The recently opened  St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is quite a sight, set within one of London’s most iconic landmarks, this 5 star hotel is now one of the leading hotels in the city, and hailed as the city’s most romantic building. Originally opened as the Midland Grand Hotel in 1873, it was designed to receive travellers through St Pancras station, offering guests glamour and luxury within Victorian London. Today one of the main parts of the hotel which travellers will experience is the Booking Office Bar, featuring a bespoke drinks list which harps back to the hotel’s Victorian roots, and aims to be one of the leading cocktail bars in the city.

When the Midland Grand Hotel opened, Britain was at the height of a mixed drink explosion. The publication of Loftus’ “New Mixing Book” and Terrington’s “Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks”, both in 1869, paved the way for a new kind of enjoyment in the taverns, saloons, public houses and apothecaries of Victorian London. With this in mind the Booking Office lists an interesting array of punches and mixed drinks recreated from lost recipes from the era, as well as a range of bespoke and seasonal cocktails that will change throughout the year.

As well as these old school punch recipes, a range of martinis are on offer, all including the addition of one of their many house‐made bitters. Grand drinks such as ‘Soyer au Champagne’ (cider brandy, orange liqueur, cherry liqueur, vanilla ice‐cream and champagne), which was served at Banquets in the former hotel; will be served alongside your more common tipples, such as Bass Shandy and Gin & Tonic, plus also temperance cordials such as Blood Tonic, Dandelion & Burdock and Sarsparilla. The bar also serves a patriotic range of ales, ciders, perries and porters from historical and contemporary brewers across Britain.

On a recent trip to the Booking Office, we sampled some of the cocktails on offer, and these guys are really offering something quite different. These grand creations are served in impressive bespoke handmade copper-punch bowls, made exclusively for the hotel. Some of the classic punches on offer include: Charles Dickens Memorial Punch, Billy Dawson’s Punch and the Garrick Club Punch.

Another nice touch comes on the punch menu, where you’ll find the recipe written out on the menu in a similar fashion to a recipe book, much like what you will have found on a drinks menu in Victorian London. Check out these old school recipes taken from the Booking Office menu -

Charles Dickens Memorial Punch -

Combine 6oz of demerara sugar (rough cubes), 400ml pineapple infused rum and 250ml Martell VSOP Cognac. Mix the sugar and alcohol, then heat until the sugar dissolves, extinguish the flame, then add the juice of 3 lemons and a quart (1litre) of boiling water. Pour the liquid into a jar and cover, allow to cool, then uncover, taste and serve.

Billy Dawson’s Punch -

In an earthenware bowl that holds around 1.5 litres muddle the peel of 2 lemons with 4oz demerara sugar, then add 200mls of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar. To this mix add 75ml lemon juice, 250mls of Jamaican Rum, 125mls of VSOP Cognac, 25mls Batavia Arrack and 75mls of good porter. Stir this together and then add 300mls of boiling water. Can be served hot or cold, with the addition of nutmeg.

Garrick Club Punch -

250mls of gin, poured over the zest of a lemon and the juice of 3 lemons. To this add 50mls of Maraschino, 250mls of water and 250mls of soda water.

So if you are out in London, or indeed passing through St Pancras, stop by and check out these Victorian recipes.  We had the Billy Dawson’s Punch, and it comes highly recommended! Plus if you’re not into your cocktails and prefer a glass of wine, the wine menu is also pretty impressive, offering one of the most interesting and original by the glass selections in London.

Ask most foodies what they are looking for in a great pub and the answer will not be ’space to park an overpriced and oversized pram’ but such are the recent changes in my life that such a space is now a prerequisite for any lunch booking.

The problem is ‘family friendly’ pubs are all too often long on wacky warehouses but short on things I might actually want to eat.

Enter the wonderful Canbury Arms, just a stone’s throw from Richmond Park. The pub had lots of happy, child-free punters in both the main bar and outside allowing proper conversation away from the screams of the bairns, and a huge side room that looked like a Bugaboo showroom.

Two things immediately told me that the food was going to be good. The first was the fish special: Grey Mullet with a fennel and potato salad and salsa verde. An underrated and underpriced fish with a punchy garnish. Big tick.

The second was the mayo. Real proper mayo made with eggs, vinegar, mustard and oil by someone other than Mr Hellmann and served in a kilner jar. It’s the little things.

