Tuesday, 1 April 2014

April's Sweets and Sales

Hello, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful flowery season.
an-an is really excited Summer time had arrived and day gets longer and longer.

Moreover, it's the season for tasty Wagashi!!!

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April's Sweets

Sakura Mochi(Doumyouji)・・・Smooth Adzuki Bean paste is wrapped in pink coarse sweet mochi. Leaves are edible. It's homemade pickled cherry leaves. If you haven't eaten, you should try! Suitable for Vegans.(£1.30/pcs)


Sanshoku Dango ・・・It's also known as Hanami Dango. Pink, white and green... pastel tricolor sweets on skewer. Green herb Yomogi gives minty taste. Suitable for Vegans.(£1.30/skewer)

Usagi Manju ・・・This was on sale in the moon ceremony last September and very popular. This Easter Bunny is made with White bean paste is wrapped by steamed wheat bread. Suitable for Vegans. (£1.30/pcs)


Hiyoko Manju ・・・Chick shaped baked cake. Plenty of eggs... even bean paste inside has custard flavor.  This is also for Easter.(£1.30/pcs)


Daifuku Mochi ・・・Smooth or chunky bean paste in mochi.(£1.00/pcs)

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This month, Saturday Schools are off till the last week of this month.
Although there are many food festivals in Brighton, an-an has not applied for any at the moment.
an-an will visit them all with my children. If you see me, please say hi♪

Here is the schedule.

3rd(Thu)11:30 - 14:00
   Japanese Cafe oo-my The nearest BR station: 10 min. on foot from Portslade
  7th(Mon)11:00-- 
   Cornerstones Church, Hove
  10th(Thu)11:30 - 14:00 
   Japanese Cafe oo-my
  17th(Thu)11:30 - 14:00
   Japanese Cafe oo-my
  24th(Thu)11:30 - 14:00
   Japanese Cafe oo-my
  26th(Sat)12:00- 
   At Croydon Japanese School Parking area
                   Please order in advance.
        15:00- 
   At Brighton and Hove Japanese Club 
     Please order in advance.

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Once children's schools break off, I won't be able to do so much. So I have made "to-do" list...looooong one. I don't know where to start...

So, I shall go and make more anko(bean paste)...

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Where's spring gone???

Summer, already?
For this last few weeks,  I am feeling strong sunshine on my back. Temperature goes up to 20C.

So, how is Cherry blossom doing? Wow, tulips' buds are getting bigger and bigger.

Oh, I found a lot of eggs of flogs in my pond. I can already see tiny tadpole in those eggs...they are moving!!!

I really cannot get used to the swift change of seasons.

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On the way to hospital yesterday, I saw a cherry tree fully blooming.
The sky was too blue that I could not believe it is still in the middle of March.
It was snowing around today last year. Oh, dear...

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The problem is Sakuramochi. This is presenting cherry blossom. In an-an's calender, Sakuramochi comes on April, but I shall bring it on the March menu this year. 

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

March sweets and sales

Gust, hailstones and daffodils.

It's very British Spring.
Every five minutes, sky is changing into blue and gray....and dark black. 

Why can't we have a calm beautiful early spring day like Japanese???
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Here is the line-ups of March sweets.

*Uguisu Mochi £1.30/pce


*Umenoka £1.30/pce


*Sanshoku Dango £1.30/stick

*Daifuku Mochi(Koshi・Tsubu)£1.00/pce
*Ohagi(Koshi・Tsubu・Kinako)£1.30/pce

I will make more variety of sweets for larger events. Please pop in.

Buy the way, I am always asked about Strawberry Mochi and Sakura Mochi. Sakura mochi will be avairable in April, Strawberry Mochi will come when British Strawberries are on supermarkets' shelves. Please be patient.

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Here is the sales schedules.

