Miss Haversham's Wedding Cake

 

I made this cake and shot it this weekend with my friend, Simon Brown. Miss Haversham's wedding cake was the inspiration. I love the dusty roses.

Peachy Sunday morning @ Dishoom

Despite not running the marathon or, in fact, even walking the twelve minutes of sunshine to Covent Garden today I felt I deserved a treat. This particular treat was courtesy of Dishoom; a chic Bombay cafe nestled in the heart of London's theatre district.

It's the April response to the inevitable, 'where's good to eat at the moment?'. Opening last year to restaurant virgins Dishoom has quashed sceptics by being consistently swarmed by enthusiastic bloggers and city types. It is not just an evening destination however, in fact they pride themselves on having the perfect morning chai, lunchtime Thums Up and evening Sauvingnon Blanc. 

With Spring light flooding on the oh so stylish decor, I sunk into an available Leather sofa and devoured not just roomaly, kulfi, chai but a healthy chunk of Observer Food Monthly. What a peachy morning. 

Fancy a snog?

The Spring sunshine this week has awakened my ice cream tooth. Gone are the chocolate, pie and toast cravings but back with vengeance is the childish need to finish my day with a nice cold ice. With May bang in the middle of my bikini diet, it is with relief that I introduce SNOG; a brand new way of approaching cornetto cravings.  

A visit to New York last year made me aware of the difference between ice cream and frozen yoghurt. War has broken out over there, not just between Obama and Gaddafi, but brands of frozen yoghurt.  Of course each new launch is a significant improvement on the last leaving New Yorkers spoilt for choice but as far as I can see this particular war has yet to cross the Atlantic.   

My first taste of the new coffee shop concept was a sample that was handed out on the street. A little biodegradable container held a miniature pot of frozen snow - think consistency of Mr Wippy but taste of sumptuous yoghurt enhanced only with natural Agave nectar.  The first UK shop of its kind is called SNOG; it sells frozen yoghurt by the bucketful alongside a counter which holds an array of Superfood toppings. And the best thing? Each big 210g bucket contains only 110 calories so you shouldn’t be shy about going in for seconds.

The flagship South Kensington outlet has been decorated to make the punter feel like its Summer all year round. The floor is grass (ish), the walls have a vinyl flowerbed and the ceiling, with the use of moving clouds, mimics a hot English day that we don’t often see. The shop is open until eleven so should it take your fancy, there is an opportunity to dive in after a drink or two and you might even bump into the likes of Kate Moss.

I reckon this will spread across the city quicker than Hummingbird cupcakes, it’s absolutely delicious and addictive; I’d rather have a SNOG than a bird food any day.

Lamb, oodles of garlic and a bath of red wine.

Weekend at home. 

I prepared slow roast lamb shoulder with oodles of rosemary & garlic and roasted it in a red wine bath. I snapped it in the garden to remind myself that even uncooked meat look tempting.

As Easy As Higgidy Pie

It must be a testament to my mother’s cooking that two of her children have found themselves involved in the food world. I’ve joined the alluring food styling end but it’s my brother that’s doing the hard work: making better British pies. 

It is this family connection that means my regular Sainsbury’s trips include one duty that isn’t on the shopping list.   On the chilled isle, next to the readymade mash and the picnic quiches, I arrange boxes of Higgidy pies making sure each one is facing twelve o’clock and the various varieties are all aligned – you never know what can entice a sale. 

In a career move Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of James, and his wife Camilla, packed in their day jobs and fuelled by Camilla’s fervour for food, switched to the world of catering. Having sacrificed their careers, their house and their life in London they worked hard to create the Higgidy empire which now boasts a range of pies, skinny pies, tarts and quiches all of which are handmade in nearby Brighton.  

The pies are amazing (I should know, they are a regular lunch time treat) and the uncompromising ingredients mean your readymade meal really can taste like your grandmother slaved over the stove for the afternoon. Take the Beef and Ale – the stew is cooked for three hours to allow the meat to become tender and then left for a further day to develop flavour, no rushing allowed.  I’m not sure Ginsters could say the same.

Check out their website for lots more info about where you can pick up a pie – www.higgidy.co.uk

2011 Hot Food Spots

I've just written an article for Country & Townhouse magazine. - Just a few of my favourite things. 

Monday's Coffee @ Prufrock

Six hours until Tubular Bells will twang me awake with an unsympathic mantra. No doubt there will be a moment of hopeless, depressing realisation that duvet time has once again come to an end.

Only my obsession with caffeine enables me to haul myself from the feathers and be safe in the knowledge that coffee is less than half an hour away.

Tomorrow I will visit the same oasis that I visited five mornings last week.  Pounds (that’s currency) saved by walking to the office are well spent at Prufrock on Leather Lane. It is their second location and this time the space is a bigger, more established, version of their Shoreditch debut.

The coffee is sublime and the space inspires a smug sense that you’ve discovered a gem. However if coffee alone isn’t quite enough to encourage you, then the swan drawn from milk froth will surely persuade a visit.

www.prufrockcoffee.com