Wild boar scotch eggs were salty and meaty and hot. The sunday roast beef was medium-rare (hallelujah!) with a yorkie any Harrogate grandmother would have been proud of. Crab cakes were meltingly creamy with lashings of brown meat and tarragon. The ham hock terrine was deliciously porky with a large spoon of homemade piccalilli sitting alongside.

The wine?

Er, the list looks fab (we’re *slightly* biased here as all the wines come from Bibendum) and there was much Picpoul drinking going on on nearby tables, but we shamefully drank beer. Otter Ale from Devon to be precise and mighty fine it was too. The bar clearly knows how to look after its ale.

In short: excellent food, very well kept beer and enough space to swing a three-month old without impinging on the happiness of those people trying to eat a civilised lunch sans enfants.

Job done. We’ll be back.

The Canbury Arms, 49 Canbury Park Road, Kingston Surrey, KT2 6LQ – http://www.thecanburyarms.com/ or @thecanburyarms on Twitter

Let’s cut to the chase: The Canton Arms in Stockwell, south London is a very good gastropub. Managed by a team who previously ran the show at Waterloo’s Anchor and Hope, it opened about twelve months ago to a barrage of press which mainly focused on its rather novelty foie gras toastie. No signs of those yesterday, but there was excellent beer, good wine and gutsy British food served in unpretentious settings by smiling staff. Exactly what I want on a Sunday lunchtime.

The jars (pictured at the top) lifted my heart as I soon as we sat by them. I can’t help but warm to a kitchen who stockpiles Damson Gin and homemade chuntneys. There was also a jar or too of something called Seville Rosé, which I was told was a blend of pink wine, bitter oranges and vodka. Anyone got a recipe?

Ah, the menu. Short but sweet with the increasingly-common River Café-style aperitifs at the top. Campari and Blood Orange? Don’t mind if I do. Only I didn’t. I had a pint of Skinner’s Betty Stogs and damn near perfect it was too.

The real treats though were not on the menu at all but the specials board: Venison Pie for two and Seven Hour Swaledale Shoulder of Mutton for three…

As I have said before, this trend for big, slow cooked dishes to share is one I heartily endorse. Informal dining like this should be all about sharing good food with friends, digging in with gutso and greed rather than kitchens apeing the elaborate constructions of a multi-Michelin-starred chefs.

The pie was rich and gamey topped with a crisp, savoury suet crust. Simple but very effective. God bless Saint Fergus of Clerkenwell for popularising suet pastry. The mutton melted under the pressure of a spoon and had enough oomph (technical term – look it up in Larousse) to stand up to its dark, concentrated sauce and the sweet, soft carrots that shared its cast iron pot. It arrived with a dish of textbook pommes boulangere. It didn’t last long…

The rabbit off the printed menu was just as good. The meat had real flavour and the chef had balanced bunny’s tendency to dryness by generous use of some excellent bacon.

Desserts disappeared before I remembered to get my camera out but if Buttermilk Pudding was to replace Rum Baba as London’s sweet de nos jours, I would be delighted. And it was lovely to see rhubarb back in season.

The puds came with tea. In a tea pot. I can’t overstate how important this is. I am in full agreement with Christopher Hitchens about stuff like this.

But something is missing.

Wine. Another missed photo. We drank a bottle of Marcillac Domaine du Cros 2009 from the South of France, and very good it was too. Light and fresh with some rustic tannins and dark, mineral fruit – all at a very commendable 12.5%. For those who would like to know more, Jamie Goode recently reviewed it on his Wine Anorak blog.

It all came in at well under £30 a head. We’ll be back.

The Canton Arms, 177 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1XP – http://www.cantonarms.com/

The St John-isation of the UK dining scene is well documented. Where once Fergus Henderson ploughed a lone furrow of pigs heads and bone marrow, now those dishes appear on menus across the land. The gospel of Proper British Food has spread far and wide -  and the world is a better place for it.

This week I have eaten at two places that implement the St John idea of simple, gutsy, unpretentious food very well indeed. Oddly, both are called Magdalen.

The menus at The Magdalen Arms in Oxford and Magdalen in London Bridge were eerily similiar. Ballotine of foie gras, crab and toast, fish stew and prunes and armagnac appeared on both. As did a number of dishes ‘for two’. I love this current dining fad. Some dishes are much better scaled up to feed multiple diners than slimmed down to suit the needs of the solo diner. A whole roast chicken is always going to deliver more pleasure than a lonely supreme.

