Crumbs to Crunch

One of the sadder moments of living abroad is when you realise that Guy Fawkes Night is pretty much an exclusively British event. I'd been complaining about the lack of fireworks when I heard of the Taimatsu Akashi, or the Sukagawa Fire Festival, which takes place a mere week after Bonfire Night. In 1589, the castle of Sukagawa was burnt to the ground by Date Masamune. Now every year the people of Sukagawa commemorate the loss of life by building 7 feet tall pillars and setting them on fire. It's an amazing sight- the fires look incredible and frightening, but the locals seem fairly relaxed about the huge fire they start every year in the town centre. This year, the weather was not kind. It was completely bucketing it down. Although we got completely soaked to the bone (as part of our grim determination to not put up an umbrella and block the view of the people behind us), the Samegawans cheerfully informed us that the rain was a good thing as it causes the fires t...

We are firmly in autumn territory now, and so it's time for some autumn baking! Here at Crumbs to Crunch, we've already been bowled over by autumn in England and Scotland , but there's nothing quite like autumn in Japan. It's one of the most beautiful times of year to see the country, and people come in their hordes to see the stunning autumn trees. I was lucky to explore the colours in Nihonmatsu, a city in Fukushima prefecture. In Nihonmatsu they have a yearly chrysanthemum doll festival, during which local gardeners grow the beautiful flowers onto the bodies of historical figures. After looking round the fantastic displays, we climbed to the top of the hill where the remains of Nihonmatsu castle are. It was a spectacular walk, with some of the finest trees that I have ever seen. After a slightly blustery day, nothing is better than going home and chowing down on some cookies. I decided to give my cookies an autumnal twist. Persimmons are the autum...

Whether you eat to live or live to eat (probably the latter if you're reading this blog), we are all guilty of finding a mouldy packet in the fridge and tossing it into the bin. Now I don't want to give you a big lecture but as I was watching Hugh's War on Waste  yesterday, I was horrified that: a third of food in Britain is not eaten even though 13 million Brits are struggling with food bills. Surely most of you will agree that this is pretty shocking. The reason for this bad state of affairs is the fact that supermarkets have strict cosmetic guidelines on the produce they sell. That's why farmers end up with mountains of decent veg which not only threaten their livelihoods but also highlight how ridiculous the situation is.  However, it would be unfair to point the finger solely at supermarkets. These guidelines exists because the consumers (that means us) either want to buy 'pretty' vegetables or have not informed supermarkets that w...

Autumn is upon us once again. Last year Crumbs to Crunch was delighted by the autumnal colours of Winkworth Arboretum . This year I witnessed this gorgeous season at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh . It is hard to believe that this 70 acre haven is nestled in a city. What's more, it's free so everyone can enjoy the jewels of Autumn. As I wandered through the gardens, I passed through Scottish heathland, a peaceful Chinese water garden and towering trees from North America. They were all lovely but the trees stole the show with their vibrant yellows, reds and oranges. The glasshouses are also well worth a visit. For a small fee, I toured the Victorian greenhouses to see many wonders from delicate orchids to sinister Venus Fly traps.  No day out is complete without a trip to the tea rooms! I sampled a gorgeous double chocolate shortbread slice. Scotland is the home of shortbread after all and it did not disappoint! Whilst sipping my Lady Grey tea...