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#with a side of lime italian ice

bokutosmochi · 1 year

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ONLY YOU, DARLING ♡ SUKUNA RYOMEN

trueform!sukuna ryomen x gn!reader

ingredients? the whispers behind your back concerning your relationship with the king of curses never ceased.

what's it? comfort. angst/fluff

allergen warning/s? brief mentions of death/killing (this is sukuna guys, c'mon)

sugar level? 1.2k

regulars? @hanayanetwork @tokyometronetwork @tahonet

parlor's note? i'm such a sucker for cute shit and this is just another proof of that.

bon appetit!

you were quiet today.

that was the thought that lingered in his mind for quite a few hours now, like a fly stuck in a spiderweb, unmoving, never escaping.

there were times where you went quiet, yes, whether that be because you didn't feel like talking, were in deep in thought, or perhaps even the complete opposite -- you weren't thinking of anything at all. but this sort of quiet is uncharacteristic of you. one, you never simply sat wordlessly for hours upon end, and two, you always had stories to tell him whenever you visited the village he - and by extension, you - ruled over whether they are about the most mundane things that could ever be, like how the bakery's pasties smelled exceptionally fresh, how the green leaves of the trees were turning to a shade of orange, or how there were big puddles that were begging to be stomped on around the farmer's market, how some younger curses apparently had the same thought as you because splash on the puddles they did. but that was not the case today and needless to say, it worried him.

you just sat on the large, lavish sofa in the living room of your palace, staring off into space with a frown on your face, and if that wasn't alarming enough, when he laid down and set his head on your lap - he swears it's only to see how you would react and not at all because he liked it and found it oddly comforting - you did not move to look down on his face and grace him with that lovesick gaze you always do. hell, you didn't even start running your fingers through his wavy cotton candy hair like you always did. but it's not like he wanted you to do so anyway.

sukuna, bless his heart, really, wanted to do something, but he did not know how to comfort someone. it wasn't exactly something he normally does so he was just beside himself, thinking of ways he could approach the situation.

he lifted you up from your seat to set you down on his lap and had all four of his arms encircle your waist, only to be unable to think of the right words to say.

he wrapped his arms around your frame while you cooked dinner for the two of you, bending down at the waist just so he'd be able to bury his face by the crook of your neck, but for some reason, the words failed to escape his mouth.

he brushed his teeth while you took your nightly shower, leaning on the counter, ready to strike up a conversation, yet did not find himself actually doing so.

it was only when you were about to sleep that his voice box finally worked.

you didn't cuddle into his warm, marked up chest when the time to go to sleep came. instead, you turned away from him and snuggled further down into the thick fluffy material that covered your lavish bed. that was something you did when you first moved in with him, the moment he asked you why you did that, you expressed that it was because you weren't used to such expensive-feeling blankets and covers, but now that you've grown accustomed to it over time, you clung onto sukuna most of the time. the only exceptions were the nights you fought, but even then, when night turned to day, your face was always smooshed into his chest. and besides that, you didn't fight very often so he wasn't used to this. as a result, something in him snapped. "what has been bugging you, my love?"

it made you jolt though it was said softly. you were just lost in your head for the nth time that day. it felt like you were on autopilot and the way you responded shown that. "nothing."

all of a sudden, you felt a hand on your waist, pulling you so you'd be laying on your other side, so you'd be facing him instead of the large windows. "we both know that's not true. tell me, darling, what has been making you so blue?" his hand remained on your waist, but his blood red eyes were trained on you. you couldn't take the pressure of eye contact, especially right now, so you looked down instead. "jus' something i heard from the villagers earlier, 'kuna. 's no big deal."

"but it is." he pressed further, one of his hands were on your cheek now, smoothing the skin with his thumb, careful not to scar the skin with his sharp nails. "if it bothers you this much, it matters. what did they say to make you this upset?"

poor girl/boy, do they actually think lord sukuna would change his ways for them?

it's a pity indeed. they are not aware of his evil.

it's the same recipe every time yet they are not enlightened of it. lord sukuna takes them to be bedroom and has them worship his body, pretend they are of utmost importance to him, then get rid of them when they are no longer deems them of use.

i know that lord sukuna is not engaged to any, yet i find that it is appropriate to call them just another glorified concubine.

"something about how i'm too naive to be with you. that you don't actually love me."

if you cast your gaze upon his face, then you would have seen the way he scowled.

"my love, do you believe them?"

you so desperately want to say no. that you are aware of how much he cherishes and adores you, but because of how many times you've heard variations of those words from the villagers, it is difficult to do so. he always makes sure to spend quality time together, he puts in a significant amount of effort into the relationship especially since he hasn't been in one like this before, and he always vocalizes his love for you, but you were just having a hard time mentally in the last couple of days.

"you believe them?"

if he had a heart, it would be breaking. his voice held nothing but the tone of sadness and disbelief. you couldn't get yourself to say anything though.

"my love, come near," he murmurs pulling you into his chest and laying down on his back so you would be on top of him. "there is nothing in this world that i love more than you. i would massacre villages for you, i would suffer the most violent of deaths for you, i would do anything you asked me to. and that is all because i love you." he wiped a tear that's trailing down the curve of your cheek.

"do you think i fall to my feet for just anyone?" you shook your head in response making him nod. "you'd be correct, my dear. only you, darling." he petted your hair the same way you do for him. "now go on and rest your head. tomorrow i am going to take you out to prove my loyalty to you."

i get: reblog

you get: sukuna nendoroid

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teaboot · 1 year

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One of the best parts about working at a sex shop is the employee discount, and yeah that means excellent deals on sex supplies but that's not the big brain part.

You come to my house. Something is cooking in the kitchen- it smells wonderful. What is it? It's novelty dick-shaped pasta. I've set up a sensual sexy Italian dinner. There are candles set up on the table. They're melting too fast, dripping everywhere- they're low temp waxplay pillar candles. For dessert, I serve you a delicious ice cream topped in penis-shaped rainbow confetti sprinkles and strawberry body paint drizzle, and afterwards, serve coffee with roasted hazelnut warming lube.

We play a board game while we drink. It's sexy monopoly. It's your turn. You roll the dice. They come up as 'whisper into' and 'butt'. I lost the original dice. We're using the sexy dice. You move four spaces.

After dinner, I run you a bath. A bubble bath. The bubble gel? Sensual ocean breeze. There are candles lined up around the tub. The scent is overpowering. Why? They're three-in-one fruit flavored massage oil candles. I'm using so much. It's so wasteful. Do you want to shave? I have conditioning shave cream that smells like limes. And an electric body razor, but you can't use that in the tub.

How about a bath bomb? You toss one in. It's cherry blossom scented. As it dissolves, three sexy bath sex suggestion cards fall out. They're all variations on doggy style, probably because fucking in a bathtub is probably the easiest way to break your hip.

The water cools. You get out an dry off with a novelty towel. If you wrap it around your chest, it looks like you have gigantic tatas bursting through the fabric like the Hulk.

You walk into the bedroom. I'm there, reading an instructional book titled "The Housewife's Guide To Every Day Stripping". I'm wearing a neck pillow designed to look like a massive curved weiner. Also a pair of fake leather bondage leggings and an oversized men's christmas T-shirt that says "Jingle My Bells" across the front.

I see you come in. I put down the book, take off the pillow. Offer you a massage. You accept. I already burned up all the massage candles so I pop a new bottle of CBD massage oil that says something wrong about Chakras on it. It's very gritty. That's because there's little chunks of amethyst in it for some fucking reason. It's fine, though. You say you don't mind.

I don't do massages very often. It's bad. You end up more tense than before. One of your muscles starts to cramp- it's okay. I whip out a bottle of Lidocane topical masculine performance numbing spray. You immediately feel like your shoulder went to the dentist. It's not ideal, but it's better than cramping.

You're not in the mood to bone after that. Which is good, cause I'm actually pretty asexual, but it hasn't come up yet so I'm relieved to avoid the conversation. Instead we get ready for bed. (The weather is terrible, and I insist you stay over.) I set up the futon, then realize it smells like cigarettes from the previous owner and shyly ask if you wanna cuddle in my room. You're down.

I crawl under the covers, placing my penis-shaped pink glitter pride bottle on the side table in case one of us wakes up thirsty. Once you're settled in, I turn off the glowing bare ass night light and the room goes black.

It takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust, but when they do, you look up at the ceiling. It's dotted all over with little green flourescent lights. Are they plastic stars? No. I've pinned up a thousand glow in the dark condoms. God bless

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missroki · 4 months

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WELCOME TO THE COOK BOOK (MUTUALS LIST!)

listed down below are all of my beloved mutuals. even if we don’t talk often, i see you and i love you! you pop up on my dash and my day gets just a little bit better. a lot of these recipes came directly from the person they’re linked to while others are based on how I perceive you. if you’re missing from the list, let me know! sorin.

AALI — strawberry danish with a custard filling

NEESIE — brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal

LORELEI — apple pie with a scoop of vanilla icecream

DIVI — the vanilla ice cream on the side of lorelei’s pie

MELLO — hot chocolate fudge ice cream bar

LOLLY — blackberry cheesecake with a graham cracker crust

NARA — chocolatey brownies with a deep coffee taste

SPONGE — vanilla sponge cake (of course)

SUKI — multi-tier princess cake with pearls

OAK — iced cinnamon rolls

V — peach crisp parfait pops

MASIE — caramel icecream

BRIA — strawberry shortcake with whipped cream

LUMI — peach cobbler

PARADIS — traditional italian tiramisu

LONI — ichigo daifuku

JADE — peppermint fudge squares

LILY — banana nut muffins

VENECIA — tres leches

TAY – juicy red candy apples

ELLIE — cinnamon rolls

VEGAS — key lime pie

CELLA — cinnamon banana bread

TALLULAH — rice and peas with oxtail gravy

DEJA — mom’s pot roast with garlic mashed potatoes

NIKKI — nigiri style sushi

SEL — bibimbap with gochujang-honey-sesame sauce

POOH — samp and beans

DUSA — spicy ramen with a fried egg and bean sprouts

BRI — lasagna

LUNA — classic chicken pot pie

MONTY — bulgogi rice bowl

SAINT — chicken club sandwich

KENDALL — caldo verde with a fresh loaf of bread

DEE — creamy chicken alfredo with broccol

MACARONI — mac n cheese (obviously!)

MARQUIE — classic pan seared potstickers

RHY — a turkey and swiss sandwich on rye bread (get it?)

JEN — jerk chicken and rice

CALLIE — sichuan chicken with broccoli and cabbage

ISLA — sushi

SAE — veggie rice noodle stir fry

ARI — lemon pasta with fish sauce and thai chili

VIOLET — mushroom risotto

#‧₊˚ ⏲️ ۫ ⭒ — navi.#‧₊˚ 🍳 ۫ ⭒ — cook book.#do not steal or copy my theme or graphics #best viewed in light mode

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icypippa · 1 year

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{ANTONIA GENTRY, 21, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER} Is that PHILIPPA “PIPPA” MORRISON-GRANT? A SOPHOMORE originally from MANHATTAN, NYC, they decided to come to Ogden College to study PRE-MED. They’re THE ICE QUEEN on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

CHARACTER INSPO — Paris Geller (Gilmore Girls), Isadora Vega (Court), Elsa (Frozen), Alyssa Chua (Heiress Apparently), Yuki (The Grimrose Girls), Queen Mina (Girls Made of Glass and Snow), Reina Mori (The Atlas Six), Michela Pratt (How to Get Away with Murder), Michel Gerard (Gilmore Girls), Raymod Holt (Brooklyn Nine Nine), Carolton Lassiter (Psych), Rosalie Hale (Twilight)

CURRENT SOUNDTRACK — Karma by Taylor Swift

CHARACTER STATS:

FULL NAME: Philippa Emily Morrison-Grant

NICKNAMES: Pippa

GENDER: Cis Woman

PRONOUNS: She/Her

MAJOR: Pre-med

MINOR: Art History

SEXUALITY: Bisexual Biromantic

BIRTHDAY & AGE: 5 March 2001 & 21

ZODIAC: Taurus

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English, French, Italian, Spanish

PHYSICAL:

FACECLAIM: Antonia Gentry

HAIR COLOR & STYLE: Brown with blonde highlights & typically worn down with her natural curls

EYE COLOR: Brown

GLASSES/CONTACTS: No/No

HEIGHT: 5'1"

TATTOOS: None PIERCINGS: Just ears

CLOTHING STYLE: A lot of neutral color colors or yellows and oranges; jeans or black pants with a tank and open sweater

USUAL EXPRESSION: Usually concentrating

SOCIABILITY: Would rather be alone or small groups than in larger groups

NSFW QUESTIONS FOR DRUG / ALCOHOL RELATED QUESTIONS

ADDICTIONS: None

DRUG USE: Social; weed occasionally

ALCOHOL USE: She pretends to drink (vodka tonic with lime) but she does not drink

PERSONALITY:

THREE POSITIVE TRAITS: Well-Rounded, Independent, Stable

THREE NEGATIVE TRAITS: Competitive, Unfriendly, Passive

THREE SKILLS: Very good at math, Can read people well, & Decent at forging signatures

HOBBIES/EXTRACIRRICULAR: Art (Painting) Equestrian (team), ballet, KKG VP of Recruitment

FAVORITES:

COLOUR: Yellow

MUSIC: Pop / Top 100

MOVIES: Art documentaries

SPORTS: Equestrian sports, cheerleading

BEVERAGE: Sprite

FOOD: Mashed potatoes

ANIMAL: Horses

ADDITIONAL INFO:

RELATIONSHIP TO GREER: Boiled down, their relationship should be easy to understand: cousins. But everyone knows that family is complicated to say the least—Greer and Pippa are no different. They were always fire and ice, polar opposites, two very different sides of the same coin. Being cousins and around the same age, Pippa and Greer were always shoved together at family events. Pippa never felt like she was out of place for being adopted into the Morrison family. Although Pippa always got along better with Greer’s younger sister, there was something about Greer that always seemed to irk her—possibly that her parents were always trying to get her to emulate Greer to a degree. Pippa was very much irritated by Greer’s more bubbly personality and ability to walk into a room and charm anyone she talked to. Since their parents threw them together, Pippa used it as an excuse to compete with her cousin. While she wasn’t always successful at besting Greer, Pippa was always right on Greer’s heels when it came to what she attempted. As a child, she never really cared about being compared to Greer, but as she grew older, she realized that she and Greer didn’t have anything in common, nor did Pippa really want them to. Pippa had always been slightly jealous of Greer’s sunshiny natures because Pippa was the opposite: quiet and cold. But Pippa could always see behind Greer’s friendly attitude and see the trouble that would cause later down the line. Pippa might have always seemed distant from people, but unlike Greer, she used that as a shield to keep people from getting too close to her. Greer was always someone Pippa used as an example of what not to do because in Pippa’s eyes, she knew that one day Greer would get hurt. Their relationship, like every family, was complicated and there were days that Pippa hated Greer, while there were other days when she felt sorry for her. Though family was family—and Pippa knew that Greer’s reputation had everything to do with her own. So she ruled with her iron fist and fear, while she let Greer charm her way. Sometimes picking up the pieces that her cousin dropped along the way. If Pippa wasn’t so critical and competitive of her cousin, the two might have made a good pair together.

PLEASE EXPAND ON HOW THEY EMBODY THEIR SKELETON TROPE. Pippa was raised under the idea that children should be seen, not heard. Her parents were strict with her, having a very specific idea of what children ought to be like. That isn’t to say her family was awful to her in any way, but they did have a very authoritarian way of raising her. For the most part, Pippa was an easy child. She followed in her mother’s footsteps, choosing to hold her emotions back unless very necessary because in her eyes, emotions were how people got in trouble. Pippa always saw the way people in her social circle spoke too: critical of everyone around her. As the adopted daughter of her parents, they were even more critical of her. Whatever she did would reflect on her parents and in turn reflect on the rest of her family, so Pippa has always tried to take anything people have said to her with a grain of salt, letting the hateful comments slide off her shoulders rather than get to her. If she ever showed how much people got to her, then she would have broken a long time ago. Despite the cold demeanor that Pippa has, she can be quite warm when she wants to be. Those that she trusts, know a different side of her: one that can be playful and fun. However, she does like to keep up the appearance that she is less glacial as she pretends to be. She is very cautious of what image she is projecting in the world, especially when it comes to anything she posts online. Pippa does not use social media as often as some people her age does and when she does, her feed is very curated. She does have private social media pages that are for her friends only and they show a slightly different side to her—one that is a bit more caring and fun-loving. Under all that ice, she is just someone who just wants to be liked, not for who her family is or how much money she has and because of this very few people know who she really is behind the thick walls that she’s put up to keep people out.

EXTRACURRICULARS: Cheer, Equestrian (member), Ballet, KKG (VP of Recruitment)

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

trigger warnings — death (first bullet point)

Philippa Grant was born to Augustus Grant and Cecelia Grant (nee Lloyd) on a rainy March 5th in Manhattan, NYC. Augustus was the CEO of an up and coming marketing and PR company that worked with a lot of publishing companies and the media. For the first year of Pippa's life, her father was healthy, but on her second birthday, he passed away from a rapid condition with his heart. After his death, all the shares of his company were signed over to Cecelia until Pippa turned twenty-five and could take over the company or sell it if she wished.

A year after her husband's death, Cecelia remarried. Sterling Morrison, for the most part, was a good step father and with it came even more money and social standing. He also came with more family. Both Cecelia and Augustus had been only children. Pippa had grown up with only grandparents and no cousins her own age until Sterling. She had never known her birth father and while Pippa had the photos of him, Sterling was her father. He officially adopted her at the age of five. They stated a family of three, despite efforts to have a second child.

The Morrison-Grant family was constantly in the social spotlight, which meant that Pippa grew up hearing about all her flaws. She knew her parents wanted the best for her and so she tried her best not to step out of line in order to make them proud. Pippa knew that people would always be critical of her and her mother. She heard constantly rumors about her mother and their place within the elite of New York City. Unlike some people, Pippa took all the rumors with grace; mean comments and rumors about her spread through New York like wildfire, yet she grew only managed to grow stronger each day. Nothing could phase her, no matter how awful the comment was.

Since she was constantly in the spotlight because of her family, Pippa knew the pressures of growing up in the Morrison family. Not only were her parents relying on her to keep the name in a positive light. It was never said out loud, but Pippa knew that her parents wanted her to sell the shares of Augustus's company and do something new, which is why she set the goal to become a doctor when she was still in high school. Her parents were thrilled and assumed that Pippa was happy with the choice, even if it was somewhat pressured by her parents.

Pippa attended a private school in New York, along side other socialites. School was something that Pippa always excelled at without much prompting from her parents. Being around books rather than other people—especially the ones that always seemed to spread rumors about her family—was more her style than socializing with other people. Pippa never felt excluded because of who her family was and it almost became something if she chose a person to be in her social circle. She created her own little social scene at school, mostly surrounding herself with people are driven and competitive as she was in academic and extracurricular activities at her school.

As much as Pippa wanted to immediately go off to college after graduating high school, her parents let her take a gap year before going to Ogden. Pippa doesn't talk much about her time in Europe, except for the public parts of it—the philanthropy that she publicly posted online. Even her real social media is devoid of any information about her trip. After her trip was over, Pippa was expected to join her cousins at Ogden, which she was happy to do. Ogden might not have been her first choice because of Greer, but it was a good college and she wanted only the best for herself if she was planning on going to medical school.

Freshman year at Ogden was mostly her trying to carve her own path aside from the one that Greer had already begun to create. There were people that thought because of her relationship to the golden girl, they could get close to Greer, but Pippa made it clear to everyone that she was her own person and that she wasn't the person to get close to in order to be around Gerer. In fact, Pippa's first year at Ogden was mostly dedicated to her academic pursuits. Money and legacy might have been the reason that she got into Ogden, but it would not be the reason she was remembered. Pippa may be a Morrison, however she is also a Grant.

HEADCANONS & VARIOUS FACTS:

No one ever calls her Philippa—she has always preferred to be called Pippa or Pip, but never Philippa

She is very bad about texting back and is always leaving people on read. Pippa prefers conversations that are face to face because she can get a read on the person she's talking to. Also her phone is rarely ever fully charged

Prior to her senior year in high school, Pippa was on the tennis team and her extracurriculars mirrored her cousins, other than ballet.

Pippa is never seen without a book, usually something kind of pretentious.

Her favorite artist is Degas

She has two dogs named Galahad and Arthur

The easiest way to get her mad is talk shit about the impressionist painters (especially Van Gogh)

Doctor Who is a guilty pleasure of hers (she will never admit this to anyone though)

She collects crystals and various rocks

She wears her birth father's class ring around her neck

OPEN CONNECTION:

Best Friend / this person has to be okay with never really knowing Pippa because she’s very secretive and doesn’t like to talk to anyone about her emotions. vibes—dancing around the room to taylor swift while studying, impromptu sleepovers, shopping trips in the middle of the week.

Melt the Ice / this person knew her before she came to Ogden, but after she became a Morrison; they try and rile her up and think she needs to let her icy exterior melt a little more and maybe, just maybe Pippa is a little less icy around this person. vibes—cheesy knock-knock jokes, vaguely friendly smiles, making funny faces at each other from across the room.

Hookups

Major and Minor Friends

Friends

CLOSED CONNECTIONS:

The Betrayer / they met freshman year and this person only ever used Pippa in order to get close to Greer; when Pippa found this out, she dropped them as a friend in a massive fight; be it friendship or formerly romantic, these two don’t talk often anymore. vibes—screaming matches, blocking each other on social media, glaring at each other from across the room. Taken by Link

Study Partner / Pippa isn’t stupid, but she isn’t smart either; this person wouldn’t exactly help her they just study together whenever Pippa needs to; it’s always on her terms and usually last minute when she really just needs someone to keep her on track. vibes—the scribbling of ink pens, whispered questions in the library, crumpled paper. Taken by Ollie

TASKS & MISC. LINKS:

Previous Intro

Musings

Previous Intro

Musings

PSD Credit

#intro .#about .#ogdenintro

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revcleo · 7 months

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hello! I'm here about the british jewish food week?

long post

Manchester’s best Jewish food has always been found at Friday night dinners, Shabbat lunches and catered events – prepared by home cooks, both Ashkenazi and Sephardi. For many Jewish Mancunians, their food is either understood through what you eat in your own home and the homes of others, or through well-kept communal secrets. Most have heard of the Hyman family, who operated butchers and delis in the past, but now focus on producing very good smoked salmon at The Manchester Smokehouse. And most know Estelle Shiers, a cake producer who doesn’t exist on the internet, and yet whose sponge and multi-coloured icing combo has appeared at all major birthdays. My own tastebuds didn’t learn what Jewish food is by visiting the city’s kosher restaurants, but by eating Rochel Yaffe’s challah, Sara Senior’s tahdig, Rene Hodari’s kibbeh and my grandmother’s chicken soup.

As the city with the second highest population of Jews in the UK (30,000, after London with 145,000), which grew by 12 per cent between 2011 and 2021, the Jewish food scene has been expanding and shifting in intriguing ways. Manchester’s Jews are split between a growing but small ultra-orthodox community, who mainly reside in the North Manchester neighbourhoods of Prestwich and Broughton Park, areas that have seen growth in the number of kosher restaurants, and the rest, living in North Manchester locales like Whitefield, as well as Cheadle, Hale Barns, Hale and Bowden in the south (the Sephardic community of Didsbury has almost entirely relocated to these suburbs). They vary in religiosity, from secular and pork-eating to traditional high-holiday shul-goers who keep kashrut, and at the other end of the spectrum, those who are more devout and eat only in kosher restaurants, if they go out at all. The majority of the rest will eat out at non-kosher establishments, avoiding non-kosher meat, or at least pork and seafood, and are probably more used to eating at Italian and Syrian restaurants than anywhere serving kosher food.

