We celebrated our 2 year anniversary last week. 2 yrs since we left Sydney and landed in London. I said good bye to endless days of sunshine and clear skies to a life that is a bit more heartily seasoned. I can understand now why those immigrants of the old days were obliged to stay 2 years. I hardly think about life in Sydney anymore. I will never forget my friends and family, but thinking about people is not the same as thinking about the routes you used to drive, or the way you did your shopping or the social mores and quirks of the place you came from. Life here isn’t novelty anymore, it’s just life. I guess you could say I’ve acclimatised. And honestly it’s not a good or a bad thing, it’s just a fact. It’s good because I don’t compare and contrast all the elements of my life anymore, and it’s bad because the thrill of what we did has worn off and yet the excitement and enthusiasm to be here still remains. Just last night I was watching something on the TV and I saw a view of London and thought how London will never get boring. It’s like a treasure box with layers and layers of history and personality to uncover and I think it would take a lifetime to explore.

The food in Australia is a little bit like life there. In Australia, like the weather,  you can get the best of everything all the time, the freshest produce, the best cuts of meat. So our national cuisine reflects this abundance with lots of grilling and simple flavours. In Australia there’s no sense of having to make the best something, because the best is already available to everyone.

But, there’s something to said for the rougher cuts of meat. You might have to wait a bit longer but the flavour is richer. There’s something that makes a strawberry taste all the sweeter when you know you have to wait all year for the strawberry season. Just like the way sunny days are like mini-celebrations because they are few and far between. I used to take the sunshine for granted, but here it feels like therapy and always lifts my spirits. Life here is more dynamic is so many ways. There are more peaks and troughs which makes the ride a lot more fun. Smooth sailing is nice, but you miss out on all the scenery when you’re speeding down the freeway at a million miles an hour.

I love it here, I can’t imagine ever wanting to leave, but you never know where life will take you. If language wasn’t a barrier I’d live in Berlin or Rome, but alas, until the kids are out of school that will have to wait. In the meantime, I’ll have to be content with living a train ride away from the greatest city in the world.

“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.“
— Samuel Johnson

To be honest, I didn’t eat anything I haven’t tried before – with the exception of the ham and cheese croquettes at Cerveceria Cervantes. I’ve carved my own slices of sweet, nutty Iberico jamon at a Codorniu masterclass, and I’ve grown up eating plates of sliced hams, cheeses, olives and various deli treats. So while the food wasn’t new to me, the way they served it certainly was. Every bar, tavern, brasserie and restaurant has a counter where they serve up wine and beer and a selection of tostadas, canapes and racions. It’s not fancy, and in some cases it’s downright shabby with cold bain-maries full of saucy meatballs with a dried crust and I was not surprised to discover that tapas has been turned from something very common into an exclusivity by the Aussies and English food juggernaut. Not every cerveceria does tapas well, and we tried several different places in our area, but mostly it’s a joy to behold, the trays of tiny bread rolls filled with slices of Iberian or duck ham, slices of crusty bread spread thickly with Cabrales cheese, which is like Spanish Roquefort, plump white anchovies marinading in little pools of oil and vinegar. And it’s the details that impressed me the most. Every time you order a drink you get olives or a little tapas kebab. The bread rolls have been smeared with fresh tomato that might not seem worth the trouble but adds a juicy sweetness to the mouthful, the creativity of the tostada menu a tell-tale sign of quality.

Sadly there weren’t many sweets to speak of. However, I did find a very traditional old cake shop in the city with rotating displays of sugared biscuits and honey-soaked crisp-fried crepes. They were all a little dry for my taste, and reminded me of the snowball sweets in Rothenburg but with a hint of citrus. I found a lovely little French-style patisserie near our hotel and they sold the mini-choux eclairs I’d seen in other places alongside caramel tarts, flaky pastries and a seriously thick vanilla slice.

I’d read about steering clear of paella anywhere away from the coast, so we abstained from that delicacy and stuck to tapas which ensured that we never really needed to eat a full restaurant meal the whole time. My favourite place was Taberna la Dolores on the corner of Calle Lope de Vega and Plaza Jesus. The guys who ran it were really friendly and the atmosphere of the place just felt right. Lots of tiles and wood and no contrived displays of jamon and tinned fish, Taberna le Dolores was small, plain and offered only a limited menu, but what it offered was excellent, and this extended to the beer and wine. Good prices and a top spot for people-watching, we spent our last hours in Madrid watching the world go by from the window seat.

