Joyeux Noël!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you're having fun with your family and friends. So this is it... I definitely left Billingshurst and my host family. A few tears fell down but this is not a "goodbye". Otherwise I am really happy to be able to see my family (and above all my nephew!) and my friends during the holidays. I am quite excited to be in 2015 and start new adventures, a new life in Woking. I miss England already! 

Here is some pictures of my holidays. I wish you the best for this new year! xx

Present from my host family for my last day in Billingshurst

British food for Christmas

So this week before going back to France for Xmas I am buying some British Christmas goods.

Sponge puddings (Raspberry & Chocolate)

Christmas crackers

a box of Cadbury Heroes

 Crumpets!!!!

London, November

Billy Elliot the musical, Museum of London, Christmas lights in Oxford St and Soho, the Shard.

From Billingshurst to Woking

Ces trois dernières semaines ont été assez stressantes c'est pourquoi j'ai un peu laissé tomber mon blog et j'en suis désolé. Il y a trois semaines donc j'ai appris que ma famille d’accueil actuelle n'aura plus besoin de moi après Noël. Un peu bouleversée par la nouvelle j'ai eu très peur car je ne veux continuer à explorer le Royaume-Uni et je ne souhaite surtout pas rentrer en France. J'ai donc passé tout mon temps à chercher un job ou une autre famille pour continuer en tant que fille au pair. Après de multiples entretiens, des crises de nerfs et des mauvaises nuits j'ai enfin trouvé une nouvelle famille qui habite à Woking (Surrey) pour début janvier. Vous ne pouvez pas imaginer à quel point je suis soulagée! Je peux désormais être dans l'esprit de Noël et je vais pouvoir passer de bonnes vacances avec ma famille et mes amis. Je suis assez curieuse de savoir comment sera mon nouveau mode de vie en 2015. Passer d'un village de 8000 habitants à une ville de 60000 habitants forcément ça change. Je suis toujours pas très loin de Londres (Woking est à 20 minutes de Londres en train) et j'aurai toujours le temps de visiter d'autres villes. Donc ne vous inquiétez pas! Le stress n'est désormais plus qu'un mauvais souvenir et mon blog continuera d'exister.

Banana bread

 

Ingredients:

50g butter

175g light brown soft sugar

2 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten

350g peeled ripe bananas, mashed

200g self-raising flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C. Line and grease a loaf tin.
• Cream the butter with the sugar in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the beaten eggs and gradually whisk then into the butter and sugar.
• Add the mashed bananas and beat the mixture well.
• Carefully fold in the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda.
• Put the cake in the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the cake has risen and is golden. Allow to cool.

November's celebration in England

If you are not from the UK you might not know why British people wear poppies and why they are all talking about the 5th of November. This year I have the chance to discover the British culture and traditions so if you are curious like me here is what you have to know:

Remembrance Day

Remembrance day takes place on November 11th. In 1918, this date was the end of the first World War. As you may know this day is to remember the soldiers who died during the first war.

In France, this is a national holiday and we usually have a minute of silence. On the other hand in UK, the commemoration starts at the beginning of November. The week before November 11th British people wear a poppy (which was one of the main plants in the fields of Northern France and Belgium) as a mark of respect for those who died during the war.

This year for the centenary of the WWI, the Tower of London is surrounded by thousands ceramic poppies. 

Guy Fawkes Night

On November 5th, England celebrates Guy Fawkes Night (also called Bonfire Night). From what I understand Guy Fawkes was a member of the Gunpowder Plot made up of English Catholics. They wanted to kill the King who was Protestant and to settle a Catholic head of state. Guy Fawkes was caught putting explosives under the Parliament. So he got arrested and executed. 

Since then, British people gather around bonfires and fireworks to celebrate the capture of Guy Fawkes. Usually they throw Guy Fawkes masks in the bonfires.

Oxford

Tate Modern + Soho by night + London view

Jamie Oliver's Hummingbird cake

I will have to try this recipe very soon!!

Ingredients:

-250 ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
-350g self-raising flour
-1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
-350g golden caster sugar
-4 medium-sized very ripe bananas
-1x425g tin of pineapple chunks
-2 large free-range eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-50g pecan

For the icing:
-400g icing sugar
-150g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
-200g cream cheese
-2 limes

For the brittle:
-100g caster sugar
-50g pecans

•  Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease and line two 23cm round cake tins. Sift the flour and cinnamon into a mixing bowl, then add the sugar and a large pinch of sea salt. Peel the bananas and mash them up with a fork in another bowl. Drain and finely chop the pineapple and add to the bananas with the oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, then fold into the dry mixture until smooth. Finely chop the pecans and gently fold in, then divide the batter evenly between your prepared tins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until risen, golden and the sponges spring back when touched lightly in the centre. Run a knife around the edge of the tins, then leave to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

• Meanwhile, to make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a free-standing electric mixer, add the butter and beat until pale and creamy. Add the cream cheese, finely grate in the zest of 1 lime and add a squeeze of juice, then beat until just smooth – it's really important not to over-mix it. Keep in the fridge until needed. To make a brittle topping, place the caster sugar and a splash of water in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Shake flat and don't stir it, just swirl the pan occasionally until dissolved and lightly golden. Add the pecans and a pinch of salt, spoon around to coat, and when nicely golden, pour onto a sheet of oiled greaseproof paper to set (check out the how-to video below). Once cool, smash up to a dust (you'll need about half to top the cake – save the rest for sprinkling over ice cream.

•  To assemble the cake, place one sponge on a cake stand and spread with half the icing. Top with the other sponge, spread over the rest of the icing, then grate over the zest of the remaining lime. Scatter over the brittle dust and decorate with a few edible flowers, such as violas, borage or herb flowers, if you feel that way inclined. 

  And here is my attempt of Jamie's masterpiece!! Everybody likes it.

September 20th, London

I don't really like these pictures because the weather was cloudy but well...