Manchester’s Jewish food is defined by the integration of Ashkenazi, Sephardic, international and quintessentially British food options. This is obvious at most grocery shops, butchers and delis, where you’ll find fridges displaying pickled herring, chrain, babaganoush, hummus, sweet and sour duck sauce, lime pickle, English mustard and tahini side by side. The process may have begun in 1985, when The New Jewish Cuisine by Manchester-born and -based cook Evelyn Rose was published and found itself in Jewish homes across the city, forming the basis of the peculiarly eclectic options offered by caterers: canapes included mini burgers, lamb koftas and spring rolls. This was the first time many of Manchester’s Ashkenazi Jews were taught how to cook versions of dishes like shakshuka, where the meat strudel was reinvented with Sephardic spices, and where chopped herring with cherry brandy could be found next to ‘Persian’ lamb shoulder stuffed with spiced risotto rice, spreading an unruly idea of how expansive Jewish food could be. If Manchester’s Jewish food has a vernacular identity, it is the way this formula transpires – distinctly – among each of its creators.

While some of Manchester’s Jewish restaurants have gone brazenly mishmash, others have focused on more specific elements of Jewish culinary heritage. This guide focuses on the institutions making consistently good quality products over the years, as well as some newer places that are contributing to the evolution of Manchester’s Jewish food story. Joel Hart

Key:

AH - Atar Hadari AS - Ari Steinberger JH - Joel Hart ST - Stewart Tray

Dovid’s Deli 31 Leicester Rd, Salford M7 4ASCholent prep

On Wednesday evenings, Dovid Weisz begins preparing two enormous cauldrons of cholent, which will begin cooking overnight. By opening time on Thursday, it will be ladled out into plastic tubs, through to Friday afternoon. This is the time to come to Dovid’s Deli, the most unapologetically Ashkenazi culinary institution left in Manchester. Now a relative rarity, very few of its products indicate either a Sephardic or Israeli influence. You can eat in on one of the two tables, but the takeaway-style service doesn’t change. Accompanying the cholent – a peppery russet-coloured beef and bean stew – is kishke, beef intestine casing stuffed with a blend of matzo meal, chicken fat, garlic and spices. The carb-fest doesn’t finish there, though, nor the shades of brown. There is also a superbly crunchy and onion-heavy latke and aYerushalmi kugel – egg noodles densely moulded into a circular cake and baked in sugar until caramelised throughout and singed on the outside. During a recent meal there, I also added a pickled cucumber to the plate, in the hope of providing my palate more balance, and a chicken pupik (stomach/gizzard), because I find it hard to resist offal.The Yerushalmi kugel

Throughout the meal, I’d heard many people excitedly requesting the “overnight”. Initially, I thought they were asking for cholent, but it soon became clear that it was the kugel, and that this dish may be what makes Dovid’s so celebrated. It’s cooked overnight until the potato sugars have melted. The caramelisation evenly percolates into itself, resulting in a flavour, texture and a shade of brown that I’ve never experienced before. JH

Food Bliss 34 Leicester Rd, Salford M7 4AR

The varieties of cholent on offer in Manchester are testament to the vibrancy of the city’s community. Across the road from Dovid’s Deli lies Food Bliss, referred to by those in the know as ‘Yoili’s’ after half of the dynamic duo who run the show (the other is his wife, Hitzel). While Dovid’s is a ‘sit, eat and take in the atmosphere’ place, Food Bliss is takeout only, where you can buy an array of Shabbos classics from hors d’oeuvres through to dessert. You will also discover outstanding cholent, rich and slightly smoky in flavour, in which you will have no trouble mining for gold (meat). Get to know. AS

Shul cholents Various

The drive for tochuses on seats has seen many shuls throw a weekly kiddush complete with herring and cholent. I have left no potato unturned in the quest for perfection and – with an honourable mention for Young Lubavitch – the best in the game is found at Ohel Sholom, 42 Broom Lane. A revolution in Manchester’s cholent-verse, the recipe and secret ingredient are so closely guarded that only the chef and the rabbi know exactly what goes in. The queues and fights for a bowl speak for themselves. This is a cholent that has absolutely everything going on: exotic spices finely balanced with the classic ingredients producing an overall delicious flavour, perfect consistency and crowned with a glorious double kishke that brings punters back week in week out. AS

JS on the Corner 27 Bury New Rd, Prestwich M25 9JY

The only kosher restaurants that have lasted multiple decades are Pagoda, a Chinese restaurant that added a sushi bar to its offering, and the JS, which never had a particularly good reputation. The growing orthodox community in Prestwich has been matched by a turn (by some) from Haredi insularity to a more modern-orthodox approach to faith, and the desire to eat out has been part of that progression. JS used to be dominated by Ashkenazi staples like liver and onions and latkes, but now, JS on the Corner, in its new location and form, is frequented for its burgers, hummus plates, and steak and ale pies. The original JS was replaced by Celia’s Kitchen, established by Celia Clyne, long celebrated as the best kosher caterer in the city, though the restaurant has not yet reached the same acclaim. JH

Brackman’s Bakery & Coffee Shop 43-45 Leicester Rd, Salford M7 4ASCheesecake and scone at Brackman’s

In this multicultural part of Salford to the north west of Manchester city centre, a strip of Leicester Road acts as a commercial and social centre for the Haredi Jewish community in Broughton Park. There are Caribbean and Polish delis in parallel streets of the neighbourhood, but this hub is exclusively lined with Jewish bakeries, butchers, grocery and crockery shops, and Brackman’s is its heart and meeting spot.

Devoid of rugelach or babka, the most Jewish thing in the bakery (apart from challah or bagels) is the cheesecake. It is rustic but utterly delicious, with a very well-judged balance between sweetness and lactic sourness. The scone is closer to a tea cake in texture, but studded with chocolate chips, and when toasted and spread with butter it is very good company for a hot drink. The star of the show is the eclair: the choux holds its texture brilliantly without being too hard, contrasting with the fresh, airy cream and a perfectly sugared glossy chocolate topping. JH

Shefa Mehadrin 21 Leicester Rd, Salford M7 4AS, 49-53 Bury New Rd, Prestwich M25 9JY; and in London: 225 Golders Green Rd, NW11 9ES and 9 Edgwarebury Lane, Edgware HA8 8LH

It’s pretty rare to find kosher shops operating in both London and Manchester, but Shefa Mehadrin has four branches: in Golders Green, Edgware, Prestwich and Salford (where I was born!). It does some similar stuff to Dovid’s Deli, a couple of doors down, but it’s more an in-and-out place. There’s nowhere to sit and fress but that’s not what this food is designed for – it gives you the staples you need for everyday eating. My tip is to get the beef soup with onions, which is delicious, and the battered haddock fillet, a recent discovery that might be the best thing I’ve ever bought from Shefa. There’s also a great variety of cold meats, salads (the Russian potato salad is a particular delight), but of course, you can get the staples of Shabbat dinner: chicken soup and kneidlach, and chopped liver. It does two kinds of cholent, meaty and parev: both are great, but I admit, I prefer the meat one! The staff are friendly and will chat about anything, even football (Trays are blue, never red). It’s not a flashy place, but sometimes that’s just what you need. ST

Coopers Let’s Fress Deli 70 Bury Old Rd, Whitefield/Prestwich M45 6TLAll the counter fillings, at Let’s Fress

The first thing to notice about Marc Cooper’s deli is the serious attention put into the counter. It is a largely Ashkenazi affair, but with some additional salads and tweaks, and it manages to make the food look healthy, against all odds. The cocktail of “chopped and boiled” and “chopped and fried,” otherwise known as gefilte fish and fish balls, come fully sweetened, sugar-free or gluten-free; the fish balls are very good, almost buñuelo-like in texture, and the gefilte fish tricked me into thinking I may actually like the dish. The takeaway offering reads like a greatest hits of Ashkenazi Jewish and British school canteen food – chopped liver, chicken soup, krupnik (barley soup), helzel stuffing, potato kugel, meat strudel, tzimmes, cholent, cottage pie, chicken tikka, sesame chicken goujons, meatballs in a chasseur sauce, sausage rolls, salt ‘n’ pepper tofu, lokshen pudding, fruit kichels, mixed kichels, bakewell tarts and Aunty Irene’s rocky road.

From Tuesday to Friday, you can get overstuffed deli sandwiches on traditional black bread with a choice of hot salt beef, brisket, chopped liver, smoked turkey, egg and onion, or smoked salmon, all served with coleslaw and pickles. Like everything else, the sandwiches are thoughtfully prepared and generously filled – and the brisket is particularly good. JH

Ta’am 5 Bury New Rd, Prestwich M25 9JZSpring rolls/hummus dip combo

The tastiest Glatt kosher food in Prestwich can be found at Ta’am, a restaurant built around the grill, spit and tandoor. Although the head chef greets you with the term “ahi” (the equivalent of “bro” in Hebrew), he is Iraqi-Kurdish and had previously learnt to cook Indian food, so they offer a range of curries, in addition to the focus on Mizrahi grill items.

If you’re not opting for grilled meat or shawarma in Ta’am’s freshly baked laffa from the tandoor, a hummus shawarma starter followed by a mixed grill is the best way to experience a wide variety of what’s available. The hummus is smooth and tahini-heavy, while the gently spiced, juicy shawarma made with pargiot (the thigh meat of a baby chicken) has enough char to pleasingly contrast with the hummus. Also worth ordering are the Moroccan cigars: essentially a spiced minced beef spring roll, but perfectly fried, with velvety tahini sauce. Apart from being a delicious thing to eat, their spicing makes them one of the dishes where you can really feel the Indian influence: it is these touches – another example is all mixed grills being served with sindoor-hued tandoori wings – that make the place unique. JH

State Fayre 77 Middleton Rd, Crumpsall M8 4JY, 83 Park Lane, Whitefield M45 7HL and 315 Hale Rd, Hale Barns, Altrincham WA15 8SS

State Fayre, a small kosher bakery and deli in Crumpsall, has become the gold standard of bagels in Manchester, ordered by Jewish and non-Jewish businesses alike (under new ownership, it has even recently crossed the north-south divide and taken over the Altrincham area’s only Jewish deli). Growing up, I had at least one for lunch every Sunday, spread with Samson Kosher cream cheese and then filled with Goldstein’s smoked salmon and a squeeze of lemon and cracked black pepper. A good New York-style bagel is about the balance of an exterior with bite and an interior combining chew and softness. State Fayre, which has another north Manc branch in Whitefield, achieves this perfectly. JH

Triple B 24 Bury New Rd, Prestwich M25 0LDA ‘sublime’ Reuben

After a few years of operating it as a catering business and food truck, the restaurant group Eat New York, which also owns the American-themed central Manchester bars Bunny Jacksons and Lost Cat, opened Triple B in 2020 on the same strip as Ta’am, a part of Bury New Road known for its kosher restaurants and shops. It is a New York-style salt beef and pastrami bagel joint, and in a bid to appeal to a broad clientele in the area, they fill their State Fayre bagels with halal meat. Fillings include salt beef, Reuben, cheeseburger and a vegetarian ‘little Italy’ with fried mozzarella, tomato sauce and gorgonzola mayo. The Reuben is sublime: sliced thick and heated on the plancha along with the bagel, the pastrami has a charred, sticky pepperiness on the outside, with the fat oozing into the melted Swiss cheese. There is just enough sauerkraut and Russian dressing to cut through. JH

Lulu’s Kitchen 41 Wilmslow Rd, Cheadle SK8 1DR, and Decathlon, 12 Georges Road, Heaton Norris, Stockport SK4 1DN

Opened by Lee Oehley, a South African Jewish ex-lawyer with infectious enthusiasm, Lulu’s Kitchen is a deli that serves only kosher products, but is unsupervised by the Beth Din. Cheadle does have a small Jewish population, but 70 per cent of the customers aren’t Jewish, including a significant proportion of Muslims who can keep kosher as easily as they can keep halal.Amba coronation chicken

Lunch options include chicken soup and a chopped-liver-esque mushroom pâté to begin, followed by (them again) State Fayre bagels or rye bread filled with smoked salmon, salt beef, rotisserie chicken, egg mayo or hummus. The former three fillings also come as the basis of the other main option: a “protein plate” popular among Oehley’s gym-going male customers, it’s served with an eclectic range of salads, including tabbouleh, turmeric-laced pickled cabbage, Moroccan carrot salad and a superb potato salad. It offers regular specials, which have included Durban curry and other South African dishes, as well as a tweak on coronation chicken made with homemade amba and apricots. The result is a delightful upgrade, with the sour notes providing an extra layer to the slight caramelisation of the rotisserie chicken and the sweetness of the fruit. JH

Mozzarella Kosher 5 King's Rd, Prestwich M25 0LE

Mozzarella is the heart of young kosher Manchester: a breakfast spot that also does wood oven-baked pizza and pasta all day, and where pan-fried king salmon with pesto is as racy as it gets. The mums meet here daytimes, their daughters go there after school, and occasional packs of boys pick up a slice. Pizza comes deep crust, wholemeal, gluten-free or the usual thin white, while pasta dishes are subtle, generous and taste good reheated at home. The best stuff here, though, is the breakfast: two eggs, tenderly fried, with plentiful mushrooms, baked beans in a pot, veggie sausages and a fresh baked panini, or Israeli breakfast with fresh chopped vegetable salad, or a mean and spicy tomato shakshuka. Most of all, it’s a lovely place to watch this closed world and listen to other people’s business. AH

Pagoda 1 Park Hill, Bury Old Rd, Prestwich M25 0FX

Manchester’s only kosher Chinese establishment used to be two rooms in Whitefield, with a tank of golden fish overseeing accountants conferring at tables too distant to be overheard. Now Pagoda is one room in the heart of Prestwich, where you sit close enough to hear young wives complain at their husbands, where fathers-in-law slip studious but impecunious grooms a few twenties after dinner, and where there always seems to be at least one birthday party with a single candle on a cake. But no goldfish.

The set menu dishes are the usual sauces over rice or noodles, but odd side dishes like fried seaweed are fresh and hand-chopped. The crispy duck has always kept me coming back – I run out of onions and cucumber for the pancake before I exhaust the duck. A new touch of glamour is the sushi bar at the front, reflecting new tastes, where fish is shaped before your eyes, made constantly and even tastes good a day later if you need a packed lunch for a work outing. This, despite the young wives, fathers-in-laws and birthday parties, may be where the business is heading. AH

The London Rugelach Index, by Adrienne Katz-Kennedy

A guide to London's Jewish bakeries via its smallest offering

Many Americans who have emigrated look back on the lack of self-awareness in their earliest experiences abroad with a thick glaze of embarrassment. When I think about my first impressions of British Jewish food, so do I. Since moving to the UK in 2006, I have been faced with the discomfort of my own assumptions about what it means to be Jewish, and how much of my identity exists in context and community. I remember my first trip to Golders Green in North London on a Friday afternoon, some 15 years ago, when I was struck by the assumptions I hadn’t realised I’d been making about the roles and presence of secular Jewish culture within the city; the places I wanted to visit were either closed or were closing for Shabbat. When I began looking for the secular food customs I knew from home – bakeries making their own bagels, the delis that would fill up on Sunday mornings, even the tradition of eating Chinese food at Christmas – I found myself at a loss for how exactly to recalibrate the Jewish American identity I had unknowingly carried with me within a Jewish-British context. What was Jewish British culture? I didn’t even really know what to look for. Take rugelach, for instance. The name rugelach comes from Yiddish, meaning ‘little twists’ or ‘rolled things’, referring to its shape. Its origins stem from a combination of Eastern European communities and pastries (kifli, kipferl, rogal, rogaliki…), all of which are small, crescent-shaped and, most often, laminated. Rugelach in the US, like a good portion of the American food system, exists because of the World Wars, the Great Depression and the rise of convenience foods that emerged from them. The yeast once present in rugelach was removed to save time and reduce the cost of labour, while cream cheese was added only because of the influence of Philadelphia post-Depression. (This is a staggering example of how powerful marketing can be – it managed to insert dairy into the cuisine of a culture prone to lactose intolerance.)

Yet rugelach in the UK is a different thing entirely. Across London there are nuances that depend on the bakery’s community, as well as the personal history of the individual baker. The most commonly found fillings are chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla, while most bakeries produce a yeast-enhanced, laminated dough, like the original Eastern Europe variations. The word ‘rugelach’ can sometimes mean different things in different bakeries: in some it signifies a shape and filling but can be as large as a croissant; in others, ordering ‘rugelach’ can simply refer to any miniature-sized pastry. Some bakeries offer ‘flaky rugelach’ made from unyeasted dough which is then rolled into spirals with fruit fillings. At others, the rugelach are so dense and squidgy with chocolate you’ll wonder if there’s any dough at all.

Unlike its sister, the babka, which has slipped into more mainstream baking culture in both the US and the UK, rugelach has yet to establish itself outside of Jewish bakeries, which makes it an ideal item to understand London’s Jewish bakery scene through. Just like spotting someone with a fresh ice cream cone gives clues as to the proximity of the vendor, so too does a Jewish bakery and its symbiotic relationship with an active community: bread is baked into weekly rituals of British Jewish life. While the late Jonathan Gold once touted the American Jewish deli as the establishment where secular Jewish folks went “to be Jewish” I would suggest that, at least in London, it’s the bakery which distinctively serves as both a hub and a mirror of the city’s Jewish communities, with the ability to touch every aspect of Jewish life whether secular or sacred. And with each bakery comes a separate thread, a tie into the people or personas that have built the business. Many of these now institutions come with a backstory richer than even their most chocolate-filled pastry – reason enough to cross the city for anothertaste.

The Methodology

During the course of eight weeks, I ate rugelach at over 30 bakeries, and narrowed down my criteria for what makes a great London version:

Traditional yeasted or laminated dough that is slightly crisp and flaky on the outside. Some bakeries use an outer glaze, others don’t. Both can be delicious.

A good amount of stretch while still being fully baked. I prefer a thinner laminated dough but thicker is fine too, although it is easier to underbake.

A distinctive filling you can taste, making the inside of the rugelach a bit squidgy and moist.

The pastry should make you feel a desire and satisfaction in peeling apart the dough when eating it. It is a visceral pleasure that comes from the twists-meets-stretch and cannot be understated.

An overview of London rugelach

There are as many bakeries in Stamford Hill as there are walking routes to shul, and this dense network mainly caters to the area’s close-knit Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities. The bakes here, however, are not conservative but instead exhibit the widest range of flavours, shapes and interpretations. Even the smallest bakeries offer chocolate rugelach, much to the delight of the groups of Orthodox schoolboys on bikes. At So Real on Oldhill Street, Jewish Stamford Hill’s epicentre, customers flow in and out in record time, each with a seemingly specific pastry in mind. Packs labelled ‘rugelach’ (both flaky and yeasted) offer a choice between plain or streusel and ground almond-topped. Filling choices range from the traditional chocolate and cinnamon to fruit-flavoured, and their yeasted cinnamon swirl with streusel and ground almonds is fantastic in its specificity without being too over the top. At the recently expanded branch of Grodzinski’s, you’ll find a solid example of chocolate rugelach – I only wish it sold individual flavours in addition (cinnamon and vanilla were only available in packs). I did spot on the shelves a ‘Grab a Kokosh’ with a crumble topping whose shape is similar to the American style of rugelach: roll one big log then sliced 3/4 of the way through to be broken off into individual pieces.Flaky rugelach at Indig’s

Some Stamford Hill bakeries are a bit less visible, or at least less public-facing, catering instead to businesses or for bar/bat mitzvahs, rather than individual customers. At Renbake Patisserie, on an industrial estate near the River Lea, you have to order through the office which overlooks the bakery, where thick catalogues detail the very many catering options. Staff were happy to sell me a box of whatever I fancied from the catalogue, which included three varieties of rugelach: vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon. Meanwhile at Woodberry Down Bakery, which sells wholesale to other local shops, I had to earn my chocolate rugelach with a bit of detective work to find the entrance (the doors are completely unmarked, save for signs indicating the work laws on Shabbat.) I’m told shopping from them in person is a move that has only traditionally been executed by Woodberry’s most loyal customers. But I’d happily do it again. Its distinctive filling, made with vanilla and coffee, creates a perfectly bittersweet and slightly boozy-tasting pastry.

Golders Green and Temple Fortune have become well-known for both Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, with restaurants, shops and bakeries serving a wide range of kosher foods from each diaspora. Here, though, the rugelach offerings remain quite traditional compared to Stamford Hill – a likely response to demand and the ability to have wider representation of Jewish foods, rather than deep-diving on one particular bake. At the galley kitchen-sized Parkway Patisserie (cash only) across the street from Golders Green station, exceptionally sticky chocolate rugelach come in packs of 12 (or you can buy one giant croissant-sized version, while at Coco’s, which serves largely Ashkenazic pastries and salad bar items, chocolate rugelach are bulbous, bigger than the size of a hand with outstretched fingers. Daniel’s Bakery was the first place where I overheard other customers referring to some of their other smaller pastries of a different shape as rugelach, which appears to be a London quirk. Yossi’s vanilla rugelach

The rugelach belt stretches further north to Hendon and then Edgware, where many of the newer Jewish communities have settled. Edgware is home to the unassuming Yossi’s Bakery, whose owner, Yossi Moses, has quietly become London’s kosher bakery king since acquiring ownership of Grodzinski’s and Carmelli’s. The vanilla rugelach, which comes with streusel on top, has thick pastry, with a slightly creamy, near eggy taste of lokshen kugel. Sharon’s Bakery has customers so loyal they’ll stop an inquisitive stranger on the street to tell them about their products. While I was contemplating that nearby Grodzinski’s had sold out of rugelach, a man told me to cross the street. Sharon’s was by far the best of all the large versions that I tried: soft and chewy on the inside with an intensely dark chocolate filling and nice lamination. Yummie’s in nearby Mill Hill, who have recently acquired the famed Shalom Hot Bagels in Gants Hill, meanwhile, serves as a community catch-all, offering kosher sweets and baked goods alongside imported South African and deli products. The chocolate rugelach comes topped with a hardened chocolate drizzle that pushes the experience closer towards confectionery.

For those who like a bit of electric energy with their pastry, the buzz on a Friday in Hendon Bagel Bakery is a thing to experience. The place is filled with men with kippahs and salt and pepper hair conducting friendly breakfast meetings between seven-foot-tall bakery carts stacked with challah. It’s the Jewish equivalent of a corn maze, with women pacing back and forth behind the bakery counter like a game of duck hunt, keeping the queue moving. When I inquired about rugelach flavours one of them rattled off a list of fillings: the standard chocolate and vanilla, cherry, pineapple and raisin. Like Daniel’s, many of the ‘rugelach’ suggested look like mini Danish instead of ‘little twists’.

Perhaps the place that summed up the appeal of rugelach and the role of Jewish bakeries more than anywhere else for me is King’s Bakery in Hampstead Garden Suburb. It’s not just that it’s family-run and discoverable only through word of mouth (no website) or that the grandfather-like owner takes it upon himself to interact with customers, oscillating between light teasing and generosity. It’s that this is the only bakery where I witnessed the same behaviour that I remember from my own childhood in America: a local, newly minted two-year-old, having stopped by with his mum to choose his birthday treat. Some things don’t translate, but this is universal.

The top 5:

5. Karma Bread

Family-run Karma Bread by the bottom of Hampstead Heath feels like its own organism, supported by the perfect local ecosystem, fed by co-owners and sisters Tami and Sacha (with regular appearances from their father, who leads the bakery’s annual menorah-shaped challah-lighting ritual during Chanukah). With enough chutzpah to open up just a few doors down from a Gail’s, Karma’s now-established microbiome includes a list of loyal customers, each with their own personality, dogs and bakery favourites, rendering the presence of Gail’s a total non-issue. Early on Friday morning there’s already a steady flow of locals, with rugelach, babkas and challah laid out in preparation for Shabbat orders. The rugelach are delicious: stretchy, chubby and squidgy with a thin layer of chocolate filling.

