An Edible Voyage

May 2021 Not just your standard village cafe, this Cotswolds hub is owned by a cooperative of more than 650 villagers, and sits alongside a well stocked shop, the result of a successful fundraising campaign. By day, there's an array of baked goods far more elaborate than I was expecting from this tiny cafe - ruby chocolate cruffins, pistachio and rosewater buns and deliciously gooey Black Forest friands, all courtesy of Cheltenham's Baker and Graze.  Breakfast is served with Mark's Cotswold Bakery sourdough; for lunch, colourful salads and fat sandwiches feature alongside more hearty offerings such as Cotswold goat tagine with Israeli couscous, pomegranate, pistachios and harissa yogurt.  New Ground, Oxford's specialist roasters who provide training and employment to ex-offenders, provide the coffee beans, and for dinner, this quaint cafe transforms in to a chic dining venue, creating impressive dishes from seasonal, locally sourced produce. The village itself is rather...

Each steaming bowl of noodle soup, known as pho, in Vietnam is as unique as the the person who's made it, and it's likely you'll have absolutely no idea what's gone in to it (that's all part of the fun!).  But what they all have in common is the incredible flavours, the comfort they emanate as you perch on a tiny wooden stool on the street, with your hands wrapped around a big bowl as you slurp away.  Satisfying, filling and wholesome.     

April 2021 During my weekend in Aberdeen, I made an exciting discovery.  A few miles outside of the city, close to Kinellar, is Forest Farm Dairy - an organic dairy surrounded by lush green pastures where their cows roam free.   Not only can you get their delicious non-homogenised milk straight from the source via Scotland's first milk vending machine, you can also get many other delicious products made on the farm.  In the cheese line up, there's Scottish curd cheese and some of Connage Highland Dairy's cheeses, as well as Forest Farm's own haloumi - I'm a big haloumi fan anyway so didn't need much convincing, but this was a whole other level - absolutely gorgeous cooked over a BBQ until the outside caramelises and the inside goes all gooey... Anyway, I digress.   Artisan gelato is the highlight of any trip to Forest Farm.  Made in small batches on the premises, it has zero food miles and flavours change regularly.  The honeycomb is an absolute m...

April 2021 There's nothing quite like seafood that's on your plate within hours of it coming in on the boat.  The supreme freshness, the salty tang of the sea...the flavours really are out of this world.   To get your fix of the freshest, most juicily enormous Shetland mussels, stop by the ice box at the side of the road near Bixter, dig deep in to the ice, fish out a sack of mussels and get them straight in a pan with some white wine, garlic, lemon and parsley for an incredibly simple but incredibly delicious meal.   Leaving the island early the next morning, I couldn't bare to waste any of what were by far the best mussels I'd ever had, so ended up having them for breakfast... Would I recommend it? Probably not... Think I'll stick to more conventional breakfast goods, but there's a first time for everything right?   Find the ice box along the A971around Bixter.

April 2021 I made a short pit stop in the Strathbungo area of Glasgow on my way north, to suss out the coffee scene.  Unfortunately it was a Monday so many places were closed, although this did make choosing very much easier! First up was Grain and Grind.  I didn't plan on it but the eye-catching blue and white striped awning drew me in.  The flat white was pretty good and there was an array of exciting looking sweet treats - cappuccino macaron? Yes please! Sadly I was saving myself for my next stop so I didn't indulge. Continuing through Queen's Park I came to Cafe Strange Brew.  Using Glasgow roasted Dear Green coffee beans, and with a substantial and varied menu, and a window full of baked goods, choices were difficult!  One thing jumped out at me though as it seemed to combine many of my favourite things - haloumi, chilli oil, poached eggs, sourdough and humous...this sounded like deliciousness on a plate (or in a box it being Covid times).  Other optio...

April 2021 Before I set off for Scotland, a friend told me that under no circumstance could I leave until I'd tried a Macaroni.  Being a big fan of macaroni cheese, I happily accepted this challenge.  My main issue was finding one.  Although they are widespread, they're not the kind of item to frequent the shelves of the kind of sourdough bakeries and coffee micro roasteries that I gravitate towards.  What I needed was one of those traditional, family run since 1964 bakeries full of sandwich loaves and iced buns.  Fortunately there are plenty dotted around the streets of Aberdeen, including Thain's which is rumoured to be open 24/7 for all those mid-night pie cravings. It was exactly as expected - gooey, stodgy macaroni cheese in a pastry case which seemed to serve no purpose other than to make it holdable.  I decided I couldn't leave without sampling another Aberdeen essential - the buttery, or rowie.  Described as a savoury roll, it lives up to it's ...

