An Edible Voyage

January 2021 Having living in Melbourne for several years, the coffee bar was set high and I became a bit of a coffee snob.  This definitely has it's disadvantages as it makes finding a coffee that I really enjoy tricky.  I had sort of given up on finding one in Banbury, satisfying my cravings on visits to Oxford, London or in the nearby village of Great Tew at Quince and Clover (you can read all about that in a separate post).  One day I was cycling to the swimming pool early in the morning when I passed a coffee cart.  It was still closed at that time but I stored it in my 'to be tried at some point' part of my brain (although I must admit, I didn't have particularly high expectations) and then promptly forgot about it.  A few weeks later, an article popped up on my phone about it.  Reading that Harriet had worked as a barista in London for 12 years got me excited - it seemed she could be the one to make me a great flat white! From her small cart, The Bar...

January 2021 I'm a real fan of Japanese cuisine and I enjoy using Japanese flavours in my cooking, whether for traditional meals or incorporated in to other cuisines to create a flavour fusion.  I love how to line between sweet and savoury seems blurred and there's lots of fun to be had experimenting - I generally think of mushrooms as savoury and custard as sweet, but a shitake custard was one of the most memorable dishes I've ever had.   I was apprehensive about this cheesecake - would the miso be overpowering?  It wasn't.  In fact, I couldn't taste the miso per se, but it added a real depth, a richness without being sickly, elongating the flavour of every mouthful to create something a little bit special without being overly fancy. I swapped the traditional cheesecake base for a blended date and nut one to make it a little more nutritious, and mixed the leftover cheesecake mix (I was using a small tin) with condensed milk and froze to make a cheesecake ice cr...

December 2020 For the friendliest service and a vast array or Welsh produce, head to Siop Carla just outside Maenclochog.  Food shopping turns from a chore to an enjoyable activity when you can chat with Carla whilst perusing everything from locally roasted coffee and meat reared on nearby farms, to Pembrokeshire chocolate, cheese and cakes.   Highlights for me were the homemade scotch eggs - succulent and not at all greasy, they make a fantastic addition to a picnic or just a great snack, as well as Mary's Farmhouse ice cream.  Available in a selection of unusual yet exciting flavours, such as apricots, walnut and brandy; double chocolate, cherries and fudge; or Caeltic Crunch, alongside the classics, this is ice cream for grown ups as well as kids, churned just down the road in Crymych. Stock up for a picnic or BBQ, or get your hands on some quality ingredients to cook up a seasonal, locally sourced meal. Find Siop Carla on the road between Maenclochog and Pontfaen...

January 2021 At the end of last year, I discovered a book, The Little Library Year.  I saw it advertised in a magazine and thought it sounded right up my street.  I love cooking, I love reading, and this is a book that takes you through each season, suggesting weather appropriate recipes using seasonal ingredients, as well as books suited to the time of year.  A great book to leave on the coffee table and dip in and out of as you please.   I automatically opened it at the front and began reading, but then remembered it was autumn so flicked towards the back and started from there.  Recipes have a short passage talking about the book they were inspired from and I like how my cooking then feels part of a story. In the long, dark days section, there is a whole chapter devoted to toast.  I'm a big toast fan.  So simple, yet so comforting.  Even when I'm not hungry, the smell of toast whets my appetite, and it's truly impossible to ever only have ...

January 2021 Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day, whether a simple bowl of cereal or a decadent brunch, I often leap out of bed in anticipation.  Spring, autumn and winter, my go-to is porridge.   I love the comforting creaminess and the way I can feel it warming me from the inside, and I get excited by the endless topping possibilities so I’m sharing a few of my favourites.   Bay, my mum’s plum jam, nut butter and dukkah.   Infusing the milk with bay leaf whilst the oats soak imparts herbal notes which add a depth of flavour, and the sweetness of the jam is balanced by the savoury, toasted flavours of the dukkah. Custard.   I recently discovered that custard in porridge works exceptionally well – it’s great for balancing any tart fruits whilst also using up fridge leftovers.   Mince pie.   Following on from my custard discovery, I upped the festiveness over Christmas and added leftover mincemeat along with custard to create a se...