In Oxford, we shared a huge hunk of slow cooked lamb neck with just some creamy, garlicky dauphinoise and cabbage on the side. It came with large but unnecessary carving devices; the meat fell off the bone at the merest touch. The dish reminded me of a similiar one I had eaten a few years back at, yes, St John. That time at their Bread and Wine outpost. On a nearby table four strapping chaps were making short work of a whole shank of boar that was billed as being large enough for six.

It wasn’t all about the pleasures of the flesh, however. Our dining companion devoured a beautiful Pernod-scented stew of skate, mussels and hake. A ray of Mediterranean sunshine on a freezing English night.

Back in London at the other Magdalen, the dishes for two comprised a beef pie with a suet crust and a slab of roast sirloin. This time we went for solo dishes. Mrs G won as usual: potted crab (pictured at the top) followed by hare with pickled damsons. My deep fried pigs head – wobbly, meaty, savoury croquettes – and braised rabbit leg with white bean and chorizo were not far behind.

And the wine? Both Magdalens have very decent lists and both are happily fond of the 375ml carafe. In Oxford we drank carafes of a rather bland Fiano and a sweet, jammy Douro red. In London, we traded up: bottles of a lemony-fresh Chignin from Savoie and a superb Cotes du Rhone Charvin 2006. The latter was perfect snowy weather wine: warming, rustic and spicy.

Two eateries, one name and a very similiar concept. What’s the difference? Oxford’s Magdalen Arms is definitely a pub that does food. It even has a bar billiards table (reason enough for a visit in my book). The tables are uncovered, the bar buzzy and ale is important as wine. The food reflects this. The focus is on flavour and fun more than presentation.

Magdalen in London Bridge is definitely a restaurant with its white tablecloths and Riedel glasses. The food is more classically presented and structured – and the prices a touch higher.

Take your mates to Oxford for a slap up wild boar feast. Take your in-laws to London Bridge for a more refined experience. Neither will leave you maudlin.

The Magdalen Arms, 243 Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1SJ – 2-course dinner for three with a couple of carafes of wine, £95

Magdalen, 152 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2TU – 3-course dinner for four with two bottles of wine, £225

Photo taken from www.magdalenrestaurant.co.uk

I’d make a rubbish restaurant review blogger. For a start, I’m useless with a camera and always feel embarrased when I do take photos in restaurants. I just feel bad stopping my friends from diving in to their scallops starter while I snap away merrily. All of which is my excuse for illustrating this post with a photo nicked for Odette’s website rather than plates of beautiful food. Apologies.

Anyway, Odettes.

Odettes is a Primrose Hill institution with a history stretching back to 1978. It was Bibendum’s first ever trade customer and Bibendumites have been trooping up their for lunch for most of the 28 years we have been located down the road. In recent years, the quality of that lunch has taken a big step forward.

Former Great British Menu winner, Bryn Williams (my third favourite Welshman after Gethin Jenkins and Bryn’s namesake Shane) bought Odettes three years ago and has quietly turned it into one of London’s best neighbourhood restaurants. The food is complex with being tricksy with clean flavours and impeccable execution. The wine list has much to recommend it too – although I would say that as a number of bottles come from Bibendum’s cellars.

Last week, a few of us popped in to say goodbye to a budding Henry Holland who is off to seek fame, fortune and frites in Belgium. I started with quail, the breasts cooked perfectly, the legs slow cooked, chopped and mixed with blue cheese in a mini-toasted sandwich. A slick of deep green broccoli puree sat alongside. The flavours were as gutsy and loud as the presentation was elegant.

The main course was slow cooked pig cheeks, that offered no resistance to the fork, perched on lemony polenta with ribbons of two-tone courgettes and another slick of colour. This time it was an autumnal reddish brown. We never quite established what it was made out of – we were too busy discussing avant garde fashion design to ask the maitre ‘d – but the best guess suggested tomato and cumin may have been involved at some point. Anyway, it was delicious, Bryn’s deft hand keeping what could have become a heavy, wintry dish actually quite light and lunchy.

Two courses at lunch costs £14. £18 if you add in dessert. A preposterous amount for such refined cooking. A bottle of Corbieres Chateau St Eugene nudged our bill a mite over £20 each. Today’s lunchtime cheese and pickle sandwich will pale in comparison.

