Turkish Delight and Egyptian Delight to delight visitors to London, & Dark chocolate

The pretty box.

Celebrations. You choose what to put in your box, like the old Pick n Mix at Woolworth's.

We cut open the orange one to share it. Strong flavours. strong colours. Dark orange curled around white soft nougat. Not just boring plain jelly.

The pink one was strong and totally different, with a nut in the middle.The strong jellly overwhelmed the nut flavour.

The strong fruit flavour made everything else taste stronger, too. We had black grapes afterwards. The sugar left in my mouth from the sweet enhanced the flavour of the grapes.

Also look for peera, an Indian fudge made from home made evaporated milk, boiled slowly to reduce and thicken it, added sugar and cinnamon for flavouring. Popular for Diwali, weddings and to celebrate the birth of children.

Also in this area, several Indian restaurants and curry houses, a French restaurant, Whitechapel art gallery which has a shop and restaurant, the old Synagogue where Disraeli's father attended until he fell out with the others and converted from Judaism to Christianity, which enabled his son Benjamin to became Prime Minister and Queen Victoria's favourite.

Useful Websites

aipackaging.co.uk

Rajmahal Sweets, 57 Brick Lane, Shadwell, London E1
Near Aldgate East tube station.

Two more branches.
Long opening hours, from 9 am to 11 pm, seven days a week.

Tasty Turkish delight. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Travel writer and photographer. Copyright.


Maybe you'd prefer chocolate?
My family tried that, too, a few steps away.

A cup of Espresso for two pounds, and chocolate covered orange peel at six pounds eighty four pence. (We took one piece out of the bag to go with the coffee.)

I would describe the East End of London, the West End of London, the whole of London, as English delight.

Dark Sugars Ltd Main store
124-126 Brick Lane, London, Greater London, E1 6RU.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Best Bagels - from Brick Lane in London

Bagels from Brick Lane. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Are the best bagels from Brick Lane in London? My family bought sesame bagels in Brick Lane, East London.

Heated them up next day. Not in the microwave. Better in the oven. Served sliced with butter, melting butter. Delicious.

I used to buy bagels in packets from Tesco Express, especially when going cheap after 6,7 and 8 pm in the evening. I used to freeze them.

I must admit the latest Brick Lane bagels got up votes from two members of the family. Crunchy outside. Slighly sweet outside. Soft inside.

Salted butter would probably enhance the flavour and counteract the sweetness.

The Brick Lane area is nowadays no longer the Jewish area it once was, but has been taken over by the next influx of refugees, so expect to see lots of 'Indian' continent restaurants and snack bars, offering foods from around the world.

You could read a book whilst eating a bagel, but I would rather concentrate on each one without the distraction of the other.

Holiday Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Ali#Brick_Lane
https://www.jack-the-ripper.org/jewish-east-end.htm

Getting There
Choice of two tube stations at different ends of the main street.
Shoreditch.
Aldgate. (Which means old gate.)

Useful Websites
https://m.facebook.com/beigelbake/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Lane

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bokmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Multi-Faith Buildings And Events And Converted Religious Buildings

Problems
I read that the Temple in Jerusalem, described in the books of Kings in the bible, was built by Solomon with help from his northerly neighbour, the ruler of Lebanon who sent logs for beams and decoration carved panels. The temple was in effect, open to more than one nationality and religion. I had previously thought that a multi-faith building, or community centre, was a modern idea. Where do you see multi-faith buildings or ceremonies or events nowadays?

Answers
Many hospitals and airports have multi-faith chapels or rooms for prayer.

I have seen one at Northwick Park hospital. Another is at Heathrow airport in London. Signs and brochures list them at many airports.

A different idea is to use the same buildings cut shared for use on different days.

In the USA, when we were living there in the 1980s, we attended a meeting at a building in Maryland or Washington DC, which was a synagogue on Saturday and a church on Sunday. The sign outside swivelled. On arrival, the person in charge of your group turned the sign. When you left, if you remembered, you might turn it back for the others.

I've heard the same idea of sharing a building suggested for small congregations in NW London. Whoever had a religious building, but cannot afford to run in with a dwindling congregation, can rent it out by the day, or split the annual running costs.

Another option is to take over another religion's building. Two notable examples of this are in Spain.

From a tourist's point of view, in Spain I was intrigued to see a small synagogue which had been converted into a church.

A large and impressive site on the tourist route is the mosque - church of Cordoba in Spain.

In the East End of London an old synagogue (Brick Lane) has been taken over by a mosque.

If you just enjoy the grandeur and decoration of religious buildings, whilst not necessarily wanting to be involved in religions, some lovely conversations of old churches have been made into restaurants in the UK and I went to one in New Zealand.

Universities in the UK are building multi-faith spaces.

UK
http://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2015/07/24/london-east-end-synagogue-bought-by-neighboring-mosque
https://www.heathrow.com/airport-guide/terminal-facilities-and-services/prayer-rooms-and-chapel
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/at-the-airport/airport-facilities/faith-and-worship/

SPAIN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synagogue_of_El_Transito
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque–Cathedral_of_Córdoba

HONG KONG
Multi-faith space at airport.

CANADA
Toronto multi-faith buildings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multifaith_space

GERMANY
Church-mosque-synagogue planing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27872551

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Bagels to buy and try: rainbow, plain, sesame or poppy seed?

Where To Buy and Try Rainbow Bagels
USA - New York, USA
UK - Brick Lane bakery, East End of London, England
Two bagel bakeries are only steps away from each other in Brick Lane. One is open 24 hours.If you are likely to become a regular buyer, do a blind taste test. Buy one from each shop and mark the wrappers with the price and shop name. Taste blind.

See TripAdvisor for the latest reviews.

UK Supermarkets Taste Test
You can also buy plain bagels and bagels with poppy seeds and sesame seeds in London supermarkets such as Tesco and Morrisons. You could also do a blind taste test of your nearby supermarkets.

A retired restaurant owner, Peter, told me he thinks you can buy better and cheaper in bulk from Costco in North Watford. They are a wholesaler and you have to apply for a card. Take your business card, or club committee member card if you are buying in bulk for a club on a regular basis.

Another option is B and K salt beef bar. They have branches in Edgware and Hatch End.

You'll find more bakeries in Golders Green.

USA
https://shop.thebagelstoreonline.com/

UK
Bagel Bake
159 Brick Lane
London E
24 hrs.

B and K Salt Beef Bar
Hatch End
Middlesex
(Near Hatch End station.)

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer