An Edible Voyage

May 2021 Walking through the residential streets of Cardiff's Roath, spotting the haunts of my student days, the last thing I expected to come across was an old garage, mid-terrace, housing a sourdough bakery.  Despite the small shop front, the bakery has a cavernous interior, plenty of space for all manner of sourdough loaves, including ones made with quinoa, and yesterday's bread going cheap.   In the sweet treats line up, 6 flavours of doughnut sit alongside choc chip pretzel cookies, and their signature Queens - no less than 27 layers of melt in the mouth, flaky pastry, similar to a round, sugar-dusted croissant, filled with the flavour of the month which changes with the seasons.  Being the last day of the month, I just managed to get my hands on May's offering - the PBJ Queen.  The zingiest raspberry jam marbled with peanut butter diplomat cream - a genius invention I have to say, oozing with every bite from the soft, sugary Queen.  This really was th...

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.

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...

April 2020 Since we can't go out to explore the world at the moment, I have brought the world to me!  Papanasi, cottage cheese 'doughnuts', served with yogurt, berries and a dusting of icing sugar, make a delicious and unusual brunch.  Crispy and hot on the outside, soft and creamy in the middle, they have all the best parts of a doughnut, whilst being light and packed full of protein.  Enjoy!

February 2020 I'm not usually a doughnut fan, but Big Shot Coffee and Doughnuts enticed me in with their unusual flavours.  Passion Fruit Meringue and Bakewell Tart both made my short list, but in the end I went for the s'more in doughnut form.  The toasted Italian meringue's gooey texture worked well with the doughnut, however I found overall that the doughnut was dense and had less flavour than I was anticipating.  I was also hoping for some crunchy Graham crackers for that all important contrasts of textures, but they were a little on the soft side.  These doughnuts are certainly eye-catching, perhaps I just made a bad flavour choice. Find them at Seven Dials Market, London.

February 2020 During Fasching, the carnival season in Munich, trays of krapfen (doughnuts) fill shop windows, with every flavour imaginable from traditional apricot to wacky chilli.  Jam filled, and glazed or simply dusted with icing sugar, these fluffy balls of dough aren't dissimilar to your standard doughnut. Find them in every bakery or konditorei.