Looking for a more thorough, beautifully-photographed review of Odettes from someone who writes a lot more of these things than I do? Check out the always excellent London Eater blog.

The details:

Odettes, 130 Regents Park Road, London, NW1 8XL

www. odettesprimrosehill.com

020 7586 8569

Closed Mondays

By Jamie Ford

Quite rightly ‘Green Issues’ are increasingly on the forefront of people’s minds. Questions arise such as:

How can we be more environmentally friendly?
How can we make sure our lives and business’ are sustainable?
Has my chicken burger been organically farmed?

Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start. So I took it upon myself to compile a list of tips that would help restaurants who were wanting to get started down the green route.

First of all here’s what I’d suggest for the Front of House:
1. Check to see if any of your list includes any ethical wines including organic, biodynamic and Fairtrade and make a point of highlighting them
2. Look into making sure all your tea, coffee and sugar is Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified
3. Why not replace your bottled mineral water with a filtered tap water system (or only serve tap water)?
4. Sign up to the Fair Tips Charter and display your service charge policy

Behind the scenes:
5. Move to paperless invoicing. Most suppliers will be more than happy to e-mail invoices rather than post them out
6. Carry out an energy audit and commit to reducing energy use by 10% http://www.thesra.org/

In the kitchen:
7. Change menus at least quarterly to reflect food that is in season http://www.eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/
8. Use only fish from the Marine Conservation Society’s ‘Fish to Eat’ list
9. Ensure 100% of eggs and milk are free range or RSPCA freedom food certified http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
10. Separate food waste for composting or anaerobic digestion http://www.thesra.org/

In following these tips you can ensure a much ‘greener’ restaurant experience for all involved. For more advice check out the Sustainable Restaurant Association website.

In Italy, it’s commonplace to find enomatic machines in wine shops but the trend is still catching on here in London. There are only a few places I know of that have those machines on tap, so to speak. The Sampler in Islington and Kensington Wine Room being the two I can name off the top of my head. And now I can add Bottle Apostle to the list.

Bottle Apostle is in East London. I’d heard of these guys but it wasn’t til I moved north of the river and just a hop, skip, and jump from Victoria Park, that I had a chance to visit. A very cute little corner shop in the village of Victoria Park, I met owner Andrew Bakin one rainy afternoon. Andrew was inspired to open Bottle Apostle because he wanted a wine shop that was non-intimidating and comfortable but with a good selection of wines, a place where customers could walk in without feeling lost and maybe even learn a bit about wine.

There are 4 enomatic machines,2 whites and 2 reds for your wine elucidation. I really liked the selection of wines that were on offer. Andrew prefers to stock the more interesting wines, ranging from German rieslings and Italian falanghina to Lebanese and Portugese reds, all of which are available to sample from the enomatic machines. He also has more traditional wines from smaller producers, Meursault  to Haut-Bages Liberal as well as some quality Italian wines and a healthy selection of California wines as well as New Zealand, South Africa and a small contigent of South Americans.

I’m not going to list any of the wines from the machines because they change frequently. As soon as one runs out, it’s replaced with something different. That’s one way to keep you coming back, you never know what’s going to be in the machines. The prices are also reasonable for the 30ml samples, most ranging in price from 50p to £1.75 depending on the wine. There were a few for £3 or £4 pounds but you can try most of the wines if you put £10 on the smart cards that the shop provides to use the machines.

In keeping with the theme of wine education, Andrew is a big proponent of wine tastings and has frequent wine tasting events. Ranging from the Introduction to Wine to Fishy Nights (small demonstrations of how to prepare seafood and the wines that go with them) to Sunday Lunch as well as Meet the Winemaker nights, there is something for anyone who wants to learn about wine. The shop has a very roomy and light basement where the classes take place. For more information on their wine tasting events, visit their website.

So, if you live in East London, there is now a great little wine shop to visit, sample and buy great wines. And you might even run into The Winesleuth, if you see me, don’t forget to say Hi!

Bottle Apostle is located at 95 Lauritson Rd, Victoria Park Village, London E9 7HJ

Tel: 020 898 515 49

This post has been reproduced with the kind permission of the author. The Winesleuth is one of  the few female winebloggers and surely the sharpest.