13 South End Rd, NW3 2PT

4. Carmelli Bagel Bakery The Carmelli’s trio

Carmelli’s is one of the bigger Jewish bakeries in London and has operated in Golders since 1987. Behind the counter are three trays filled with rugelach: cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate. Each comes with a bit of crumb-like streusel on top, a flaky coating and very light glaze. It’s one of just a few places making rugelach with streusel, which adds a nice textural variety. The cinnamon filling, coupled with the streusel, lends it an almost coffee cake flavour, while the vanilla has a darker golden caramelisation on its base. Chocolate has the most amount of filling of all three, with a distinctly bittersweet flavour.

All in all, an excellent place for the classics as each flavour held up.

126-128 Golders Green Rd, NW11 8HB

3. Bread. By Hendon

Hendon Bagel Bakery’s Temple Fortune outpost Bread has an Ottolenghi-like feel to it, featuring a line of freshly made salads, piled high in bowls and platters for a lunchtime crowd of families and women of varying ages meeting for a meal. Rugelach here are chocolate, cinnamon and, unusually, almond, which is the only time I’ve ever seen this option. They are the perfect size, puffed out like croissants but even softer inside, with a generous amount of filling. Both the chocolate and the almond have a slight outer crunch thanks to the glaze and a good amount of mud cake-like give inside. The almond rugelach’s paste brought to mind marzipan, which edges it as my favourite of the two.

1 Bridge Lane, Temple Fortune, NW11 0EA

2. Indigs Creme brûlée rugelach?

Indigs in Stamford Hill has the widest variety of pastries labelled ‘rugelach’ that you can get in London. Its vanilla version is one of my favourites, as the thick glaze which drips into a small skirt-like puddle solidifies while baking to form a crunchy caramelised crust reminiscent of the cap of a creme brûlée. Yeasted dough varieties also include chocolate and cinnamon as both pre-packed and pick-and-mix, all calculated by weight. Indigs is also one of the few bakeries to offer ‘flaky rugelach’ which is similar to the un-yeasted American style dough but without the cream cheese. This variation comes in several shapes, including the classic crescent and a spiral, with fillings of cherry, apricot and cinnamon among others. It seems to be a particular favourite of several employees, who individually comment on its taste. I picked up a pack of the cherry spirals and my kids revelled in pulling them apart spiral by spiral. This is my top choice for variety-meets-quality rugelach.

37 Oldhill St, N16 6LR

Margot Bakery

Sold only on Fridays, the rugelach at Margot in Finchley are a masterclass in size and lamination. Like all of its leavened pastries and breads, Margot’s rugelach are made using sourdough-enhanced croissant dough. When I finally (re)visited Margot I had already eaten rugelach from 28 bakeries, feeling much like a glaze-soaked, puffed up pastry myself. I would consider it a testament to just how good they are here that they have remained my overall favourite. They’re they most diminutive of all that I have sampled, but with the crispiest, flakiest pastry by a distance, each little nugget complete with shatteringly thin layers of dough and a filling whose glaze oozes out ever so slightly when you bite into it (I consciously take two bites for tasting’s sake, fighting the urge to pop the whole thing in my mouth in one go).

Margot’s rugelach are easy to overlook in favour of their gorgeous breads, flaky croissants and more substantial items, particularly the babka. But there’s something special about the size and evident restraint of these pastries and the ability to consume several in quick time. Although their famous chocolate babka is pillowy soft, with chocolate swirling through like a winding stream, given the choice, I’d go for rugelach every time.

121 East End Rd, N2 0SZ

In a class of its own

Rinkoff Bakery

Rinkoff is the oldest family-run Jewish bakery in the city. Since 1911, when Hyman Rinkoff, originally from Ukraine, opened this East London institution, it has been passed down from family member to family member. Its location under an archway in Oleary’s Square shows the bakery’s age; once a predominantly Jewish area, it’s now home to a variety of Bangladeshi and South Asian groups with an active Muslim community. Inside is a modest sandwich bar on one side, a bakery heaving with choice on the other. There’s friendly banter between the men and women behind the counters on opposite sides of the shop, while a steady flow of regulars come and go for breakfast sandwiches, bagels, challah, freshly made breads and an intensely chocolatey, squidgy babka. An illustration of Hyman Rinkoff and his perfectly kept handlebar moustache watches over proceedings some 112 years after he opened the place.

Rinkoff, which has a second branch that’s more of a deli on nearby Vallance Road called Rinkoffs, occupies this unranked placement since it recently made the decision to remove its daily rugelach while the recipe is reworked. Having eaten my fair share of dry rugelach over the course of this research, this action speaks to something much deeper than taste, reflecting a sense of deep care and integrity. I chat with Debs, one of the Rinkoff great-granddaughters, about the intangible feelings of community present in Jewish bakeries across the globe and how they can evoke such strong memories of her own grandparents in the bakery we’re standing in, through their scent or energy alone. This overlap of time, community and ritual drives bakers into the kitchen, customers into the queue and extends itself to the very crumbs of bread. The hamotzi (blessing over bread) feels implied whether or not it is ever uttered.

222-226 Jubilee St, E1 3BS, 79 Vallance Rd, E1 5BS

A guide to Jewish food in London

Fifty places to eat: delis, salt beef bars, restaurants, beigel/bagel shops and more

Vittles

2 Oct 2023

Key

AH – Andrew Humphrey AKK –Adrienne Katz Kennedy AV – Aaron Vallance BB – Ben Barsky BaB –Barclay Bram BR - Barnaby Raine FG- Feroz Gajia JB – Jesse Bernard JH – Joel Hart LG – Laura Goodman LT –Liz Tray MA - Montague Ashley-Craig MPS –Molly Pepper Steemson TMS –Tomé Morrissy-Swan TS – Tabitha Steemson TV - Tom Victor

A guide to Jewish food in London

Fifty places to eat: delis, salt beef bars, restaurants, beigel/bagel shops and more

Editors note: If you want to read a full guide to London’s Jewish bakeries, which are not included in this compilation, then please read The London Rugelach Index, by Adrienne Katz-Kennedy.

Delis and Shops

Shalom Hot Bagels Bakery Patisserie Delicatessen 35 Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill, Ilford, IG2 6UF

Shalom Hot Bagel Bakery sits on the side of a dual carriageway off one of the six points of Gants Hill roundabout in an overlooked part of Ilford in the Borough of Redbridge. In the 1970s, Redbridge hosted one of Europe’s largest Jewish populations (around 30,000) and was a microcosm of Jewish life, with kosher bakeries, butchers, restaurants, banks and schools. A thriving community still existed until the mid-2000s, when younger families began moving further out into Essex and beyond but also back to more central areas like Golders Green and Stamford Hill. Now, Shalom Hot Bagels and the Chabad Lubavitch centre, which sits across the roundabout, are the last bastions of the area’s Jewish community.

Shalom doesn’t look like much from the outside but inside it is a triple threat of a counter service (bakery! patisserie! deli!), where display cases are crammed with smoked turkey breast, four types of salmon (Canadian, best, oily and dry), fish balls, latkes, gefilte fish, herring, tubs of chicken matzo ball soup, potato salad (both skin-on and skinless varieties) and shelves piled with bagels, platzels, challah, rugelach and babka. There’s hand-painted signage, dry goods stacked against the wall and fridges filled with fresh pickled cucumbers. Essentially, Shalom is a more compact version of NYC’s Barney Greengrass or Russ & Daughters that – if it had been located in Manhattan – would have already hosted an Aimé Leon Dore photoshoot and welcomed droves of in-the-know tourists, eager to snap the aesthetic of the interior and their haul of nosh for the ’gram. MA

Deli 98 98 High Rd, N15 6JR

Deli 98 has been serving Ashkenazi-leaning kosher cuisine to the residents of Stamford Hill for the last eight years, during which it has built up a reputation for food that is ‘heimishe’, a Yiddish word meaning a sort of cross between comforting and familiar. It describes Deli 98’s offering well: a blend of deli sandwiches, traditional favourites like stuffed cabbage, all the kugels of the rainbow and a few kosher-inspired versions of other cuisines like Cantonese-ish sweet and sour chicken or pastrami pizza. Like many other Jewish delicatessens, there’s a significant market for take-home items, especially towards the end of the week, which is when 98 really shines. Highly sought-after items like herring and slow-cooked cholent are intentionally absent from shelves until Thursday, when the place buzzes until midnight with a familial energy that feels a little like standing around the deli table at a family reunion, noshing and kibitzing in equal measure.

Deli 98 may seem impenetrable to outsiders, but the manager, originally from Belgium, lights up the moment you ask him a question, offering up menu suggestions and history, pointing out his favourites or suggesting when is best to come to get an even wider choice. It also remains the only place I’ve visited in London that sufficiently meets the expectations set by my late father’s voracious-yet-discerning affection for Hebrew National hot dogs. I hereby officially withdraw my original statement that the UK was devoid of such a thing – this one even comes in an oversized challah bun. AKK

Reich’s 9-10 Princes Parade, Golders Green Rd, NW11 9PS

Reich’s, a small deli at the bottom of Golders Green Road, is named for Nachman Reich, a quiet and reserved man who is exactly what you might imagine if you were casting a Hasidic caterer. He has it all: the size, the beard and the heavily accented English. He’s also renowned for his extreme generosity and kindness, a communal legend who is very much a personification of the food he’s famous for: heavy, hearty, understated, soulful and heimish. Reich’s has been doing this heimish food for almost 40 years and has become the undisputed king of the North London kiddush – the reception after morning prayers. Here, you might find deli staples like salmon and salt beef, but they play second fiddle to the real stars – cholent, kishke and kugel – heavy, calorific and hearty food cooked overnight so it falls within the limitations of Sabbath observance. This is ‘low and slow’ before East London discovered it.

Growing up, nothing beat the excitement of knowing that you had the full-on fress of a Reich’s catered kiddush coming up. Even now, as an adult with broader horizons and a more developed palate, it still excites me: cholent, a stewy sludge of brown potatoes, beans, barley, brisket and marrow fat, and kugel, an oversized, tray baked rosti. If you can’t get invited to a Reich’s kiddush, go to the takeaway on a Thursday or early Friday (cholent and kugel just doesn’t taste right on other days of the week). Brace yourselves for queues and expect to be ignored by the harassed staff. You may well need to help yourself – that’s what I do because I’m no good at waiting. A bowl will set you back less than a fiver. You might be able to finish it. You’ll definitely need a lie-down. BB

Platters Deli 10 Hallswelle Parade, NW11 0DL

You may think that popping to Platters in Temple Fortune for your bagel accoutrements, just because it’s next door to Daniels Bakery, is an easy thing to do. And sure, it is. But the deli, which is heading into its 44th year of business, would stand very much on its own even if it didn’t have the perfect delivery system for its products just coincidentally sitting on the other side of the wall. If you’re veggie, get the egg and onion, or the cream cheese; if not, smoked salmon or chopped liver. You also need to buy the gefilte fish, both kinds (boiled and fried). The place is always briskly busy, with people shouting for what they need right now before the bagels stop being warm. (There is such a thing in my fam as the ‘bagel window’, aka the optimum couple of hours you get to eat Daniels’ not-quite-cooked bagels before they get cooler and harden, it’s a bit of a dance.) It’s worth braving the queues, especially at the weekends, because the staff move fast and are extremely nice. Get some latkes for the side. LT

Moshe’s Food & Deli 1097-1101 Finchley Rd, NW11 0QB

Moshe’s in Temple Fortune is the kind of shop that seemingly carries one of everything, as if it places orders based on a running community suggestion box. It’s kind of all here: kitsch, functional, modern living mixed with ancient Jewish traditions, a section to pick up Shabbos and yahrzeit (memorial) candles, a Passover-for-one ready meal, ‘Ma Nishtana pops’ in the frozen food section and a pickle section that would warm even the coldest Ashkenazic heart. It’s got a sushi bar. It’s got herring. It’s got pastries. It’s got an entire wall filled floor-to-ceiling with kosher wine and alcohol, a Tupperware and partyware section to match, and enough kosher sweets and pot noodle options to satisfy any child’s after-school needs.

Though clearly purpose-built to serve the kosher-keeping Jewish community, this is the kind of shop I’d imagine anyone would enjoy wandering through, stumbling across something they didn’t know they needed but now can’t live without, like the twirly Passover-themed straws complete with matzo or wine glass characters fixed to them (it’s customary to drink four glasses throughout the seder ritual) that I didn’t buy before the holiday started and have been regretting ever since. AKK

Kosher Kingdom 7 Russell Parade, Golders Green Rd, NW11 9NN If you are dismayed by single-use plastic, pre-sliced vegetables or dairy-free cheesecake, Kosher Kingdom is not your supermarket. If you can look past those hyphenations, it’s paradise (not to be confused with Kosher Paradise, another, smaller supermarket 0.8 miles away). At Europe’s largest kosher supermarket, you can witness an abundance of foods that came from scarcity, a cuisine born from the wisdom that adding schmaltz makes even the blandest ingredient moreish. Dishes that once took hours to cook are available in family-sized servings. Ingredients once acquired through scavenging are sliced and ready to eat. Dips and shmears once made from scraps in secret are piled high at endcaps. It is an unapologetic display of products invented by those told they had everything to apologise for and everything to hide.

When I visit, I usually fill my trolley in the aisle devoted to chicken soup accoutrements: bright yellow croutons (delicious) or chicken-flavoured soup mix (mostly MSG, also delicious). However, it’s the fridge, filled as it is with disgusting-delicious Ashkenazi delights – chopped liver, egg and onion, and gefilte fish – which fills my soul. I resist the urge to turn my nose up at Sushi Haven, Candy Corner or the Munch ‘n’ Crunchsalad bar. Their less-creatively named, non-Jewish siblings can all be found down the road at Finchley Road Sainsbury’s.

Kosher Kingdom is the 400m sq heart of London’s Jewish community: bountiful, generous, self-preserving and a little bit silly. At the height of the pandemic, it commissioned Stamford Hill singer Shloime Gertner to record a song. “Let’s stay safe and protect each other” boomed down the aisles of Kosher Kingdom for the best part of a year. No expense spared, the shop even re-recorded versions for Jewish holidays. As we learnt in Love Actually, nothing says festive remix like squeezing in an extra syllable to a line: “If the matzoaisle is busy, go to a different aisle…” TS

Panzer’s 13-19 Circus Rd, NW8 6PB Panzer’s Delicatessen in St John’s Wood is a sushi bar, greengrocer, wine merchant, coffee shop, falafel stall, bakery, brunch café and (although you’d be forgiven for forgetting this) deli. It is clean, bright, and still basking in the neon glow of its 2017 refurb. It’s not what it used to be, but this is a guide of what is, not what was. Panzer’s is now a New York-style culinary amusement park for the Jew-adjacent, selling the same retinue of products that line the shelves of every trendy deli in London, plus kiddush wine.

Things change; businesses diversify (see sushibar), industrial shelving is replaced by bespoke pine, prices rise (a loaf of challah now costs £5). Some things, however, don’t. Panzer’s bagel recipe is the same as it was when they opened in 1944 and the bagels are good. They’re £1.10 each (do not buy one toasted with butter for £3.80 + service). You can still get Baron’s New Green Cucumbers(£4.50, 75p more than at Shalom Hot Bagel), which are the best pickled cucumber a person can buy and, behind the illuminated signs and artfully arranged vegetable towers, tiny Jewish grandmothers are still asking shop assistants to fetch them disposable roasting trays from the jaunty tower on top of the freezer.

The ‘new’ Panzer’s is a terrible compromise between new and the old, Britain and America, Jews and gentiles. It’s a nightmare, but I love it. I can’t in good conscience recommend it, but I can’t stop going either. MPS

Beigel and Bagel Shops

The White One and The Yellow One Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane and Beigel Shop, 155 Brick Lane, E1 6SB

Traditions are all invented, but it is a general rule that the thinnest inventions – the plastic-coated “artefacts” – are the most invested in authenticity. So it is that two beigel shops sit next to each other in London’s Brick Lane. The yellow one, Beigel Shop, claims origins dating to 1855. The other (white, Beigel Bake) opened in 1974. And it is the older of the two that serves rainbow-coloured beigels and bacon. The white operation is bigger, fuller, more popular. The original sits in its shadow, and its menu looks less kosher (neither are). The shops owe their origins to family beef in the 1970s, when two Cohen brothers each wanted to prove they could do it best. Jonny trained his brother Asher, and Asher then took over the butcher’s next door and made it his own beigel shop. The food here is pronounced bye-gul, in Cockney fashion, but these Cohens were Israeli. They came to venerate the diasporic cultures that their state also sought to escape. The shops are a complicated testament to a world slightly lost.

The truth is that trying to evaluate either on quality misses the point. They are late-night luscious messiness, food made divine in vast quantities, made to be eaten through argument and gesticulation: they are the taste of this 24/7 agora of working-class Jewish immigrants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Today this is Banglatown, where another migrant community labours and loves and troubles the local Labour Party (in 1945, the Mile End constituency returned one of only two Communists ever sent to Parliament in Britain against Labour opposition: the anti-fascist Jewish organiser Phil Piratin). The endurance of these shops highlights the Jewish role in that dissident story of British multiculturalism. In Brick Lane, multiracial community gets forged not across class lines in one happy jamboree of tolerance, but through the sharing among the exhausted and exploited of a militant challenge to a racist country and its institutions of hierarchy. Avoid the white shop because two heirs to a German mafia dynasty, William and Kate, once went there for a photo op rolling beigels. BR

Editors note: We recommend watching the short film Beigels Already if you want to get a sense of the importance of the Brick Lane beigel shops to London beyond food (and also to see some of the most beautiful people ever filmed in a beigel shop)

The London bagel

I'm not here to wade into the waters of whether New York or Montreal bagels are better: that is a many-dimpled argument better fought by people bored enough to argue over the minutiae of boiling times and water types. London’s own bagel debate has many layers to it already. The storied history, the connection to the mythical postwar East End, the language debate that divides the beigel/bagel belts, their resurgence as a cheap, urban foodstuff of ubiquity and their current recontextualisation as a new-wave, mix-leavened, high-quality floured, TikTok-hyped product for pre- and post-gentrified areas to enjoy and fetishise for £13 a pop.

Anyway, many good versions of something can exist at once without needing to be compared. You won’t find jerk chicken, tuna pizza or plantain bagels in Montreal, just like spotting a white fish salad bagel at the yellow/white shops on Brick Lane would be unheard of. And of course, there’s a vast difference in styles of cured beef. In the case of the London bagel, its importance to the city’s Black communities as an anytime portable food has led it to lean towards the soft bready interior of a hardo loaf, with the sweetness more common to agege bread. Whether there is enough chew to remain a bagel is not of importance, its position as a point of sustenance remains. It’s just a shame that the best bagel in the city is – in texture, flavour, balance, toppings – Papo’s, a resolutely New York bagel. FG

The Happening Bagel Bakery 284a Seven Sisters Rd, N4 2AA

The Happening Bagel Bakery opened on Seven Sisters Road in 1994, although, personally, I don’t remember it happening. One day it wasn’t there, then, on another, it had already become one of the few remaining traditions in my family. I thought it was just a ritual only my family shared, as though the shop was built solely for our indulgence, but of course, anyone who’s ever bought the bread from there from ‘back in the day’ has their own special relationship with The Happening’s sweet challah, known across north London as ‘Finsbury Park Bread’.

The bread crosses my family’s generation divide. Perhaps challah’s closeness to Nigerian agege and Jamaican hard dough, in its dense texture and sweet taste, is why my parents were attracted to a bread not native to our own cultures. For my family, it’s bread as sustenance, something that binds us. It can serve as a light afternoon snack when laced with a layer of butter but, after a trip to the market to buy some fish, it becomes an even better accompaniment to the stew made hours later.

More than twenty-five years later, I still make the pilgrimage from Tottenham to Finsbury Park. I've been grandfathered into the role of chief buyer since I’m the family member who lives closest. Recently, I tried a bagel without buying the challah. Fear of disappointment had always prevented me from veering from tradition and to choose anything other than challah would be a flagrant family betrayal. Now I’m the bagel’s only advocate in a family of people who won’t hear otherwise. JB

Salt Beef Bars

B&K Salt Beef Bar 11 Lanson House, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, HA8 6NL and 353 Uxbridge Rd, Pinner, HA5 4JN

The original B&K, known as ‘The Shop’ to the members of the Georgiou family behind it, has been on a busy little bit of Edgware’s Whitchurch Lane since 1969 (with another branch in Pinner). Behind its counter is some of London’s best Jewish deli food: three types of pickles, salads, fish balls (gefilte fish in this chopped and deep-fried format is UK-specific), latkes, homemade apple strudel and lokshen pudding (think – if you must – bread and butter pudding but with vermicelli noodles), plus roast turkey and salt beef, ready to slice.

B&K’s Greek-Cypriot founder Bambos Georgiou was London salt beef royalty. During the 1960s he floated between three tiny but mighty Soho salt beef bars, all on Great Windmill Street (The Nosh Bar, Phil Rabin’s, Carroll’s), before helping open Selfridges’ The Brass Rail. Today the shop is run by his sons and grandsons. Each time you find yourself inside, it feels like a homecoming. When you walk in, the man behind the counter (it’s almost always a man, almost always a Georgiou man) will ask “how’s your luck?”, “how the devil are you?” (emphasis on the devil) or “how’s the family?” and you will feel known. You will feel your jaw unclench and your shoulders soften, even if you’re new. And if you are new, what should you do? It depends who you ask. My dad: salt beef on rye, latke, sweet and sour cucumber. My brother David: turkey and coleslaw on white, latke, new green cucumber, cup of tea. My daughter Zipporah: lokshen and kneidlach soup (chicken soup with matzo balls and noodles), a latke, and everyone else’s latkes, too. I’m the one bustling around trying to get people to split things with me so I can have all of the above. Extra fish balls for everyone. LG

The Brass Rail at Selfridges 300 Oxford St, W1A 1AB

Selfridges’ Foodhall began its life with the opening of The Brass Rail in 1966, a counter serving deli fare. Its success was thanks, in part, to salt-beef whisperer Bambos Georgiou, the founder of BK Salt Beef Bar, who was a member of the original team. Since then, it has remained one of the very few delis not to branch out into other cuisines from the Jewish diaspora. It’s also one of the rare places in central London you can reliably find multiple tables unapologetically chowing down on salt beef sandwiches at 10am, right when the shopping destination opens. Generally, folks who come in at this time do so with intention, ordering strategically and with a sense of urgency.

