The Felt Fantastic

Now that I've finally posted all of the photos from our recent holiday in Rome on Flickr, I can prove to you that Rin makes me go to fabric shops in every country we visit. Here she is, caught felt-handed:

Secretly, however, I like it. She's been doing wonderful things with felt lately and I like being involved in the creative process. Besides, if I didn't, I'd still deserve it as penance for all the non-music-geek friends I've made wait with me for endless hours in record shops around the globe. Everyone I know should collectively thank the internet for keeping me out of the shops these days. I was beginning to look pale.

If you're curious as to why Rin is stockpiling felt, head on over to her portofolio and have a look at a not-so-top-secret project soon to debut at a market near you - if you're in London, that is. If not, you'll have to beg for mail order options.

Note to creative/media employers: If you like what you see there, feel free to contact her, as she is currently available for work.

Mmmm, Pie

One of my favourite things about London is its fantastic markets. I don't live far from the Camden Lock Market and I work quite close to Borough Market. Both occupy special stalls in my heart, but when it comes to gastrointestinal real estate, there is one booth that rules over all and it requires a trip out of my way to E1.

I should clarify here that Borough Market's endless variety of exotic culinary delights is truly a thing of beauty. From the wild board sausage to the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwich, I could live for decades eating only there and never get bored. When I need comfort food, however, Spitalfields' Square Pie Company provides the most Itis-inducing treats in the whole of London.

Initially indulging my love of Guinness by going for their steak and Guinness pie, my wife eventually convinced me of the superiority of the Lamb and Rosemary option. If you try to be frugal by only getting the pie, you're missing out. The only way to experience your Square Pie is to drop £6.50 and get the pie plus two sides, which for me are always mushy peas and mash, with gravy poured over the entire feast.

On a recent Sunday outing to Spitalfields, I captured these unboxing photos. Who cares about opening your new MacBook Pro? This is stomach technology!

Here we see the closed Square Pie box, coyly pretending it doesn't hold ample treasure inside its plain cardboard walls:

A-HA! We enter the hall of pie!

After a brief moment spent appreciating it's loveliness, it's time to move in with only two plastic utensils and a solitary serviette by my side:

Photographing whilst eating may result in gravy on the lens, and the next ten minutes went by in a blur anyway. Suddenly, there was no more pie! I felt not sad, but victorious:

Time to head home and resist the urge to fall asleep on the Tube. That would only result in me ending up in High Barnet, and since there's no Square Pie in High Barnet, I have no use for it.

I hope this unboxing has convinced you that your life is incomplete without pie and mash (and mushy peas). Charter a plane if you must, but get to Spitalfields as soon as you can and join me for a pie! JOIN ME!!!

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UPDATE (19 April 2007): According to this article, as of yesterday Sainsbury's has started selling Square Pies, including my beloved Lamb and Rosemary! You just don't know how many times I've looked at the pie section in Sainsie's and taken a few moments out of my day to simply stare at it, sadly thinking "if only they had Square Pies". Now they've read my thoughts and turned wishes into horses (but thankfully not horses into pies, that would be terrible). I knew they were my favourite supermarket for a reason. Tesco be damned, I'm going shopping for pie!