A few months ago, after much speculation from our lounge-room window, we were excited to see that the old brown rollers were being rolled back once again. Super Plaice rose from the ashes like a fried Phoenix but this time things were a bit different. Instead of an aging patriot manning the fryer a Turkish gang took the reigns. After a little while, the old chippy got a new sign and a new menu, this time including kebabs. I don’t know how the locals took this change. I actually think most people don’t know that Super Plaice is back in action. While the tiles might still be brown and an authentic reminder of the shop’s history, the new owners are really trying to bring a little bit of continental flavour to the neighbourhood. They have a system for chips that I think I have figured out, and it involves a whole lot of conical-shaped steel buckets on the counter top. I think they use it to par-fry their chips during busy periods to speed up the final cooking process. But I’m not really sure.

Despite the new owners and the new menu, the chippy culture remains the same. Unlike milkbars back home that sell everything from salads to Mars bars, the chippies here sell only fried fare. There is usually a drinks fridge but not always. There are  jars of pickled eggs and onions behind the counter, they serve up the classic battered fish (usually cod or haddock), savs, and various other favourites. The chips are fat, irregular shaped and sprinkled with salt and vinegar. I remember chips being like that back in Oz when I grew up but then milk bars got fancy and they became lost to time. I was so happy to see that the fat, squishy chips of my childhood are still being served up here in cones of paper. Depending on where you are in the UK, you can get different kinds of sauce to go with the chips, but here in Maidenhead it’s salt and vinegar. Not a shaker of chicken salt in sight!

The manners of the British folk are refreshing compared to the competitive snooze-and-lose attitude of Sydney-siders. People here wait till they’re sure that they’re not pushing in front of anyone before stepping up to the empty counter. I’ve noticed a habit of some customers who don’t like to think about what they might like before stepping up to the counter to order. Instead they just keep one eye on the menu and begin rattling off a long list of items, and just when you think they’re finished they keep going, adding dribs and drabs as it takes their fancy. But however you order, whatever you order, you don’t become an honerary Brit until you’ve welcomed a visit to the local chippy into your weekly routine.

Back home snacking on chips was just not done in my house. Who could spare the calories? Who could justify the choice when you could have your pick of any global cuisine? But here it’s different. While I don’t make it a regular habit to snack on a heap of hot chips, I certainly have indulged more here, than I ever used to. Why? I don’t know. It just feels right. It’s colder here. The choices are less. There is an inexplicable comfort to eating piping hot chips when it’s cold and grey outside. There is pleasure in searching for your perfect chip, which for me is a little bit soggy with crunchy edges. I might not be tempted by the pickled eggs yet, but I am certainly won over by those paper-wrapped parcels of steaming, chunky chips and a side of battered fish.

Back when I was writing for The Maidenhead Advertiser, I came across a plucky lass called Esther, who ran the only supper club in Berkshire. Like me, she looks over the fence at what the foodies are doing in London and wonders why we can’t do the same here in the Royal Borough. Unlike me, she is doing something about it.

On the weekend I popped in to visit the Maidenhead Street food festival that Esther has been busy coordinating, since way back when I interviewed her for the supper club article for the paper. At first I couldn’t find it (more signs Esther!) but AT who met me in town, told me where to look. I was stopped by the first van I saw – Pigs and Dogs. Run by TV star Angela Griffin and her hunky hubby Jason, we were amongst the first to line up for their pork-based fare. I chose the Puppy dog, an organic frankfurt on a brioche bun, with onion and sauce. Diminutive in size, I considered mine an appetizer, as I planned on trying some other delights. AT got the pulled pork bun with coleslaw which was excellent. Tasty and very moist, I highly recommend one if you happen to pass by Pigs and Dogs at your local festival.

