Pop goes the... well... popcorn

There's something so exciting about popcorn. I suppose it's the uncertainty of whether it will actually pop, and then how much of it will pop. Will you be left with only a few singed kernels at the end, or will their be an inch thick layer of unpopped kernels?

And then there's the smell... that delicious, heady mix of oil and butter, simmering gently, acquiring a nuttiness. The succulent mix coaxes the subtle aromas from the corn kernels as they go in, and the kitchen smells divine. Like warmth and sunshine, the smell of happiness and laughter and adventure.


The sound of popcorn, the gentle pfut pfut as each kernel springs into its new life; white, fluffy and inviting. It warms the cockles of my heart.