The prices are in line with everything else sold at Selfridges: sandwiches range from £10- 16. The Reuben, which sits at the higher end on the price scale, comes stuffed with salt beef, copious amounts of sauerkraut, gherkins and a pile of melted Swiss cheese, slathered with Russian dressing, all stuffed between two slices of soft marbled rye specked with caraway seeds. It is so rich that you can get away with ordering half a sandwich to satisfy your craving. The Brass Rail also sells chicken noodle soup with matzo balls but most people I know wouldn’t go to great lengths to eat it here when you could have slow-brined, thick-cut salt beef, draped like a weighted blanket over rye instead. AKK

Tongue and Brisket 24-26 Leather Lane, EC1N 7SU, 23 Goodge St, W1T 2PL and 199 Wardour St, W1F 8JP

So where does a south-of-the-river Jew get his Ashkenazi food fix? Yes, I could Northern Line it up to Golders Green or Edgware… but what a schlep! Thank goodness, then, for the Farringdon outpost of Tongue and Brisket, an offshoot from the new generation of B&K Salt Beef Bar’s Georgiou family. There are two other branches

The name leaves no ambiguity. Approaching the front window, you’ll find a man wielding a carving knife beside hulking slabs of tongue and fat-rippled home-cured brisket. The latter I know as ‘pickle meat’ (in Jewish Northerner vernacular) and here it comes thickly layered on a choice of receptacles: in a bagel with a latke; in an omelette with salad; with mustard on rye; or sandwiched Reuben-style with sauerkraut, pickle and Swiss cheese. You can stock up on other staples, too: chicken soup and chopped liver, latkes and lokshen pudding. But my heart (and coronaries) belong to its deep-fried gefilte fish, a uniquely British-Jewish dish, a legacy from London’s Portuguese and Spanish Sephardi immigrants. Here, the balls are featherlight thanks to a light-handedness with the matzo meal, and when dipped into chrain – that pungent condiment of beetroot and horseradish – it stirs the soul like nothing, except Grandma’s. AV

The Salt Beef Bar 2 Monkville Parade, NW11 0AL

In 31 years as a Londoner I’ve been on a salt beef odyssey. It started in childhood at Selfridges’ Foodhall, its New York-style sandwiches a reward for being dragged around Oxford Street. In my early teens I ventured east and Brick Lane (the White One) became my staple. I still go for the beigels occasionally, and recently had an epiphany: the queueless Yellow One tastes exactly the same. I went to Gaby’s in the West End only once and the owner flat-out refused to put mayo in my salt beef sandwich. In hindsight, that was fair.

Despite growing up a ten-minute drive away, The Salt Beef Bar in Temple Fortune arrived relatively late in my life, but it was love at first bite. This little four-table caff just off the North Circular is the deli of dreams. The sandwich may not have the glamorous, gargantuan heft of Katz’s, but the salt beef is tender, fatty, and much cheaper. I always order the same: kneidlach soup which challenges the notion that mum’s is always best; salt beef on rye (sometimes, admittedly, tongue instead) with plenty of mustard, a gherkin and a rugby ball-shaped latke. After that, I am always happy. TMS

Avrumie’s 6 Manor Parade Manor Rd, N16 5SG

Avrumie’s smoked meat shop and sandwich deli opened in spring over Purim, the holiday when the generally reserved Haredi community take to the streets in fancy dress and on flat-bed trucks for what the gawping media like to call a “rare glimpse” into their world. Avrumie’s has already found its place in Stamford Hill’s interlinked food and social community: when I was last there, folks were coming in to mark the recent passing of a well-loved rabbi with a vodka shot at the counter and a free casserole to take away.

Where Tasti Pizza is family-friendly, and Uri’s is popular with groups of women and girls, Avrumie’s is already a hit with a young male crowd, many of them working in the kosher phone shops (where the phones can only make calls), traditional men’s outfitters and other hyper-local businesses in the area. There’s plenty of banter. As everywhere, it’s mostly food to take away at Avrumie’s. There are two tables for eating in, more used at the end of the week when it serves cholent and kugel casseroles. The in-house cured and smoked meat is sold by weight and I over-ordered. My double sandwich, with multiple waves of its premium pastrami, brisket and tongue, was £15. Greedy, but it was superb. AH

Habiba’s 51 Fairfax Rd, NW6 4EL and 1179 Finchley Rd, NW11 0AA

I was first intrigued by Habiba’s on the basis that it was a kosher smokehouse with an Arabic name and an inkling that this was a unique reversal of the typical formula: Ashkenazi food cooked by Sephardim. Instead, Habiba’s represents the way Ashkenazi and Sephardi worlds are increasingly melding: Zev Igbi is the Moroccan-Russian chef and brainchild behind the business, while Habiba is the name of his Iraqi business partner’s grandmother.

The first branch is located at The Deli in West Hampstead on the Swiss Cottage border, where you can get a range of smoked meat sandwiches, with roast beef and roast turkey served cold, and beef pastrami, turkey pastrami and salt beef served hot. You then choose from rye bread, sourdough, black bread and bagels. The pastrami on rye with sweet-pickled cucumber and English mustard is a good sandwich, but don’t expect Katz’s-esque thick slabs. Instead, it is thinly sliced, which works fine for the pastrami and beef, but even better with the turkey, which, with its gentle smoking, is the surprising stand out. Latkes should be ordered on the side. JH

MiddleEastMediLevantia

Ottolenghi Multiple branches Rovi 59 Wells St, W1A 3AE Nopi 21-22 Warwick St, W1B 5NE

In a recent article for the Financial Times, Tim Hayward described Ottolenghi as an “instantly recognisable brand of transnational cuisine”. He argues that it began as a fusion of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African influences, but has now, according to Yotam Ottolenghi himself, evolved into a cuisine constructed out of parts of the world in which cumin, chilli and citrus are dominant flavourings. Hence, the geographical origins of the Ottolenghi alumni are far-reaching, and many of them are neither Jewish nor Arab.

An Ottolenghi menu, whether that’s at Nopi, Rovi or any of the Ottolenghi hybrid deli-restaurants, will inevitably contain at least a few of the initial nuclei of building blocks: sumac, za’atar, tahini, harissa, zhoug, urfa, baharat, dukkah, black lime. They were derived in part from Sami Tamimi’s Palestinian influence and in part from Yotam Ottolenghi’s experiences growing up in Jerusalem around the immigrant cuisines of Jews from Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Iran. Today, there will also be miso, sambal, yuzu kosho, gochujang, tamarind, curry leaf, and much more, but those core ingredients – which are today as easy to find in Waitrose as English mustard – formed the basis of a style of Modern Middle Eastern restaurant conceptualised, managed and popularised, at least in part, by both British Jews and Israeli Jews. JH

Honey & Co 54 Lamb’s Conduit St, WC1N 3LW

I remember my first visit to Honey & Co, back when it was little more than a front room in a Warren Street townhouse. What a contrast from dull London drizzle! Sky-blue Moroccan floor-tiling and a multicoloured parade of bakes heaving over a windowsill; a chocolate babka sweeping past, still warm in its tin, the sweet cinnamon aroma trailing just behind. Years have passed and the Israeli chef-owner couple – Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich – have gradually transformed Honey & Co into a London institution. When their landlord inhospitably forced them out in 2022, they upscaled the restaurant to larger, brighter premises, which feels a bit like when your beloved football team moves from its homely, ramshackle stadium to a sparkling new edifice.

Pangs of nostalgia are, however, tamed by the same warm welcome and brilliantly executed, seasonally-minded dishes, many drawn from Israel’s various communities. They like twists, so the Iraqi-Jewish dish of sabich swaps the customary boiled egg with fried and gets tang from a garlic chilli dressing instead of amba. Fried artichokes in the Roman/Jewish style are layered over ramson-leaf laced labneh and a ‘Claudia Roden orange almond cake’ (suitably and reverently name-checked) is paired with a fudgy chocolate sauce. Festivals are routinely honoured – Chanukah doughnuts filled with bergamot custard, Purim hamantaschen drizzled in white chocolate and a special iftar hamper during Ramadan – are illustrations that, around here, food is celebration. AV

Berber and Q 338 Acton Mews, E8 4EA Shawarma Bar 46 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE Carmel 23-25 Lonsdale Road, NW6 6RD

Berber and Q was co-founded by two Ottolenghi alumni who worked together at the Islington branch in 2010. Josh Katz, who is British-Jewish, was in the kitchen; Matthia Bianchi was advising on wine, having moved from Milan a few years earlier. They have expanded the group to include Shawarma Bar and the more recently opened Carmel, the former centred around cooking on a vertical spit rather than a grill and the latter anchored in the flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean. At the original restaurant, there is a heavy focus on fiery North African Jewish flavours: couscous, tajin, chermoula, as well as dishes rich with the umami powers of slow-cooked tomatoes and the smoky kiss of the grill. A chraimeh sauce done right is about as enticing as food gets for me, and they do it just so at Berber and Q. The Libyan-origin fish dish is ordinarily served as a first course in Friday night dinner, with the fish cooked inside the sauce, not separately on the grill. But a grill makes everything better, doesn’t it? JH

Bubala 65 Commercial St, E1 6BD Bubala Soho 15 Poland St, W1F 8QE

Helen Graham’s stint in the Ottolenghi development kitchen is clear in some of her dishes at Bubala – at the Soho branch, you can get baroque combinations of baba ganoush with curry leaf oil and pine nuts; Chinese cabbage, preserved lime and cardamom; along with some particularly magnificent pink firs, preserved lemon, miso and thyme. But as she was raised in London, her references actually began with trips to Sephardic/Mizrahi restaurants in Golders Green and her friend’s mother’s home-cooked Iranian food.

From the name, you might expect to find chopped liver and matzo ball soup, but Bubala is fully vegetarian and mostly a modern interpretation of a variety of Middle Eastern cuisines. At the original branch in Spitalfields, the signatures remain her hummus with burnt butter (an ingenious bit of double indulgence) and the whole-baked halloumi with nigella seed honey. You can even forgive Graham for putting a confit potato on the menu and calling it a latke. Why? Because it has a layered crunch that only the best latkes do – properly crisped and served straight out of bubbling oil. I sometimes make them at Chanukah and serve them Ashkenazi-style, with sour cream, but I could never reject serving them up as Graham does, with garlicky toum. JH

The Palomar 34 Rupert St, W1D 6DN

There are broadly two philosophies of Israeli cooking which have been brought to London: one eclectic and capacious (Jerusalem style), the other more heavily rooted in minimalism and distillation, which shuns dried spices and searches for the pure expression of an ingredient ( Tel Aviv style). Eyal Shani – who finally opened up shop with Miznon in London last year – represents the latter, while the former’s progenitors include Meir Adoni – who opened Nur in New York 2018, stimulating a growth in Modern Middle Eastern restaurants in that city – and Asif Granit, who first came to London with The Palomar, kickstarting a similar process.

The Palomar’s bricolage-style consisted of raw fish, slow-cooked and Josper-fired meats, all dressed with flavours from across the MENA region: cured lemon and harissa from North Africa; freekeh, labneh, tahini from the Levant, dried limes and pomegranate molasses from Iran. This style set Londoner’s palates alight, unknowingly setting a process in motion: an explosion in the opening of ‘Modern Middle Eastern’ restaurants. The ubiquity of this genre seemed to emerge in a flash, but unlike singular food trends that fluctuate in and out, these restaurants have changed the way Londoners cook and eat way beyond the style itself. JH

The Barbary16 Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DP Coal Office Coal Drops Yard, 2 Bagley Walk, N1C 4PQ

When The Palomar opened in London in 2014, much was made of how fun it was. From a surface glance, it appeared deeply cringe; loud music, tables squeezed too tightly and shots with the chefs. But it wasn’t channelling Ibiza, it was channelling Jerusalem. The fun was a by-product, part of the mercurial chaos of a dining scene that cut its teeth among so much complexity. It quickly became the hottest table in town.

From The Palomar came The Barbary, headed up by Eyal Jagermann, which refined the experience down to its essence: a multi-tiered grill, the chefs in the centre of a U-shaped bar and no reservations. Jagermann’s food spanned the Jewish diaspora; Iraqi amba on octopus that came via India, Egyptian dukkah on glazed salmon and Ashkenazi chicken livers. On some evenings you could put your name down soon after it opened at 5pm and only be seated after 9pm. But then if what had made The Palomar so successful when it first arrived on the scene was the way its frenetic energy juxtaposed with the staid food scene. Coal Office feels more contained, its architect styling (it’s in a partnership with Tom Dixon) imposing a reified air that feels coldly commercial. In three restaurants the group has gone from spontaneous chaos to something calculated and precise, which seems like an arc for the cuisine of sorts. BaB

Shawarma and Falafel – The New Jewish London

Grill on the Hill 7 Manor Parade, Manor Rd N16 5SG

The wider Stamford Hill food scene tends to reflect the origins of most of the locals via the milder Ashkenazi cuisine of Eastern Europe. But even here tastes change. Jonny opened Grill on the Hill in 2015 as the first kosher kebab shop in Stamford Hill and, for now, it remains the only local source of the ostentatious flavours of the Sephardic Jews of the Middle East and Mediterranean. There is nowhere else in London where you can get cholent on Thursdays while also getting chicken shawarma in a pita or laffa, and both with homemade hot sauces of amba, schug and hilbeh.

But the thing I crave more than anything else is the dish Jonny prepares every day except Friday and Saturday, when the place is closed for Shabbat: Yemenite soup is the slow-cooked cumin and turmeric-spiced beef and potato dish popular at Friday night dinner in some observant Jewish homes. You need three hours, a lot of beef marrow bones and a kosher kitchen designated for “meaty” cooking. The soup is usually ready by mid-to-late afternoon and belongs to the flexible and informal schedule that is another manifestation of the heimish principle of food in Stamford Hill. AH

Balady and Balady Alaesh

750 and 756 Finchley Rd, NW11 7TH Also: 60 High St, Barnet, EN5 5SJ, 121 St Pancras Way, NW1 0RD, 39-41 Leather Lane, EC1N 7UY and at JW3, 341-351 Finchley Rd, NW3 6ET

Ten years ago or so, the food served by the Sabbo brothers at Balady would have likely fallen under the jellyfish-like blob of an umbrella titled ‘Middle Eastern’ food. And while in many areas and circles it may still be described that way, it’s not so within the context of its community – its original location is a stone’s throw from other Jewish institutions like Moshe’s, a Naot shoe shop, and Bread by Hendon Bagel Bakery.

Balady serves kosher Mizrahi cuisine which reflects the brothers’ Israeli upbringing and Moroccan family heritage. The Finchley Road branch, which is vegetarian, includes falafel, sabich and thickly cut salty chips served with creamy tahini and spicy zhoug worthy of a special trip. A few doors down, Balady Alaesh, the name derived from Al Ha’esh, meaning ‘on the fire’, serves meat: a shawarma which arrives cast in a golden hue and a cloud of aromatics after its “day-or-two” soak in a spiced marinade, or the arais, a spread of soft and rich minced lamb accented by a shatteringly crisp grilled pita casing. The alchemy of textures and flavours created by creamy hummus, sumac dusted onions, pickles and a heavy helping of zingy grated carrot usually casts a magical appetite-extending spell over me. Despite my Ashkenazic inheritance of a wonky digestive system, I almost always manage to polish off one of Alaesh’s face-sized stuffed pitas. And yes, of course, there’s amba. AKK

Pockets (and The Pockets Queue) Closed for the summer, reopening in autumn

Of all the flexes, how about this: I went to Pockets when it was just a small falafel stand in a market in Oxford. Before the line, back when they did a mushroom pita. Then I left Oxford, and then a pandemic happened, and I started seeing people posting an oddly familiar pita on Instagram. Soon I found myself in Netil Market, back when you could go at peak lunchtime and only have to line up for a few minutes, but it just kept getting bigger. I asked owner Itamar Grinberg about what it must feel to stare out at so many expectant faces. He told me, “I feel a sort of pressure, sure, because I don’t want to just push out something fast, but I’m conscious to not let people dry out in the sun or get soaked on a rainy day. I want it to be perfect, I want that first bite to be good for everyone.”

Until recently, before it moved, I lived so close to Pockets that I could see when the line snaked outside Netil Market itself. When it reopens it will yet again be up there with London’s great queues: Wimbledon, the Queen’s funeral. Sometimes I manage to sneak in at the end of the day when the line is down to a few people (though often I go and find out the line is short only because the falafel is actually sold out beyond that point). It still tastes as good as the first time I had it. BaB

Sunny Hill Café The Pavillion, Sunny Hill Park, Watford Way, NW4 4XA

Writing about Sunny Hill Café gave me pause because I don’t want it to get swarmed. I mean, it’s a log cabin in a park. You couldn’t ever stumble upon it on a food crawl. Even the entrance is a little path you might drive past, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it turning off the A41 in Hendon, but it’s such a find. Exposing a hidden gem is a little dangerous, but when it’s food this good, it’s a public service. This Israeli-run café in Sunny Hill Park, which is not kosher, does the usual type of Middle Eastern cuisines (shakshuka, sabich, foul medames) that you can find all over north-west London, but it’s just that bit more well-made, plus the staff are lovely. If you’re eating meat, get one of the huge pita sandwiches – chicken thigh is the top choice. I get the original hummus, which is enough food even without adding any toppings, or the falafel mezze box. What makes Sunny Hill so special is that lethal combo of boisterous vibe, great service, good price point and kitchen skill. A park café just off the middle of a dual carriageway needs to be this good, and it is. LT

Pita 102 Golders Green Rd, NW11 8EN

This is a buzzy, next-level café and takeaway in Golders that does all the right things. You’ll find little better variety of Middle Eastern cuisines in the area, and believe me, there is plenty of competition (it ranks higher, imo, than Hummus Bar, Taboon, Sami's, maybe even Balady). I’m not usually the biggest fan of falafel, as it’s often proffered lazily at vegetarians to give us something, but its version instantly won me over. What can be a dry, boring dish is given bright-green life by the quality of the ingredients. Get the frankly gigantic falafel in laffa (better than pita), which gives you choice of up to a dozen toppings. If you’re carnivorous, my cousin reports that the chicken thigh or shawarma in laffa are the dishes you want. Do also get the Moroccan meat cigar (basically a beef spring roll) and double-cooked chips; they have great, slightly charred flavour and retain their composition well even after a Deliveroo journey. LT

The Kanteen Unit Z2, Brent Cross, Prince Charles Drive, NW4 3FD

Sometimes, it’s just nice to eat with your own group, y’know? Things that will happen to you at The Kanteen for sure: catching fragments of gossipy conversations at the next table (easily done, we’re a loud people); seeing someone you know (inevitable); receiving brusque service (ditto). This café is tucked away at the end of a hard-to-find corridor in Brent Cross Shopping Centre, of all places. It serves one of those curious kosher-place combinations of Israeli/Mizrahi, Italian, salads and a random pad Thai, but I would suggest you go for brunch and get a Melt, which is a giant toasted bagel with toppings that are often, but not always, melted, accompanied by super-fresh Israeli salad and pickles. I’m obsessed with them. I love the Greek: feta, black olives and za’atar. If you’re feeling opulent, order the Kanteen: a combo of mushrooms in sauce and melted cheese.

Also unmissable: as you walk in, look left and you’ll see an extremely large photo of Mel Brooks, King of the Jews, holding a bag of Kanteen’s bagels/challah; inexplicably, he’s wearing, a Man Utd (ugh) hat. It’s a little eccentric and always packed, but Kanteen is a scene. LT

Jewish Non-Jewish Food

Tony Page @ Island Grill Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TYTony Page (of Tony Page @ Island Grill and Tony Page Ltd.) is the luxury kosher caterer. Page made his name (and his fortune) on the simcha circuit (weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs) and has now become the exclusive kosher caterer of London’s hotel ballrooms. It only made sense that he would open a restaurant.

The Island Grill is the only high-end kosher restaurant in central London (not hard – there are only two central kosher establishments, and the other is Reubens). It’s popular among couples as the venue for a pre-wedding Shabbat dinner, not least because there’s nowhere else to go. Friday nights are his specialty. Attendees are serenaded with synagogue classics by the house acapella barbershop quartet (Orthodox Jews refrain from using instruments on Shabbat) as they tuck into their Friday night set menu (£140 per head). The rest of the week Page offers more traditional ‘grill’ fare. The ‘house burger’ costs £28. It’s an extra £3 if you want it with a fried egg. Vegan cheese or facon are free optional extras.

Page’s presence in the kitchen appears to depend entirely on the calibre of that evening’s reservations. If he’s in, he’ll stroll around the restaurant shaking hands. He notoriously never passes up the opportunity to introduce himself to young couples; making a beeline for any table with an engagement ring to ask whether or not they’ve sorted out the catering for their special day. TS & MPS

MilkPod 74b Stamford Hill, N16 6XS

This independent, Hasidic-owned coffee shop sits physically and metaphorically on the Stoke Newington hipster/Haredi border. There’s an attention to detail and modern design you don’t often see in Stamford Hill: branded takeaway bags and coasters (“I fancied MilkPod!”), while the young boss Alex Fogel has put his team in smart barista aprons with straps and pockets, offering a choice of coffee beans, roasts and blends. Like most people, I come for the five types of very good homemade cheesecake, pastries filled with vanilla pudding, apple turnovers and a strapping cheese danish. Even bigger, and usually shared between two or three ladies lunching, is MilkPod’s luxurious Viennese whirl the size of a serving plate.

Fogel has some plans to branch out beyond the culturally self-contained café society of Stamford Hill, but for now MilkPod’s customers are almost exclusively Haredi locals. You will not yet find MilkPod or any Hasidic food businesses on social media or online, although some do take orders via Ding, the kosher food delivery app. AH

Uri’s Pizza 4 Windus Rd, N16 6UP

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Inconspicuous side-street location, gender-segregated queues, mostly Yiddish spoken and an obvious Hasidic dress code. You might wonder if you can even go in. You can and you should. Uri’s staff are used to curious non-Hasidic customers. They get occasional walking tour groups and even had a brief flurry of so-called “foodie” interest last year when chef Whyte Rushen posted on Instagram that their pizza is “fucking banging”.

Although a vegetarian pizza shop, Uri’s lunch staple is a falafel pita stuffed with so many pickles and salads that you’ll need to fork it out of the bag. This is the heimish approach to food in Stamford Hill: generous, informal, and always made on the premises under kosher certification. I like my falafels plated up with hummus, pooled with olive oil or tahini, plus some extra tahini on the side and unlimited pita. Potato knishes are not on the formal menu, and I rarely see them in London, but there’s nearly always a fresh tray on Uri’s front counter. A dough parcel with a mashed potato filling sounds like a parody of Ashkenazi cuisine, but it’s so delicious, moreish and, yes, heimish. And the next cult menu item to break out onto Instagram must surely be the Hasidic-Italian mash-up that they call a calzone: a delicious savoury Danish pastry with cheese, tomato, onions and mushrooms. AH

Tasti Pizza 23 Amhurst Park, N16 5AA

Tasti Pizza is what family fast food looks like in a neighbourhood where families are big and life is child-centric (and lived mostly in Yiddish). There are always double buggy jams by the door, inside and outside; groups of teens snap selfies and food pics, but they are well-behaved and use approved kosher phones with restricted apps. At Tasti Pizza, a “milky” menu (no meat) comprises pizzas, chips, shakes, ice cream and salads. Plus some proper Ashkenazi treats like latkes, only £1.90 each but I always need two. Pizza toppings are only 30p on a £2.40 slice, and you can ask for your pizza base, pita or falafel to be made with high-fibre spelt, a common healthy option in kosher baking.