December 2020 Carmarthen has quite a few cafes ready to satisfy you if you aren’t too bothered how you get your caffeine fix.   However, for the coffee snobs amongst us, it has to be Finn’s Coffee Shop.   Hidden away down an alleyway, this small but perfectly formed café has expertly crafted, silky but robust flat whites alongside a tantalising display of the most divine Edan Ash chocolates.   Seriously, these chocolates, crafted just south of Carmarthen in Kidwelly, are exquisite.   The smoothest ganache is combined with exotic flavours which hold their own without overpowering the flavour profile of the high quality cacao, and enrobed in a crisp chocolate shell which shatters as you bite in to it.   Seasonal cinnamon toast, and warming rum and ginger were my favourites. Upstairs is a small, industrially decorated seating area where you can enjoy coffee and chocolates alongside homemade vegan banana bread and toasties.   There is a also a small selecti...

December 2020 For the freshest bread in Pembrokeshire, get yourself down to Crwst.   Often still warm from the oven, the sourdough has a lovely soft texture and a full flavour, making it impossible not to break chunks off and eat it plain on the way home.   The flat white made with the local Bay Coffee Roasters beans is very good, and there is an exciting selection of doughnuts.   Not usually a huge fan of caramel, the salted caramel doughnut deserves a mention for its fluffy texture, silky mousse that bursts out as you bite it, and the little crunch from popcorn adorning the top – a lovely contrast of textures. Find it on Priory Street in Cardigan.   They also serve brunch which I think would definitely be worth a try, and a selection of deli produce – Bay Coffee Roasters beans, creamy Perl Wen from Caws Cenarth Cheese, and the delicious Gethins cider from Maenclochog, amongst other things.

September 2020 In the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a beautiful long sandy beach and top surf spot.   Just up above the beach, there is a colourful little boat, serving up delicious, unusual and fresh from sea to plate fare.   Why not give weekend brunch a coastal twist with a fish butty?   Freshly caught each day, the fish could be anything from mackerel to plaice to coley.   But whatever the sea lucky dip offers up, it’s sure to be the freshest fish pan fried to order and served in a bun with the famous KelpChup (a ketchup type condiment made from locally foraged seaweed), homemade pickles and seaweed chilli sauce.   Then take a stroll down to the rocks to eat whilst being serenaded by the crashing waves, or get the wind in your hair as you walk across the cliff tops and explore the seaweed drying hut. Find Café Mor in the car park at Freshwater West beach.   They also serve bacon butties, meat and veggie black bean burgers, and crab and lobster ...

December 2020 Alongside the platform of the former Rosebush station is a red, corrugated zinc shed.  What the industrial exterior lacks in cosiness is more than made of for by the homely interior.  Walls adorned with an eclectic array of pictures and sporting memorabilia, straw floors, and soft lighting from the small windows creates an atmosphere where you’ll want to settle in with your locally brewed pint or your hot chocolate laced with the Welsh cream liqueur Merlyn from the Penderyn distillery.

September 2020 Tucked on a corner, opposite the green, in the village of Maenclochog is the unassuming Caffi’r Sgwar Adorned with plastic table cloths and packed with long standing locals, it wasn’t a place I naturally gravitated to.  However a good friend from the next village mentioned in passing that it’s a local institution, so I was immediately sold! If I’m honest, my expectations for a flat white were fairly low, but it was up there with some of the best I’ve had.  I was also expecting a fairly small range of cakes, given the size of the café, and village as a whole, so I was pleasantly taken aback to find a counter bursting with an assortment of homemade brownies (three different flavours as well as gluten free), seasonal cakes, scones, quiches and sausage rolls.  The super fudgey brownies with the slight crunch on top are absolutely divine, and not usually a fan of cold sausage rolls, the delicious meaty, cheesy and slightly sweet taste of the generously stuffed p...

January 2021 Homemade sourdough is one of my all time favourite things to eat.  Nothing beats that slightly chewy, tangy, still warm from the oven first slice.  Then later on, toasted, it's the perfect vehicle for all sorts of toppings - simply slathered in marmite (another favourite of mine), generously loaded with Bloody Mary inspired smashed avo and a fried egg... I'm salivating just thinking of the options. Anyway, it can prove (excuse the pun) tricky to make a good loaf as the mercury barely creeps above 0 degrees over winter.  There just isn't the warmth to excite the starter, and getting a good rise during the proving stage takes forever.   One very chilly winter evening, I spontaneously decided to make a loaf but realised I needed to generate some heat.  I fed my starter, covered it with cling film, set the oven to 30 degrees C, and put my starter in for an hour or so.  Already it looked excited enough to make the dough and it sat next to me pr...