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...

July 2021 Looking for a casual restaurant for a laid back lunch with guaranteed flavour, with my mother during a London day trip, I came across Brawn and it seemed to tick all the boxes.  With the smallest of signs, it's unassumingly perched on Bethnal Green's quirky Columbia Road amongst the rows of Victorian shops, and has the high vibe, low pretentiousness of a local hang out. The focus is on seasonal produce sourced through suppliers within the local community, and every dish is vibrant and bursting with flavour.  The dessert really stood out for me - honey parfait with Grappa roasted apricot and pistachios, it was everything I want from a dessert - a little sweet creaminess, lively fruit, a bit of crunch, and a little grappa kick. This is the place for a leisurely catch-up with some good mates. Find Brawn on Columbia Road, opposite Ravenscroft Park. 

May 2021 Every day for 2 years I cycled past the Killingworth Castle in Wootton and never thought much of it.  It was only when a friend of mine recommended The Ebrington Arms in Gloucestershire that I found out these are sister pubs, and not only that, are some of the most highly acclaimed (and supposedly most Instagramable, although I'm not sure who's judging!) pubs in the Cotswolds. After several Covid induced postponements, my mum and I finally made it there one sunny Friday evening, meaning we got to enjoy the beautiful garden with it's sunning, far-reaching Cotswold views.  I rekon it would be lovely in the winter too - the inside looked so cosy with warmth and comfort emanating from the wood paneling. I quite often find I'm a little underwhelmed by the food at high end establishments, generally preferring simple, homely fare that has been cooked exceptionally, to rich, elegantly presented plates.  The Ebrington Arms was an exception. When my mum and I eat out, we...

March 2021 It seems I came late to the party on the concept of baked oats - apparently they have been a 'thing' for quite some time, and understandably so. When breakfast looks like dessert, it's proof that breakfast is the best meal of the day!  Add in the quick and easy preparation, and we're on to a winner. Simply blend 30g almonds, 40g oats, 1 tsp nut butter, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sprinkling of cinnamon, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ banana and 200ml milk.  Pour in to an ovenproof dish, poke in a few chunks of dark chocolate if you're feeling extra decadent, and bake at 200C for 20-25 mins.  What you get is a comforting sort of porridge souffle, warming, satisfying and nutritious but with all the taste and texture of naughtiness. This is a great one for experimenting with flavour combinations - why not try vanilla and nut butter, or let your imagination run wild.

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...

April 2020 Trifle is not a dessert I'd ever choose, however this one sounded too interesting not to try.  I'd never thought to use coconut water to make jelly before, but it works really well - so much more refreshing and natural tasting than standard jelly.  On top of the jelly, sit small cubes of sticky ginger cake, pour over custard, and then top with natural yogurt mixed with coconut cream.  The coconut and pear flavours pair well, the ginger adds a kick, and there are all sorts of textures, from the softness of the custard soaked cake to the smoothness of the coconut cream yogurt, the silky jelly, and the bite of pear.  It tastes like a lighter, exotic and more refined version of a classic dessert.

April 2020 Traditionally churros are deep fried, however there are many recipes around for baked churros - handy when you don't have a deep fat fryer, and also when you want the taste of a churro without quite so many calories.  These didn't turn out quite as expected - more pancake like, but delicious nonetheless dipped in 90% chocolate, and something a bit different to serve as dessert when a friend came over for dinner.