Unusually for Stamford Hill, Tasti Pizza opens on Saturdays: evenings only for some post-Shabbos socialising for grown-ups. A window flyer explains that the place has a specific community role as a designated tefillin stop, where, at specific times, religious Jewish men pray with tefillin, small strap-on leather boxes containing Torah verses. If you happen to be at Tasti Pizza or even just passing by, the owners have a set you can use. AH

Asado Mediterranean Grill 146 Clapton Common, E5 9AG

In London, the consumption of different cuisines is the more convenient way to engage with the culture of others. Unless you’re Glatt kosher: an extra standard of kashrut that only the most devout Jews abide by. Asado is an attempt to offer Stamford Hill’s Haredi community some kind of insight into the cuisines of other communities whose restaurants aren’t supervised by the Kessadia – the mishmash menu, curated by chefs Loui, Tarek and Mohamed, sees salt beef croquettes and ox tongue amongst beef tacos, duck pancakes, beef wellington and… jollof rice. The beef tacos are only tacos by name (they are served without any salsa or sense of Mexican spicing) but are pleasantly sweet. The rice is exactly what jollof would taste like without the existence of the scotch bonnet pepper. None of this is hitting gastronomic heights, but for anyone who grew up eating kosher lamb chops, the architecture of the cut may be redolent of midweek dinners. Ultimately, the appeal of a visit may lie in the fact that Asado is idiosyncratic in the true sense of the word; it is the kind of kosher restaurant that could only exist in this exact part of London. JH

Sushi Haven 98a Golders Green Rd, NW11 8EN

There are any number of superb East Asian restaurants (Tofu Vegan or Eat Tokyo) and supermarkets (Seoul Plaza) in Golders. But closest to my heart is the brilliantly creative Sushi Haven. What is it with Jews and sushi? I reckon it’s something about the similarity to our own raw and cured fish favourites: smoked salmon, gefilte, pickled herring. You can’t go to a simcha without falling over a sushi bar (its ability to work as a canapé is key), plus any cuisine that lets us shovel multiple pieces into our faces is a win. (I know someone who, with one friend, swears blind that they ate Sushi Haven’s medium platter: it’s 88 pieces.) As Sushi Haven is kosher, this removes any shellfish from the menu, which encourages thoughtful combinations. It has three locations inside kosher supermarkets: Habiba’s in Swiss Cottage (excellent challah, fyi), Hadar in Edgware and, in Golders, a corner inside the legendary Kosher Kingdom. But we get takeaways from its fourth location: a tiny counter shop just near GG station. I love the No Way José, with asparagus, avocado, chilli pepper, spring onion and sriracha, and the Magnificent: sweet potato with avocado, teriyaki sauce and ‘crunch’ (we think it’s crumbed batter). My cousin Hannah, a sushi devotee, swears by the Sweet Heart, with tuna, salmon and avocado; and the Kawasaki, with imitation crab and avocado. Also, there’s a sushi pizza I’ve not tried but know I must. LT

Novellino 103 Golders Green Rd, NW11 8EN

Got a particularly pious relative coming to town and want to take them somewhere you know they’ll be able to eat? This place on Golders Green Road is the answer. Don’t get confused by the fact that there are two Novellinos in very close proximity: dairy (meaning it serves veggie stuff and fish, but no chicken or red meat) and, on the next block, meaty (because kashrut rules mean you’re not allowed to mix the two). As with any kosher place, it costs a bit more because of all the rules around ingredients, kitchen inspections and so on. I’ve only been to the milchik (milky) one because it’s, obviously, more veg-friendly. A recurring theme is how many cuisines kosher places do and how huge the portions are, virtually American in size. The menu in Novellino manages to cover Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Israeli, but I prefer the vast salads: each has about a dozen ingredients that somehow work together (I dig the ‘Camembert’). It can get a bit disorganised when it’s full, but Novellino is always fun. LT

Met Su Yan 1-2 The Promenade, Edgwarebury Lane, HA8 7JZ and 134 Golders Green Rd, NW11 8HP

The relationship between Jews and Chinese food has been well-documented in the United States, from Seinfeld to Philip Roth. This is partly borne out of a marriage of convenience – a sit-down Chinese dinner can become a regular Christmas Day ritual in America for those who don’t celebrate but still desire a special meal when other restaurants are shut. In the article ‘Safe Treyf’, Gaye Tuchman and Harry G. Levine write that, “Chinese food could be adopted by rebellious Jews because the forbidden substances were so disguised that dishes did not reflexively repulse and so undermine their ability to rebel.”

A similar relationship exists for British Jews, although our relative scarcity means these habits have less cultural visibility. There are, however, two kosher Chinese restaurants in north London: Kaifeng in Hendon – named for the city with China’s oldest Jewish community (and written about in the next entry) – and Met Su Yan, which has two sites, Edgware and Golders Green. The latter branch could easily pass for a nondescript neighbourhood Chinese restaurant if not for the lamb ribs and minced chicken on sesame-studded toast. Its presence sets up something of a middle ground, allowing for the disparity of religiousness across a community large enough to allow for informal dining but small enough to ensure that faux pas can spread quickly; it can also preempt games of kosher chicken, where two Jews perfectly content to eat pork will convince one another they must visit one of those kosher Chinese restaurants for fear of the other judging them for being more laissez-faire. Perhaps in Met Su Yan, settling down for sesame chicken toast, there’s a chance to trick yourself into thinking you’re cheating just a little bit. TV

Kaifeng 51 Church Rd, NW4 4DU

Golders Green has had a significant East Asian presence since the 1970s, with the move of the Cantonese diaspora from the East End to north-west London suburbia mirroring the movement of Jews. Both communities opened restaurants. (The guy who co-founded Café Rouge once even opened a Jewish-Chinese restaurant in Golders called Cohen & Wong – sadly, it was not successful.) At the top of the tree, linking both communities, is Kaifeng in nearby Hendon, named after the region where Chinese Jews came from. They do a terrific job with the menu considering the dietary constraints (no treif, e.g. pork and prawn) and make a good effort for my sort (vegetarians). I love the five-spice bean curd and the broccoli Peking-style. Carnivore? You’ll want the quarter duck or sesame chicken toast to start, then more chicken: sweet and sour or with cashews. We once made a family trip on New Year’s Eve, which was total chaos: packed to the rafters with Orthodox Jews, their kids running around, excited to be up late, plates coming out by the hundred. We still talk about that meal, years later. LT

Non-Jewish Jewish Food

Nautilus 27-29 Fortune Green Rd, NW6 1DU

Nautilus in West Hampstead is best visited on a sunny afternoon. Get your fish and chips to go, grab a beer from the nearby Tesco and sit yourself down on a sunny patch of Fortune Green. The correct order is fish (haddock or cod) and chips. Do not deviate from the order. The mushy peas are average, the fish soup is bad. The fish and chips, however, are very good, and the fish is breaded in matzo meal, which makes it sound like it might be kosher. It is not kosher. What it is, is quintessentially British and uniquely Jewish, without telling you it’s either. MPS

Toff’s 38 Muswell Hill Broadway, N10 3RT

Fish and chips may not seem like the most obvious answer to the question, “What is Jewish food?” But – as noted in Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food – it was 16th-century Portuguese Marranos refugees who brought their fish-frying tradition to London. Fish “in the Jewish style” soon became embedded in the city’s food scene, appearing in seminal cookbooks by Hannah Glasse and Eliza Acton. Then, in 1860, with the close coexistence of Sephardi, Ashkenazi and Irish communities in the East End, a Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malin, opened the nation’s first fish-and-chip shop in Bow. The dish’s national icon status has been consolidated in recent decades as other diasporic communities, most notably Chinese and Greek-Cypriot, took up the mantle.

Toff’s in Muswell Hill has been run by Greek-Cypriot families since 1988, and in a nod to the dish’s heritage and the local Jewish community, there’s an option to have your fish fried in matzo meal, which lends a lighter, drier crust. Whether or not you choose to do that, you’ll find a crisp well-seasoned batter encasing meltingly soft flakes of fish, enjoyed by appreciative diners of all generations and backgrounds, jostling like sardines in this retro wood-panelled room.

Toff’s has additional resonance for me. I lived nearby during my medical finals, kindly hosted by a friend’s parents. They loved their food, and if they weren’t bringing back boxes crammed with aubergines or artichokes from Ridley Road market, it was a Toff’s takeout – a regular treat to get me through the exams. For me, Toff’s will always be a symbol of great generosity, as well as great fish. AV

Schnitzel Forever 119 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 0UD

Describing itself as “inspired by different interpretations of schnitzels from around the world,” should Schnitzel Forever be on a Jewish food list? Well, the food anthropologist Nir Avieli argues ‘schnitzel in pita’ is the one dish that encapsulates the essence of Israeli cuisine. While schnitzel will have been familiar to some of Britain’s largely Ashkenazi population (particularly those with heritage in Austria), its popularity there has meant circling back to British-Jewish diets, and pre-prepared kosher schnitzel that can be easily flung into the oven on a weeknight will be familiar to many Jewish Brits. Eating the glisteningly crisp chicken schnitzel there feels nostalgic. Okay, it is served with a herbaceous butter (breaking the kashrut requirement not to mix meat and poultry with milk products) and fresh herbs – breaking the unwritten rule of the Ashkenazi kitchen (not to make anything look too verdant) but no food item has quite such mutational qualities in today’s Jewish kitchen. JH

A guide to Jewish food in Manchester - from cholent to amba coronation chicken

The Shop - How one Cypriot family preserved the London Jewish deli

The London Rugelach Index - A guide to London’s Jewish bakeries

the rest is here:

#here's all the stuff behind paywall the rest you can go read for yourself

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surveysand · 10 months

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forty-three.

1. What’s the last thing you ate? onion rings.

2. What’s your favourite cheese? provolone.

3. What’s your favourite fish? salmon.

4. What’s your favourite fruit? peaches.

5. When, if ever, did you start liking olives? i hate olives, but i can tolerate black olives. i can only eat them if they're mixed/topped on something.

6. When, if ever, did you start liking beer? never. i hate beer.

7. When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? when i was younger. i don't remember ever not liking them.

8. What was the best thing your mum/dad/guardian used to make? my dad's mashed potatoes are to die for.

9. What’s the native specialty of your hometown? nothing, lol. we're not really known for anything.

10. What’s your comfort food? mashed potatoes.

11. What’s your favourite type of chocolate? milk.

12. How do you like your steak? medium rare or well. it depends on how i feel.

13. How do you like your burger? medium rare. topped with lettuce, onion, american cheese, ketchup, and mayo.

14. How do you like your eggs? sunny side up.

15. How do you like your potatoes? mashed.

16. How do you take your coffee? iced: caramel with cream and sugar.

17. How do you take your tea? i don't drink (warm) tea enough to know what i like in it.

18. What’s your favourite mug? i don't have one.

19. What’s your biscuit or cookie of choice? chocolate chip.

20. What’s your ideal breakfast? waffles, sausage links, hashbrowns, eggs, and some fruit. a glass of orange juice to drink.

21. What’s your ideal sandwich? turkey, provolone, lettuce, onion, and mayo. all on wheat.

22. What’s your ideal pizza: extra cheese, chicken, pepperoni, and pineapple.

23. What’s your ideal pie (sweet or savoury)? peanut butter.

24. What’s your ideal salad? chef's salad. hold the tomatoes.

25. What food do you always like to have in the fridge? eggs and deli meat.

26. What food do you always like to have in the freezer? frozen vegetables.

27. What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? pasta and canned soup.

28. What spices can you not live without? salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder/salt, and steak rub.

29. What sauces can you not live without? like condiments? ranch, ketchup, mayo, and soy sauce.

30. Where do you buy most of your food? giant and wal-mart.

31. How often do you go food shopping? every week.

33. What’s the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? probably my microwave, lol. i don't own the big appliances in my apartment.

34. What’s the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? baking sheets.

35. What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? stove and fridge.

36. How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? not very often, maybe once or twice. i only use raw ingredients when i bake.

37. What’s the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? brownies.

38. What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? i think lamb is the only other one i've eaten.

39. What’s the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? i have no idea.

40. What’s the last time you ate something you’d picked in the wild? quite a while. i don't think i've done that since i was a kid. my great grandmother had apple trees by her house and we'd always pick some and make homemade applesauce.

41. Arrange the following in order of preference: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Sushi. sushi > mexican > italian > chinese > indian > thai

42. Arrange the following in order of preference: Vodka, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum. vodka > rum > brandy > whiskey

43. Arrange the following in order of preference: Garlic, Basil, Caramel, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Aniseed. garlic > basil > lime > caramel > ginger > mint > aniseed

44. Arrange the following in order of preference: Pineapple, Orange, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Banana. orange > pineapple > watermelon > banana > apple > strawberry > cherry

45. Bread and spread: wheat bread with butter and grape jam.

46. What’s your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? mcdonald's. ten piece nuggets, large fry, large sweet tea. mcdouble on the side (i pig the hell out when it comes to mcdonald's). ranch on the side.

47. Pick a city. What are the best dining experiences you’ve had in that city? warwick, rhode island. i don't remember the exact name of the restaurant, but it was some of the best clam chowder i've ever had. i also had shrimp scampi that was out of this world. the atmosphere was great and, even though we had to (understandably) wait, it was situated right next to a body water that was lovely to sit and wait by.

48. What’s your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? what the hell is tipple?

49. What’s the next thing you’ll eat? i just ordered some ice cream and candy, so that.

50. Are you hungry now? yes. i want something sweet.

51. Do you eat your breakfast everyday? no.

52. At what time do you have breakfast? around 9 am.

53. At what time do you have lunch? typically 1 pm-ish.

54. What do you have for lunch? it's different everyday, but i typically do leftovers (if i have any) or something simple like a sandwich, wrap, etc.

55. At what time do you have dinner? around 8 pm.

56. What do you have for dinner? this also is different everyday.

57. Do you light candles during dinner? no.

58. How many chairs are there in your dining room and who sits in the main chair? i don't have a dining room.

59. Do you eat and drink using your right hand or the left one? right.

61. Mention the veggies that you like most: i love all of them, but my favorites are potatoes, broccoli, and corn.

62. What fruit and vegetable do you like the least? i haven't had any i don't like, honestly.

63. You like your fruit salad to have more: cantaloupe.

64. You prefer your vegetable salad to contain more: avocado.

65. What’s your favourite sandwich spread? mayo.

66. What’s your favourite chocolate bar? take 5's.

67. What’s your favourite dessert? cake.

68. What’s your favourite drink? sweet tea.

69. What’s your favourite snack? sour cream and onion chips.

70. What’s your favourite bubble gum flavour? spearmint.

71. What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? cookie dough.

72. What’s your favourite potato chip flavour? sour cream and onion.

73. What’s your favourite soup? wedding.

74. What’s your favourite pizza? hawaiian, but substitute ham with chicken.

75. What’s your favourite type of dish? something filling and savory.

76. What food do you hate? most pork dishes.

77. What’s your favourite restaurant? a local one in the city i live in (not going to name it for privacy reasons).

78. Do you eat homemade food, or food delivered from outside? both.

80. Who cooks at home? i live by myself, so me, lol.

81. What kind of diet (e.g. low-fat, high-fiber, high-carbohydrate, balanced diet etc.) do you have? i don't have a diet.

82. How do you keep yourself fit? i don't, lol.

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turretjail07 · 2 years

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Cuisine

You can strive it at Yoshinoya, Matsuya, and Sukiya restaurants located throughout the country. Gyudon is a rice bowl dish topped with salty and candy beef slices, flavored with soy sauce and sugar. That’s par for the course in Hong Kong, where these canned meats are a typical consolation meals. Fried slices of luncheon meat, cooked prompt noodles, and a fried sunny-side-up egg are the parts of the hearty cha chaan teng commonplace known as tsaan dan gung (餐蛋麵). Bibimbap is a dish of rice and blended greens. Explore how to stretch your dollar any time of year and the newest seasonal food and beverage tendencies that won’t break the financial institution. Saizeriya presents largely Italian-style dishes, like pasta and Japanese pizza. The beverage menu also consists of wine, sold for a couple of hundred yen. Expect to pay 2,000 yen or over for meals and drinks at an izakaya. 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We found that at The College of St. Scholastica, the average Caterer salary is $44,693. 10 Inexpensive Reception Meals Ideas That Do Not Look Low Cost Artisanal drinks are a perfect approach to showcase a little bit of what makes your event destination special from a culinary perspective. An alternative to native components is local expertise. Invite a neighborhood chef to design a drink for your occasion. Another development we see often is inserting food already on the serving utensil. This is a nice gentle breakfast in a fun edible bowl. Serve it with a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of coconut or honey. Browse by meal kind to get the planning process began. If you don’t see any special listings, affirm that is the case. While it’s not best to get them this late, better now than at the desk. Discuss dietary necessities and the method for attendees to entry their particular meal with the catering staff earlier than confirming the ultimate menus. 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In addition to good design, you’ll need to incorporate sensible parts that control overcrowding, server entry, and ease of use for folks with disabilities. You would possibly even want to contemplate choosing station-style over a buffet serving system. You also can use table tents as a substitute of traditional menus for displaying your dessert or drink options. Make your menu items a larger size than your costs. You can serve this dish with rice or pasta, however it's simply excellent on its own. At my house, we prepare stuffed candy potatoes a minimum of once every week. I roast an entire candy potato, then stuff it with components like sautéed veggies, beans, rooster, and cheese. If you and your honey love to celebrate with pasta, serve your friends spaghetti or alfredo. Combine conventional cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew for a refreshing deal with. Mix in mint, lemon, honey and goat cheese to kick it up a notch. If you really wish to blow their socks off, serve your marriage ceremony visitors the cheddar crust version of this basic deal with. If you’re feeling additional fancy, do this strawberry version or add slightly cream cheese. Use whatever is in season or goes well with your other appetizers. For example, blended berry salads are good with other tacky finger meals.

#外燴

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starrobot96 · 2 years

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Ducktales OCs/Ideas (Mostly Moonlanders-No using without my Permission)

Eclipsius- son of Lunaris and Crescenca (FOC). Grandson to Meridian, Nocturnus (MOC), and Rilla (FOC)

Appearance: red hair, light blue eyes, cerulean skin, and has a birthmark reminiscent of an eclipse on the back of his right shoulder (a circle surrounded by a crescent). Lithe frame that gains muscle as he gets older.

Personality: polite, intelligent, creative, observant to behavior and detail/good listener, passionate, amicable, curious, and honest

Voice Actors(s): *range as he gets older* Zeno Robinson (14-16), Josh Keaton (17-19), and Jason Bateman (mid or late twenties-onward)

Singing Voice: Jeremy Jordan

Inspirations: Varian (Tangled), Golden Guard/Hunter (Owl House), Hiccup (HTTYD), Jack Darby (Transformers Prime), Mune (Mune: Guardian of the Moon), and Spider-Man (mostly the MCU and 2017 versions)

Something About: incredibly talented at phytochemistry with a small knack for inventing and welding. Loves spring, autumn, chocolate, otters, cats, rabbits, and wolves. Self-conscious about how others see him, very loyal and affectionate towards his family, and is slow to anger. When he does get angry, it’s the kind where it starts quiet and calm but builds as he argues with a person. Can get bashful. Good at sketching and journaling.

Favorite Food: Italian Food (pizza, pasta dishes, seafood, etc.) Also likes spicy cuisines. Favorite breakfast foods are waffles, crepes, and muffins.

Favorite Drinks: Smoothies, Lemonade, Milkshakes, and Ginger Ale

Favorite Desserts: Ice cream, cookies, chocolate anything and brownies/blondies.

Favorite Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, apples, cherries, and citrus fruits (lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges).

Favorite Flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Honey.

Weird/Fun Facts: Will be the first to apologize but stands by morals. Cares a lot about apiology (study of honeybees) and melittology (Study of bees) due to their significant role in helping plants and the environment. Is the kind of person to trap an insect and let it go instead of killing it. Equally uses plants/chemicals derived from plants to heal people and use against enemies. Sort of a night owl. Would willingly eat zucchini bread or drink kombucha/cold pressed juices than certain Earther foods that he deems “too much” or “bland” (pop-tarts, the DT equivalent of lunchables, pop/fizzy rocks, and microwave burritos). Is Half Paxusian in another AU (more info later). Loves sweets but also has a soft spot for sour items. Can get absent-minded when overwhelmed. Often takes time outs without telling people which causes people to panic when they can’t find him. In most of my AUs, he’s in a relationship with Polara.

Polara: daughter of Sinus (canon male Moonlander) and Axira (FOC). Niece of Ephemeris (FOC)

Appearance: violet hair (dyed dark magenta at the bottom in some AUs), aubergine eyes, and royal purple skin. Slim and lithe build that gains a little curve as she gets older.

Personality: sassy, determined, supportive, innovative, diligent, fierce, calm, and empathetic.

Voice Actors: Peyton Elizabeth Lee (14-16), Eden Espinosa (17-19), and Anne Hathaway (mid or late twenties-onward)

Singing Voice: Zendaya

Inspirations: Audrey (Disney’s Atlantis movies), Rani (Lion Guard), Kira (Jake game series), Monique (Kim Possible), Ingrid Third (Fillmore!) and Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

Something About: Is down-to-Earth (no pun intended) and very mature. Doesn’t put up with boasting, tall-tale telling, and plagiarism. Will not be afraid tot ell someone that they’re in the wrong and will get mad if said person tries to blame others or play the victim. She’s into robotics and mechanics with a knack for handling a kiln for crafts like pottery and glass blowing. Loves summer, autumn, coffee, koalas, sea turtles, big cats, and foxes. Has a sisterly side but when push comes to shove, she stands her ground.

Favorite Food: Burgers and Fries (any potato based side)/Onion rings. Soups with sandwiches or bread (French Onion, Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, soup in bread bowls, etc.) Dips with bread/chips. Loves spicy food, seafood, and anything with dairy and carbs. Favorite breakfast food is French toast, coffee cake, and scones.

Favorite Drink: Coffee (lattes, espressos, mochas, frapps, etc.), Tea (iced/hot, sweetened, etc.), Root Beer, and Soda (tie between Pep and Coo-Coo Cola)

Favorite Desserts: Pastries/Sweet baked goods, doughnuts, cake (especially cupcake and cheesecake), and any sweet styled after coffee

Favorite Fruits: raspberries, blackberries, pears, bananas, and peaches

Favorite Flavors: Coffee, Salted Caramel, Peanut Butter, and Maple

Fun/Weird Facts: Tends to go meditate, shower/swim (depends on location), or jog with music. Does deeply care for other people but has a limit. Hates jell-o and energy drinks. Secretly likes reading murder mysteries and domestic fiction. Is a bit of a movie fiend. Would willingly tutor a person, especially if it’s a subject she likes (like history, science, or math). The kind of girl who could have popularity if she wanted it but does not care for it due to stereotypes and peer pressure associated with the “in-crowd.” Willingly helps others hide if she senses they need alone time or they’re about to lose it. Prefers coconut to cotton candy. Is in a relationship with Eclipsius in most AUs. Is half-Paxusian in one AU. Actually likes seasonal coffee drinks. Will go hangout in a café, bookstore, or library.

Crescena: wife/mate of Lunaris and mother of Eclipsius (MOC). Daughter of Nocturnus (MOC) and Rilla (FOC)

Appearance: long red hair, light blue eyes, lapis skin, and a birthmark( in the shape of a crescent moon with little dots inside it to mimic stars. Slender frame with hints of curves.

Personality: gentle, protective, brave, smart, encouraging, free-spirited, and reasonable

Voice Actor: Zoe Saldana

Singing Voice: Christina Aguilera

Inspirations: Anne Possible (Kim Possible), Mystique (X-Men), Kida (Disney’s Atlantis), Black Canary (Justice League), Mera (Justice League), Helen Parr/Elasti-Girl-Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles), and Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Something About: Equal parts dreamer and realistic. Works for what she wants. Knows when to mind her own business and when someone needs her help. Bold and playful when she wants to be but knows how to be serious and take initiative. Loves winter, autumn, cats, birds, horses, seasonal flavors, and s’mores. Leans more towards literature, reading, and archiving. Loves reading stories, both fictional and real. Fierce fighter as she is smart.

Favorite Food: Mexican, Italian, and Mediterranean Food. Favorite breakfast food is cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and waffles.

Favorite Drinks: Sweet Tea, Latte (pumpkin spice and salted caramel), Juice/Cider, and Pep

Favorite Desserts: Anything with chocolate. And in the fall/winter, anything with pumpkin/spice, white chocolate peppermint, gingerbread, and eggnog.

Favorite Fruits: strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, oranges, pears, and apples

Favorite Flavors: Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Honey, and Mocha.

Fun/Weird Facts: In the case of most of the AUs, Crescena and Eclipsius are the only Moonlanders with red hair (a rarity that is often associated with greatness, good luck, and promise). In most of the AUs, Crescena is sought after by both Lunaris and Penumbra. She has powers in two or three AUs. In one AU, she is full Paxusian. Will alternate from running barefoot through open spaces to sitting quietly in the archives or at a coffee shop reading a book or going through documents.

