Let me set the stage. As I write this, I’m in the basement, wearing a snuggie, sitting on the couch next to Mr. Trent. The kids are in bed, but Aspen is here with us, and she is “making biscuits.” She didn’t used to be a kneader, but she really enjoys movie nights, especially when Mr. Trent spreads out his Dr. Who blanket. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is cued up, and while I read and enjoyed the book when I was doing research for Smoke, Steel, & Ivy, this movie isn’t quite my speed. Last weekend we caught the 2008 BBC Sense and Sensibility. (I was so excited. Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite movies of all time. And while Dan Stevens was very good as Edward, I desperately missed Alan Rickman.) So, it was Mr. Trent’s turn to pick the movie, but I brought down my laptop because multitasking is better than falling asleep (like I did last week during the second episode of Sense and Sensibility–oops).
I should be writing. I should be revising. I’m on a deadline. Instead, I’m enjoying half-watching this movie (the costumes are stunning, same with all the actors) and reminiscing about our recent trip to the UK. More specifically all the goodies we consumed. I definitely indulged.
This garlic bun smelled as good as it tasted. We found it on our way to Edinburgh Castle. We also found some very delicious fish n’ chips on the Royal Mile. So yummy; I immediately went back and ordered more. I wish I had ordered five more. It was that good.
Before our underground ghost tour, we had toasties, cocoa, and red velvet cake at the Thistle Stop Cafe. It was pouring rain, and we had only forty-five minutes to spare, but this little cafe was everything. I’d happily return and eat the entire menu. In fact I’m a little sad that I didn’t get to try the chocolate cake. Red Velvet is somepony’s very favorite, so we went with that.
Okay, time to catch the train down to Kings Cross Station. Everyone told us the train ride was an exceptionally pretty one and they were right. I snapped this from my window seat. And then I tried to eat a chocolate frog. Those things are completely solid and hard as rocks. So I ate my Scottish tablet instead and read A Daughter of Fair Verona, which was exceptionally fun.
And then I tried to eat a chocolate frog. Those things are completely solid and hard as rocks. So I ate my Scottish tablet instead and read A Daughter of Fair Verona–which was exceptionally fun. Okay, so London…
It’s an amazing city. We’re all big fans. Last fall my brother and SIL went on a quest for the best hot chocolate in the city. Their quest looked amazing. I remember fervently thinking as the pictures came through via text, “Why am I not in London right now?”
Quests are an important part of folklore. Quests are an important part of a hero’s journey. Quests are also a way to bond with your people. A quest means we are embarking on a common goal. Quests can push people out of their comfort zones: I’m going to new places and trying new things that I normally wouldn’t.
And quests can be as big or as small as you need them to be. We tried four different cups of hot chocolate in London: Knoops (not pictured), Dark Sugars, Chin Chin Labs, and Italian Bear Chocolate. All of them were delicious. All of them rival the best cup of hot chocolate in the world: Angelina’s of Paris. The photo below is from our 2017 trip.
All of the cocoa we had in London was delicious. Dark Sugars was the winner for me (great flavor, exciting/inventive presentation), but my son loved Chin Chin Labs (the homemade scoop of marshmallow cream was definitely something to write home about). My daughter loved the customization of Knoops. She’s a fan of bitter chocolate. At home, she’s been known to mix unsweetened cocoa powder into her herbal tea. Art imitating life and life imitating art right there. She loved that she could get a cup that was all chocolate and no sugar at Knoops.
One thing we could all agree on, was that we’d hit our limit at Italian Bear. I highly recommend a visit. The ambiance alone is worth the trip. The cocoa was delicious and decadent, and had we known it was going to be so intense, we would have ordered the smallest cups of chocolate possible.
Lesson learned. It was around this point in our quest where I decided that I was good on sugar for the rest of the month. My birthday was the day after we completed our quest, but I told everyone I was good. I did not need or want a Mr. Wiggles cake. Mr. Wiggles and I have spent a birthday breakfast together before… Here he is on my birthday in 2023.
Definitely some history there… Alas, poor, Wiggles. I knew him, Horatio.
And while I’d like to say no caterpillar cakes were harmed on this trip to London, Marks and Spencer makes Colin the Caterpillar Mini Cakes that I happened to buy and we happened to eat at Kew Gardens. So in totality, five caterpillar cakes were offed on this trip, and they were delicious.
Quests are fun, and you don’t need to travel some place special to embark on one. Mr. Trent and our youngest have been questing for years to find the best milkshake in Boulder County. We know other friends who undertake mac n’ cheese quests, burger quests, and pizza quests. I’ve even heard of fruit quests; so healthier options are available.
This morning I asked Mr. Trent if he could go anywhere or do anything this weekend, what it would be. He said if he could, he’d go to Kyoto and visit the snow monkeys. “You?” he asked. Ordinarily I can rattle off many places I want to go and many things I want to eat, but I’m still full/content from our last trip. I did say I wouldn’t mind _planning_ the next one.
This is the video my brother shared before his trip that inspired our London hot cocoa quests. Maybe it will get you started planning your own. Maybe you already have started a quest this year. Tell me about it! I want to know. Oh, and walking around the West End and Soho to find the Italian Bear, was a treat unto itself. So many incredibly photogenic pastry shops there…
