An Edible Voyage

August 2021 Agrodolce. That addictive, lip-smacking Italian goodness, the epitome of Mediterranean cuisine. It's so good in fact, even challenging fennel submits to the most delicate and delicious of dinners. Heat the oil from the anchovies, fry finely chopped garlic, pine nuts and slivered fennel, before stirring in honey, raisins, red wine vinegar and the anchovies.  Simmer until the liquid evaporates and, at the last moment, toss through fresh dill.  Serve on flatbread - if you want to go homemade, see below for the softest, fluffiest, moorish, yet super simple flatbread around. Quick Flatbread Melt 50g butter in 3/4 cup warm milk.   Add 2 cups plain flour.  Knead for 2 mins.  Rest for 30 mins.  Divide in to 4.  Roll in to rounds approx 0.3cm thick.  Cook one at a time in an oiled pan over medium heat for around 90 secs on each side, or until it bubbles up and turns golden

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. 

June 2021 When a friend told me that her latest favourite dish involved mashed up fish fingers, I was unconvinced to say the least!  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of fish fingers.  But broken and scattered through a warm, Asian inspired salad didn't sound quite right to me! Bhorta is a Bangladeshi dish of mashed fish or vegetables and herbs, with mustard, chilli, onion and garlic, and this is Nigella's take on it.  It's fabulous. Quick, light and comforting, offering a myriad of flavours.  I switched the pickled onions for pickled carrot which worked equally well and added a delightful crunch. Find the original recipe here   Fish Finger Bhorta | Nigella's Recipes | Nigella Lawson

June 2021 I first discovered the delights of Pompette during the lockdown with one of their At Home meals.  It was so memorable that it immediately went to the top of my list of restaurants to eat at as soon as restaurants could open up post pandemic.  My mum was in town one Sunday, restrictions had eased, it was time! Pompette has such a great vibe - from the moment you turn off of Bnabury Road and see the vibrant red awning, to the laid back atmosphere that invites the long, leisurely lunches that France is known for.  I really could stay there for hours, beginning with their homebaked baguette and Burgundy butter to accompany an apperitif, moving on to the steak-frites and a good bottle of red wine, then finishing up with a coffee and digestif late in the afternoon. The creme brulee is exceptional - everything you want from this luxurious dessert.  A wide, shallow dish to give the perfect topping to custard ratio, that satisfying crack as you break through the war...

October 2020 I was so excited to come across this peaceful and cosy cafe with it's roaring fire and dappled light pooling on tables by windows.  Hidden down some stone steps within the unassuming Temple Guiting Pantry, discovering it felt like my own little secret. There's a good mix of staples as well as inventive offerings, alongside coffee, tea and freshly squeezed juice.  Eggs Royale with brown butter Hollandaise or corn and kale fritters with black bean and pomegranate salsa, aji verde and chipotle... there are some hard choices to make here!  This is a place to linger, to absorb the tranquility. Find the cafe inside Temple Guiting Pantry, on the square of the village of the same name.  They can provide a leaflet suggesting a 1.5 hour walk through the beautiful Gloucestershire Cotswolds for a pre or post breakfast/ brunch/ lunch stroll, and the shop itself is well worth a browse.

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...

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 I can't remember how on earth I originally came across this place, but I'm so glad that I did.  A real hidden gem, unassumingly tucked away in a residential street behind Stoke Newington High Street.  With it's conservative shop front it would be easy to miss, but whatever you do, don't miss it!  The compact inside has a buzzy neighbourhood vibe, and outside is a lovely, sheltered courtyard. Has Bean coffee is expertly crafted, whether as a pour over or espresso based beverage, and they've taken milk alternatives up a notch with their own home made almond milk. The food is always exceptional - one of those places where you know that whatever you choose will be well executed.  Unusual combinations of bang in season produce means the menu is never dull, whilst keeping things simple enough to really showcase the flavours of quality produce. The French toast is my go to option - thick slices of chewy, tangy Little Bread Pedlar sourdough, usually served with s...

March 2021 I find it easy to slip in to a routine of having the same few things for lunch on rotation.  Whilst all these things are perfectly nice, I decided it was time to delve in to my folder of recipes.  After all, I'd ripped them out of magazines because I wanted to try them, not just to gather dust in my cupboard! Flicking through, beetroot wraps jumped out at me - as in the wrap itself made from beetroot.  They looked so colourful, definitely something a bit different, and seemed surprisingly quick and easy to make.  The worst part was grating the beetroot, but even that wasn't as bad as I was anticipating as only a small amount is needed. 35g grated beetroot, 150g of buckwheat flour (I whizzed my buckwheat in a blender as I didn't have any buckwheat flour, 125g yogurt and 1 tsp of chia seeds (the recipe, from Ocado, called for xanthan gum but who has that lying around), plus seasoning to taste, squished in to a dough, rolled out and cooked in a hot, dry pan....

June 2020 Hidden away in a beautiful, quiet Oxfordshire village of a handful of thatched cottages set around a green, a cafe unexpectedly nestles.  Quince and Clover, originally an Events Catering company, planned to open a cafe this spring and, incredibly, have managed to make it happen despite the lockdown situation.   They make all of their own ever changing flavours of ice cream and sorbet - the pink grapefruit sorbet is so refreshing (and tastes almost guilt free!).  The coconut ice cream has a delicious sweet, yet nutty flavour which holds all the way until the end of the scoop.  They also make their own ice cream milkshakes, super thick and served in big, American style cups. Cakes are moist and not overly sweet - the coffee, chocolate and date cake is an inspired combination, and their weekly changing salads, tarts, soup and special are so colourful and fresh it's a near impossible decision to choose.  Highlights have been the courgette...

One of my favourite snacks/ breakfasts/ lunches during my time in Brazil was the Brazilian tapioca.  Made from the starch of the cassava root and cooked to order, it's filled and folded like a crepe.  There are numerous fillings to choose from, my favourite sounding an odd combination, but as soon as i tried it, I was sold.  Salty cheese, nutty coconut and sweet, sticky condensed milk - you have to try it to believe it! Find it at street stalls in the north-east of Brazil.  The best by far is in Olinda old town.  

April 2020 This was a totally made up creation using what I had left in the fridge.  It turned out to be a super quick, incredibly tasty, nutritious lunch with a difference.  Punchy pickled rhubarb cuts through the rich, creamy goats cheese and adds a crunch, whilst nutrient-dense, lightly steamed greens balance the dish.  Above all, it looks very pretty too!