Axira: mother of Polara (FOC), mate/wife of Sinus (canon unnamed male Moonlander), and sister-in-law of Ephemeris (FOC)

Appearance: pale jade hair, seafoam skin, and dark aquamarine eyes. Thin but athletic build

Personality: sensitive, humble, thoughtful, alert, soothing, outspoken, and wise

Voice Actress/Singing Voice: Jennifer Hudson

Inspirations: Queen Arianna (Tangled), Marianne Thornberry (The Wild Thornberrys), Trudy Proud (Proud Family), Nakoma (Pocahontas), Kanga (Winnie the Pooh), Fauna (Sleeping Beauty), and Noelani (Rocket Power)

Something About: Is a cautious mother but not too overprotective. Is experienced and understands that the worse thing she can do is prevent her child fromf acing the world. Unlike Della, Axira reminds her daughter to be wary of people but also not to immediately jump to hostility. Takes her time to get use to things. Will not hesitate to take action or jump in to defend her loved one. Very sweet and sensible. Loves winter, spring, large marine mammals, small mammals, and owls. Will not be afraid to go to toe to toe with someone, doesn’t matter who, if she sees someone she loves or someone she knows is innocent and helpless in need of help.

Favorite Food, Drinks, Desserts, Fruits, and Flavors: Yet to be announced

Fun/Weird Facts: Is full Paxusian in one AU (more to come)

Sinus: canon Moonlander man. Brother of Ephemeris (FOC), mate/husband of Axira (FOC), and father of Polara (FOC) has the same build as the male Moonlander who said “Oh no!” at the end of “The Golden Spear” but with similar coloring to Polara. Loving and protective father who is new to Earth. Very cautious of Eclipsius in all my AUs where he and Eclipsius both exist. Yet to decide on voice actor.

Ephemeris: sister of Sinus (canon), sister-in-law of Axira (FOC), and aunt of Polara (FOC)

Appearance: plum hair, dark violet skin, aubergine eyes with a build similar to Zenith.

Personality: intelligent, voice of reason, undauntable, sarcastic, caring, firm, and open-minded

Voice Actress: Yet to be announced

Inspirations: Dr Baranova (Transformers Rescue Bots), Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo), Professor Ivy (Pokemon), Susan Calvin (I, Robot). More to come.

Something About: Keeps a cool-head under pressure. Is serious but not neurotic or belittling. Takes everything into stride. Actually has a humorous and friendly side to her. Loves her brother but can only put up with so much of his antics and nervousness. Also gets mad when Penumbra and Lunaris argue.

More coming soon…

Obscurin: fellow Moonlander soldier and surrogate brother of Lunaris and Penumbra.

Appearance: similar muscular build to Lunaris but has a sharper face structure. Cobalt skin with indigo eyes and white hair (later dyes it midnight blue). Wear more gold armor.

Personality: soft-spoken, trustworthy, loyal, heart of gold (again, pun not intended), ethical, courageous, rational.

Voice Actor: Sterling K. Brown

Inspirations: Mattias (Frozen 2), Cutter (Antz), Ultra Magnus (Transformers Prime), Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Marvel), and Ronan (Epic)

Somethings About: In many AUs, he was raised and trained alongside Penumbra and Lunaris by Meridian. He lost his own father at an early age and Meridian stepped in. He is essentially the ideal soldier, as he puts his people first and will only disobey an order when he has no other choice. While he truly does want to be a father and have a mate, his strict work ethic and outside demeanor make it hard for him to connect with anyone aside from Lunaris, Penumbra, Ephemeris, Sinus, Gibbous, Zenith, Palus, Axira, Meridian (before he died), and Crescena. He is also essentially Eclipsius’s godfather/uncle. Is still a caring and good man underneath it all.

More to add soon.

Paxusians: In two or so of my AUs, Paxusians are a sister race to the Moonlanders. They are similar in biology and looks but, as oppose to the Moonlanders’s blue, green, and purple skin coloring, they come in a variety of other colors. Both species can also survive with and without atmosphere. The Paxusians once too also once lived on a Moon (one of Mars’ moons) in peace with both the Moonlanders and the people of Mars’s other moon, the Bellumites. The Paxusian culture/society is like a cross between ancient civilizations and futuristic utopia, their lunar home having similar qualities to Earth (plants, water, art, resources, animals, minerals, ruling system/government, etc.).

That changed when the Bellumites lost their resources and sought out the terraform Mars itself. At the same time, the Paxusians were looking to make a union with the Moonlanders and decided to colonize and terraform Mars as well to make room for future generations. Despite attempts to negotiate with each other, the Paxusians and Bellumites declared war on each other. While the Bellumites (reptile-simian esque creatures) had their weapons and strength, the Paxusians had their own defense: Aether-Wielders. These Aether Wielders were Paxusians who could derive/use the energy and life force of their surroundings and elements to heal/help others or fight against enemies.

The war went on for a decade before a biological attack attempt by the Bellumites went south and ended killing off all the Bellumites and hurting both Mars and the Paxusians home. While the Paxusians were able to flee with a good amount of their tech and resources, the Aether-Wielder numbers had been horrendously obliterated to three. The Moonlanders, who were lead by Meridian, allowed the Paxusians a safe haven on their planet. All was well for three years before the Paxusians discovered that they could not thrive in Tranquility like they did on their own home. So, with a heavy heart, Meridian and his fellow Moonlanders bid goodbye to their neighbors. It was around this time that Meridian noticed the Earth start emitting more objects off their planet, causing him to force his people to hide indefinitely. Little did they know that their fellow lunarsapiens had found refuge on a little island on the same planet the Moonlanders feared.

Fact: Paxusians cames form the word Pax which is Latin for peace. Bellumites comes from Bellum which means war. I did it in reference to Tranquility. Peace and Tranquility.

Other characters to be shared soon:

Aurorius (Paxusian Aether Wielder)

Virgo, Cygnus, Umbree, Ursina, Orionnah, Flaren, (Paxusian teens, friends of Polara and Eclipsius)

Azimuth (Paxusian female warrior)

Syzygy (Paxusian doctor)

Illuminus (Paxusian Council member)

Nocturnus and Rilla (Moonlanders in some AUs and Paxusians in others)

#ducktales 2017 #ducktales lunaris

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lemon-trap · 4 years

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Nicky Valentino’s Ultimate Master List!

Due to it being very fricking hard to find Nicky fanfic, I have decided that it would be easier if all of his fanfics were put into one master list!

Please enjoy what many people have worked on and please like, reblog, and maybe comment on your favorite fics!

(Also check in on my pinned post to make sure you have the most updated list)

🦝 @lemon-trap 🦝 (aka: me!)

Saved by a Kiss (gender not explicit for reader)

This is a short fluffy fanfic that has no other reason for existing except making your heart go soft.

Plot Twist Nicky Valentino is a Bottom (female MC) SMUT

The title says it all. If you want just straight porn with Nicky as a subby bottom then this is the fanfic for you!

☀︎ @bursvalentino ☀︎ (the oh so lovely)

Two Against the World | Nicky Valentino x Sabrina Belladonna (ongoing, female pronouns) - (writer is currently rewriting this series)

Charming Nicky Valentino and the alluring Sabrina Belladonna are two sides of the same coin with one thing in common: escapism. But, our stars seem to be entangled in their game of cat and mouse. Will they ever possibly make it out alive after their truth unfolds?

☾ @lunaspera ☾ (the ultimate queen to go to for spicy Nicky things *chef kiss*)

Surrealtà | Nicky Valentino x Heaven (Assassin!OC, ongoing, female pronouns) - prologue ,

All she wanted was to make the world a better place. Is it any good if you tear a piece of yourself every time you want to help someone out ? The more she gave, the more she lost. The more she ran, the more she got lost. She was willing to die for others and now someone else is willing to die for her. Afterall “No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they'd die for”.

Cheers to the mess (female MC) - part one ,

Nicky’s actions speak louder than his words and you are consistent about finding out what is causing him to do so. Does it have anything to do with the handsome stranger who is desperately flirting with you?

Strip Poker (female MC) - part one , part one SMUT

Nicky is a tease, but so are you. What will be the outcome of this game? Poker is usually played to win. Tonight winning doesn’t seem like a good idea, not if you want to become hot mess. The one who loses wins.

Bella Mia SMUT (female MC)

Nicky is a “gentleman” but does he have enough willpower to hold himself away while you are purring his name?

Sweet Nothings fluff

Your sleepy mood accompanied by hot cocoa, the sound of the rain, a pair of warm hands, tender kisses, and sweet nothings. So tell me now, my dear, what is love to you?

Hey kiddo! Nicky Valentino x Reader x Uncle!Ralph Della Rosa

Ralph seems to enjoy your company but a mini you? Brace yourself, uncle Ralphie is coming!

Hands on Fire SMUT

The saccharine melody of sleep sweeping him off of his feet. Slow dancing to the soft tune of a sonata, hand in hand, skin to skin. Could it get any more sweet ? Won’t you come a little closer and let Nicky have a taste of your love ?

You sadness

NSFW Alphabet

Dirty secret, Jack off, No

NSFW Alphabet

Yearning, Motivation, Cum, Aftercare

💖 @valentino-red 💖

Sinnerman | Nicky Valentino x Soledad Diaz (ongoing, female pronouns) - prologue , chapter one , chapter two ,

Nicky Valentino has seen a lot of women waltz into his speakeasy, but when a certain Soledad Diaz comes in from the future trying to escape her past, hearts are exchanged and the mafia boss starts to reevaluate what really matters to him.

🌻 @raggedy-dxctor 🌻 (there’s a lot here)

Gumusservi

Wonderland Upon a Hill

The World Was So Dull Without You

Alone

Hug

I’ll always choose you

Nicky Valentino With a Short S/o

Nicky and Miguel With An Easily Flustered S/o

Nicky Valentino with an s/o that has a tattoo

Ice Skating with Nicky Valentino Headcannons

Nicky Valentino with an S/o that has a amazing singing voice

Nicky Valentino + Fluff Alphabet

Nicky’s s/o comforting him after a nightmare

Nicky meeting is s/o’s supportive parents

Nicky’s s/o teaching how to use a phone

Nicky with a High School Crush

Detention with a troublemaker (high school au + modern day au)

Flowerboy (flower shop au + roles reversed)

Real Smooth Mr Valentino (fem reader) fluff

I’m A Goner ANGST

Bonus:

Scenarios/prompts for Nicky Valentino

Some ideas for you to use in your fics if you’re ever in need of a plot.

💗 @missusvalentino 💗 (their stuff needs more attention)

I just can’t get a enough of you (no specific gender)

Just a short fic that involves the MC adoring and appreciating Nicky. Lots of fluff.

I’m sorry. (female pronouns) Nicky’s POV

Nicky and MC have an arguement when she tells him she wants to be part of the Valentino family.

I’m not in the mood

Nicky is in the mood to do the do, but MC is being a tease.

“You still love me right?” Angst/fluff

Nicky and Y/n have a disagreement and Nicky decides to get back at the reader by flirting with another woman.

“Why on Earth would I ever think that?” (Chubby/overweight fem MC) Fluff/angst

Nicky and reader start to get a bit more intimate until reader starts pulling back because she feels like Nicky deserves better.

You’re All Over Me Today

💛 @velvetl1ght 💛

Nicky + OWNING a dog headcannons

Nicky headcannos because I’m in Love

Good Intentions | Nicky x Josie (ongoing, female pronouns) - chapter one ,

🦦 @millennial-pinks 🦦 (my personal favorite)

Cooking time! (male MC)

After a night out, Nicky and Shiloh enjoy some time in the kitchen.

Crisis of Confidence (male MC)

Shiloh feels a little bummed out. He’s just some guy and Nicky’s... Nicky.

I got it bad but it’s all good (male MC)

Shiloh and Nicky share a dance and some tender words.

Alone together SMUT (male MC)

Shiloh and Nicky have their first physical encounter.

Like Someone in Love SMUT (male MC)

A bath leads to a very sexual night.

Post chapter 14 (male MC)

☆ @themissingstar ☆

Nicky helps MC feel better after a depressive episode

Taking care of Nicky after he gets banged up

Soulmate AU were you wake up in your soulmate’s bed

Modern AU Nicky before he makes his money

🌼 @tutanwritesanddraws 🌼

Nicky Valentino with a short S/O

Nicky Valentino with a GenZ S/O

💐 @jadeee 💐

Winter Wonderland fluff

After confessing that you’ve never seen snow before, Nicky takes you out for a proper snow day: snowball fights, snow angels, the works!

Good Morning, Beautiful fluff

Nicky really is beautiful when he’s sleepi- oh wait, he’s awake.

Ti Amo Tanto fluff

Nicholas Valentino proclaims his love for you through Italian poetry.

I Do fluff

You are officially a part of the Valentino family and Nicky couldn’t be more happy.

Finding Home angst

Living in the 1920s with Nicky has been a dream but you can’t help but think about your old life.

Hot & Bothered lime

After teasing Nicky during a meeting, he puts you in your place and it leaves you hot and bothered.

———

I really doubt that this is all so if you have made fanfiction of Nicky Valentino then please privately message me.

Please reblog this so more people can find and use it!

Last updated: April 6, 2021

#nicky valentino #fictif #fictif two against the world #two against the world nicky #two against the world #fictif nicky valentino #nicky valentino x reader #nicky valentino fanfic #fictif nicky #Nicky Valentino Ultimate Master List #Nicky Valentino master list

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notoriousnico · 2 years

Photo

MEET / MISS NICO CASTELLANO ! 🤍

FULL NAME: Nicoletta Lucinda Castellano MEANING: Nicoletta is an Italian feminine form of the name Nicholas, and means "people of victory.” NICKNAME(S): Nico (nee-ko) BIRTH DATE: May 31, 1988 AGE: 33 ZODIAC: Gemini GENDER: Female PRONOUNS: She/her SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual CURRENT LOCATION: Manhattan, NY

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: Capri, Italy HOMETOWN: Miami, Florida SOCIAL CLASS: Upper middle EDUCATION LEVEL: Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Columbia University FATHER: Noel Luis Castellano MOTHER: Carolina Marina Cuervas-Castellano SIBLING(S): 5 brothers *(wanted connection) BIRTH ORDER: Last and only daughter (adopted) CHILDREN: None PETS: Lolita, French bulldog CURRENT RELATIONSHIP: In a relationship* (wanted connection) PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: Ex from university* (wanted connection)

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: Lindsey Morgan EYE COLOR: Brown HAIR COLOR: Brunette HAIR TYPE/STYLE: Long and wavy GLASSES/CONTACTS?: Both DOMINANT HAND: Left HEIGHT: 5′5″ WEIGHT: 135 pounds BUILD: Fit EXERCISE HABITS: Pilates, yoga, bike classes, running TATTOOS: All in private~ places PIERCINGS: Her ears MARKS/SCARS: One down the side of her hip/thigh from jumping a fence

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: Eating good food ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE: Tequila on the rocks with a lime NON- ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE: Dirty iced chai latte COLOR: Deep red FOOD: Birria tacos FLOWER: Red roses HOLIDAY: Christmas SCENERY: The ocean SPORT: Soccer WEATHER: Breezy spring day

NICO’S BIOGRAPHY

TW: Adoption tw, death tw, infertility struggles tw

Nicoletta Lucinda Castellano was born on the island of Capri, Italy. Nico was put up for adoption mere minutes after she was born. Many of her memories faded from her adolescence as she grew up in the cruel foster care system. The ones that do remain close to her are reminders of the life she fears. Having close to nothing as a child always made her feel left out. Getting teased for her lack of wealth and luxuries only inspired her to reach for the stars. She couldn’t depend on what her lousy foster families provided, so it was up to her. When she was ten, she was officially adopted by Noel Castellano and Carolina Cuervas-Castellano.

The Castellano family name has appeared all over the world, but it all began in Havana, Cuba. Known for their successful business in coffee farming and expanding their production and plan, Noel Castellano had his future set. The Castellano’s opened up coffee shops around the Americas and Europe, leading Noel to Miami. Miami was a place for Noel to grow, meeting his wife at the 10th grand opening of Café Castellanos first location in Miami. The young couple went on to marry and build a legacy of their own.

Nico didn’t have much of a choice but the moment she met her adoptive parents, she knew her life would change forever. They were warm and sweet, hoping to crack the shell Nico remained in to protect herself. Noel and Carolina tried for years for a little girl after having five boys in five years but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. The couple chose to adopt after coming to terms with their infertility struggles. Noel and Carolina had never adopted before, making the choice to complete their family by welcoming Nicoletta into their evergrowing family. Nico had experienced the feeling of being diminished for so many years. Her adoptive family struggled connecting with her for the first few years. She went through so much with her previous foster families that it was hard for Nico to truly open up and connect with them. With their persistence and support, slowly but surely Nico began blossoming into the woman she really was. She had opinions, ambitions and talents she wanted to tap into. Embracing the culture that was being shared with her, she finally felt at home after a few years. Nico grew up to be a strong girl. She let go of her past, only wanting better for herself, finally taking advantage of the life she was adopted into. Her family gave her wings and she flew.

Nico completed her studies, graduating from highschool with honors (which is something she never thought she’d do.) But she needed a plan. The Castellano family only believed in greatness, waiting for her next move. It had to compare to her brothers who were aspiring doctors, lawyers and police officers due to their parents pressing pleads. She knew the right choice but part of her struggled with her identity. As much as her family wanted her to feel like she belonged, she still felt like an outcast. The Castellano name was a blessing and a curse for her, truthfully.

Nico made the choice to leave Miami, moving to New York to attend Columbia University with a full scholarship. She always knew she liked being in charge, but being by her lonesome only proved it further. Nico graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. As much as her father offered their family business to bloom in New York, she wanted something for herself. At 23, she opened up her first investment– a fitness gym. It was perfect for the shallow society of New York and provided the stability she wanted. CRUSH quickly developed into something bigger than she expected. Nine gyms later and an athleisure line, Nico’s brand spread over the boroughs of New York, finally garnering approval from her father after years.

After a decade of working towards her goals, she felt like she could breathe. That was until her family suffered the devastating loss of her father, Noel. A drunk driver leaving her without one of her major support systems sent shocks through her siblings, mother, and herself. Their coffee empire being left without its CEO only meant one thing. Someone had to take it. The discussions became heated and long through the months of discussing the transition between Noel and the next superior. After six months, the Castellano family agreed to appoint Nicoletta as its next CEO. As much as she wanted to be away from her family’s legacy, this truly felt like a sign for Nico. She would do anything for the people that helped her and soon enough, Café Castellano would be infiltrating New York under Nico’s new plan.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

Current relationship !

Ex-partner !

Friends !!

Enemies/rivals !!

Gym buddies !

Gym/coffee shop employees, please <3

I’m open to anything and everything~

#/nuestra

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bokutosmochi · 1 year

Text

TOUCHSTARVED ♡ GOJO SATORU

gojo satoru x gn!reader

ingredients? being born as the strongest, affection and tlc wasn't something he got from his elders. the moment he loses his best friend is when he learns to lean into the touch.

what's it? angst. reverse comfort, but mostly angst. a pinch of fluff if you squint

allergen warning/s? gojo's ooc, gojo's elders are icky, reader has a mostly good relationship with their parents (not described in detail),

sugar level? 1.6k

regulars? @hanayanetwork @tokyometronetwork @tahonet

parlor's note? did somebody say gojo satoru birthday fic???

gojo's a little ooc, but i couldn't help it. this man has gone through so much and now we're gonna make him go through more-[gets slapped]

bon appetit!

ever since the clan elders found out he not only inherited the limitless, but also the six eyes cursed technique, they were quick to push him into learning the art of jujutsu. there was no time for strolls on the beach, play dates with the kids his age at the playground, or ice cream parlor visits with his parents whenever he got an A on his report card -- not that they necessarily cared about that, the fact that he will grow to be the strongest sorcerer in his era is enough. his daily routine was wake up at five thirty in the morning, do light training, shower and get ready for school, eat, go to school, train some more exactly thirty minutes after he gets home, do his homework - sometimes gojo clan members who didn't inherit an excellent technique would just do it for him as ordered by his grandfather -, eat dinner, then get a full eight hours of sleep. this lasted up until he graduated middle school. it was when he moved to tokyo metropolitan jujutsu technical high school did he finally gain some independence; there were no more groups of people following him around with the intent of doing everything for him, and long gone were the days of him getting treated as some sort of living weapon. or so he thought.

while the high school was most certainly a lot better than how he was treated at some, he still had this sick gut feeling like he was being used to keep people safe, and while he did certainly enjoy being named as the strongest, and while he undoubtedly enjoys deeming himself as the honored one, couldn't shake off this feeling. but then again, he sighed, at least he's able to be himself here.

you entered his life during his first year of high school as you also possessed cursed energy and was pushed by your parents to attend the school so you may be able to sharpen your skills to the fullest potential.

the first thing he noticed upon meeting you, ieiri shoko, and geto suguru, the other boy in your class was that you both came to the school via your own accord. sure, your parents wanted you to be jujutsu sorcerers, but in no way, shape, or form did your elders shove the idea down your throat the way his elders did with him. he realized upon reflection that it was most likely because you didn't possess the amount of power he did. while yes, he knew that you and suguru were forces to be reckoned with, he can exorcise curses with a snap of his fingers. it didn't compare. not having him fulfill his destiny of becoming the strongest would be a waste of his inborn abilities. but then, you, him, and geto came closer friends and when he confided in you his feelings about how his elders treated him, you looked at him with this sadness in your eyes when he thought that you would just hum along and agree, say that the way they treated him was the right thing to do given his amount of power.

it was the first time he was ever looked at with something resembling pity.

you lunged forward and wrapped your arms around him in a hug, stroking the hair at the back of his head, muttering things about how you'll bake him homemade cake for his birthday and take him out for ice cream every time a mission goes well.

it was the first time he subconsciously turned off his infinity and the first time he received this comforting type of affection. the only time people has shown affection for him was in the form of love confessions and boxes of chocolate during middle school from people he barely knew. but this is different, because he knew you and it felt so intimate.

thankfully because of how used he is to training, he didn't jolt from your grip nor did he stiffen from the strange feeling, however, he did not return your hug. instead, he opted to put two firm hands on your shoulders and pull you away from him and go back to his dorm room quietly which was quite uncharacteristic of the white haired sorcerer. if you were being honest with yourself, you expected some sort of teasing quip about how you couldn't take your hands off him or how you couldn't resist him; basically, the complete opposite of how he actually reacted.

both you and geto were shocked, left dumbfounded so you decided to ask gojo about his behavior the next day.

to no one's surprise, he brushed it off casually before bringing up something embarrassing that happened to you one time you were paired up with him for a certain mission.

he was good at taking the heat off of him and leading conversations away, that's for sure.

but then, in your second year of high school, gojo asked you out. you said yes, and from there, you started dating the white-haired sorcerer.

as your boyfriend, you found him much gentler to you at times, praising you a lot, and yes, also annoying you a lot more since he got much more comfortable in your presence as time went on. for some reason though, you noticed that he still didn't let himself get vulnerable with you and affectionate too for that matter. his kisses were short pecks to your forehead and his hugs were even shorter -- he'd bring you close to his body with one hand, pat you on the back, and that was it.

still, you gave him space and didn't push the issue, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. maybe affection just wasn't really his forte, and if that was the case, you didn't want him to change for you. besides, he shows you his love in other ways, like how he has all your orders in the different restaurants you frequented memorized, the way he shares his beloved sweet treats with you, and how you're the only one privileged to be on the receiving end of those three words he uttered that you absolute adore.

gojo thought he could hide his vulnerable side from you and was quite confident about that too, that was until you two entered your third year.

it wasn't until he heard about the things that the last person in your trio has done: geto suguru, former student of jujutsu tech massacred an entire village.

what really got to him was the fact that the signs were all there, but he, geto suguru's best friend, didn't pick up on them: geto's bad days becoming more frequent, him losing weight, the conversations they had about how jujutsu sorcerers seemed to live just to serve non-sorcerers and protect them from curses.

you were close to the long, black-haired sorcerer as well. he was your classmate, after all, but your bond with him wasn't nearly as tight-knit as the bond him and gojo formed . your chest tightened upon hearing the news so you could only imagine how your boyfriend was feeling. all you managed to do was bow curtly to yaga who broke the news to you as you departed, running to find gojo which was thankfully easy because of the trail of cursed energy he left. it led you to his dorm room which was locked.

you gently knocked on the door. "'toru, it's me. open up."

it was opened at once and in a blink of an eye, satoru was already sat on his bed, his head in his hands, and his elbows on his knees. he didn't speak and neither did you. after all, what can you say to someone who just lost their best friend? and especially in the way gojo did. you also noticed how geto's mood was off in the past few days prior to the incident occurring, so you were sure gojo did too. what do you tell someone who saw the signs, only too late? and what do you tell someone who has the unfortunate, heart-wrenching task of having to exorcise his best friend?

not exactly knowing the answer to those questions, you just hugged him tightly, pressing your chest against his and cradling his head with one of your hands, tucking it into the crook of your neck. you could feel his touch as light as a feather as if he was gauging something because this is not something he is familiar with, this closeness and this intimacy. it wasn't one of the things taught to him by his elders, including his parents. he finds the feeling so alien, but so good. and it's what pushes the sob from his mouth, the two overwhelming feelings of loss and gain toyed with his mind and his heart so much so that he wasn't able to control his emotions anymore. he sobbed into your neck, grabbing fistfuls of your shirt to pull you closer to him, silently pleading that you never let him go, not just in the physical aspect of things, but also to never lose to the demons inside you the way his best friend did.

and you don't. you stay the night in his dorm, letting him bury his face into your chest and cry until he falls asleep as much as you needed, as much as he was deprived.

i get: reblog

you get: blindfold

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shellbilee · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday Baby

Pairing: Henry x Reader/you

Words: 4K

Warnings: fluff and smut!

