Challenge 26 is complete.
I really enjoyed this year.
The graves challenge got me all around the country, and beyond. I was particularly pleased to get to see BB King’s grave, at his museum in Indianola. This challenge has been a weird one to explain to co-workers. I’ve had a spectrum of reactions; from scared, to baffled, to bemused.
Here’s the completed list:
1. Arthur Conan Doyle
2. Edward Ardizzone
3. Isaac Newton
4. Oliver Postgate
5. Spike Milligan
6. Rudyard Kipling
7. Winston Churchill
8. Henry Tate
9. Charles Darwin
10. Emily Davison
11. Bert Jansch
12. Heath Robinson
13. Janis Joplin
14. Brian Epstein
15. Bill Bernbach
16. John Bonham
17. William Shakespeare
18. Amy Winehouse
19. Frank Pick
20. Ian Fleming
21. John Venn
22. BB King
23. Buster Keaton
24. John Peel
25. Robert Hooke
26. Christopher Wren
The recipes challenge was great fun.
It started well in June 2015, but I quickly forgot about it. I picked it up again in May 2016, and with a flurry of activity, managed to complete it with a few days to spare. You’ll be pleased to hear that I didn’t lose any fingers. And, as hoped, it helped me rediscover my love for cooking again. Highlights for me were the Spuntino steak tartare, and the Spring Chicken in a pot.
Full list of things cooked here:
1. Zucchini, Basil and Parmesan Salad, POLPO, Russell Norman
2. Spring chicken in a pot, BBC GoodFood
3. Fish Pie, St John (The Complete Nose to Tail)
4. Chicken Cacciatora, Delia’s Complete How to Cook
5. One-pan salmon with roast asparagus, BBC GoodFood
6. Chicken, Goats Cheese & Tomato bake, BBC GoodFood
7. One-pot Chicken and Chorizo, Nathan Outlaw
8. Roast Chicken and Lemon Bombay Potatoes, Jamie Oliver
9. Pickled Celery, Pitt Cue Co.
10. Mediterranean-style lamb chops, BBC GoodFood
11. Mighty mackerel salad, Jamie Oliver
12. Cheat’s pappardelle, Jamie Oliver
13. Chicken with thyme salad, Angela Hartnett
14. Steak tartare, Spuntino, Russell Norman
15. Roasted whitefish and leeks, Jamie Oliver
16. Super-speedy steamed salmon, Jamie Oliver
17. Tabbouleh salad, Delia Smith
18. Chicken with coconut and apricot, Nigel Slater
19. Rhubarb fool with lemongrass and lemonade, BBC GoodFood
20. Patrick Leigh Fermor’s moussaka, Rick Stein
21. Lemon drizzle traycake, Mary Berry
22. White chocolate and pistachio cream, Ferran Adria
23. Lamb Peka, Rick Stein
24. Chicken and chorizo jambalaya, BBC Goodfood
25. Lamb with Rosemary & Port and hasselback potatoes, Nigella Lawson
26. Smoked haddock, mustard and saffron, with deconstructed piccalilli, St John
The coffee shop challenge was fantastic. I’m so pleased I decided to do it. I found loads of great places – many of which were close to my flat. It helped that my job (at the time) promoted remote working – so it legitimised the hunt a little bit. Like the graves, I also managed to pick some up outside London: San Francisco, Edinburgh, New York.
Full list of coffee shops here:
1. Appestat, N1
2. Workshop Coffee Co., EC1
3. Dose EC1
4. Ozone, EC2
5. Origin, EC2
6. Relax, EC1
7. Saint Espresso, N1
8. Sightglass Coffee, CA94110
9. Four Barrel Coffee, CA94103
10. Slate Coffee, EC2A
11. Barbour and Parlour, E2
12. Climpson and Sons, E8
13. Workshop Coffee Co., W1U
14. Fuckoffee, SE1
15. BL-NK, EC2
16. White Mulberries, E1W
17. Association Coffee, EC3
18. Caravan, EC1
19. Notes, EC2
20. MacIntyre Coffee, EC1V
21. Fernandez and Wells, WC2H
22. Lowdown Coffee, EH2
23. Dept. of Coffee and Social Affairs, EC1N
24. Intelligentsia Coffee, CA90291
25. Two Hands Coffee, TX78758
26. Stumptown Coffee, NY10011
As ever, I’ve picked some photos that sum up my year the best. I got married in November, so this year’s pick was especially hard to choose – I very nearly ended up with all 26 from that one day. But looking back, the year has been jam packed with tons of brilliant days, and it wouldn’t be right to only pick from just one. One or two of the photos weren’t taken by me. But they had to be included.
So here you go.
Ant Harris 