Today I visited Shaka-Zulu the new South African Zulu restaurant which opens in June. Michael Clark (ex sommelier now Shaka-Zulu project manager) and I have just finalised the 100 bin all South African still wine list and I’ve had the chance to see the fit out progress at the site. This included my first real life glimpse of the £2 million worth of intricate hand carvings depicting Zulu life. The interior is absolutely stunning and will be a wonderful draw card for visitors to Shaka-Zulu in its own right. There is nothing like it anywhere else.

I’m also very excited about the potential of this venue not only to change the way that the South African dining experience is presented but also for the tremendous potential to do good in South African communities. Please check-out this enlightening YouTube posted by ex ITV and Sky presenter David Glencorse in March for further information on this charity work and the stunning interior:

Coupled with this we on the wine side are working with wineries to contribute to the fund raising. The main focus is on Journeys End which has a history of commitment to assisting those in need and in supporting a wide range of charities. At the beginning of 2010 they have donated more than R 2.8 million through the Pegasus Charitable Trust. For every bottle of Journeys End wine sold at Shaka-Zulu £1 will be donated to ‘Bayede’ which is a powerful job creation enterprise, endorsed by both the Zulu King His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and Her Royal Highness, Princess Queen Mantfombi, daughter of King Sobhuza of Swaziland.

Shaka-Zulu is also partnering with Saam Mountain which is perhaps best known in the UK for their contribution to comic relief. In 2009 they raised about £750,000 via the Red nose day wines. They receive wonderful reviews from the press as well. Tasting notes from Masters of Wine Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin: “We taste thousands of wines each year and can honestly say that this honeyed Cape Chenin Blanc dramatically over-delivers for the price: real concentration of fruit yet with great tangy refreshment too.”.

Earlier this year I travelled with Roger Payne who is the Managing Director of Shaka-Zulu to the Cape Wineries to select the most suitable partners. The Graham Beck Sparkling wines were simply too hard to resist. Nelson Mandela toasted his 1994 inauguration with a glass as did Barak Obama his victorious election night. The Telegraph chose the Graham Beck Brut NV as one of the Ten best South African wines for 2010. The wine critic Matthew Jukes chose the 2005 Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc as his number 1 wine of the year. Roger visited both the estates in Robertson and Franschhoek and these are amazing so I highly recommend a visit if you have the chance.

Newton Johnson winery restaurant ‘Heaven’ is in the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tourist spot of Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley Hermanus. They helped the Shaka-Zulu head chef Barry Vera develop ideas for our menu by allowing him to guest chef. We visited in search of great wine which we found in abundance. The cooler climate appellations in which they grow grapes account for elegant, mineral, supple and complex characters. The second visit was during harvest time and the whole extended family was working in the vineyards and cellars so Barry was more than happy pitch in and help out in the kitchen. You’ll remember ‘Feast Bazaar’ TV chef Barry from my blog about the new menu at the Cuban which he developed in consultation. For Shaka-Zulu Barry will draw upon his experience working as Executive Chef at the internationally renowned Blues restaurant in Cape Town during its heyday , the breathtaking Table Bay Hotel and the Londolozi Game Reserve.

Another key component of the wine-list is to help those guests with mainly knowledge of European wine to understand the links and relationship the old world has with South Africa. So listed will be wines from aperitif to dessert to highlight this.

Springfield owner Jeanette Bruwer hosted us for a delicious lunch in her home on the estate. Our visit had kept her from an annual Marlin fishing competition so beef was the order of the day. She is officially one of the Women in Wine. This is a international group which promotes the role of women in all aspects of the wine industry. She is a ninth generation descendant of the Bruères, French Huguenots who had come to South Africa from the Loire in 1688 with bundles of vines under their arms. Thus utilising the original winemaking techniques of the first settlers she approaches winemaking as a cultural and spiritual adventure. Is all about being one with the land and her Sauvignon Blanc’s certainly prove that it is a tradition worth keeping.

De Trafford Straw Wine (vin de paille) is the first of its kind in South Africa. Chenin Blanc grapes are laid out to dry on racks ( or straw ). This raisining process concentrates the sugar, acidity and fruit flavours to produce a luscious, sweet dessert wine. Fermented and matured in new French and American oak barrels for extra richness. The taste is simply WOW!

