Sophisticated Trailer Park Treats

Bless my flatmate and the fact that she doesn’t cook. Over the past two years I’ve managed to take over our small kitchen without a peep of a complaint from her. As a result you can now find my cooking gear stuffed into every nook and cranny of my kitchen.

Due to the small size I’ve had to improvise. Non-perishable foods often sit in the space behind my living room couch waiting to be rotated into the game. A sneak peak in my wardrobe might also discover cake pans lined up like toy soldiers next to handbags.


This week I must have been reaching maximum saturation because when I opened my 1 cupboard (yes, only 1) I nearly got a shiner from a jar of peanut butter ricocheting onto me. It's not surprising really, it's like Kirstie Alley (post Jenny Craig) and a wet suit, at somepoint - somethings going to give.

The peanut butter incident was the catalyst for me to clear out some of the items in my cupboard that have been just taking up space and not getting any love for quite a few months now.

First and foremost to the chopping block was a large bag of jumbo marshmallows I’d smuggled into the UK in preparation for Thanksgiving - thinking (incorrectly) that I might make those sickly sweet yams covered in marshmallows. Having opted for a more savoury approach I still had the bag sitting unopened. Now I know that marshmallows have a shelf span of about 145 years, but still - I was imagining a much more sensible item I might be able to replace it with.

Somewhat limited for time and options, I decided on quintessential Americana – Rice Crispy Treats. This 1980's 'snap, crackle, pop' snack was to be found at every school bake sale and birthday party. They were eaten after games of ‘capture the flag,’ at cast parties, and after too many hours outside on the ‘slip 'n slide’. They require no effort, no skill in the kitchen, and cost basically nothing to make.


If I was going to make something so simple and W.T. then I knew I was going to have to gussy it up a bit, kinda like finding a Mercedes at the Trailer Park.

Pretty tasty in the end, I added dried sour cherries and toasted coconut to the rice crispy treats and then drizzeled the whole lot with artisinal dark chocolate.

Rice Crispy Treats with Cherries, Coconut, & Chocolate

50 grams (1/2 stick) butter
1 large package marshmallows
7 cups of rice crispies
1/2 cup dried sour cherries (optional)
1/2 cup dried sweetened coconut - toasted (optional)
3 oz dark chocolate (melted for drizzling)


1. Melt butter in large microwave safe bowl

2. Add marshmallows and coat with butter, place back in microwave for another 90 seconds - stir until melted and mixed completely

3. Add rice crispies, cherries, dried coconut

4. Place in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan and press down


5. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate

All things Sacred

I love my neighbourhood in London. It’s a 45 second walk from the Piccadilly line, has a Waitrose grocery store 5 minutes away, and Upper Street with all of it’s cute boutiques, fun bars and restaurants is just a short walk down the Holloway Road.

However, it can’t be denied that my immediate neighbourhood is slightly dodgy. My building is surrounding on one side by a counsel estate and another by the borough of Islington’s refuse and recycling centre. Spattered nearby is a “Tennessee Fried Chicken”, an assortment of kebab shops, and an exorbitant amount of stores selling Tupperware, mops and stale candy (together).

The fairly recent influx of a Tesco Express has been a nice touch for picking up the basic grocery essentials. However, the neighbourhood still has a ways to go to change it’s ghetto-fied image.

There are a number of retail spaces in my flat complex that they’ve been trying to fill in the 2 years I’ve lived here. To start I think most retailers weren’t as impressed with the neighbourhood as the property owners had hoped. That combined with our current economic situation (in the gutter) meant that it was going to be a while before anything opened up in the retail space in my building.

I’m going to make a wager that they’ve negotiated some sort of free rent for the first few months, but regardless - a new café has just opened in my building. And like the name “Sacred” it really is a gift from above.

Sacred Café has an outpost on Carnaby Street and as soon as I walked in it was love at first sight.

The interior is cool, with religious icons, interesting black and white portraits, and some curious kitsch (a monkey on a surfboard?) splattering their walls. They carry a basic brunch menu like free range scrambled eggs, spring onion and feta cheese on wholemeal toast or a paté of the day with toast and caramelised red onion chutney. They also bake some of their pastries, and on that first visit I decided to sit in with my coffee instead of taking it away – just so I could spend 15 minutes in the sweet scented bliss of butter and sugar coming out of their kitchen.

With the credit crunch in full effect it will be hard to justify the Sacred jaunts when my own stocked kitchen is literally next door – but it’s fantastic as a treat or when friends come visit. Plus it’s such a great addition to the neighbourhood.

With its cool vibe and friendly wait staff it’s just the love that this forgotten spot on Holloway Road needs.