Monday, with all its soft grains and fruit

by Hattie Morrison

Hello! This week we’re excited to say we’ve got Hattie Morrison sharing from her kitchen daily. You can find Hattie here. We’re really looking forward to her contribution to the Gazette, and hope you enjoy this window into her eating habits too!

Best, Sinae and Kate

Morning

I wake up hungry even though I went to bed a couple hours ago with a few big forkfuls of tomato spaghetti inside of me, cold from the saucepan on the hob. Today, first, I have what I like to call porridge-when-it’s-too-warm-for-porridge, which comprises two dry, malting bars of oats in large tablets with fruit. Oatibix, or Weetabix reincarnate. 

I take them out of the paper packet, stacked vertically, and shave bits away with my clumsy fingers, trying not to get the powder all over the floor. Two of them go into a shallow, wide bowl usually used for noodle soup. Then I take the time to cut red grapes in half because whole grapes are too bulbous. They give too much juice. Then I get the (now browned) halved banana from the fridge, left from yesterday morning's breakfast of the same sort. I have eaten this every morning since buying the box four days ago. Then it’s the oat milk, shallow, with only enough to faint into the oats while I warm water for my mug. I’m tired today, and usually the fruit is enough, but I clump lumps of brown sugar over it all, and think about being a small person in the morning before school. It feels like playdough in my hands and I lick my fingers clean while the kettle boils.

I pour hot water into my favourite mug over a peppermint tea bag. The tea bag is so strong, it’s like drinking warm mouthwash in the morning and I love it at first, then hate it. I will finish the box then use mint from my garden next time. Sadly, I can’t drink coffee anymore. I won’t go into it.

I read a bit of Umberto Eco’s How To Write a Thesis and laugh at myself.

Afternoon

It is a warm day today despite the month and I go to the dentist at the nearest town, get angry at the pelican crossings, and then am tugged at the cheek as they put a very big camera inside my mouth to see how wonky my teeth are. My face is a bit sore afterwards, and the vegan sausage roll Cai bought for me is kind, but also completely lacklustre and a little bit like eating wet tissue paper. I buy a green drink from a Welsh coffee shop chain to wash out the pastry from my gums and drink only a third of it because it is mostly orange juice. I put it in my cup holder and refrigerate the rest once I get home. I am ashamed of the plastic. When I do get home, I can’t face the juice and instead, eat the rest of the pasta. It’s cold and slimy and I absolutely love it. 

Dinner

I eat late, so, projecting towards midnight, I will eat this lentil dhal with roasted squash. It will involve, but not be limited to

soaked lentils,

yogurt with mint from the garden, picked in the dark in my slippers, probably. 

Kale, with plenty of lemon juice and butter melted over it.

Turmeric all over my fingers.

Coconut milk from a can.

I bought Anna Jones’ The Modern Cooks Year today and revel in the idea of eating seasonally again. I will try my best. Everytime I see baby corn in the supermarket I think of my Aunty Janet telling me off for buying designer vegetables, and put them back on the shelf. 

Tomorrow, I will eat the dhal cold with plenty of bruised coriander from outside my front door and Cai with be a little bit disgusted by my tenacious love for leftovers.