TLSee Afternoon Tea at The Howard, a Swissotel

A wonderful afternoon tea at The Howard hotel near Temple on the banks of the river Thames.

Alongside the usual offerings of sandwiches, scones and pastries the Howard offers an amazing patisserie selection of London landmarks in chocolate and pastry form- visually stunning and quite delicious- there was copious amounts of food- enough for me and my hungry boyfriend who managed to eat the solid chocolate Big Ben quite happily!

The mauve lounge where the tea is served was blissfully quiet on the Sunday that we went and there were comfortable and plush purple chairs and banquette seating..requests for more sandwiches and fresh tea were no problem and the service was excellent- they even provided a cute little handbag sized box to take home some of the biscuits that we just couldn't manage!

The Saltyard Tapas restaurant and bar in London's Fitzrovia

Selection of 3 manchegos with quince membrillo

18 Month cured serrano ham

Boquerones

Two plates of salty padron peppers

Chargrilled country style bread with oil

Tuna carpaccio with baby broad beans and salsa verde

Stuffed and roasted baby squid with fennel and nora pepper oil

Courgette flowers stuffed with monte enebro cheese and drizzled with honey

Delicious food at the Saltyard on Friay December 11th 2009.

Saturday Night Dinner for friends

I love old friends...those you have known long enough that they don't mind that you serve them Covent Garden Soup Company soup as a starter, and are kind enough not to mention that the green beans are overcooked and the promised cheesecake has morphed into a Waitrose rasberry torte!

Regardless of all of the above I had a lovely time on saturday with my two friends, the prosecco flowed, and I reverted to a tried and tested favourite- Toad in the Hole- with onion gravy, chanteray carrots, green beans, swede mashed with cream butter and pepper and steamed brocolli.

The aforementioned shop bought soup was Tomato and Basil which I enriched with a little double cream and a sprinkling of finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

Following the fine Waitorse torte served with more pouring cream (see a cream theme here?) I was delighted to nibble on a few matchmakers- those retro chocolate twigs from the 80's that are so deliciously moreish that as we watched and criticised the acts on X Faxtor- the box was soon empty!

What's Up Cupcake- Whitstable

Isn't it enough that those lucky enough to live in Whitstable on the North Kent Coast have the delights of the fish market, Oyster house and Wheelers on the high street, along with a gloriously pebbly beach and the sort of ozone rich sea air that makes us Londoners green with envy? Well now they have a brand new cupcake bakery slap bang in the middle of Harbour Street!

http://www.whatsupcupcake.com/

As the website says:

"Sarah's Cupcakes are made with all natural ingredients, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, only free range eggs & the freshest fruit. Each special ingredient is hand picked for freshness & checked for its quality. The original vanilla cupcakes are quite simply; butter, eggs, flour & sugar, with a dash of pure Mexican vanilla extract. Variations on this recipe include the addition of fresh bananas, passion fruit, lemons or strawberries, pure cocoa, Oreo Cookies, ginger, coconut, and so on to incorporate only the finest ingredients."

I'm sorry but it just isn't fair! This new bakery sound wonderful and I am planning my next jaunt to Whitstable with a glint in my eye and the intent to sample quite a few!


Update- September 12th....I was lucky enough to sample one of the cupcakes from this delightful little shop- I chose the passionfruit on a vanilla sponge and the frosting was glorious- the slight sharpness of the passionfruit cutting through the sweetness of the light frosting. The cake itself had a great flavour- the only comment being that it was quite dense- perhaps I am used to a slightly lighter cake. Having said that, excellent value at £1.50 as even I couldn't manage more than one! R had a chocolate fudge one and declared it delicious even though he agreed with me about the denseness of the actual cake! Would love the opportunity to sample a few more flavours!

Update 2- October 10, 2009 Having spent another weekend in Whitstable I sent my other half off to buy 4 cupcakes- 2 more of the passionfruit, a chocolate fudge and another chocolate confection that he couldn't remember the name of! There is much to applaud about the packaging- the four soft and yet toothsome beauties came ensconsed in their own cardboard box tied up with three lengths of superfine ribbon- pale pistachio green, baby pink and chocolate brown! For those of us seduced by the drama and beauty of a cardboard box and froo froo packing I was in 7th heaven! Would make a truly wonderful hostess gift as well!

As the evenings get darker....

is it always the case that thoughts turn towards more comforting warm foods like sausages and root mash? Surely, the very early beginnings of September should be continuing to feed into the ideal image of perhaps an Indian summer with sun warmed patios beckoning to be spread with exotic salads, crusty breads and platters of Italian meats and cheeses? And yet, with the dark clouds above London and a hint of autumn in the air, my oven is harbouring a dish of outdoor reared pork sausages and a jug ready for onion rich gravy...

1930's themed afternoon tea

So a date is set, and a Sunday afternoon in late September set aside for the genteel art form of afternoon tea....this time a decidedly British 1930's theme has been settled upon, but with a modern twist-the concession to 21st century living being an I-tunes playlist -created with the soundtrack from Pennies from Heaven and a liberal sprinkling of Al Bowlly tunes to create the perfect mood....

A 1930's art deco teaset, reminiscent of Clarice Cliff with its green flowers and geometric patterns, bought for a song at a local car boot sale- will make it's first appearance alongside an old white china tea pot steeped with first flush darjeeling tea leaves and hot but not boiling water...that would scorch the delicate leaves and tips!

Tiny sandwiches of crab, egg and baby watercress shoots and roast beef and mustard will be bereft of crusts and will be displayed on the matching sandwich platter.... to be followed by tiny scones, as light as air and served with perhaps 2 or 3 of mum's home made conserves.

No doubt two tiny pugs will be at our feet as we slice into the tea loaf- plump fruits soaked in earl grey tea to swell before being baked into a rich loaf- perfect for thin slices to accompany the fragrant tea.

Such a pleasant and thoroughly British past-time and just right for the time of year when we seem to be entering the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness as Keats so musically described it...

Mexican...

There is something about the freshness and ease of Mexican food that works on a weekday evening after work...fresh limes, baby soft avocadoes, flat leaf parsley and sliced spring onions are worked into a silky smooth guacamole that serves as a focal point for my miniature vegetarian fajitas...wheat tortillas wrapped around spiced sauteed mushrooms, red onions and tomatoes, spiked with jalapeno's and softened by a spoonful of refried beans....delicious!