Quick update re foot, crabbiness and recipes!
HELLO and welcome back, dear readers. It’s been a whole ten days since I foolishly skidded down the stairs at silly o clock in the morning and found my toes sticking out at odd angles and my sorry ass in the waiting room at Charing Cross A&E, and what a long and frustrating ten days it’s been. I haven’t strictly been taking life as easily as instructed, not being the type who can sit still for ten minutes let alone loaf around in bed with my foot in the air. I did a day of filming for a campaign that comes out tomorrow, wobbling around with a walking stick between takes, was kindly invited to the Telegraph’s ‘Out At Work Top 50 LGBT Executives’ thingy at the House Of Commons (and bailed after 20 minutes, unable to stand and smile simultaneously and sure nobody wanted me grimacing and whimpering in the corner all night like a proper party pooper) and did a much-longer-than-usual food shoot for the Guardian – thankyou Linda, who was kind and understanding and didn’t rush me as I shuffled around the kitchen grumbling to myself. And through all of that, my family have been kind and understanding and generous and very very caring, from the toddlers ‘finding’ my stick for me to help me walk around the house, to endless cups of tea in my bed-work-nest, to them all leaving me alone to wallow in frustration when I was just being Really Crap And Crabby.
Some of you may remember that I made a New Years Resolution to cook something new every day for 2015, to learn new things and explore my culinary imagination, as well as delving into the wealth of cookbooks I and my proper-chef-better-half have accumulated between us over the years – not a week goes by where a new one doesn’t drop through the letter box, kindly sent to review, or as a present, or just because, and there are towering towers of them precariously throughout the house – plenty of reading material for inspiration and innovation. (Sometimes we both get sent the same book at the same time, but for some reason they’re very easy to give away to friends and family…!!)
My latest favourite tomes are Mrs Beeton’s Everyday Cookery, Jane Grigson’s ‘Observer Guide To British Cookery’, Cucina by Angela Hartnett and The River Café Cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. (Rose Gray’s son, Ossie, runs The Brackenbury restaurant in Shepherds Bush, our date night venue of choice for fantastic dinners, if you’re ever in the area and the sort of person who likes eating good food in nice places without breaking the bank. Er, not that I’m offering a date night, as I am a Well Spoken For Woman, just making a recommendation!!)
Anyway, the point of this longer-than-intended and rather scrambled ramble was to say that I’ve mostly stuck to that resolution (although Dry January kind of went out of the window with the broken foot thing, apologies, I might try again in February when I don’t need to knock myself out to sleep…) and will be posting a pile of recipes shortly from the last few days. 😀
With love, and thanks for all the good wishes and karma and healing vibes,
Jxxx
On Twitter & Instagram @MsJackMonroe
Great to hear you’ve survived the last 10 days with your usual true grit and good humour (except for the odd ‘crabby’ moment which you are totally allowed). You still managed to achieve a lot outside of your bed with foot in the air, so as always, an inspiration to us all!
Good luck with the recovery but do keep the foot elevated when you can, if there’s any blood infection there. Otherwise it heads for the heart, which is very bad news.
Damn the trolls to (entirely appropriate) hell!
hope you get well soon xxx
Cook books every day! Oooooh, I am SO jealous xx
Dear Jack: I hope you get well very soon. I admire your vitality and creativity. I like to read all your posts and will try to prepare the chocolate 🍫with chili you posted in past days.
Best wishes,
Laura
Have so enjoyed finding you my mind is now working overtime to cut my food bill
Ps glad your foot is better
good god jack!hope you getbetter very quickly!xx
You’re allowed crabbiness. I broke my foot once, Sunday before two back to back business trips, three weeks before family vacation to Florida, with a home full of a three year old and two teens not yet of driving age so still needing taxi service. No apologies for giving up on dry January needed!
Glad you are feeling a bit chirpier Jack. I love reading your blog it is like having a friend send me a cheery little note which really helps me feel a bit happier xx
Very pleased you’re back! Just wanted to say I really enjoy your emails and recipes. Look forward to next batch coming through. Hope rude comments have ceased. You do;t deserve them.
So much for the loafing around and resting 😉 It sounds like a busy but productive couple of weeks.
So glad you are feeling a bit better and still battling on! Envy you your cook book collection. Take care
You poor thing! I though it was hard enough with a sprained neck over Christmas… hope you get better soon
Jack I hope that foot heals quickly I completely understand your frustration I hate having to be still, but I just bet that you have dreamt up some lovely recipes for us. You are a wonder and an inspiration.
Loraine
Footcrab, you say?
Jack, you are a trooper. I do hope you’re totally mended and out of pain very soon. I think I’ve got the same (or similar) Mrs Beeton book, so I’ll give it a go. Looking forward to seeing your latest recipes. Wish you better. xxx
i love reading your post ,you’re so honest about your life .
its good to know that other people get crabby as well
Sounds like you’ve had a bit of a grotty start to 2015, which is unfortunate. Well done on keeping up with the cooking something new every day, much more exciting than dry January! Looking forward to seeing the recipes. Are you all strapped up in plaster, or just bandaged?
Hi. I just read this article which I thought you might be interested in: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/21/estate-working-class-problem-st-anns-nottingham?CMP=fb_gu
Bless you ! Take a break Jack you deserve a rest!!!!
On Monday, January 19, 2015, JACK MONROE: COOK, CAMPAIGNER, GUARDIAN COLUMNIST, MOTHER, AUTHOR, ETC. wrote:
> Jack Monroe (MsJackMonroe) posted: “HELLO and welcome back, dear > readers. It’s been a whole ten days since I foolishly skidded down the > stairs at silly o clock in the morning and found my toes sticking out at > odd angles and my sorry ass in the waiting room at Charing Cross A&E, and > what”