A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - CHUR, THE OLDEST CITY OF SWITZERLAND PART III

SPITFIRE PREMIUM KENTISH ALE: COMPLETE PROFILE

A quart of Ale is a dish for a king.
- William Shakespeare

Origin: Kent, UK. 
Produced By: Britain's oldest (founded in 1698) and most popular brewery (they produce more than 5.5 million gallons of beer a year), Shepherd Neame Limited from Faversham.
Status: Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale is a standout brew and is the biggest ale success story of the last decade (Shepherd Neame's biggest-selling cask conditioned ale). Besides, it also has Protected Geographical Indication, just like Champagne and Parma Ham.
History: Originally produced in 1990 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Spitfire is now a permanent feature on the Shepherd Neame portofolio.
Awards: Winner of a gold medal and Best Strong Cask-Conditioned Beer of the World at the Brewing Industry International Awards.
Colour: Clear, rich, darkish amber with orange and copper hues.
Smell: Clean, dry, malty, slightly bitter with hints of buttery popcorn, nuts, grass, fruits (apricots & bitter oranges) and flowers.
Flavour: This traditional British beer is wonderfully hoppy and minerally, and has aromas of bread, yeast, apricots, nuts with hints of cinnamon, toffee, raspberries, red grapes, marmalade, pepper and a enjoyable bitter as well as a grassy aftertaste and a sweet honey and caramelly flavour that lingers for an eternity.
Body: Medium, but with a nice dryness.
Carbonation: Medium with rather sharp bubbles.
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Cost: Not the cheapest beer on the market, but not ridiculously expensive either.
Food pairing: Perfect with good old English grub like fish and chips, cheese and onion crisps, cheese (Cheddar, Red Leicester, Lancashire, Caerphilly, etc...) and crackers, pies, coronation salad, roasts, fish (poached salmon & haddock), grilled meats and even oatmeal cookies or shortbreads. It also pairs splendidly with Asian food (as long as it's not too fiery) and dishes such as quiches, pâtés, terrines, omelets, savory crêpes or continental cheeses that are not too overpowering (Edam, Tilsit, Cantal, young Gruyère, Comté, Beaufort, etc...).
Verdict: Refreshing, smooth, elegant, well-balanced, intensely flavorful and pleasant. A magnificent and highly recommendable ale.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - CHUR, THE OLDEST CITY OF SWITZERLAND PART II

MY PRECIOUS VINTAGE TEA CUPS

9 YEARS OF PLEASURE & PAIN: AN ANTI HOLLYWOODESQUE ODE TO MY BLOG

Today, my blog celebrates its 9th year of existence. My oh my, I simply cannot believe I have been blogging for this long! Where have all those years gone? It feels like I just started blogging yesterday when in fact, I hesitantly hit the submit button for the very first time 3285 days ago.

I clearly remember that moment. My heart was racing and pounding in my chest, my body was shaking with excitement and as I was stepping into the unknown, a feeling of anticipation overwhelmed me. A new era was starting and nothing would be the same anymore.

Week after week, my passion grew. The more I created and partook in this collective craze, the more I became enraptured by the addictive realm of blogging and networking. It turned into an obsession. After only a few months of online frenesy, I knew I was seriously hooked and even if at moments this activity exhausted and challenged me to the highest point, I could not withdraw from it - to tell you the truth, I still can't pull back from it now.

I hate and love. And why, perhaps you’ll ask.
I don’t know: but I feel, and I’m tormented.
- Catullus 

My blog, my lover, my killer. I adore you, yet I hate you. You give me so much, but you are also incredibly demanding and ungrateful. Although you nurture me and help me bloom,  sometimes you are indubitably a curse and you suck me dry like thirsty a vampire, martyrize me and feed my insecurities. Life with you isn't always pink and glamorous, yet you continuously bring the best out of me, force me to overcome my fears and face my demons. I'm forever indebted to you...

Having said that, Rosa's Yummy Yums would never be what it is without its followers (old & new), and therefore I wish to thank all of my faithful readers, loyal friends and occasional visitors for following and encouraging me throughout my ups and downs, personal struggles, ego-boosting successes, exhalirating moments of pure genius and depressing periods of self-doubt.

Your limitless generosity, kind and encouraging words as well as heartwarming compliments are always welcome as they enlighten my life, cheer me up and give me the energy to stay the course and continue sharing with you my nerdy fascination for the culinary world, the art of photography and prose writing.

You are my muse - my source of artistic inspiration - and whenever I lose all my confidence and I am ready to weakly capitulate, you never fail to get me back on track, give me a reason to persist, fight even more fiercely than before and surpass myself. Similarly to a talented chief conductor, you know how to supportingly lead me in the right direction and towards harmony.

My blog's digital symphony would be a complete cacaphony if it were not minutely ochestrated by the soothing metronomic rhythm of your thoughtful comments arriving in my inbox, cheerful tip-tapping of your fingers on the keyboard and the gentle click of your mouse!

Please take note that Rosa's Yummy Yums is going on a summer hiatus and will be fully functionning again after the 17th of August...

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY - VINTAGE ENGLISH TABLEWARE

The cup was empty, but I didn’t drink it because nothing is impossible to drink. So instead, I drank nothing. Nothing is impossible to drink, except nothing.
- Jarod Kintz, Sleepwalking Is Restercise

A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - CHUR, THE OLDEST CITY OF SWITZERLAND PART I