68:42

When one packs up a van to go live in it for an unspecified period of time, the last thing that one chooses to pack is a pestle and mortar. I had a nice set of three but had to let it go.

When we were last in Turckheim we had a mad shopping spree in the Staub outlet there. I bought a large bag of goodies, including a magnetic knife board and a canteen of cutlery. I spotted a gorgeous pestle and mortar and stood for ages in front of it, trying to justify the purchase. I just couldn't.

I can crush garlic with a knife (as previously purchased at Staub). I have gadgets and can blend pastes with a stick blender or whizz them around in the Magimix but the manual process is so much more satisfying and a pestle and mortar is also an object of beauty when not in use (a Magimix scarcely counts on that score!).

The bill was already huge and therefore I let a sigh of regret escape me and we left without the object of my desire.


Fast Forward to Prime Day 2021 and look what I have on my kitchen bench now. My husband really does love me, doesn't he? :-)

It was a better price than at the outlet too, so all worked out very well.

It's worth commenting that, after two excessive shopping trips in Turckheim, there's not one item that we have any regrets about purchasing. Everything is used constantly and each item enriches my life. Everything looks perfectly beautiful. Everything feels right to the hand. I used to be a big Le Creuset fan but now I am a Staub/Zwilling girl through and through. Le Creuset can't really be called beautiful; handsome, yes, but not beautiful.

Looking forward to our next visit. I definitely want to extend my collection of enamelled cast iron pans.

In the meantime... curry! Once I find a source of essential ingredients I shall be grinding away merrily.