A/N: SO this was the little one shot I put together for Henry’s birthday this year. It SHOULD have been posted three days ago but i’ve had a hellish few days with my puppy and emergency vet visits and so tumblr was unfortunately pushed out of my brain and not even visited. He’s back on the mend now, slowly! Please enjoy x

It was well past midnight by the time Henry finally made it home, the taxi flashing its headlights at him as he sprinted up the driveway in an effort to escape the pouring rain. He made it through the front door and closed it behind him with his foot, trying in vain to shake off the water from his near drenched clothes. He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his wet hair, kicking off his shoes and shrugging off his damp jacket. Finally. Home.

It was just his luck that the torrential rain had begun the moment his plane had touched down, the fat, wet rain drops practically saturating him in the thirty seconds it had taken him to exit the plane and run across the tarmac. It was still pouring outside, the sound of the rain heavy and loud against the roof, a stark contrast to the dead silence of the house around him.

He made his way down the hallway and into the main living area only to be met by Kal, the furry hound excited though clearly still fuzzy with sleep as he greeted his master. “Hey bear” Henry whispered, bending down to ruffle his dog’s enormous chest. God he’d missed his loyal hound. He’d been away for two weeks and although he’d been away for longer in the past, it still didn’t make being apart from him any easier.

He stood up when Kal was satisfied with his welcome, smiling down at the bear before casting his eyes over to the kitchen. Two empty wine glasses and a full bottle of his favourite red sat on the marble bench, next to them a pizza box from his favourite Italian restaurant, Giuseppe’s. He smiled, feeling his heart simultaneously swell and sink in his chest. You.

He knew that you’d put together a special night, all of his favourite things just for him, waiting for him at home to celebrate his 37th birthday. He’d wanted to come home so badly, counting the minutes until he’d get to walk through the door and scoop you into his arms, but it was like the more he thought about it, the more delays he was met with. Eventually he’d had to message you and say that he’d be home much later than anticipated, disappointment souring his tongue when you’d responded and reassured him that it was okay even though he knew it wasn’t.

Still, he’d half smiled when he’d read your next message - telling him to get home safe and that you loved him, just like you always did. You didn’t mind that he was missing the night that you’d planned just for him, instead only caring that he made it home in one piece. Henry loved that about you, how you were always so understanding, so forgiving, so accepting of the lifestyle that you’d been thrown into because of him.

He’d known that his work meant never being able to have ‘normal’ relationships and for years he’d felt the effects of that. Never finding anyone who truly understood it, never finding anyone who could really handle the sacrifices that came with dating him. He’d started to believe that he’d never find that one person - the one for him, his soul mate, the one that deep down everyone truly believed they’d one day find, eventually resigning himself to the idea that he’d be alone forever. That was, until, the day he’d met you.

You’d come into his life by chance and changed everything as he knew it, and it wasn’t long before he was certain that he’d found his one. You. Never once had you complained when he’d missed dinners or date nights, when he’d said he’d be home at 7 but hadn’t walked through the door until midnight, when you’d had to attend birthdays and family events by yourself because of last minute interruptions. Not once. You’d only ever smiled, reminded him that you’d loved him and made him promise to get home safely. Henry smiled. You.

He turned and moved to make his way upstairs, pausing momentarily when his gaze fell on the kitchen table. He felt the smile on his face grow before he could even think about it, moving towards the table and spying the homemade white iced cake that he knew without seeing the inside was his favourite red velvet. His eyes skimmed over the unlit candles and box of matches sitting beside it, coming to rest on a small piece of pink note paper tucked beneath the cake plate. He smiled as he reached for it, realising you’d left him a message, a tiny note left just for him scribbled in your perfectly neat handwriting.

Hey baby!

If you’re reading this it means I really tried to wait up for you but clearly didn’t make it.

Since it’s probably past midnight, I’ll be the first to say, Happy Birthday my handsome man!

I love you with my whole heart and everything in between.

PS. Get your ass upstairs and kiss me!

Henry couldn’t help but grin at your adorable words, dropping the note back on the table and making his way upstairs. He kept his footsteps light as he ascended the stairs, feet shuffling along the carpet as he crept towards the bedroom, not wanting to wake you. The scent of passionfruit and lime filled his nose and he knew instantly that you’d left your favourite candle burning - something he’d told you repeatedly not to do for fear of causing a house fire. Still, the sight he found when he opened the door made his heart flutter in his chest, a warmth flooding his body as his eyes fell on you in bed.

You were snuggled up in the duvet, your whole head covered like you always did, your body looking small and lost among the expansive king size bed. He smiled and leaned against the doorway, watching you for a long moment, letting out a gentle exhale as he took in everything he’d missed while he’d been away. He could hear the soft melody of a Thomas Rhett song playing over your Google speaker - your ‘soft’ playlist that he’d learnt you’d always played whenever you went to sleep, the soft sound of your relaxed breathing only just audible over the music.

He smiled and slipped his bag off his shoulder, setting about getting undressed as quietly as he could without disturbing you. He paused momentarily when he heard you shift on the bed, unable to help his almost silent laugh when he saw you kick your leg out from under the blanket and wrap it over the top. It was something you did often that never failed to make Henry laugh - the rest of your body would be entirely covered by blankets but for whatever reason you almost always had one leg out. He shook his head and smiled, dropping the last of his damp clothes on the bedroom chair before sliding into bed beside you.

Henry watched as you stirred, sliding his arm underneath your pillow and pulling you closer to him, taking a moment to relish in the warmth radiating from your body. He smiled as he looked down at you, admiring your sleeping form, taking in your full, slightly parted lips, the faint sprinkle of freckles across your face, your long eyelashes fanned across your cheeks. For the millionth time since he’d first met you he couldn’t help but think how beautiful you were, bending to press a gentle, tender kiss to your parted lips.

He watched as a soft frown furrowed your brow, your arms releasing the pillow - his pillow, that they’d been wrapped around and reaching out to his side of the bed. “Henry?” you murmured without opening your eyes, Henry smiling down at you and reaching out to caress your cheek with his thumb. “Hi darling girl” he whispered, his hand moving up into your hair and brushing a loose lock away from your face, “I missed you”. He watched as you smiled without opening your eyes, letting out a soft breath and reaching out to drape your arm across his naked chest. You scooted closer to him and nuzzled into his side, Henry bending to bury his nose in your hair and breathing in the scent he’d been unable to stop thinking about for the past two weeks.

“Happy birthday baby” you whispered against his skin, Henry’s lips parting into an involuntary smile at the sound of your soft, sleepy voice. “Thank you sweetheart. I’m sorry I’m so late” he whispered in reply, his free hand moving to your back and drawing imaginary shapes over your silky soft skin, “I saw everything downstairs. I’m so sorry I didn’t make it”. You let out a soft sigh and smiled against him. “It doesn’t matter” you replied, your sleepy voice barely louder than a whisper, “You’re here now”.

Henry smiled and bent to kiss the top of your head again, watching as you began to doze back off into a peaceful sleep against his side. He let out a gentle sigh and wrapped his arm tighter around your body, the other still running gently along your skin. He could tell you were naked save for a pair of panties, your skin feeling like warm silk against his as you cuddled against his side. He inhaled deeply and looked down at your face, the burning candle on the bedside table casting a warm, flickering glow across your skin. He smiled. God how he’d missed you.

Your gorgeous face, your delicious sweet scent, the feel of your silky smooth skin against his. It was all he could think about whenever he had to leave for work, always wanting nothing more than to have his arms wrapped around you, his hands against your naked skin, fingers running up and down your glorious curves. The video chats you’d shared every other night didn’t exactly help either, not with you looking nothing short of a seductive goddess as you lay in bed and spoke to him through the camera. It was on those days that he found he just couldn’t help himself, often bringing himself to his own release either with your help through the screen or with the racy pictures you’d sent him over the months.

Now though, as you lay almost completely naked against him, his hand running up and down your bare back, he couldn’t ignore the stirring of his insides as he thought about what he’d wanted to do so badly while he’d been away. Henry wanted you. He wanted you naked and pressed beneath him, he wanted you breathy and moaning and dropping your head back as he brought you to orgasm. He wanted to watch you find your release, to see and hear the sight he’d all but craved over the past two weeks. He wanted your skin on his skin, your hands gripping his back as you desperately held yourself to him, his name falling from your lips as he brought you to that blissful, heavenly high.

He could feel his arousal growing as he imagined it, taking you right there and then, a heavy breath leaving his lungs as his fingers danced against your silky back. For a moment he was torn - caught between his mounting urge to have you and his guilt at properly waking you, his growing desire suddenly twitching and eliminating the hesitation for him. He let go of his thoughts and shifted on the bed beside you, turning to face you as his fingers skimmed down along your side and came to rest on your hip.

He kept his eyes on your face as he slipped his fingers beneath the thin waistband of your underwear, watching as you stirred and let out a soft, sleepy moan. The sound was like a direct hotline to his groin, his muscles clenching as he trailed his fingers along your skin, his pulse getting heavier as his growing erection quickly became uncomfortable beneath the blankets. He eyed your full, parted lips and listened as your breathing deepened, his fingers skimming further along over the crease of your thigh.

He sucked in a breath at the softness of your thigh, loving how smooth you always were, how you somehow always managed to feel like satin beneath his finger tips. He loved your touch, your scent, your taste, he loved the way you invaded all of his senses until there was nothing left but you. You stirred beneath his touch and suddenly Henry knew it wouldn’t be long before he could no longer help himself, his control rapidly slipping through his fingers as he finally reached his destination with his fingertips.

He bent to kiss your neck as his fingers teased along your silky folds, a breathy, seductive moan suddenly falling from your lips and echoing in his ear. “Oh--Henry” you all but whispered, his lips trailing down your neck as he continued his intimate ministrations. He smiled against your skin when you let out a gentle whimper, his mouth moving past your collarbone as he ever so gently edged you onto your back.

“Henry--” you breathed again, your body slowly lifting further from sleep as you began to gently writhe beneath his touch.“Shhhh sweetheart” Henry whispered, his mouth trailing kisses along your chest as his free hand skimmed up your side to join his lips, “Just lay back”. A heavy breath fell from your lips the moment his mouth closed around your nipple, Henry smiling against your heavenly skin when you ever so slightly arched into him. He loved when you were like this, soft and seductive, sleepy and wanton, almost purring for him as he kissed and suckled your breasts and caressed your intimate folds.

“God I missed you darling girl” Henry whispered when he was satisfied with his work on your breasts, kissing down your abdomen and trailing his fingers down your silky skin until he was crouched between your legs. It was then that he saw you lift your head and open your eyes for the first time since he’d come home, your eyes wide and sleepy and fluttering with an unspoken desire as they looked down at him between your legs. “Lay back for me sweetheart” Henry whispered, keeping his eyes on yours as he dropped a gentle kiss between your hips. When you obliged he tucked his fingers under the waistband of your underwear and slipped them down your legs, sitting back on his heels and taking a moment to take in the sight in front of him.

Henry couldn’t quite describe how utterly beautiful he thought you were in that moment, his eyes running over every single inch of your soft, glorious curves. The light from the nearby candle cast a warm glow over your skin, the flickering light making shadows dance across your body. It was a sight he knew he could never get enough of, you, his beautiful, all alluring goddess, naked and open, completely exposed in front of him. It was a sight he swore he could look at forever, his hand involuntarily dropping to his now almost painful arousal as he looked down at you in front of him.

No longer able to help himself and stirred on by your impatient, breathy moans, Henry bent and pressed his mouth to your silken folds, finally savouring the taste that he’d only been able to dream about for the last two weeks. He slid his hands up your sides as he settled between your open legs, his eyes watching as you finally came back to full consciousness on the bed. Your hands fisted in the sheets and your eyes squeezed shut as you dropped your head back into the mattress, the first of many moans falling from your throat as he began his intimate torture with his tongue.

Henry kept his eyes on you as he tasted you, sucking at your honeyed arousal as he buried his tongue in your folds. He loved it, tasting you, loved how he could make you a writhing, begging mess completely at his mercy with only a few flicks of his tongue. He knew how much you loved it - almost as much as he loved doing it, knowing that it would forever be your weakness when it came to being intimate with him. He’d dreamed about doing it while he’d been away, his mind having conjured images of you holding on to his hair and crying out his name while he’d suckled between your thighs. Just like the sight of you naked Henry knew he’d never get enough of tasting you, the moans he was teasing from you sounding like a blissful melody in his ears.

He reached up and added his fingers to his carnal assault, using his free hand to steady your hips when you started to writhe beneath him. He knew this would be your undoing, knowing that you weren’t far from your release, one of your hands reaching down to find his curls as your breathing started to shallow. “That’s it darling girl” Henry breathed, his voice seductive yet commanding as he watched you drop your head back into the mattress, “Come on sweetheart, that’s it. Let me hear you”.

Like a timer that had finally reached zero, you arched your back and cried out his name, your breathy voice echoing around the room as he continued to work you through your high. It was only when your body finally stilled that Henry lifted his mouth, bending to press a gentle kiss to your now syrupy folds before sitting back to admire you once again. He was in awe, just as he always was, you, his wanton goddess, exhausted yet far from finished as you looked back at him with hooded eyes.

Neither of you needed to speak after that, an unspoken knowledge that you both shared about what would happen next. Henry exhaled loudly, reaching down to stroke himself as he positioned himself between your open legs, you, biting your lip and bending your legs to settle on either side of his torso. He pushed his hips forward and slowly, tortuously sank himself into you, strangled moans teased from both of you as you relished in the feeling you’d both longed for since he’d been away.

Henry inhaled deeply, feeling the pleasure flood through him as he stilled within you, knowing at that moment that he’d never be able to get enough of you. He loved being inside you, loved the way it felt as you stretched around him, loved the way his muscles clenched with every single movement. A blissful ecstasy, a decadence that he wanted to indulge in again and again and again, a carnal hedonism that he’d never be able to properly describe. God how he’d missed it, missed you and being inside you, holding you tight against him as he buried himself within you.

He looked down at you as you lifted your head to meet his eye, your arms reaching out for him and pulling him down to you. His arms wrapped around you as yours gripped at his back, your lips meeting in a sensual kiss as Henry started to thrust into you. Loud, wet slaps of his hips meeting your pelvis echoed throughout the room, the erotic sound of skin on skin like an arousing background noise. It wasn’t long before he found a steady rhythm, his kisses languid and passionate as he pushed himself in and out. His hips rocked against yours and he held you tight against his body, showing you just how much he missed you as he slowly fucked you into the sheets. He took his time, he was in no rush, nothing else existing in the world except you and him.

It was all lazy lips and tongues, tender caresses and touches, Henry holding you tight as you mewled almost helplessly against him. He loved fucking you like this, slow and passionate, every single one of his senses completely enveloped by you. Your sweet scent in his nose, your silky smooth skin beneath his finger tips, the sound of his name in your breathy voice, the sight of your parted lips as you dropped your head back in utter pleasure. You were everywhere, surrounding him completely, Henry letting out a groan when he felt you start to tighten around him minutes later.

He knew this meant you were close, hurtling toward the edge, racing to the finish line, your nails digging into his back as your grip on his muscles tightened. He wanted to see you, hear you reach your high, feel you explode around him and hold to him for dear life like you always did. He reached back and lifted your legs to wrap around his waist, bending to capture your lips he and swallow your moans at the feeling of the new deeper angle he’d found. He quickened his pace knowing that he too, wasn’t far from his own release, kissing you passionately and tightening his grip on your skin.

"That's it sweetheart" Henry breathed, his voice low and heavy as he thrust into you, "Come again for me. Let go darling, let go". Just like clockwork, he felt you find your release moments later, your muscles spasming in his arms as you buried your head in his neck and cried out his name into his skin. The feel of you tightening around him was enough to bring his own finish, every single one of his muscles suddenly contracting as he felt warmth explode in his center and flood throughout his body. Your name tumbled from his lips and his arms held you flush against his body, his entire body trembling as he emptied himself inside you.

Neither of you moved for a long moment, sweaty, sated and still as you held each other silently within the sheets. The rain was still heavy outside, the sound of it pelting against the house loud in Henry’s ears as he panted, trying to regain his lost breath as he held you to him. He bent and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, his fingers running down your silky skin as he ever so slowly unwrapped his limbs from yours. He looked down at you and smiled. “I love you”.

He watched as you lifted your head to look at him, your eyes wide and sleepy and filled with nothing but love as you looked back at him. “I love you too Henry”. He smiled gently and reached down to caress your cheek with his thumb, your bodies still connected as he lay settled between your open legs. He watched as you closed your eyes and smiled, letting out a tiny laugh with a barely audible sound.

He frowned and tilted his head curiously. “What is it? What are you laughing at?”. You shook your head gently, opening your eyes and smiling up at him from your spot beneath him. “I had this planned so differently, this was not how your birthday was supposed to start. I had a surprise that I wanted to wear for you and everything”. Henry chuckled, “Sweetheart, my birthday began perfectly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way except me being here sooner”. He paused and lifted his arm to look at his watch, turning back to look down at you with a mischievous grin. “Besides, lucky for me, it’s only officially been my birthday for four hours” he explained slowly, his grin growing even wider, “So I believe we still have plenty of time for that surprise, and, since it’s my birthday, I can’t wait to spend the rest of the day in bed, peeling that surprise off of you”.

----

TAGLIST:

@alyxkbrl @andyrazzledazzle @an-adventureland @tumblnewby @michelehansel @hamianderson @maia-hocane @straightforwardly @designerwriterchic @xlookalivesunshinex @earth-to-lottie @notyouraveragemochii @crazy4thewinbros @amandacavill @god-of-dramatic-death-scenes @wolfyandy @twlohasmp @wondersofdreaming @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @jtargaryen18 @meowpurrbooks @constip8merm8 @peakygroupie @mary-ann84 @carlya65 @the-soot-sprite

#Henry Cavill x Reader #henry cavill x you #henry cavill #henry cavill one shot #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill edit #henry cavill smut #henry cavill fluff

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surveysonfleek · 2 years

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1617.

1. What’s the last thing you ate? turtle chips in choco churros flavour, a new fave!

2. What’s your favourite cheese? triple cream brie omg

3. What’s your favourite fish? raw salmon

4. What’s your favourite fruit? bananas

5. When, if ever, did you start liking olives? i hate olives

6. When, if ever, did you start liking beer? never lol. i dont mind fruity ciders though

7. When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? i guess as a kid?

8. What was the best thing your mum/dad/guardian used to make? filipino food

9. What’s the native specialty of your hometown? we dont have anything great here haha

10. What’s your comfort food? a whopper. i know, its bad

11. What’s your favourite type of chocolate? i love lindt lindor

12. How do you like your steak? medium rare

13. How do you like your burger? a bit red in the middle and just the classic tomato, lettuce and onion with a bomb burger sauce

14. How do you like your eggs? scrambled

15. How do you like your potatoes? beer battered

16. How do you take your coffee? i love iced coffee

17. How do you take your tea? i prefer earl grey with a dash of milk and 1tsp of sugar

18. What’s your favourite mug? this cheap game of thrones one

19. What’s your biscuit or cookie of choice? subway cookies! particularly white choc and macadamia

20. What’s your ideal breakfast? a big breakfast - bacon, sausage, eggs,mushrooms, tomatoes and hash brown with a side of pancakes lol

21. What’s your ideal sandwich? tuna salad is good enough for me tbh

22. What’s your ideal pizza: meat lovers

23. What’s your ideal pie (sweet or savoury)? im happy with an apple pie from mcdonalds lol

24. What’s your ideal salad? greek salad

25. What food do you always like to have in the fridge? the usual haha

26. What food do you always like to have in the freezer? idk lol

27. What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? these questions are boring lol

28. What spices can you not live without? salt, pepper, galic and onion powder and of course all the usuals

29. What sauces can you not live without? tomato sauce and bbq sauce

30. Where do you buy most of your food? coles, woolies and aldi

31. How often do you go food shopping? every week

33. What’s the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? fridge

34. What’s the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? knives

35. What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? microwave or stove

36. How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? hmm maybe 4

37. What’s the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? chicken curry

38. What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? i’ve tried moose, turtle, lamb, crocodile, kangaroo

39. What’s the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? idr

40. What’s the last time you ate something you’d picked in the wild? haha this doesnt rly count but prob an avocado from our avocado tree

41. Arrange the following in order of preference: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Sushi. sushi, chinese, italian, mexican, indian, thai

42. Arrange the following in order of preference: Vodka, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum. whiskey, rum, vodka, brandy

43. Arrange the following in order of preference: Garlic, Basil, Caramel, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Aniseed. garlic, caramel, basil, ginger, mint, lime, aniseed

44. Arrange the following in order of preference: Pineapple, Orange, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Banana. banana, watermelon, pineapple, orange, apple, strawberry, cherry

45. Bread and spread: nutella is my fave

46. What’s your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? kfc, fried chicken and coleslaw

47. Pick a city. What are the best dining experiences you’ve had in that city? haha i couldnt choose

48. What’s your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? what

49. What’s the next thing you’ll eat? some sort of snack at work

50. Are you hungry now? no

51. Do you eat your breakfast everyday? nope

52. At what time do you have breakfast? maybe 7am if i have it

53. At what time do you have lunch? 11

54. What do you have for lunch? changes everyday

55. At what time do you have dinner? 7pm

56. What do you have for dinner? changes everyday

57. Do you light candles during dinner? no lol

58. How many chairs are there in your dining room and who sits in the main chair? 6 but we hardly ever have dinner together as a family lol

59. Do you eat and drink using your right hand or the left one? right

61. Mention the veggies that you like most: i legit like all veggies

62. What fruit and vegetable do you like the least? any sour fruits

63. You like your fruit salad to have more: rockmelon

64. You prefer your vegetable salad to contain more: avocado

65. What’s your favourite sandwich spread? nutella

66. What’s your favourite chocolate bar? kitkat or malteasers

67. What’s your favourite dessert? waffles

68. What’s your favourite drink? vanilla coke

69. What’s your favourite snack? idk lol

70. What’s your favourite bubble gum flavour? spearmint

71. What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? hazelnut

72. What’s your favourite potato chip flavour? salt and vinegar

73. What’s your favourite soup? clam chowder

74. What’s your favourite pizza? meat lovers

75. What’s your favourite type of dish? a hearty meal

76. What food do you hate? spicy food

77. What’s your favourite restaurant? theres way too many to name

78. Do you eat homemade food, or food delivered from outside? both

80. Who cooks at home? we all take turns

81. What kind of diet (e.g. low-fat, high-fiber, high-carbohydrate, balanced diet etc.) do you have? i dont follow one

82. How do you keep yourself fit? minimal exercise lol

#survey #surveys #quiz #bored #questions

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peridots-pixiwolf · 3 years

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oh boy I am memorizing Too Many Species Right Now!! Most of them are because I have bug characters

Here is all of the information I can gather directly from my mind right now:

(mentions of lots of arthropods and a cnidarian under the readmore!)

