Summer Deliciousness

Hello hello! It’s a hot minute since I last wrote, as my previous Substack post was derailed a few weeks ago when my daughter was hospitalised for scarlet fever. Yes, I know this sounds like a Victorian disease straight out of a Dickens novel. Turns out it is yet another infectious childhood illness I’d never heard of that runs riot in early years and scathes young children. It took a few weeks for us all to recover from the ordeal but thankfully she is back to her usual singing, cheery self and I have stopped waking up every couple of hours through the night to check on her. Our stint in hospital deepened my longstanding appreciation for modern antibiotics, Ms Rachel and take out pizza from Proud Mary (I highly recommend the Cavolo Crescendo).

It’s a cliche but health crises really do bring life into sharp focus and re-organise priorities. I’ve purposefully taken on less paid work over the last few years to meet the demands of early motherhood and that’s often felt quite stressful as its had a marked financial impact on our family. But I was so grateful when my daughter was ill that I didn’t have to worry about what a boss might say and could just take the best part of two weeks off to look after her. I came back to work just as everyone seemed to have slowed down or signed off for summer and that was also quite revelatory. As a freelancer, it’s not something I usually do, even though I’m always preaching to others about the value of taking regular breaks. But I have felt inspired to this summer, sitting with the realisation that the time passes quicker when we are rushed and busy, and that this year, I wanted to savour it. And with that in mind – and inspired by the wonderful writer Alice Vincent’s brilliant Substack – here are some things I’ve been savouring of late.

1. Ice cold watermelon, sliced into large triangles. I don’t know the science of it but there is nothing more disappointing in life than a small piece of warm, mottled watermelon. This is a fruit that needs to be served freshly crisp, firmly chilled and, for me, in enormous chunks. It just hits the right spot that way and I started writing this article with a plate at my desk. I am buying watermelon every few days at the moment and my friend Farideh Sadeghin has great tips for what to look for when buying one.

2. Clover Stroud’s Substack. If you are anything like me, you subscribe to a lot of Substacks. But how many do you actually read? Clover is a journalist and memoirist whose books I adore and her Substack On the Way Life Feels is like having an intimate conversation with a good friend. She poses questions, often the ones many of us are grappling with in our own lives, and answers them with such authentic inquisitiveness and honesty. I love how she explores how messy life can be and her wisdom makes me feel both seen and held.

3. Tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, flaky salt. I’ve never quite understood the American obsession with a tomato sandwich in summer, slathering a fragrant and juicy tomato in mayonnaise seems sacrilegious to me. I don’t want the natural sweetness of the tomato masked behind gloopy mayo, I want it to shine. So copious amounts of olive oil and a decent flakey salt like Maldon are the key for me. Add some toasted sourdough, maybe a hunk of feta or a couple of anchovies = bliss.

4. Soaking up Iranian culture through books, documentaries and films. There is no getting around it, the situation in Iran is deteriorating by the day as the intense US bombing of civilian infrastructure continues. It’s as heartbreaking as it is depressing and I feel so sad for my family and friends there. As a way of processing, I’ve found myself drawn to Iranian stories. The novel The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali is a beautiful story about the power of female friendship across generations, the movie adaptation of Persepolis by the late, great, Marjane Satrapi, is a poignant and moving exploration of exile and the BBC documentary Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran’s Ultimate Party is a wild exposition of how ego and money can bring down anyone, eventually.

   

5. A vibrant new travel cookbook. I’m not sure if we’ll get a trip to the Med this summer as we are still embroiled in the drama of trying to move house (why is UK house buying so long and complicated?) but I’ve been able to travel vicariously through Ozlem Warren’s brilliant new book Istanbul which celebrates the incredible cuisine of one of my favourite cities in the world. Think glorious summer mezze, rich lamb and eggplant stews, kofte, dumplings and endless yoghurt dishes. It’s simply a wonderful cookbook.

6. A Taste of Georgia in London. I had a great meal at Daka Daka recently, a newly opened Georgian restaurant in Mayfair. It’s elegant enough for Mayfair but the food still feels generous, soulful and deeply comforting. Come for the incredible nigvziani badrijani (aubergines stuffed with walnuts and herbs — so good I asked for an extra serving to take home), umami-rich girolle mushroom khinkali, light as air gougères made with Georgian cheese and perfectly braised chicken mopped up with fresh flatbreads from the oven.

7. Drunk Elephant Daytime Exhibit Morning Kit. I rarely spend any money on fancy skincare but this kit, which is on offer from Boots is a wonderful way to sample the cult Drunk Elephant brand. The face cream is super hydrating, the eye cream absorbs so easily and, quite frankly, looks super cute. Is it profound? No. Has the tiny, brightly coloured packaging cheered me up every morning? Absolutely.

   
   And on that very moisturised note, that’s it from me for now. Hope you enjoy the weeks ahead, eat the good tomatoes, linger in the grass, read something absorbing and resist the urge to turn every spare hour into something productive.

   Wishing you a slow and delicious summer, see you in September

   Yasmin x