There was Indian cuisine, Market Grill buffalo burgers serving from a vintage airstream caravan, Lalita’s Gujarati vegetarian, The Spanish Kitchen serving enormous vats of paella, French crepes and a vintage cake caravan serving up lovely cakes, cream teas and that quintessential snack, fish-finger sandwiches. A humble gathering, but the start of something big; the Maidenhead street food festival lifted the spirits of the desk-bound and hungry. Instead of eating pre-packaged portions at their desks, the people were lining up for freshly made food, real food and they were talking and mingling and their was life. Esther achieved what she set out to do and that was to create a buzz, ‘a town-square type bustle’ to the sleepy suburb.

If you’re interested in seeing more pics and footage from the event, visit Esther’s SL6 Supperclub Facebook page. Well done Esther – look forward to the next one!

This is Jamaican Coconut Bread is Bill’s recipe, and it’s simple and yields a dense and weighty loaf that freezes well (in slices of course) and toasts up beautifully for a breakfast of champions. I have used both coconut milk and cow’s milk and could not really tell the difference, so all you really need to check is that you’ve plenty of desiccated coconut in the cupboard, the rest you’ll probably have.

Coconut bread recipe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
300 ml coconut milk (or plain milk)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 ½ cups of plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup caster sugar
150 g shredded/desiccated coconut
75 g butter, melted

Oven 180C

Method:
Lightly whisk eggs, milk and vanilla together.
Mix all the dry ingredients into a separate bowl to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, do NOT over mix or you’ll get a stodgy loaf.
Pour into a greased/lined loaf tin and bake until it’s golden and cracked on the top – about an hour – but keep your eye on it.

Consquently I’m always on the look out for paleo-suitable meal ideas, as I eat paleo for every lunch and most dinners and breakfasts. I have discovered that there’s no use trying to eat paleo versions of the old favourites like spaghetti made with courgette or pizza made with chestnut flour. Most of the time it doesn’t work and when there are so many other delicious, inherently paleo dishes around, why bother faking it? A good example is Malaysian laksa, a curry-based soup made with coconut milk and loads of vegetables. This is a great meal that contains no dairy, no grains, no sugars and it can be tailored to vegetarians too.

My sister recommended I try Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute squash laksa, but when I looked over the recipe, my experience with Asian cooking told me it might need some flavour boosts. So I had a look at Ottolenghi’s laksa, as he regularly submits vegetarian recipes for The Guardian. Somewhere between the two, I managed to create my own recipe that can be made using mostly found ingredients, and a few specialist ones. The secret is in the spice paste. Ottolenghi says this is the key for good flavour and that you should saute it over a low heat for at least 20 minutes so I think as long as you do that, the recipe will survive one or two missed ingredients. I know it’s much easier to open a jar, but I was extremely satisfied that I managed to create such an authentic flavour all by myself.

Laksa Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 tsp tumeric powder

1 tbsp peanut butter

5 spring onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

1 tsp lemongrass (from a jar is probably easiest)

1 tbsp sambal oelek (or chilli paste, or any other chilli-based ingredient)

corriander stems and roots, chopped

zest of one lime or kaffir lime leaves (shredded)

1 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp oil

——–

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 can coconut milk

Mixed chopped vegetables including butternut squash, snow peas or green beans, red pepper, brocoli, carrot, baby spinach leaves, asparagus, bean sprouts

Either a carton, or cube/pod and about 2 cups of water) of chicken (or vegetable) stock

Optional: chicken, prawns or tofu for protein.

juice of a lime

Method:

Put all the ingredients up to and including the oil into a mini processor, or as I did, a jug (and a stick blender). Wizz till it forms a paste.

Saute the paste in some oil in a sauce pan for 20 minutes on low heat.

Pour in stock and any large pieces of vegetable like squash and perhaps any meat you want to add. Simmer for half an hour.

Add coconut milk and the rest of the vegetables and simmer for another half an hour.

Finish off by seasoning with some fish sauce and lime juice and if needed some salt or soy sauce.