We also have listed farms that produce more than just wine so that the other ‘home made’ products might be incorporated into Shaka-Zulu. Kloovenburg stretches along the lower contours of Kasteel (Castle) Mountain, where the north-easterly slopes have proved ideal for the Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon cultivars and the south-westerly and easterly slopes favour Shiraz. Coupled with the many awards for their Red wine Kloovenburg are also awarded Best South African Oil by Wine Magazine. Serene groves of grey-green olive trees cover 30 hectares of the estate. Drawing on the traditions of Mediterranean countries, Kloovenburg are also expanding the non-culinary uses of olive oil into the area of beauty products. These items will be on sale at Shaka-Zulu in the retail area.

Shaka-Zulu is located within Camden’s Stables Market in London. You can’t miss it, just look for the 45 foot statue of the King Shaka himself.

Steven is Bibendum’s latest contribution to the ever growing wine blogger community. Steven gives us a real feel of what really happens in the wine trade now so tune in to all his updates here

Primrose Bakery

A few weeks ago I ventured out to investigate another of London’s many trendy bakeries, having previously visited The Hummingbird Bakery…and Greggs (don’t think that one counts…). If you’ve read my previous blog post on The Hummingbird Bakery, you will know that I was not huuuuuuuuugely impressed, yes the branch I visited was in fashionable Soho and yes the cupcakes looked spectacular but no – there was too much food colouring and sugar in the cakes and I wasn’t overly impressed by their over-priced produce! So as you’d expect my suspicion was mounting as I closed in on the Primrose Bakery situated at the far end of Gloucester Avenue.

Before I get on to the bakery itself let’s talk about what is going on with these bakeries?? Where are they coming from? Why are they here? It’s hard to believe they were once associated with the quaint and twee English tea party. Since those days the traditional cupcake has been transported across the seas to the far away land of America, land of the free, land of the glittery cupcake. Carrie Bradshaw of Sex In The City has been deemed the creator of the American cupcake fascination when she first bit into her’s on the show and sent millions of fans running to their nearest bakery in the hunt for something similar. To meet demand the American cupcake industry boomed and specialised bakeries started popping up all of the country, such as The Magnolia Bakery in super cool Manhattan and apparently there is even a cupcake delivery truck known as CupcakeStop which trawls the streets of New York…very strange.

As with many American trends, such as Krispy Kreme and Gatorade (not to mention the obvious McDonalds, KFC and Burger King), they gradually float across the pond and set up camp over here in Old Blighty. So why are cupcakes of all things so popular? Some may blame the recession and the hunt for affordable luxuries in a time of economic uncertainty; others may blame the desire to return to the kitsch and domestic bliss of the 1950’s (queue huge sales in Cath Kidson’s quirky apparel). However I just think it’s another one of those random things that people latch on to – it’s just fashionable, like skinny jeans, gladiator sandals and neon pink nail polish. However I don’t think this fashion will disappear as quickly as jeggings or even skorts (remember them?). I think this cupcake trend is here to stay – one indication of this is that there are these permanently established bakeries.

So the Primrose Bakery swung opened its doors in 2004, the same year as the Hummingbird Bakery (coincidence?). Being located in Primrose Hill it of course became an instant attraction to nearby trendy celebs such as Kate Moss (who I’ve yet to see roaming around). Even Jude Law has been quoted as saying ‘I defy anyone to find a better cupcake’! I didn’t know Jude was into cupcakes??!! The Primrose Bakery is not just as place to buy your cute and multicoloured cupcakes, it’s also a place to sit and chat and eat normal food too – like toast and sandwiches. You can also do your shopping there, the Bakery sells a number of cupcake-related items, such as their own Primrose Hill Bakery Cookbook!

Primrose Hill Bakery Cookbook

I had decided to treat my new co-workers with a selection of cupcakes, the selection in the shop was huge and I did spend a good 10 minutes deciding on what to buy. Such flavours include chocolate, coffee and walnut, carrot, vanilla, lemon, coconut and many more. I settled on vanilla – just in case someone had a freakish adversity to chocolate. So once I’d settled on the flavour I then had to choose the colour…hmmm – Pink? Mint green? Lavendar balls? Glittery? Prices per cupcake start from around £1.50 for regular sized cupcakes and they’re a decent size too for a filling snack. The Primrose Bakery also sells ‘2 Layer’ cakes in which they use the same sponge as the cupcakes with a filling between the two layers and a customised top. These cakes come in various sizes, the largest providing 25+ portions. Prices start from around £16 for these cakes and would be perfect for birthdays and other special occasions…or just general gluttony…In fact their chocolate cake was recently voted number two in The Ten Best Birthday Cakes in the Independent newspaper! They also cater specifically for weddings where they set up consultations with their customers to make sure they create exactly what the customer wants. The skill and time that goes into each of these handmade creations will add a glamorous touch to any special day.

