thelifeofthefuneral

If you've ever been lucky enough to sample this Vietnamese noodle soup, you'll know the experience is one that quickly becomes a sense-memory.  The deep, sweet, savoury aroma is enough to throw me back to a lovely day in Greenwich with my wife, when I first tried Pho.  I would one day like to augment that memory with an additional, more authentic experience in Vietnam.  After lockdown, perhaps :) Pho might be my number 1 food - once I get the craving, it's all over - it's pho or bust! It has everything: flavour, skill in cooking, and passion to spend so long bringing it together. This is my recipe for Pho - it's a dish I am truly passionate about and getting it right (or what I feel is right for me!) took a lot of research, and trial and error. Be warned, this is a long cook - 6-7 hours - though most of the time is spent tending the broth rather than anything else, and it generally comes together very quickly at the end if you do your prep in advance. ...

Another Asian-inspired dish, this is healthy comfort food and great for your diet and soul!  One portion will come in around 650 calories, though the miso can be a little high in sodium so bear this in mind if you have heart problems and search out a low-salt alternative such as this This is a very easy dish to prep and can be cooked in one large flat-bottomed frying pan, minimising washing-up duties! Measures below will serve two. Ingredients: 2x Chicken Breast 200g Udon Noodles (Wet) 2x Spring Onion 100g Chestnut Mushrooms  100g Green Beans Miso Paste Yutaka Dried Miso Soup (Morrisons World Food Section) Sesame Oil Toasted Sesame Seeds Chilli Flakes Cornish Sea Salt Pepper Fish Sauce Light Soy Sauce Granulated Garlic Step 1: Prep Finely chop spring onion, slice the mushrooms around 1/4" thick and the green beans to about 1/2" thick. Toast the sesame seeds in small, dry frying pan and put them t...

I was lucky enough whilst in Amsterdam recently to visit a little restaurant called "Soup En Zo" on Jodenbreestraat - well worth the visit!  I had the above soup, which was fantastic. Upon returning home I attempted to replicate this soup myself and, according to my other half, it might be the best thing I have ever cooked her, so here goes... (Serves 2) Ingredients: Half an onion Hot Smoked Paprika Cumin Seeds Tomato Pasata  1x Red Pepper 100g Green Lentils 50g Chopped Chorizo Vegetable Stock - Roughly half a litre 1x Carrot 1: Heat up olive oil in a saucepan and add in finely chopped onion and   Add cumin seeds and ground pepper and chopped carrot (shop into small 1cm cubes). 2: Add chopped red pepper and lightly fry off the chopped chorizo 3: Add boiling water to vegetable stock (I like the Knorr stock pots) and then add roughly a qtr pint to the onions and peppers. ...

As we're halfway through the year (roughly), now felt a good time to share a few images I have created this year.  unfortunately, I am a perfectionist, so I may shoot 100 photos and come out with one that "feels" right to me.  Thank God for massive memory cards!  All images shot on my Canon 70D using either the 24mm f2.8 Pancake Lens or Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 Wide-Angle Lens. If you would like to purchase, you can contact me through the blog or directly at my EyeEm page here

Does anyone else wake up and feel exhausted? Like you ran a midnight marathon... I generally turn in around 11pm - not ridiculously early; I have shit to do, but I am by no means a night owl any more (being 30 is knackering!)! I wake up around 7am and normally get up 30 mins later - God bless the snooze button! So I am getting around 8 hours a night, so why do I feel knackered before I am even in work? I started to suspect this tiredness, and the resulting foul mood that lasted all day, was nothing to do with the amount of sleep I was getting (quality of sleep is a different subject!) but was rooted elsewhere. A few months ago I actually sat down and made a record of what I was eating.  What we fuel our bodies with has a huge effect on everything: mood, energy, happiness, stool consistency! The result: I was completely reversing any gains or progress I made in the gym, and worsening how I felt.  It wasn't awful - the odd KFC, or pizza, but it was devoi...

I can't relax. I don't have the ability.  I was hyperactive as a child, so maybe this is where it comes from. But I can't relax.  I try to put this to good use.  I try to be productive all the time, but the downside of this is I get more stressed out if I am not productive, I feel guilty when I do relax and I end up very frayed and burned out regularly. The first time I felt truly relaxed as an adult was 8 years ago, on my first trip snowboarding in Sauze D'oulx in Italy.  I had had a rough year and I remember sitting down on the mountain one day and feeling at peace.  I was physically drained but I was fired up with adrenaline and I was completely alone on this section of mountain.  It was snowing, it was cold, I had a wet arse, the clouds had closed in so visibility was low.  And I felt safe and happy for the first time in a year. I think this was my introduction to meditation, looking back. I am no expert, but I fee...