An Edible Voyage

October 2021 Despite Italy's reputation for excellent coffee, being a flat white sort of a girl, I'm generally not taken with Italian coffee, finding espressos too intense and cappuccinos too weak and frothy.  Pappare, in Bologna's historic centre, did come up trumps with an excellent cappuccino though.  Not only that, the display of croissants was particularly exciting, with white and dark chocolate stuffed charcoal croissants balanced by the nuttiness of sesame, alongside pistachio cream, and vegan dark chocolate and raspberry.  And there was definitely no shortage of filling.  One might be forgiven for thinking there was too much chocolate ganache stuffed in to my croissant as every bite caused another blob too ooze out, but really, can there ever be too much filling?!  They also offer hand brew coffee, as well as savoury pastries, sandwiches, and more substantial brunch/ lunch. Find Pappare on Via De' Giudei. Another coffee that really has to be tried once b...

June 2021 Sourdough, exciting viennoiserie, great coffee, canal-side, revived warehouses... Pollen instantly reminded me of Northern Rye in Newcastle.  There's a smaller range of baked goods but they're equally as innovative - pineapple and coconut twice baked croissant is basically a socially acceptable way to have a Pina Colada for breakfast... The flat whites are expertly crafted using Hasbean beans, there's a squeezing machine for the sweetest, freshest OJ, a selection of breakfast baps served in potato sourdough rolls.  But the absolute star of the show has to be the long fermented sourdough.  By far the very best I've ever had (and I've sampled a lot of excellent sourdough!).  The crust was caramelised and blistered to perfection, the inside so soft and chewy at the same time, with a lovely full flavour.  Presented warm from the oven in to my hands, I could have devoured the whole loaf plain, no butter needed (and nearly did!). Get your goods and sit looki...

November 2020 My first visit to Newcastle upon Tyne meant the excitement of researching the bakery, coffee and general food scene.  Small batch microbakeries with exceptional hand crafted baked goods are the places of my dreams, so Northern Rye was top of my list, and I planned my journey to arrive in Newcastle at dawn on a Saturday so I could be first in line! I underestimated the popularity of this place though - it seems since opening on the river bank in Byker in June 2020, Northern Rye has gained a dedicated fan base.  Following the Ouseburn through Newcastle's creative quarter with its old warehouses sympathetically refurbished in to contemporary housing and office space, I could see the queue long before I could see Northern Rye!  The riverside spot made for a scenic location for some weekend people watching and the wait was more than worth it.  I was greeted with a handsome display of coconut and blackcurrant croissants, ginger and fennel buns, deliciously me...

June 2020 Bakey and chocolaterie, can you get a better combination?!  Nestled in amongst the historical buildings of the picturesque, coastal village of Orford in Suffolk is Pump Street Bakery.  The counter bursts with both sourdough and yeasted bread, baguettes, baked goods and pastries, as well as their own made chocolate.   I arrived at opening time to find there was already a long queue and I quickly found out why.  Having devoured the Bear Claw - flaky, perfectly laminated pastry filled with gooey, nutty almond paste, and a great flat white, I queued up for round 2! The highlight was the pillowy doughnut filled with sweet but refreshing rhubarb jam.  It really was like eating the most delicious cloud. The chocolate selection is as equally exciting, with beans sourced from all over the world.  My all time favourite bar is the 72% Solomon Islands which really tastes of baked banana.  I'm also very excited to try th...

November 2019 For a wonderful selection of expertly baked sourdough, pastries and cakes, as well as pretty god coffee, head to Aran Bakery.  Classic sourdough, several flavours of focaccia, rye bread and seeded buns sit alongside a tempting array of sweet treats - think raspberry and yogurt cake, spiced plum brioche and pistachio croissants - shouting at me to try them having only previously had their more commonly found almond counterpart.  I enjoyed the earthy nuttiness of the pistachio, a little less sickly than almond, but I found the croissant a little crisp for my liking, lacking that all important gooey frangipane centre. Find these delights at Aran Bakery in Dunkeld and enjoy with a flat white.  

November 2019 No trip to San Francisco would be complete without a good brunch.   For a bakery lover’s delight, head to Mr Holmes Bakehouse in Lower Nob Hill, great for grabbing brunch on the go.   Think matcha white chocolate coated croissants, cruffins (croissant/ muffin hybrid), churro croissants, crème brulee danishes, and a daily changing donut which can be anything from lemon meringue to smoked bacon and Baileys.   But be quick, they close once they sell out. I found the raspberry buttercream of the raspberry hibiscus croissant overpowered any hibiscus notes and was overly sweet, and the Bostock was also disappointing – crunchy, dry and heavy going.   The lemon meringue donut, though, was a winner.   Oozing with tangy lemon custard and topped with a smooth dome of lightly torched meringue.   Deliciously messy, sticky fingers, sugar coated lips, just how any great donut should be.   It’s lemon meringue pie, it’s a donut, it’s lemon mering...

February 2020 Sometimes it feels like you don't walk more than 50m before coming across the next bakery and/ or pastry shop. Not that this is a bad thing! Franzbrotchen are typically a breakfast item found in Northern Germany, however they also go particularly well with coffee. This flat, croissant-cinnamon bun hybrid is the best of both - a little bit flaky, a little bit doughy, with a hint of cinnamon, and just enough sweetness to make it moorish without being sickly.  Pair it with a coffee to balance out the sweet butteryness. Find it at Man Versus Machine on Mullerstrasse