It doesn’t matter how much zumba or jogging I do, time will catch up with me. After all, I don’t really think it’s what we take out of our bodies that counts, it’s what we put in that has the most significant impact. I’ve read a lot about food and nutrition and have seen and appreciate the effects that the right diet can have. As a general rule we all know the things that are not great in large amounts like sugar, salt, meat, dairy and fat and it’s not hard to keep these things to a healthy level. The simplest way to minimise the bad elements in any diet is to eat as many low processed foods as possible – that is eating food as it occurs in nature. If your trolley is mainly full of fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts, yoghurt and eggs then you’re doing fine. If the bright packages of cereal, biscuits, chips, cans and packets are tipping the scales in your trolley, then it’s time to reassess.

But I’m not here to wag my finger. This post is dedicated to my ego and the fragility of a woman’s vanity as she ages. I’m not ashamed to say that I don’t want to look old. I don’t mind getting older, in fact, the older I get the better life is, but it doesn’t mean I want it to show on my face, or hands or belly.

In general, it seems that anything with a very strong colour is going to help. It’s the flavenoids in foods like red grapes, beetroot, turmeric, tomato, red onions and blueberries that help fight the effects of ageing. And I’m not talking about ageing on the outside, I mean ageing on the inside – but it’s all connected you see. If you are healthy on the inside chances are you’ll be healthy on the outside. Flavenoids help with inflammation that can cause sensitivities to certain foods as you age, they help fight free radicals, and help to keep your heart and blood healthy and your digestion.

Sluggish digestion occurs with age too, and so keeping a gut that works well is key to being able to absorb all the nutrients you need. Foods like processed flours, sugar and bad fats contribute to a sluggish digestion. Apparently beetroot is a super food when it comes to detoxing the system – notice it’s another richly coloured vegetable.

Of course we all know the benefits of leafy greens and brasicas but did you know that cabbage and brocoli are also testosterone-supporting foods, which women lose as they age leading to less muscle tone and a fat belly.

Oils and omega-3 are also well known in their role to keep us healthy and fight against heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol. We’ve all heard about the benefits of oily fish, salmon, eggs, olive oil and nuts but did you know that coconut oil is also very good for you? Even though coconut oil is a saturated fat and in the past has been shunned, because the fat is plant-derived it is now considered safe, and more importantly beneficial. Despite coconut oil being highly calorific, it can also help with weight loss — one study shows that women aged 20 to 40 have smaller waists after eating coconut oil for 12 weeks. Plus it’s been linked recently to brain function (read article here).

So as promised, here are some meals that will help you gracefully exit the blossom of youth and keep your skin and hair clear, tight and fresh, your tummy trim and your eyes bright.

One pan roast

In a large baking dish, put slices and chunks of spanish onion, sweet potato, red capsicum, beetroot. Toss with a bit of olive oil and harrisa paste, and then lay some mackerel, sardines, herring or salmon or trout fillets across the top and roast till everything’s cooked. Wash it down with big glass of red wine, and follow it up with some dark chocolate mousse made by whipping melted dark chocolate with cold water. Try this recipe at www.diamondsfordessert.com/2011/02/chocolate-mousse

Rainbow salad

Make a massive big salad built on a solid foundation of shredded baby spinach, rocket and any fine leafy greens. Throw in some tinned beets, sliced red onion, red and yellow capsicum, julienne carrots and cucumber. Top with some shredded BBQ chicken or honey-smoked mackerel and dress with a maple-mustard dressing (from this recipe) or for a more Asian flavour try this sesame oil dressing.

Have a watered down glass of super nutrient-rich pommegranate juice and a handful of blueberries.

Snacks

Mix Greek yoghurt with honey and cinnamon to sweeten it up. You can either add some fresh berries like raspberries or blueberries or chuck in a bit of toasted oatbran.

Slices of avocado and prawn, topped with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper.

A handful of craisins and raw nuts, with emphasis on almonds, brazil nuts and walnuts.

Curry

Make a curry, using whatever flavour you prefer. Anything from a jar is what most of us use, but throw in an extra teaspoon of turmeric – you won’t even notice it, but is renowned for it’s anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory properties. Throw in vegies like brocoli, mushrooms, butternut squash, cauliflower  lentils, chickpeas and green beans. I always put evaporated milk into my curries, to lessen the calories but since reading about the Paleo diet and research on coconut, it’s actually better for you to use a coconut cream or milk. The demonisation of fats has meant that we aren’t benefiting from the good fats available in food like nuts, coconut and seeds.

