Unclear if Sweeney Todd was also candlestick maker.On Friday my parents and I went into Reading to do some last minute Christmas shopping and explore (weather permitting.)We wandered around the mall, where I perused Zara–and miraculously only bought a bottle of perfume–acquired a disposable phone, and found the most amazing children’s book I’ve seen in ages. We also wandered around Marks & Spencers where we purchased some Penny Pigs, Rosy Noses and Percy & Friends to try (side note: so sorry to those I said I would buy some for, I didn’t get to go back…went to Switzerland instead!)We then went to my dad’s favorite pie shop, Sweeney & Todd, for another Cornish pasty. I’m somewhat of a purist so when I saw pie options like:
1. Steak and Oyster
2. Steak and Kidney
3. Venison and Boar
4. Chicken with Leek
5. Five nations (wha?!)
6. Vicars (double wha?!)
7. Pork and Apple
I was a bit overwhelmed. I played it safe and asked what the most popular pies were and settled on the rump steak and stilton. I’ll be honest, the stilton was too much for me so I switched with my mom for the chicken and broccoli.
love the British side salad…
However, there were others like:
1. Lamb and Mint
2. Chicken and Sweetcorn
3. Chicken, Honey and Mustard
4. Cheese and Vegetable
5. Chicken Cajun
that in hindsight I really wish I could try. Ah well; next time, right?
Melinda Skea got a taste for adventure as her family moved from America’s West to its hospitable south and eventually settled in its fast-paced New England corner. She studied International Relations and Spanish at Brigham Young University and subsequently embarked on a round-the-world trip which included Asia, Oceania and Europe. She has since found a home base in Washington D.C. where she works as an editor for a non-profit publication, but still finds time to put a few stamps in her passport each year.
Melinda is also the founder of D.C.-based Fashion Freecycle, which strives to limit the growing problem of clothing pollution by making “One [wo]man’s trash another [wo]man’s treasure”. These quarterly events encourage women to donate items and swap them for ones they find useful. Also an avid film lover, in 2008 Melinda began a monthly Foreign Film Night, which strives to create an atmosphere of openness, respect and learning as participants dine on the country-of-choice local cuisine and enjoy cinema outside of the usual Blockbuster.
