Autumn has got to be the best time of the year. I’m not sure if it’s the early nights or the windy days or perhaps it’s the fall foliage and the shedding leaves. It’s the time of year we most associate with apples and pumpkins. It’s Labor Day, Halloween, Day of the Dead, Diwali, Thanksgiving and Xmas.
At The Clapton Pot you don’t need a special occasion to get together – just good vibes, good company and good fun. As we have done for the last ten months, we got together on the last Sunday of the Month.
Kate was the first guest to arrive. She’s a personal trainer who works at London Fields Fitness and has her own practice, Form Fitness. She just happens to know of Damaris, who is also a PT and who attended the July Clapton Pot. Not long after Alison and Hillary arrived, I met Alison on two previous occasions, once at Sam’s birthday party and another time at The Hub. Alison works as a sustainability consultant with new economics foundation and Hillary regaled us with her stories of life as a London paramedic. Regular readers may remember Sam aka Angry Sam, who attended our February Clapton Pot. He’s the host of the Hackney Hammer and Tongue and has a book of poetry out from Influx Press Life in Transit.
I can say that there were lots of laughs, particulars I’m not so sure on. But topics included travel and experiences in the subcontinent of India, estate agents, landlords, mental health and the NHS. At some point during the night the conversation took an unPG turn. Well, if I was going to rate it it went from a G to R. I’m not sure exactly how, but I remember feeling that as the only male representative at the table Sam must be feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Here’s what we ate:
Sahar who attended a previous Clapton Pot sent me a link to a mostly vegan and gluten free blog called The First Mess. The recipes not only look good, but they are tasty too.
I decided to go with an Asian theme so we went for these three recipes. The Ginger Citrus Black Sesame Carrot Edamame Salad was the only recipe we kind of stuck too. The other recipes were used as a guide.
– Ginger Citrus Black Sesame Carrot Edamame Salad – we agreed that this dish was the favorite. Instead of using edamame we used broad beans (make sure you shell them first). If you don’t already have a mandoline, I’d recommend getting one. You can grab inexpensive ones from a number of shops in China Town. Another tip is to prepare this dish first so the dressing has time to marinate.
– Sticky Teriyaki Eggplant with Herbed Cashew and Coconut Rice – for some reason, I got the idea to twice roast the aubergines, which causes them to shrink more than they should have, very tasty though.
– Lemon Coconut Cakes with Coconut Glaze and Sesame – if you don’t have spelt flour you can just substitute it for plain flour. This dessert disappeared in no time.
Thanks again to our guests who made it to this month’s Clapton Pot. If you are reading this post and you would like to attend the November Clapton Pot do join our facebook group or twitter page. An announcement will be posted when the next tickets become available.
Diana – & Violaine
The Clapton Pot 