Instead of serving your saucy curry with loads of rice, serve it with a mountain of lightly steamed cabbage and baby spinach leaves. It’s the sauces we all love, so you won’t even notice that the high-carb, starchy element of the meal is missing.

Make an apple and rhubarb crumble. In your recipe replace the flour with almond meal, and add some flaked almonds, rolled oats and coconut.

Sensational sides

OK, so I know grilled meat and veg is a basic meal, but it can be the best kind of meal to make mid week, when you don’t have loads of time. The trick is to find new ways with vegetables that you can serve up with your piece of baked salmon fillet or pan-fried pork chop.

A simple one that I love is simply sautéing sliced leeks and cabbage. With plenty of black pepper and a reasonable amount of salt, this simple side is simply super. Try adding some baby spinach for variety.

Ottolenghi has so many great recipes for spicing up the vegetables in your life – I  would highly recommend his Plenty cookbook. But in the meantime, why not try his ratatouille or  creamy lentils or simply roast up your meat with chunks of leek, fresh asparagus, fresh dill and wedges of lemon as I did in this post salmon-asparagus-and-the-fruits-of-laziness.

Make a summer greens tart by pan sauteing some asparagus, shallots, baby spinach, brocoli, courgette. Add some mint and crumble in some goat’s cheese and then pour some beaten eggs over the top. Place the contents in the oven till the egg is cooked.

Corn succotash is a favourite in my house, a bit of fresh corn, mushroom, courgette and shallot with lashings of black pepper and some salt. Read the recipe here.

Roasting vegetables is probably my favourite way to eat them. Think outside the box and add beetroot to your mix, and why not try brussel sprouts. They taste amazing when roasted, and take on a nutty flavour like asparagus does when roasted. I love roasting mushrooms and onions, sweet potato and courgette. Tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, you can’t go wrong, and it’s so easy to prepare.

In summer, salads are great for incorporating a variety of coloured vegetables. To make it even better, throw in some seeds and nuts. With a light toast, you can get some really exciting flavours.

Chocolate cake

Can’t get any better than combining two super foods in one cake, the chocolate and beetroot cake.

It finally happened. I took a photo of the chocolate babka that is sufficient to post on this blog. Granted the pics aren’t great, but chocolate babka is not about good looks. I have been using a slightly minimimised version of the Martha Stewart recipe that seems to be the standard used by most bloggers.

Much to the dismay of my hips, I have made babka about four times now. Each time I made mistakes, missing out steps and doing things wrong, but this last time I got everything right and even made a few changes of my own. It’s not a quick and easy recipe, but one that is worth a little of your time. I have combined a few steps that have not diminished the results to hopefully make this recipe easier to manage and in quantities that are more appropriate to most small families. Martha’s recipe makes 3 large loaves and uses epic amounts of chocolate and butter.

My recipe yields 2 loaves, but it’s fine to freeze one. I’ve numbered the ingredients, because I had trouble navigating my way through all the steps. I hope this helps.

Chocolate Babka Recipe

Ingredients:

1. 1 pkt fast action yeast
2. 3/4 cup warm milk
3. 1/2 tsp each of sugar and salt
4. 3 cups plain flour
5. a bit less than half a cup sugar
6. 1 egg
7. 2 egg yolks
8. 100g softened butter
9. 1 x200g packet of Bourneville dark chocolate
10. 90g cold butter, cubed
11. 1/2 cup sugar
12. 1 tbsp cinnamon

Method:
Add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and milke (1-4) into your mixer bowl and using a dough hook, mix till combined.
In a separate bowl, mix eggs and sugar (5-7). Add to the flour mixture and combine.
Add the softened butter (8) and ‘knead’ for 5-10 minutes. Cover will cling film or damp cloth and place in a warmed but OFF oven until it’s risen. If it doesn’t rise well after an hour or so, you can still use it.
Put butter, sugar, chocolate and cinnamon (9-12) into a food processor and wizz until the mixture is lots of little chocolatey nubs. Don’t wizz till it’s come together or you’ll have trouble spreading the mixture over the dough later.
The dough will be sticky and a little tricky to work with. Divide it into 2 equal portions.
Using a well dusted surface, roll out one piece in a big rectangle shape till it’s nice and thin, but not so thin that holes appear. The thinner it is the more swirls, so if you’re not confident, a thicker piece is fine.
Sprinkle half of the chocolate mixture onto most of the surface, leaving a rim around the edges. Roll it up. Twist it a few times.
Then, sprinkle just a little more chocolate mixture onto half of the log you’ve got, pressing it in a bit, and then fold the log in half on top of the chocolatey bit. Twist again and put into a loaf tin.
Brush with an egg wash if you like, but I don’t and it works out fine.
Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate.
Place loaves into cold oven and then turn it on to 180C. This gives the dough a chance to puff up a bit while oven warms up.
Bake till golden brown.

