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 Along the bustling Ormeau Road, amongst the gelaterias, restaurants and cafes, is an artisan bakery who hand make everything in house.  And it's definitely popular - I could see the queue before I could see the shop!  The great thing about this place though, is that they seem to bake throughout the day, so despite not getting there until early afternoon, there was still a plentiful array of sourdough bread and pillowy soft cinnamon buns.  Scones and bombolini seem to be a speciality with several flavours of each - think toffee popcorn, and rhubarb and rose, alongside the most flavoursome soft and chewy bagels.  The poppy seed one was so good I ate it straight from the bag, and Malaysian spice and roasted garlic sounded very intriguing. Find Bread and Banjo on Ormeau Road, then take your haul a few steps down the road to Ormeau Park and enjoy it in the dappled light of a shady tree. If you find yourself east of Ormeau Park, check out Lazy Claire Patisserie f...

June 2020 It was love at first bite and, ever since, Gatineau in Summertown has been a favourite of mine.   The croissants are perfectly crisp on the outside and delightfully soft in the middle, the kind where you can pull the end and the light and airy middle will tumble out.   Pain aux raisins balance generous spirals of creme patissiere and raisins without being overly sweet and sickly, and the colourful display of beautifully crafted patisserie always makes it a challenge to choose. Le Cappuccino is a decadent summery alternative to an iced coffee - coffee soaked sponge and silky coffee custard wrapped in a crisp white chocolate cup with a little crunchy biscuit on top. If matcha is your thing, go for the matcha sponge soaked in a tart passion fruit syrup, balanced by sweet and fruity raspberry jelly.  In case this isn't luscious enough, it's topped with a creamy yet airy Opalys 33% whipped ganache and gold flecks. ...

February 2020 Patisserie I love a good choux pastry.    In fact, it’s probably my favourite type of pastry, so any trip to France is a great opportunity for me to get my fix.    It only seemed right to combine it with a French favourite – crème de marron, et voila, you have a Choux Crème Marron.    A sort of chestnut flavoured pastry cream is piped on to a choux dome with a very thin tipped piping bag so it looks like spaghetti.    The slightly crisp, light choux pastry the perfect vehicle for this very sweet with a hint of nuttiness creamy delight. French meringues are a delight for my palette when it comes to texture – crunchy outside, chewy inside.    Add in the crack of dark chocolate chips and it’s a winner. Find these at La Rissole, St Martin de Belleville’s village bakery.    They also do a delicious tarte au citron – tangy, sweet and a little bit sticky. Viennoiserie I’ve spent a lot of...