3/3(Mon)around 11 o'clock~ 
   Cornerstones Church, Hove
  6(Thu)around 11 O'clock~ 
   Japanese Cafe oo-my only 10 min on foot fm BR・Portslade
  8(Sat)around 12 O'clock~
          Croydon Japanese School (Hoshuko)
   Pre-order only
           around 15 O'clock~ 
   Brighton and Hove Japanese Club 
   Pre-order only fro non-members
  13(Thu)around 11 O'clock~ 
   Japanese Cafe oo-my only 10 min on foot fm BR・Portslade
  15(Sat)12:00~16:00
   Brighton and Hove Japanese Club Open Day
     *Please check the website for more detail.
  20(Thu)around 11 O'clock~ 
   Japanese Cafe oo-my only 10 min on foot fm BR・Portslade
  27(Thu)around 11 O'clock~ 
   Japanese Cafe oo-my only 10 min on foot fm BR・Portslade
  29(Sat)round 15 O'clock~ 
   Brighton and Hove Japanese Clubブライトン&ホーブ日本語クラブ 
   Pre-order only fro non-members

From Next month, I deliver to Cornerstones Church on the first Mondays. It is a part of Japanese Toddler Group. If you have any inquiry, please send me a mail.
If you would like to organize a group delivery of an-an sweets every month, please write to info@an-an.co.uk.

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It has been such a nice weather in the past few days...
I need to be more active....not.
I am locked myself in my kitchen and prepare for the up coming BIG event...
See me there, if you can.

Sunday, 2 March 2014

Tomorrow is "Girls' Festival!(Hinamatsuri)"

It's already March!
In my garden, yellow daffodils are blooming proudly.

Spring has come!!!

I am so sorry not to write this blog for so long. After I got ill in Japan, my energy level has not come back to normal yet. Whenever I make sweets, I just flatten in my bed without uploading onto here.

I always take some photos to upload here!!!
I will show the photos soon.

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so, March means "Hinamatsuri" for Japanese.
It is a festival for girls to wish a good wedding and married life to come.

Girls doesn't mean young female... A big girls are "Girls", too!

Here is the this year's Ohinasama sweets.
These are made of Nerikiri.
White bean paste coloured and shaped.
The groom has smooth adzuki bean paste inside 
and the green colour come from Japanese Macha Green tea.

Yesterday, I took them to Japanese Schools and passing-by screamed,

「Kawaii----!」

That's made my day.

I will have a delivery tomorrow morning towards Brighton, so if you want to buy the set, please let me know before 8pm tonight.

I should have done this at least weeks ago, but I am not organized at all... and I wasn't confident I could make them...

I did this drawings 2 days ago... it triggered.


Here is a group photo.

It was a have happy ending for all...

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There are so many spring sweets on my list.
The detail comes on the next blog.

I shall go and cook beans... bye for now.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

an-an is back to UK!

an-an is now back from Japan!




Aww...There were so many thing happened and I don't know where to start.

On the 1st of January, my mother broke her wrist bone and needing to have a complicated operation to connect her shattered bones.  

On the 3rd of January, I caught a cold.... really bad one. 
It progressed to inner ear infection with high fever.

I managed to flew here with a strong pain killer, but my ears are not functioning normally.

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It's still quite difficult to stand still, as I lost the sense of balance.
It will be difficult to serve sweets, as I have hearing difficulty.

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I will let you know when I can come to sell my sweets at oo-my here.
Till then, I try to upload my eventful Japanese trip.

I can still write this blog! Yes!
So keep watching this space!


Here is the photo I had a lunch at my mum's hospital.
Kaki-Fry lunch set.
(breaded deep-fried oyster lunch set.)
It was yum!

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Happy New Year from Japan!

2014 has come to Japan about one houre ago.

This year is Hose year in Chinese/Japanese calender.

I feel time goes as fast as a top class racing hose this year, so I won't waste even one minuts, one second... 

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I shall eat as much wonderful and authentic sweets her in Japan. 

I will steal the skill and bring back to the UK.

Till then, I shall report my food diary as soon as I find something good.

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Big Thanks for your support in 2013.

I wish if an-an can move to another direction in 2014.


Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Merry Christmas!

It's first in the morning of Christmas Day.

I was woken up by my kids' screaming voice opening presents... at 6am.

Unfortunately, some of the parts in UK are hit by sever weather condition, and suffered from flooding and power cuts... I really hope every one can feel at least one happiness in this difficult situation.

So, my Christmas Dinner fight begins ... now.


This Gingerbread house made by my kids.
And treats for Father Christmas and Reindeer.
Milk? not Red wine???
Our household is non-alcoholic.
Safe for Santa's driving, isn't it?