Jenni Ajderian

(originally published by EdinburghExchanges blog)           Freshly-rested and a little over-stuffed after Christmas, we're all back in Aix to knuckle down and try to pass an exam or two. I'm sure I'll get round to writing about them soon, when I'm not actually doing them, and when my hesitant daily excursions into the outside world stop providing me with such interesting things to see.      One of I'm sure many unannounced public art installations, Joséph Donten's simply-named 'Arbres Cours Mirabeau' certainly brightens up the street now the twinkly lights of Noël are gone. It's as if the trees have become incredibly tall, incredibly chic French fashionistas declaring that Polkadot is, very much, in. Though with my anglo-eyes I can't help being reminded of Pudsey Bear.      With January comes sales, and if you add to that a love of Franglais and sensationalism in shop-fronts, you get something like this. A phenomeno...

     There's an advent tradition here in Provence that was entirely unknown to me until a few days ago when I picked up a leaflet in town about Saint Barbe and Le Blé de l'Espérance . Today, the 4th of December, is Saint Barbe's day, and many Provencial people will have bought wheat seeds from street vendors to plant in her honour.      Sainte Barbe was around in Lebanon in the 3rd century, and according to various highly respected sources accessible via Google, was either locked in a tower to keep her away from troublesome leanings towards Christianity, or locked herself in there to get out of marrying some Prince. Either way, she managed to sneak a priest in, who gave her a good baptising, saved her soul, and really annoyed her dad.      You know how it goes with these saints: once they've sworn their faith aloud, they get a get-out-of-death-free pass, though sometimes this isn't such a blessing. Every time they re-swear their faith, God...

     Well, perhaps not strictly free, I'm yet to ask the owners' permission...      I've mentioned before the abundance of weird and wonderful fruit growing around Aix- while at home we're surrounded by blackberries and maybe the occasional sloe, the South of France's climate and soil mean the local flora are just about as strange and foreign as the University system.           First up is the humble fig. These are a long way off being ripe, but I always check them anyway on my way into Uni. The tree is in someone's garden but hangs over onto the road quite a bit, and, as my good friend Steph pointed out, for some reason smells like coconut. Both this and all the chestnut trees around make me a little nostalgic of my days as a Wwoofeuse near Alès.      I think these are walnuts, although I don't have my Kernel Identification badge so my quick Google search will have to suffice for now. The...

     So here we are in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, one of the most popular tourist destinations in France. People come here for the ample sunlight, proximity to the beach and, in part, for the food, so I thought it right to look at some of the local delicacies.        First stop is the Sunday market next to the Palais de Justice en centre-ville, where I think much of my student loan might end up going this year. Sundried tomatoes are a nice pretentious snack anywhere in the world, but the French (and the Italians, I think) don't seem to drown them in oil like we do back home. These dried tomatoes are fine for putting in salads or eating with some equally pretentious hummus, as well as just munching while walking around the rest of the market. The taste is like sundried tomatoes you may have had before, but even more tangy and naked of all that oil.    I didn't go for these in the end, but it's an odd little way to sell garl...

     Unfortunately, I'm not Scottish, and neither am I overly familiar with whisky. I am, however, a fan of Cranachan, a Scots pudding that involves cream, raspberries, oats and honey, and of course a nip of wonderful Scots whisky. I devised this recipe from a basic cheesecake we once made at school (can't beat a bit of food tech sometimes) with the aforementioned ingredients snuck in. 175g oaty biscuits (hobnobs or own-brand equivalent), crushed 50g butter 2tb honey 200ml creme fraiche 200g cottage cheese 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla essence 3 tb whisky (or more to taste, you cheeky thing) small handful of raspberries      It's best to use a loose-based cake tin for this, otherwise it could be pretty difficult to excavate the cheesecake. Melt the butter and take off the heat before mixing in your runny honey and those crushed biscuits . This should hold together, but you can play with the exact consistency by adding more oats for a cri...

     It's rare you have the excuse to throw a really all-out dinner party, so when it comes up it's important to do it right. I came across a recipe for gin sorbet on another wonderful blog, Domestic Sluttery , which used a mythical being named 'squeezable glucose', but this works perfectly well without, and was probably the most stand-out course with my twenty-year-old taste-testers... 175g sugar, plus extra to serve 350ml water 100ml gin lime rind in strips shot glasses to serve (about fourteen) (picture stolen, quite unprofessionally, from bridalsnob.tumblr.com. Mine were gone long before I considered snapping a picture) Quite simply, boil your water and throw in the sugar and lime rind, turn down the heat and simmer while stirring until this thickens up a little. Take off the heat and remove the lime rind (careful now) and allow this to cool a little before adding the precious precious gin. Leave this to cool completely before pouring into a tub and s...

Searching for a spot to take a celebratory Afternoon Tea in Edinburgh, we eschewed the high ceilings and tartan of the Balmoral for being predictable and a little bit pompous. Other places looked lovely, velvety and plush, but a smidge out of our way and not quite interesting enough in their menu choices. Then we found it. The words leap from the website like excited bubbles. “… with Summer Tea Punch – Hendrick’s gin, pressed lemon, pink grapefruit & summer berry organic tea syrup” Don’t get me wrong- I’m aware the idea of drinking alongside one’s Afternoon Tea is by no means a new one. Most other establishments will offer you a Champagne Afternoon Tea for a *gulp* extra charge, and supply you with a spindly glass of something expensive and fizzy, but this sounded all the more interesting and, well, involves gin, which is never a bad thing. At the base of a swish hotel, Tigerlily has turned a great expanse of restaurant space into a series of interconnected rooms; here busi...