“The Powers of a Man’s mind are directly proportionate to the quantity of coffee that he drinks” (Sir James Mackintosh)

This is a story of goats and thieves. An odd start to a blog you may think but there’s logic to it, of sorts. Once upon a time in the land of Arabia Felix (current day Yemen) a goatherd by the name of Kaldi went out to find his AWOL goats and discovered them wide eyed and gambolling around a shiny, dark leafed bush covered in red berries.

Those lucky goats had discovered the joy of coffee beans. They were soon joined in the mad dance by Kaldi and a passing learned Iman. The Iman who discovered it alleviated the monotony of praying all day no end, pinched a bit and shared it with all his fellow monks.

From these auspicious beginnings the good news spread – though not entirely through choice. Rather, like all precious things it was coveted gollum style.

In AD1650, the second thief in our story, an enterprising pilgrim from India by the cool name of Baba Budan, managed to evade the Arabian sniffer dogs by strapping some fertile seeds to his stomach and promptly planted them in the front garden outside his cave in a place by the simply awesome name of Chikmagalgur*. They flourished (it was nice and high) and his hermit friends were delighted by the new arrival.

Though it might appear at this point that coffee was just for those of a religious disposition, the Dutch soon stole a bit and found that it didn’t taste half bad when grown in Java. Coffee became fashionable. By 1715, Louis XIV, stamped his foot in France and demanded he be let in on the game. Finally, the Dutch, to shut him up, handed over a well travelled bush from Mocha, via Java. Louis was delighted with his latest toy, so much so that he built it it’s very own greenhouse and spent a solid day communing with his bush.

And here comes the second to last thief in our story, a man by the dashing name of Chevalier Gabriel Mathiew De Clieu, who stole a bush from the French andsailed off to sea headed to the Caribbean (lucky man). The final chapter of this unbelievable tale takes place at sea where a disgruntled passenger (possibly a Dutch spy) wrestled with the dashing Chevalier and wrenched off a branch in the process. And from thence it spread to Caribbean, South America and on. And here are our story ends…or does it..

Fast forward to the present day and coffee fanaticism is still alive and well as evidenced by this bean worshipper who has created a strangely hypnotic website featuring 171 pages of recently drunk cups of coffee. http://acuppaday.tumblr.com .

At Book and Kitchen we do our bit to keep the magic of coffee alive with a selection of coffees from all the locations that feature in this wonderful story and to bring it full circle I think I’ll go off and brew myself a Yemeni Single Origin Mocha Sana’ani coffee…

It has been HOT HOT HOT at Book and Kitchen today though not too hot for some visiting lizards (aka customers) who basked in the rays of the outside courtyard. Personally, our favourite spot is on the tables downstairs where a cool(ish) breeze winds its way through and up the stairs.

Despite having a selection of cold drinks on hand to keep them hydrated, all we could think of was ice lollies – frozen, head shrinking coolness.

A story came to mind of one of our resident customers who has been living in the area since her childhood. On visiting the shop, she mentioned that she had visited the street as a child to pick up her favourite treat from the grocers at the end of All Saints Road* – a frozen orange ice lolly known as a Jubbly.

It got us thinking, and after a bit of digging it appears that this could well be the origin of the phrase Lovely Jubbly and not, as we previously assumed, the inspired words of the ever wise Dell Boy (Only Fools and Horses).

In the 1950s, at the height of Jubbly’s fame, an advertising campaign was launched with the catchy slogan “Lubbly Jubbly”. Following a short period of chinese whispers and some celebrity endorsement from David Jason, Lovely Jubbly came to be.

So back to the heat. For all those of you tempted to start complaining about the heat, remember the wise bard’s words “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” (William Shakespeare), then pick up a cold drink (or lolly), find your patch of evening sunshine and have a lovely jubbly weekend.

*For more info on All Saints Road’s story through the ages go to the  Colville History Society website.

Sunny days at Book and Kitchen are putting us in mind of weddings. Discussing what a perfect wedding gift would be we all agreed it would have to be something original that would stand the test of time – towels or food processors are transient.

Looking round the shop, a few things caught our eye as potential gift fodder;

Idea #1: Melody Rose ceramics

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;Whenever you’re right, shut up.
Ogden Nash (1902 – 1971)

These naughty but nice ceramics, by local designer Melanie Rosevear, are looking gorgeous in our front window display and make great wedding gifts. The “Couple” range of fine bone china plates and tea cups are bang on theme and, despite appearances, not too beautiful to use.