Sphecius convallis - the pacific cicada killer wasp, closely related to but not to be confused with the more well-known eastern cicada killer, in the same genus with the species name speciosus. It's a tannish-orange color with yellow and off white markings, primarily on its face and abdomen.

Parides montezuma - Montezuma's cattleheart, a black butterfly with bright red markings on the tips of its forewings and on its abdomen, grayish stripes also marking the latter.

Dynastes tityus - the eastern hercules beetle, one of the horned beetles in a dull greenish-yellow, with black freckles on the elytra, as well as a black elytral/prothoracal "margin", prothoracal horn and head. It has tan fur on the undersides of said horn, as well as thorax and abdomen. As with most (all?) horned beetles the horn is only present in males.

Apis mellifera - way too prevalent for me to forget ever, the western/european honeybee. This is the bee that is normally and widely domesticated for honey. It has a light brown head and thorax and (in workers) a yellowish and dark brown banded abdomen, and is one of the rare social species of bees. While western honeybee numbers are in fact decreasing, they aren't close to extinction and are competing with native bees, who ARE indeed endangered.

Polistes olivaceus - commonly referred to as the yellow paper wasp, yellow oriental paper wasp or Macao paper wasp. Yellow, with thin and numerous tan, brown or black bands all along its body.

Sphex pensylvanicus - the great black wasp, or great black digger wasp. It's pretty notable for being all-black with metallic, dark blue wings, and was probably first examined in Pensylvania, U.S. considering the species name but can be found in several places that are Not There in the country. I found a dead one on the side of the road and I put her in my house

Tachypompilus ferrugineus - The rusty spider wasp. It's one that preys on spiders (several? only one?), dragging it (them?) back to her nest to lay eggs on. I've already nerded out about this for a reason, because seeing a red wasp with metallic blue wings drag a wolf spider 2x her size across your front lawn into a hole of unknown depth is a memorable experience.

Polydrusus impressifrons - A weevil. It's sort of pale lime green, sparkling with yellows and darker greens in the elytra chitin, which notably to me is not smooth but rather has straight thin "valley"s carved through it from end to end? I'm sure there's a better word for it but I can't currently remember.

Pleurobrachia pileus - A jellyfish called a sea gooseberry along with the other member of its genus. ...It looks like a drop of water.

Myrmecocystus mexicanus - An ant in one of the genuses holding those known as honeypot ants, but it's not really said if the species itself is in fact one with modified honeypot workers, so I assume it probably isn't? Workers are a light golden-tan, with the head being a bit darker.

Cranjon cranjon - It's a thin light brown shrimp, that iirc is often caught for food. I just think the name is cool

Vespula maculifrons/germanica/vulgaris - three very similar-looking species of yellowjacket in the same genus, the former called the eastern yellowjacket and both the latter called european yellowjackets, though germanica is also called the german wasp while vulgaris is called the common wasp. They're basically what the average person thinks of when hearing the word wasp, with striking bands of black and yellow. They construct papery nests despite not being part of Polistes, and I can't exactly remember their differences currently? There's a tree in my area they were all swarming around about a week ago and I fed them italian ice before one was carried away and eaten mid-flight by a larger bald-faced hornet. Fun times.

I can't remember the scientific name of this one, but it is most commonly referred to as Avispa de caballo (Horse's wasp, not to be confused with horse guard wasp) and it bears close resemblance to cicada killers, due to them both being sand wasps.

Megaloblatta longipennis - one of, if not, the largest species of cockroach. I don't know why I remember this?

Lampyris noctiluca - a species of lampyrid beetle, of which is otherwise known as a firefly or lightning bug, or a glowworm for the larvae and the larviform adult females. The species is one of the most commonly seen fireflies, I believe?

Coenagrion puella - a damselfly species. The male imagos are blue, while the females are green or brown, and both have black abdominal bands and thoracic stripes. It's one of the species that folds its forelegs up near its head.

Strategus aloeus - the ox beetle. It's chestnut brown, with the males having one long forward-facing prothoracic horn and two smaller ones facing back. It doesn't have haired elytra like Pygopleurus, but the underside sure is fluffy!

And that's not even counting all the times I nerded out while writing this, like about how cockroaches are actually most related to termites and that taxon is the sister group of mantises, or how brush-footed butterflies (including monarchs!) do the same thing (as puella) with their reduced forelegs tucked up behind their head so they stand on fours, or how odonates have such large eyes and great vision that they catch their prey 90% of the time, being the most successful hunters, and can predict said prey's movement. Or counting the many nudibranchs I remember the appearances, but not the names, of in vivid detail

Anyway. Uh. Writing this felt way shorter than the time it took. Goodbye

#how do i know all these things and still have enough brain cells to remember the entirety of the hollow knight ost #long post #wAIT I FORGOT ABOUT PYRAUSTA LATICLAVIA AND SIPROETA STELENES AND COTINIS MUTABILIS AND XYLOCOPA VIRGINICA AND TEMOGNATHA ALTERNATA #not my art #bugs

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sendinthehuskies · 3 years

Text

The sky above him was blue and endless, with stripes of pink beginning to bleed in that would ultimately mix and give birth to a rich indigo summer evening.

John stretched out his hand to his left, fingers brushing across the sharp little blades of grass. Lying out in the garden like this brought the world into perspective - it reminded him that he was small and unimportant in the grand scheme of things; that whether he won a game or lost a game the world would keep on turning and the sky would stay where it was.

He’d been out here for ages, enjoying the sun on his cheeks. Downtime in Football was rare and the little slice of time between the Champions League Final and the Euros kicking off was like a gift just for him, wrapped with a bow and presented by the universe itself. He’d taken himself to his mum’s house, which was where he was now, lying in the grass basking in the shimmering summer evening sun.

He’d been helping his mum in the garden all day and his shoulders were stinging slightly now, the cotton of his T-shirt irritating his burnt skin. John let out a contended sigh and closed his eyes. It was exactly one week till he had to leave for St George’s Park. England were the favourites to win and it was a far cry from their underdog status four years ago at the World Cup. So much had changed since then.

Four years ago John would’ve probably believed he didn’t deserve to be part of Gareth’s squad for the Euros, but not anymore. He’d earned this and there was no one who would deny it. He’d come back from the edge of his career and proved everyone wrong. John had fought for his career, even though he didn’t want to at the time. It would’ve been so easy to crawl into a dark hole and stay there. Sometimes he doesn’t know how he did it.

It’d been searing pain, white hot and consuming. Pain bad enough to see him get benched for months and not even really care. He was almost doing it on purpose, looking for excuses to ensure he wouldn’t get called up to the national squad just so that old wounds wouldn’t be re-opened. It was the disappointment in his dad’s eyes that had given him the kick he needed to snap out of it.

Reviving his football career gave John something he’d not had for a long time. It gave him confidence, it gave him a reason to wake up every day that wasn’t completely reliant on another person. He became fitter than he ever had been and it translated into his game. It wasn’t easy to get a second chance with Pep Guardiola, but John had also gotten a second chance with himself.

“John! Dinner’s ready love!”

“Cheers mum,” John called back. She’d made him a chicken Caesar salad and there was trifle for afters. John wondered if she’d have any aloe vera lying around as he got to his feet and headed back to the house.

***

John was parked in the Tesco car park with all of his windows down listening to Radio 1. The air was hot and muggy and his fringe was sticking to his forehead with sweat. He sucked at the ice lolly he’d bought in the shop, groaning when a droplet of lime green ice fell onto his shorts. His sunglasses slid on his nose and he pushed them back into place.

“And it’s just 5 days until the Euros kick off,” the radio presenter said. “Gareth Southgate’s squad includes Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford, but this time there’s no Dele -“

John quickly changed the station. He finished his ice-lolly and licked his sticky fingers. It’d been a while since he’d gone looking Jordan up on the internet and he found that he wanted to now. Last time he’d let curiosity get the better of him, he found out Jordan had a new girlfriend. John hadn’t done any lurking since.

He took out his phone and text Kyle instead. “What time you getting to SGP?” he asked. Hopefully they’d arrive at similar times and John could stick to Kyle’s side and avoid having to speak to Jordan, or have some sort of awkward reunion on camera. They’d seen each other at games and stuff, but only very briefly. John stayed at his end of the pitch and Jordan stayed at his and they didn’t make eye contact. They hadn’t both been called up at the same time for years.

“About 11,” Kyle text back. John resolved to get the car service to drop him off then, too. He started the car and set off in the direction of home. It had been another day of helping his mum in the garden. Today he got to cut the grass without his shirt on and he was sure he saw a group of middle aged women staring at him from the next door neighbour’s upstairs window.

Tomorrow he was getting his hair cut and his sister was coming home to their parent’s house for dinner. He didn’t want this little summer bubble to burst, but he did want to bring the Euros home to England. It was swings and roundabouts, really.

***

“Jesus, John, you been on the sunbeds?!” Jenny exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug. John laughed into his sister’s hair and held her at arms length, grinning.

“All natural. Got to be looking my best when I’m on every TV in Europe haven’t I?”

“None of them will recognise you,” Jenny teased, kicking off her shoes. “They’ll be like ‘that’s not that guy who won the Champion’s League last week. That’s his Italian cousin’.”

“Hardly,” John scoffed. “The big STONES on my back will give it away I reckon.”

“How’ve you been anyway?” Jenny asked, following John out to the garden patio. Their dad followed behind with two beers in his hand for himself and Jenny and a glass of water for John.

“Good,” John said, meaning it sincerely. “Really good. I’ve been running about eight miles a day since I came up to mum and dad’s, just keeping fit and enjoying some down time.”

“Thought you would’ve been out partying since the win!”

“Not our John,” his dad said proudly. “He’s past all that now, aren’t you son?”

John smiled. “Maybe not past it forever, but for now, aye.”

“Peter! Will you come and help us with this bread?” John’s mum called from the kitchen. Their dad rolled his eyes fondly and got up, and Jenny and John took a sip of their drinks.

“How you feeling about seeing Jordan?” Jenny asked softly.

John looked down at his knees and shrugged. “Fine. I can be professional, I’m sure he will be too. He’s got a bird so he’s obviously totally moved on, which is good because so have I.”

“That’s good. You seeing anyone?”

John thought about the couple of dates he’d been on and shook his head. “Nah. I’ve been in and out of relationships since I was fucking fourteen. Time for a bit of a break.”

“You look good for it, bro,” she said, tipping the neck of her beer against his glass. “You’re going to smash the Euros you know.”

“We’ll see.” John tipped his head back and let the vast sky anchor him for a few dizzying seconds.

***

#This is unedited and very raw and ruff but I thought I’d share #For the 2 other ppl who are interested in reading this stuff in the year of our Lord 2021 #I love u deeply zz #I’m gonna write this!! Or keep writing it #I’m enjoying it

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themysteriousauthor18 · 4 years

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Radiodust oneshot [Childhood friend AU]

Artist of picture above:

A wild deer, that’s how it started.

A wild deer and a small boy watching it from the bushes. His brown eyes watched it curiously with the handgun in one of his hands, waiting for a perfect angle. As he raised it ready to aim the perfect shot would have been fired….if not for the sudden intrusion.

It was quick a blur almost but the mop of blonde hair was obvious as the small person ran at the deer and they almost had it. But the deer was faster and it moved at the last second causing the stranger to fall face first into the dirt. The brunette groaned, annoyed as he got up from his hiding spot, watching in aggravation as the deer made it’s escape. Far too fast for him to land a hit.

He looked over to the spot, it was a child and as he approached he noticed the small hand knife in their hand. He wasn’t scared though. “Hey.” The little brunette said, crossing his arms and frowning, the little blonde pushed up onto his elbows and a pair of lime green eyes met brown.

He had never seen such bright and pretty green eyes and he found himself staring for a second before regaining his thoughts. “Ya ‘don scared off ma’ prey.” The other boy tilted his head as he got to his knees before his feet. Once he stood the brunette stifled a laugh somehow taking pride in the fact that the other was at least a foot shorter than him.

“I saw ‘em first.” The brunette stared quizzically, he sounded funny.

“You got da weird voice.” The little blonde boy stuck his tongue out.

“Yeah well, you talk funny.” The two little boys exchanged looks for a second before the smaller of the two looked away. The brunette couldn’t help but look at the knife on the other hand.

“Why ya got da’ knife?” The blonde looked down at his knife.

“My pa is making me hunt animals.” The brunette scoffed.

“Dat’s dumb. A gun is betta.” The little boy smiled.

“That’s what I said!” His smile faded soon after, the brunette liked his smile. It was...nice. The shorter of the two glared at the grown. “But whenever I say that he hits me...so I stopped saying that.” The two fell silent the only sounds being the subtle forest sounds around them and heavy sounds of cicadas in the hot summer heat.

“What’s your name?” The brunette finally asked his curiosity getting the better of him. He was sharply dressed for his age and the other found it strange. His outfit looked like it had been stolen from someone, multiple tears in the pants and white T-shirt he wore.

It was a stupid choice to be talking to someone, especially out here. His father had told him never to trust anyone yet here he was talking to a boy that was strangely out here in the woods on a hot summer day. Especially when children would be playing in a pool somewhere or getting ice cream.

And despite all that, he found himself answering. “Anthony.” The brunette found himself smiling, something he rarely did these days.

“My name is Edward.” The taller of the two said, reaching his hand out as if they were businessmen.

Anthony looked at the hand curiously but found himself grabbing it. They shook and their hands stuck together for a little longer than normal before awkwardly separating.

Anthony looked at the ground. “So uh..how old are ya’? I just turned 9!” The brunette narrowed his eyes.

“10.” The blonde looked up amazed.

“Wow your old.” The brunette gawked at the bluntness.

“ ‘Dats real rude!” Anthony only grinned.

“But it's weird.” Edward tilted his head confused.

“Why?” He couldn’t help but stare into those large round doe-like green eyes. The freckles, blonde hair and pale skin..it was all so interesting to look at. Was it because he was younger that he looked like that?

“Well I’ve met older people and they weren’t cute. But you are.” Edward smiled nervously.

“D-you can’t go sayin’ ‘dat!” The shorter was simply confused.

“Huh? Why?” Edward frowned his cheeks tinting a like pink.

“My fatha’ said it ain’t okay for boys to be goin’ around and liking boys. He don’t like it…”

“Oh…” Anthony muttered staring at the grass, as if it held the answers.

“Well, I like you!” The brunette’s face flushed a bright red.

“D-don’t be sayin’ dat!” He gawked, completely shocked. He’d never met someone like this or a boy who had said something like that.

“Well I am so there!” Edward crossed his arms.

“You very weird.” The blonde boy only grinned.

“I know. Oh-I gotta go! Bye Edward!” The boy suddenly took off running and before the brunette could question just why he’d run off, he could hear the boy's name being called by a gruff voice.

...Maybe he would see him again.

Two boys, each drastically different, it seemed as if a friendship like theirs would never work out. But somehow it did, in that small quaint town of New Orleans they seemed, by luck, to run into each other again and again. And somehow that friendship grew and they got along. They would go into the woods together and attempt to hunt or sometimes just sit around and talk about random topics.

Although only the mothers knew of the boy's friendship, and would be the one to maintain this secret friendship. Although there was a lot of bad on each of the boy’s sides, for what it was worth, when they were together things almost for those two years, were perfect.

And then those 5 years came to an end.

A soft knock came at the door but Anthony refused to look up from the floor. He heard the door open and still refused to look up. He expected to hear the booming voice of his father yelling at him, snatching up and beating him. But instead he only heard the light tapping of shoes as they got closer…

This led him to think that it was his mother who had entered his room, and so he looked up. But his eyes widened in shock, it was not his mother who was currently closing his door very quietly nor her who was smiling sadly at him right now.

“Ed!” He whispered loudly as he got up from his bed and tackled the other in a tight hug. In these two years the other male had grown a bit taller, his voice had gotten a tad deeper and he now wore glasses. But other than that, he hadn’t changed very much. The way he hesitantly passed Anthony’s shoulders before gently pushing him away only proved this.

“Are you alright?” He asked, he had begun suppressing his accent since a year ago, and although Anthony wasn’t sure why he never bothered to question it. Even if he did miss it.

Anthony nodded with glossy eyes that he tried to wipe. Edward was dressed in that blue polo again, the one they always wore in schools. Wait did he just skip school? “How did ya get in here..” Anthony whispered. Edward simply shook his head dismissing the question as unimportant.

“Why are you frowning?” Anthony wiped his eyes.

“You know why! I ain’t gonna be in New Orleans tomorrow…” It was all his father's fault, and he truly hated him for it. He had done quite a lot of horrible things but this was one of the worst. They were being forced to move back to New York just because of his father's work. Naturally he didn’t have a say so in it and, it would also be the last time he would be able to see Edward. He didn’t have a cellphone, he wasn’t allowed one and Edward was far too poor to afford one. Anthony didn’t know his new address and he didn’t want to get the other in trouble for possibly sending letters to his home.

Truly, it seemed this would be the last time they would be seeing each other.

It seemed.

And Edward knew this.

He was frowning now as he moved his thumb to wipe a stray tear from the shorter boy's face. “Don’t frown Anthony. You have a beautiful smile.” Anthony sniffled as he shook his head resting it against Edwards chest.

“I don’t wanna say goodbye to ya...you're the only person in this shit hole whose actually nice to me...everyone else sucks.” This time Edward allowed the contact, he kept his hands on Anthony’s shoulders.

“I don’t wanna say goodbye either Anthony.” He admitted quietly. He gently patted the other's head. “But there’s nothing we can do.” Once again he pushed the other away holding him at arm's length. Anthony looked up with glossy eyes once more. Edward smiled sadly, and reached into his breast pocket taking out the red handkerchief.

“Come now, a frown doesn’t suit your pretty face.” Anthony took the handkerchief and wiped his eyes free of any tears. He held it up to hand it back but the other simply shook his head. “Keep it.” This caused the corners of Anthony’s lips to tug up almost into a smile. It was that smile that Edward craved whenever they met up, whenever he saw him and whenever they said their goodbyes.

And this time was no different.

“Sbrigati, fottuto marmocchio!” The familiar gruff voice shouted from the hall in italian. Anthony’s smile vanished as did Edwards.

He sighed, suppressing the urge to cry once again. “I-I gotta go…” he muttered in a broken voice.

“Hm, I think not. Not until you smile.” Anthony looked up.

“Ed-your gonna get me in trouble. Move out of ‘da way..and..and you gotta go before you get found by my pa.” Anthony bit his lip swallowing the tears as he gestured to the locked window. He wanted to run, run away with Edward..but he knew he couldn’t. They wouldn’t survive out there, and he knew his father would find him. Running would just make it worse...besides, he refused to leave his mother and sister.

Edward only shook his head. “Not until you smile. So how can I get that to happen?” Anthony looked to his feet, only shrugging. Edward hummed lowley as he took a step forward noting to himself that he’d locked the door. He tilted Anthony’s head up and without warning leaned down and pecked his lips.

The blonde was shocked, thrown off even. The action was enough to get him to back away, the back of his hand covering his mouth. Edward only smirked, finding Anthony’s bright red face and confused green eyes that searched him, humorous.

“E-Ed what the hell! W-why did you do that.” The brunette only looked quizcally, the smirk on his lips not falling.

“Did you not like it?” Slowly the hand covering Anthony’s mouth lowered, his eyes looking anywhere that wasn’t Edward.

“.......I did.” He said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Almost.

Edward stepped closer once more, leaned down again but stopped just an inch from Anthony’s lips. He smiled softly, and Anthony kept his eyes away even though he could feel Edwards breaths on his cheek. As he felt the others hand come up to cup his cheek he found his eyes tracing back to the brunette. Those large green doe eyes stared up into brown.

Anthony leaned up pressing his lips against Edwards and grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. Edward only tilted his head, locking his free arm around Anthony’s hips.

Time seemingly stopped for just those few minutes. And for once, Anthony felt safe and warm.

And then that moment was over.

The loud banging at the door and failed attempt to open it brought the young pair back to reality causing the brunette to quickly pull away. Angel looked up at him alarmed as he moved over to the window quickly opening it, ignoring the angry italian behind the door. He sat perched on the window ciel, the jump down wouldn’t hurt too much as long as he landed in the bushes.

He looked over to Anthony and reached his hand out. “Anthony come with me.” The blonde looked at the offered hand and slowly shook his head. “I can’t Ed...my sister. A-and what about your mom..” Edward frowned deepened as he sighed.

He leaned forward, cupping Anthony’s face and kissing him gently one last time. It was short this time, but sweet. He stared into those bright green eyes resting his forehead against the others. “....Goodbye, Anthony.”

Anthony’s eyes become glossy once more, he couldn’t help but sniffle once again. “Goodbye Edward..” he hoarse words came, and they were the last things the brunette heard before tearing himself away and jumping from the window.

“Wow that sounds like a childhood love story.” The blonde-haired girl said from Angel’s bed. He sighed leaning against his dresser. He took another hit from his joint, his eyes staring out the window and into the city of New York.

“Eh it was probably the heat of the moment.” The women hummed.

“Your an adult now, why not just move back to New Orleans and go lookin’ for him?” Angel shook his head taking another long drag from the joint, this time letting stay in for a second before blowing it out. The smoke filled the room, not that it bothered the women.

“That was 10 years ago Cherri, he’s probably long gone by now. An I don’t even remember his address let alone where he lived in New Orleans.” She laid down on his bed. “Plus I can’t. Just cause I got my own place don’t mean pa ain’t got his hooks in me still.” She frowned.

“Well, who knows...maybe you’ll meet him again someday. Loves got a way y’know?” Angel looked into the mirror, he’d grown up his features matured..freckles not as visible anymore. But most importantly, his eyes didn’t sparkle a bright green like they had back then. Sometimes he wondered if that kiss really happened, or if it was all just his imagination. Trying to make something good of a sad memory. Wanting to kiss the guy he’d developed a crush on.

Did it ever happen...or was it simply a false memory?

“Yeah….I hope so.”

But he wouldn’t get his hopes up.

He knew better.

He suppressed a sign as he leaned over and switched on the radio. He wanted to listen to something while he did his make up.

“Good morning all you listeners! Today is quite a lovely day yes indeed! A pleasure to have you all listening once again. I shall be your host for today, Alastor haha! Now let us see what dreadful things are to be had today in the city of New York!”

Angel frowned only listening to that broadcast in the background..

…..Maybe they’d meet again someday.

#radiodust #au #childhod love #alastor #angel dust #oneshots #fanfiction #alastorxangel

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