was interesting! X

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  11. Oh goodness - that's a list of comfort foods! Brilliant - I know where to come for them. I love honey in my porridge. It's not a naughty sugar, so we use it in cooking too. So beautifully written as always and a deserved place in the finals. I do hope poor Little A has mended enough for your hols and I'll cross everything for the weather for you all. No need to guess what you'll be eating if it rains! xxx

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    1. That's my excuse too..... it's not naughty sugar but then watch as it adds an extra tyre to my waistline, but it's so tasty and more'ish. Little A is much better now and she had a wonderful holiday - she loves the seaside. Honey was eaten. X

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  12. Hmm, some kind of slow cooked food and bread, chocolate, a cup of tea. Or vino and cheese.

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    1. I really like slow cooked food.... so deep in flavours, and of course, always chocolate. :o).

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  13. My comfort food at the moment is scrambled eggs, with lots of salt and pepper, and lashings of chilli sauce on top of it. Not sure what that's about... Lovely post, have a wonderful break and hope you are all healthy again very soon xx

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    1. Ahhhhh! I love scrambled eggs with salt and pepper and chilli sauce too - it works so well with chilli sauce! The break was interesting (more on that later) but Little A had a wonderful time which is the main thing, and I sort of feel rested. X

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  14. I tend to go for cereal - it's so comforting. Hope you are all pox free now. I know it's better they catch it when they're kids but it's still so hard.

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    1. I like cereal too..... and I ate tonnes of the stuff when I was pregnant. I can now say we are finally pox free :o).

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  15. Honey is a big childhood fave for me too. Reminds me of my gran who bought me a honey dipper and used to spoon it from the jar for me. Lovely post as always. Feeling all nostalgic now.x

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    1. Honey is the best.... it looks and tastes gorgeous. That honey dipper sounds lovely. Glad I made you feel nostalgic. X

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  16. Baked potato with butter and cheese, or rice pudding, or quiche - definitely all foods of my childhood! Although I do have a weakness for chips with cheese and hummus which brings back distinct memories of late night essay crises at university! Have a wonderful holiday and I hope the pox has long gone!

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    1. I love baked potatoes too, with oddles of butter and salad and yummy toppings like tuna and mayo. And chips and cheese = yes! Pox has all gone now thank goodness!

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  17. Apart from chocolate and a cup of tea (which solve all the world's problems in my eyes!) my comfort food choices really seem to go through phases. Sometimes beans on toast. Other times ginger biscuits from my late Gran's recipe. Certainly different foods really remind me of childhood or people from my childhood and sometimes I find I do just want to go back to being a child and not having all the responsibility go adulthood any more!

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    1. Chocolate and tea always works, and I'm a stickler for beans on toast too.... I think that's the thing about comfort foods, they can always be enjoyed at different moments in your life and they always have that special taste to them. And I love ginger biscuits!

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  18. Crumpets and honey! Mum often made me a little honey sandwich to go.with whatever savoury fillings I had, on homemade bread - amazing! Lovely post and huge congrats!

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    1. Ooooh crumpets and honey.... now that's a tasty combo. Those homemade bread sandwiches your Mum made sound wonderful. Thank you.

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  19. We haven't had to face chicken pox yet. We'll be reaching for the bread and honey when we do. What a lovely post - I was right there with you x

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    1. It's not too bad when it actually happens, they feel unwell for a few days then start to feel better again. It's the itchiness that's the nuisance. Glad you enjoyed my post. X

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  20. Boo to itchy spots - but yay for bread and honey. Kitty has only just discovered the joys of honey on toast, fast on it's way to becoming her favourite. As for mine, that's gin. And yes gin is a food. Honest.

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    1. Hope your two are feeling better now. Little A loves honey on bread and then smearing it all over the sofa :o). And of course G, especially if it's mixed with T.

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  21. For me (and all of my children) it's toast and honey - a fail safe way to fill a hole in a lovely, comforting way just when it's needed. I was so pleased to see your name in the line up - you so deserve that place and I want you to win! Hope you have a wonderful holiday, Pembrokeshire is a beautiful place :)

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    1. Toast and honey all the way! Little A loves it as well. And thank you very much - I was over the moon to see myself in the line-up.... and as you know by know by now, the holiday didn't turn out quite how I expected it to! :o)

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  22. Chicken pox... Poor little girl! :(
    I am sure the bread and honey helped.
    I would go for chocolate... ;) xx

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    1. She didn't have the best time of it but is feeling much much better now. Always chocolate! X

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  23. Lovely, lovely post. Your words are like bread and honey. xx

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  24. If you get this message - and you're still in Pembrokeshire - there is a very cute honey museum in nearby New Quay (Ceredigion). PS IT also does the best cream tea i have EVER tasted (with honey lemon curd), and i've had a few!! xx

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    1. The honey museum sounds lovely and that cream tea, lush, but infortunately we never made it as we had to leave early on account of my awful tooth ache! X

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  25. I'm a runny egg and soldiers girl...and a fishfinger sandwich one too. But when I was little it was always Marmite on toast when I was ill. Hopefully Little A isn't left with any scars from the pox.

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    1. You can't beat a nice runny egg or fish finger sandwich - there are some foods which make you feel so fuzzy and warm. Can't say I'm a big fan or Marmite, and Little A is much better now thank you. X

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  26. Chocolate or chocolate cake for sure... How is she now? Hope she didn't suffer too much with it xx

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    1. Always chocolate :o). She is much better now... the spots have nearly disappeared. It was only bad for a few days. X

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