Anyhoo once chosen and back at the office we tucked into our multicoloured cupcakes and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had been expecting a sugar and food-colouring overload – as experienced in The Hummingbird Bakery – however, these cupcakes were light, fluffy and as sugary as they should be. The icing wasn’t too thick and overpowering and best of all – there wasn’t too much food colouring therefore my fingers didn’t turn an interesting shade of purple…These cupcakes tasted fresh and homemade not the robotically generated ones in other unnamed shops (*cough* Hummingbird *cough*). My colleagues also seemed to enjoy them. Caroline described the cupcakes as “very attractive and delicious and they would make a thoughtful gift”. Nichola, said they were “sinfully delicious, wickedly decadent and an absolute must for any rainy Monday”.

"very attractive and delicious"

So if you’re passing by Primrose Hill and you feel in need for a sweet treat that won’t break the bank but will leave you fashionably on trend in terms of food, pop into the Primrose Bakery for a cupcake, maybe you’ll stay for a unpretentious cup of Jo or even buy some cupcake stickers for your cake tins. And if you’re not in the Primrose Hill area you can also visit the Primrose Bakery in Covent Garden!

So from me and my coworkers, we give the Primrose Bakery a big thumbs up

We just recently discovered The Little Welsh’s blog. Not only is it a fun, entertaining and passionate blog but it is also written by a proud Bibendumite. Hurray!

Famous Scotch eggs and wine

IT was a rainy night. The kind of rainy and cold night where you suddenly feel that wearing high heels and forgetting your umbrella at the office were far from being your smartest choices of the day.

All the girls will picture those two actors kissing under the rain, as if nothing could stop their moment of absolute romance. Well, that is not what happened.

It was dark. It was cold. It was pouring. Suddenly, in the distance, you could spot a light streaking out of a doorway, indicating a possible end to the damp and dreary nightmare.

Without thinking, I followed the light.  It brought me to a warm place; warm people, under warm lighting, talking of warming things with a cool drink in hand. Others were enjoying meals at heavy wooden tables while waiters juggled plates and swayed between the crowds.

I was soaking, I was out of breath but I felt welcome. I had found the light. I had found the Harwood Arms. Home of the unexpected yet much deserved Michelin star.

While people in fairy tales enjoy warm and comforting food to recover from their journeys, we relaxed with a (comforting) glass of wine and the Arms’ now legendary Scotch eggs. As my Scotch eggs ever, it was hard to judge just how legendary they were, but the breaded crispiness, smooth whites and leaking yellows do have a lot to say for themselves.

The half dozen Hereford snails with oxtail braised in stout, parsley crumbs and bone marrow didn’t have the chewiness that you usually expect of snails and the bone marrow added a good buttery mellowness to the whole dish.

Half dozen Hereford snails

The braised shoulder of roe deer was quite the beast. Presented as being a dish for 2/3 people, a doggy bag was definitely going to be on order.

Perfectly cooked after having been marinated in cider and then glazed with honey, the meat was tenderness and sweetness itself. The celery purée and the cabbage added a bitter taste to the whole dish, bringing a good balance.

Braised shoulder of roe deer

The sticky toffee and date ice cream with lemon curd and caramelized brown bread was not exactly the expected rich sticky pudding as the sticky toffee and date ice cream missed a good kick, which, unfortunately, the lemon curd overpowered a bit too much.

sticky toffee and date ice cream

After the traditional hot chocolate, it was now time to leave this charming place and continue my fight with the outside world. The couch and comfortable chairs next to the fireplace were an invitation to stay a little bit longer but midnight was just a tick away and we didn’t want our carriage to turn into a pumpkin.

I still had my glass shoe when I came home but the Harwood Arms had played the perfect charming prince for the evening. Give it a few years and I won’t be surprised to see it becoming a king.

The Harwood Arms - 27 Walham Grove, London SW6 1QR, 020 7386 1847

www.harwoodarms.com

Mathilde started her blog in order to share her love of food. we find it to be both educational and interesting. That’s why we like it so much. She also brings the famous touch of French elegance.