For something unique, a piece from Melody Rose’s quirky range of one off upcycled vintage ceramics will ensure that your gift survives the test of time.
Idea #2: A Work of Art

“Love, my dear Gigi, is a thing of beauty like a work of art, and like a work of art it is created by artists. The greater the artist the greater the art.” – From the screenplay Gigi (1958)

A piece of art to feather the nest is not a bad way to go.   Rifle through our selection of prints to find something to suit the happy pair or pick up a limited edition from one of our resident artists. 

Idea #3: A Cookbook

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. – George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

The importance of food in a relationship shouldn’t be underestimated. Arguments are thwarted by full stomachs so what better contribution to a life of matrimonial bliss than a cookbook.

There’s been lots of author chit chat this week following Tuesday’s House of Commons debate hosted by the ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society). It’s clear from the survey that preceded it that the author is an endangered species whose earnings have dropped more than a third since 2005.  The threats are numerous; Amazon’s egomania, the advent of cheap ebooks, illegal downloads etc.

Amongst the authors at Awfully Big Blog Adventure, there’s a real fear that if authors can’t afford to live, they will simply stop creating or end up re-hashing existing story lines in order to increase productivity (much like the fate of some recent scriptwriting and the impact of Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat“). 

It’s a grim thought.

At Book and Kitchen we love authors. We want to inspire them, feed them and encourage new ones. That’s why we are thrilled to be playing host to Karenanne Knight’s Masterclass in September.

Author and illustrator of “The Picture Book Maker” (described by Read it Daddy as “The Bible” of children’s writing and illustration), Karenanne offers a unique 10 week course. Her previous students include Emma Yarlett, author of Orion and the Dark, and Gemma O’Neill, author of Oh Dear Geoffrey. 

If you have a children’s book that’s waiting to be created (be it in your head or scribbled on the back of a shopping list) this is the kickstart you need.  Sessions take place on Mondays from 6-9pm in a bookshop lock-in with guest visits from publishers and authors.

For more details on how to sign up visit our website.

Next time you’re dunking your favourite biscuit into your tea, stop and take a moment to reflect on this humble bit of crumbly goodness.

It turns out, much to Book and Kitchen’s delight, that the very word biscuit has it’s roots in Ancient Rome where the term “bis coctus” (Latin for “twice baked”) was bandied around in army camps where the, possibly a tad dry, overcooked bits of bread formed part of official rations.

The biscuit never looked back. Over the ages it has taken on all sorts of shapes and sizes, from delicate and sophisticated french tulles to chunky wagon wheels.  It’s alter ego is the cookie (from the Dutch word “Koekje” meaning small cake). 

In the literary world, it plays a starring role in Marcel Proust’s ‘In Search of Lost Time’.  Referred to as the “episode of the madeleine’, this wistful passage is a wonderful description of the pleasures of biscuit eating.

No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. … Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? … And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea.

—Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

At Book and Kitchen the latest creation to be enjoyed is a Cardamom, Vanilla and Dibis* Cookie (see photo).  A crumbly biscuit laced with trade wind spices and a hint of natural sweetness.  Enjoys being eaten on its own but equally is partial to a good dunk in a cup of tea.

*Dibis, the Arabic word for date syrup originates from Iraq. It is traditionally and still can be used as a dip for bread, mixed with yogurt and other cream based products and as an alternative natural sweetener. We love it on ice cream. It can be used in a variety of ways and has numerous nutritional benefits.

Ah, how some of us miss those childhood days when you could start each month with some therapeutic thumping and pinching, unless of course your opponent had magically protected themselves with an invisible White Rabbit by quickly repeating the mantra “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit”.

But where does the superstition come from? It’s a contentious subject and appropriately for Book and Kitchen there’s food involved in the form of salt*.

The Americans, always keen to stake a claim, maintain that it came from George Washington’s tradition of meeting with the locals every first day of the month to give them some fruit punch laced with salt. From there we get to “pinch and punch on the first day of the month”.

Here in the UK, we like to go further back to Ye Olde England and a time when salt was considered a handy weapon against the wicked witch lurking in your neighbourhood. Presumably one waited patiently until the start of the month before flinging a pinch of salt in her eyes followed by a generous punch – enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Quite where the rabbit fits in is still uncertain…

Here at Book and Kitchen we like to think we’re not that superstitious. Though we have decided to celebrate the start of this month by opening on a Tuesday.  So from now on, feel free to drop in for books, chats and delicious food anytime from Tuesday to Saturday (10am to 6pm), and on Sunday (from 12pm-4pm).

*Mark Kurlansky’s “Salt, a World History” provides a fascinating insight into the rich history of the white stuff and its role in shaping civilisations.   Available to buy at Book and Kitchen.