Creative of the Month: Dulcie Haskoll

I'm Dulcie, mum to Violet and wife to Cosmin. We live on the very outskirts of London in a little house full of treasures such as a vintage Romanian textile collection and over 30,000 buttons organised by colour in sweetie jars.

A couple months away from officially reaching my mid forties, my larder is full of collagen and biotin, and my handmade wardrobe crammed with colour.

Recently diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, I am in the process of learning how to work with my nervous system rather than to ignore it entirely in favour of being "normal". Making things, especially clothing, is one of the few activities that I didn't need to adjust post diagnosis as it had already established itself as an excellent antidote to the stresses of everyday life.

One of my toxic traits is looking at something, no matter how complex, and firmly believing "yeah, I could make that". This arrogance has definitely led to some spectacular failures that I'd rather forget, but also resulted in finished items that I'm really proud of. 

Local Inspiration

If a fellow creative had a few days to explore the creative side of your city/town, what would be your recommended itinerary?
Include sight-seeing, markets, galleries, shopping, and eating out! 

Starting at London Bridge, walk towards borough market (instagram @boroughmarket) where you can pick up something tasty to help fuel you for the walk ahead. Then head towards southbank and walk westward along the riverpath.  If the tide is low you may spot mudlarkers searching the foreshore for lost and discarded artifacts. 

Just after Southwark bridge you'll find Shakespeare's globe theatre, the Tate Modern (www.tate.org.uk) and the Bankside gallery (instagram @banksidegallery and finally the Hayward Gallery (instagram @hayward.gallery).

Walk across Waterloo bridge and catch an eastbound clipper ferry from embankment pier to masthouse terrace pier. Then it's a gentle five minute walk to the north entrance of the Greenwich foot tunnel which takes you underneath the river Thames over to Greenwich. 

The first thing you'll see as you exit the tunnel is the Cutty Sark, a sea clipper built in 1869 now operating as a museum, (www.rmg.co.uk). Take a walk through Greenwich Market (instagram (@greenwichmarket) where you can find all manner of handmade, vintage and edible treasures.

Walk up through Greenwich Park, making sure you get a photo by the Greenwich observatory and the prime meridian line which marks longiture 0°. Finally treat yourself to a tapas supper at Matiz on the Hill (www.matizrestaurants.com).

I love making clothes and have been enjoying incorporating heirloom techniques into some of my more recent makes.

Your favourite recipe to share

I discovered langos (pronounced lan-gosh) when my husband first took me to his home town in north west Romania, they're a Hungarian invention but super popular where he comes from near the border. Try to imagine a savoury, garlicy, cheesy doughnut, they're as delicious and calorific as they sound.

Ingredients

Langos
* 500g strong white bread flour
* 7g dried yeast
* 1 tbsp caster sugar
* 50ml lukewarm milk
* 250-300ml lukewarm water
* 1 tsp salt
* Sunflower/vegetable oil for frying

Garlic sauce
* 3-4 cloves garlic crushed
* 1tbsp water
* Pinch salt
* Pinch pepper
* 150ml sour cream

To serve
* Grated feta

Method

1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook if you have one, or by hand if you don't, knead together the bread ingredients until it forms a smooth dough.  Leave to rise in a warm space covered oiled bowl until doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

2. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, and with oiled hands roll into balls. Leave to rest on a covered tray for about 30 minutes.

3. Whilst the dough is rising, mix together the garlic sauce ingredients.

4. Heat a pan over medium with about 2cm of oil. Stretch one of the balls into a flat disk about the size of a side plate and fry on one side until golden, carefully flip and fry the other side. Continue in the same manner with the rest of the dough.

5. Serve the langos warm with the garlic sauce and feta on top.

Your favourite sewing pattern
What is your all-time favourite sewing pattern and why?

That is such a tough question. At the moment, I am loving the Waterfall Dress by Sycamore Road Patterns.

Current Projects

What project/s do you have currently on the go?

Speaking of the waterfall dress, I'm making a heavily adapted one at the mo. In true maximalist style I'm adding honeycomb smocking, a scalloped collar, triple keyhole back and deep pintucked hem band.

Dive into the vibrant world of DULCIE on Instagram: @sewinground