April 2021 For a town as small as Lerwick, I didn't expect to come across a place as exciting as Island Larder.  Working with sustainable producers who use the highest quality of ingredients, the deli showcases the best of Scottish food and drink, alongside which they make their own artisan fudge, chocolate and ice cream.  The ice cream is definitely one not to miss! Whatever the weather, even if it means having to have a hot drink afterwards to warm up, it's a must try.  Made in the building with 100% Shetland milk and cream, flavours change with the seasons and the maker's mood! I tried the incredible chilli chocolate which was so intensely dark and not at all sickly, with just a hint of chilli to balance the richness.   Even the hot chocolate goes the extra mile with the marshmallows torched to order. If it's something savoury you're after, choose from gourmet fish finger butties with the freshest local haddock in the crispest batter, daily changing soup, or ...

April 2021 What more could one hope to come across on a blustery, hilly cycle around Shetland Mainland than a cake fridge! Yes, that's right, a fridge full of home baked cup cakes, mint aero tiffin, original tiffin, caramel tiffin... as well as hand knitted socks, Whalsay made jams (lime and Shetland Reel gin is particularly moorish) and Orkney fudge.  Open 24/7 on an honesty basis, you can satisfy sweet cravings at any time of day or night. Grab your goodies and head a couple of 100m east along the road to enjoy the view of the shimmering blue grey sea and lush green hills from the picnic benches, or, if you're there at a conventional time, why not venture in to the tea room for an even wider selection of baked goods and hot drinks.  Find The Original Cake Fridge on the road from Aith, just before East Burrafirth.

April 2021 I fell in love with Lerwick - a labyrinth of narrow cobbled lanes, where you can reach out and touch both sides simultaneously, rise steeply from the harbour, ripe for exploring; quaint shops - the dingy, musty Wine Shop is a particularly atmospheric experience; the cluster of colourful fishing boats bobbing on the silver blue of the shimmering harbour; the unexpected park hidden between buildings, perfect to pause and savour, sample edible goodies purchased from the water side shops, or even read a book from the post box library. To refuel, Peerie Cafe is a great option.  Meaning 'tiny' in Scottish, one would assume it lived up to it's name based on the small, unassuming doorway.  Inside though is a spacious and convivial seating area across two floors, and a bar filled with homemade cakes, cheesecakes and scones.  Peerie automatically wins several points from me as everything is made in house by James - the daily changing soup is great for warming up, particu...

April 2021 Eyam is a sweet little village in the Derbyshire Dales, and Village Green Cafe is it's charming cafe.  Watch the world go by from the tables and chairs scattered on The Square, or read up on the history of the bull ring stone which lay hidden beneath the road for 40 years and now stands outside the cafe. Enjoy excellent flat whites made with Huddersfield roaster Dark Woods beans, huge slabs of towering sponge - the Victoria sponge filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries is particularly noteworthy, or why not go for a homemade Bakewell tart whilst you're just up the road.  For something more substantial, you can't go wrong with the toasted sandwiches made with bubbly focaccia - there are meaty, veggie and vegan fillings so everyone's covered. Find Village Green Cafe on The Square in Eyam.  Browse the beautiful homewares collection inside and then grab a locally churned ice cream to take on your Peak District walk.

April 2021 Some may say it's ridiculous to plan my entire trip back from Scotland based on the opening days of a coffee window...but that's how I roll!  Having missed out on visiting Hatch during my last trip to Newcastle, I thought it would make the perfect journey break on my way back south.   From a former parking attendants cabin surrounded by Northumbria University, Mark serves up expertly crafted espresso based beverages, having fallen in love with coffee in Melbourne.  Local roasters Colour Coffee, the roastery behind Pink Lane Coffee, provide the beans, and even the Acorn Dairy organic milk is from just down the A1 near Darlington. Find Hatch on the edge of the Ellison Place car park.

April 2021 A friend who recently moved to Bollington has excitedly been telling me about No 74 Delicatessen whenever she embarks on a trip for treats (which seems to be at ever decreasing intervals during lockdown!), so it was inevitable that during my post-lockdown visit to the Peak District, No 74 would be on the agenda.   This is one of those places that's excellent at everything - milk is expertly steamed for the espresso based coffee; interesting sandwiches are fresh, flavoursome and served on chunky rolls advertised as made from flour, water, salt and nothing else; cakes are exquisite - towering layers of airy sponge sit alongside zesty lemon squares and Malteaser tiffin; and Happy Belly supply delicious sweet potato and feta scotch eggs with soft, golden yolks. Turn up with several bags! No 74 is the kind of place where you go in for a coffee and come out with all manner of local produce.  Beers from Manchester micro-breweries, black garlic ketchup, bean to bar cho...