This is the Life is Sweet cook book from the glorious retro sweet shopHope and Greenwood.
I used to live near to the actual shop in East Dulwich and am very fond of it for that reason- as well as sugary, sticky, brightly coloured reasons!
The book offers lots of recipes for proper sweets- something you actually don't see very often I don't find- unless I have been looking in the wrong places!
My favourite confectionery of all is a rose or violet cream- and Hope and Greenwood's are one of my preferred boxes both for what's on the outside and what's on the inside (although really I don't discriminate on the basis of box- only taste!).
I have a rather strange love for vintage cardboard boxes and the sound they make when you open and close them. This is going to sound utterly crazy but I find the very gently closing of the hard cardboard of old stocking boxes, or new Laduree boxes incredibly relaxing and soothing- and the H&G rose and violet creams makes a similarly satisfying sound. The old box I have from last Christmas is currently making a lovely home for some of my perfume samples- and I enjoy opening and closing it very much, mad lady that I am.
you're a woman after my own heart...the cardboard box thing and their sound...ace!
ReplyDeletei just started a perfume blog you may want to take a peek x
Have you ever had a Brora gift box? Or a Bloch ballerina box? They both use magnets - a deep, subtle but distinct 'umpf' when the lid snatches back on the box body. Very therapeutic.
ReplyDeleteNow there's another something to add to the "must try when there" list. Believe it or not, I've never had a violet creme, but I am ready to try. :) :)
ReplyDeleteI love saving nifty boxes; have a fair number of special thingies in special boxes. Including perfume samples. :)
I have just discovered your blog and am very much enjoying it! Violet and rose creams are a real favourite of mine too. You've also given me a super idea for where to store all the perfume/cosmetic samples I have lying around. I may have to buy some Laduree macaroons now (purely for the box ;) )
ReplyDeleteHi FuturePrimitive- it's a great sound isn't it! I certainly shall pop over
ReplyDeleteHi MM- no but these both sound like boxes that make sounds I would love. How very intriguing
Scentscelf- I think if you like rose flavoured things you will like violet creams, the flavour is a bit fuller than rose but similar- and delicious of course! Yes I love to put all kinds of things in pretty boxes- it feels so wrong just to get rid of them when they are little works of art in themselves
Hi Skirmishofwit- I'm very glad you found me and you are a fellow R&V cream fan- they are truly the best chocolates of all- in my humber opinion. Buy the macaroons- if you like the rose creams you will love the rose ones and you will have a great box. Only problem is once you have tasted the macaroons you won't be able to stop thinking about them.
Nice to know you're a fellow South-Londoner. I do love rose and violet creams from Hope and Greenwood. And you're totally right about that most satisfying sound of closing the boxes.
ReplyDeleteI keep my old chocolate boxes for business cards and hair pins! xx
Reading these kind of posts reminds me of just how technology truly is omnipresent in this day and age, and I am fairly confident when I say that we have passed the point of no return in our relationship with technology.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside... I just hope that as memory gets less expensive, the possibility of uploading our memories onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's one of the things I really wish I could encounter in my lifetime.
(Posted by Nintendo DS running [url=http://kwstar88.livejournal.com/491.html]R4i[/url] HomeBrow)