Likewise, with this recipe from my favourite vegetable innovator Yotam Ottolenghi, I have tweaked ‘Tamara’s ratatouille’ to make it just that little bit easier, and also within the paleo guidelines. I have realised that sticking to a meal intended to be eaten without grains and starchy vegetables is much better than trying to transform a carb-loaded favourite into some kind of paleo-Frankenstein-monster of a meal. In this case, ratatouille is an old French Provencal recipe that never included potato or sweet potato and is therefore ideal for paleo guidelines.

I’ve been free with the ingredients list because this meal is great for using up what you’ve got in the fridge, and also you can include more of what you like and less of what you don’t. You’ll notice in the additional suggestions, I’ve included brussel sprouts and asparagus. It might sound odd to roast these greens, but they both taste great this way. I’ve take to roasting my sprouts lately, as I won’t tolerate them under any other circumstances. To give this meal a little more staying power, in terms of hunger, a sweet potato is the healthiest choice.

Ratatouille Recipe

Ingredients:
2 onions
4 garlic cloves, sliced
courgette
red pepper
aubergine
French beans
parsnip
1 can of chopped plum tomatos
1 tbsp tomato paste/puree
Chilli
coriander to serve
Alternative additions: artichoke, fennel, brussel sprouts, mushroom, potato, sweet potato, asparagus.
Oven 180C

Method:
Unless specified, all vegetables should be roughly diced, about an inch in size.
Start by sauteing the onion, garlic and chilli  in some oil, in a large pot.
Every five minutes add a new vegetable, starting with the most dense like sweet potato and parsnip. Finish up with courgette and beans. It’s kind of like browning meat, but with vegetables, sealing in the flavour of each one.
Once all the vegetables are in the pot, add the tomatos, tomato puree and a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Fill the can with water and pour in to cover about half the vegetables.
Simmer for half an hour.
Pour into a big baking dish and bake for an hour, turning to ensure nothing burns. If it’s too wet, simply pour out some of the juices, and let it cook out a bit.
This meal is best served slightly cooled and warm, as opposed to being piping hot. Sprinkle with some coriander and serve up with grilled meat like pork, steak or roasted chicken pieces.

The Gifted Penguin has cherry picked the prettiest and most stylish gifts for the home and garden. They sell everything from mugs to travel bags and stock designs from British flag-flyer Emma Bridgewater, Cath Kidston and East of India. To give you a little whisper of the goodies they sell, I’ve made my own top five wish list.

Coming in at number 5 is this super stylish Toast Cake Tin by Emma Bridgewater. I love the its blackness. You don’t often get black kitcheny things.

Coming in at number 4 is this set of Birdy Canister Storage Tins. Featuring a Robin, Thrush & Wagtail these tins have a 50s vibe and naive design.

Number 3 is this East of India Mum’s Memories Box. I love treasure boxes, as my mum calls them. I have one myself that is busting at the seems. While this one is pretty, it’s only small, so would be ideal for those smaller, perhaps more valuable keepsakes.

Number 2 is this set of Enamel Herb Pots in a lovely shutter blue. I have herbs by my window and this set would tidy the whole area up. Watering small pots and indoor plants from the bottom up is essential, so the little blue tray would make this easier.

Number 1 is this vibrant Red Felt Magazine Holder Rack . So bright and in my favourite colour, this would look very cool in my lounge room stuffed with old copies of The New Scientist, Vanity Fair and various cooking magazines. I’d be tempted to use this as a very spacious handbag.