Afternoon Tea Total

An Art Deco Delight

2012-01-15T17:29:00.000Z

I really love the idea of pop-up restaurants. The chance to visit someone's home and have them cook for you is exciting and definitely satisfies the nosey-parker in me. Although I'd only been to one pop-up afternoon tea before I have been keeping my eyes open for any others that looked appealing. Then, out of the blue, I got an email from my lovely friend B who told me about an Art Deco inspired tea party that her and her partner S were going to. Frankly, the words Art Deco and tea put together in a sentence are enough to make me go just about anywhere but when she told me it was in Peckham - just up the road from me - I was beyond excited.

When I first requested a couple of places for myself and Coffee Boy I was told we were too late; but I kept the date free in my diary just in case of any drop-outs. And in the final week I was rewarded! We were sent the address and told to dress up if we wanted to (we didn't as I don't really have anything appropriate) and I awaited the tea party with baited breath.

When Sunday afternoon rolled around we battled the idiosyncrasies of the London transport system (it was the weekend: of course the train that would have taken us there in 6 minutes wasn't working; so much more enjoyable to catch a bus that gets stuck in traffic and then walk for 20 minutes) and made our way to the splendid 1930s Pioneer Centre in Peckham. It's a really unusual set of apartment buildings that looks more like an office complex than a series of homes and during the course of our tea we found out why.

Our glamorous host Helena showed us the most fantastic film made in the 1940s about the centre, and The Peckham Experiment that took place there. It explained, in the most hilarious way, how it was designed as a health centre for "ordinary working people" in an attempt to study and improve their health. It had a faint whiff of eugenics about it but at its heart it was actually a fairly modern idea: exercise, happiness and illness prevention as a means to long-term health. As such the centre had various classes, clubs and a rather wonderful swimming pool which is still available for residents to use today: serious flat-envy alert!!

The tea party that we were at certainly didn't have too much to do with health or exercise (although we were offered a swim in vintage swimming costumes) but it had plenty to do with happiness. We started the afternoon with a glass of champagne mixed with a violet liqueur that I'd never had before. As I think I may have mentioned, violet creams are my absolute favourites (even the roll of Parma Violets my mum put in my Christmas stocking brought joy to my heart) so you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover this little tipple. Let's just say it won't be the last time it passes my lips... And then, the avalanche of deliciousness began.

We started with lovely little triangle sandwiches - all the faves were there, smoked salmon, cucumber, and some sort of meat for the meat-eating folk (sorry wasn't paying attention). And then, after our stomachs were prepared, the sweet-fest began. And what a sweet-fest it was. The cakes that Helena makes are absolutely divine. There was everything from chocolate loaves to a rich Dundee cake; the most divine meringues I think I've ever had; and a beautiful lemon gateaux. And on top of all of that were scones with jam and clotted cream and even more cakes and biscuits. It was completely overwhelming and delicious. There wasn't a single thing I ate that didn't make me want to go back for more.

The delicious food was only one aspect of what made the afternoon so enjoyable, though. I loved the way the room was set out with one larger dining table, a small table for two, and a couple of seating areas for two or three. It was so relaxed and although we had friends there it wouldn't have been the least bit stiff or intimidating if we hadn't. There were "waitresses" decked out in vintage clothes who were always on hand to make sure we had enough tea or cake, and Helena's partner played their wonderful grand piano for us. It all just felt so decadent and glorious and the fact that everything was served on beautiful vintage china certainly didn't hurt. But if you're thinking this sounds a bit too grand you couldn't be more wrong. Some people dressed up, and some didn't; some (like me) had loose leaf tea in a beautiful teapot, and some chose a nice strong cup of builder's; some people mingled and chatted with other people and some didn't. It was all so laid-back and fun.

In fact, everyone had such a smile of their face a few hours later when it was time to leave; no one was even moaning about the fact that they were going to have to face that very worst that London transport could throw as them - even our friends who had to make their way right across town to Chiswick. Of course, it could have been the fact we were all carrying away a little goody bag full of cakes that Helena had forced on us (okay, there was no real forcing involved) but I think it was largely because it had just been the most wonderful afternoon. And all for only £20: surely a bargain in any tea-aficionado's book.

Helena runs these tea parties regularly, each with a different theme and with the proceeds going to different charities. But on top of that she has her own cake making business; so if you need something for a special occasion that both tastes delicious and looks absolutely beautiful you should definitely check out her website.

First image The Peckham Experiment

Tea on the Go

2011-12-30T18:08:00.001Z

For many of us, Christmas means a lot of time spent driving between relatives delivering Christmas cheer and indulging in one-too-many mince pies. One of the worst things about being on the road is drinking horrid machine coffee from a paper cup; I mean, I don't even consider drinking takeaway tea in those circumstances as, although I love a good cuppa, I'd rather avoid tea altogether than drink an underwhelming cup. I guess I'm just not one of those "can't live without tea types"; I find it relatively easy to give it a miss if there's only a disappointing bog-standard tea on offer.

So it was with some interest and curiosity that I found an email in my inbox from Little Chef asking if I'd like to test-run their new tea offering. I decided to take them up to satisfy my curiosity if nothing else. I have to admit that it's been some years since I went into a Little Chef for anything other than a sneaky use of their facilities; and in my mind's eye tea there would consist of one of those metal teapots with an uninspiring tea bag floating inside. But apparently all that has changed. Nowadays they are moving into the world of loose-leaf tea which, as many of you will know, is definitely a positive step as far as I'm concerned. I received a tin of Taylor's of Harrogate English Breakfast Tea which was tasty, full-bodied and the kind of tea that is going to hit the right notes for most people. But almost as exciting as the tea was the fantastic teapot I received to brew my cuppa in.

I don't know about you but I am a serious fan of teapots that allow you to remove the leaves once the tea has reached its required strength. The benefit of these kind of pots is that not only do you avoid a horrid stewed cup of tea, but you can also pop the leaves back in for a second infusion later on. The pot I received from Little Chef was one of the most ingenious I've come across. You put your tea leaves inside a little metal caddy that attaches to the lid of the pot; this caddy then dangles down to infuse and when the tea has reached the strength you like you just lift up the metal arm on top of the lid which elevates the caddy up out of the water. Not only is this a very nifty idea, it makes perfect sense for a café; after all, not everyone likes their tea the same way. I know many people like a good strong cuppa but I'm filled with disappointment when I get a teapot filled with tea that is already dark brown in colour.

Now I'm not entirely sure if all Little Chefs will be featuring these teapots - but I certainly hope so. For me a well thought out set of tea accessories suggests a place that thinks about the drinking experience; and loose leaves served in a clever pot can only be good. I notice on their website that some branches are even serving Rare Tea's RAF blend, which I have been enjoying at home lately, and green tea too. All this seems like a very good thing to me.

In all honesty Little Chef is not somewhere I would ordinarily venture into, but finding out that they are starting to take tea seriously has made me think again. The thought of a well-brewed cuppa to break up monotonous journeys is very appealing. But perhaps even more heart-warming than that is the thought that Britain might just be starting to change from a country that loves tea, to a country that loves good tea. Now that would really be something to smile about.

A Cold Dog in a Pastel Parlour

2011-10-29T13:17:00.000+01:00

Do you sometimes get stuck in a rut afternoon tea-wise? No? Well maybe it's just me. Really good tea and cake experiences are just not that thick on the ground, so when I have the chance to indulge I find it very difficult to pass up on one of my old favourites where I know I'm going to get exactly what I want. But sometimes you have to branch out and try something new.

The other day was one of those days: it was sunny but cold and a little bike ride before settling down for an afternoon read seemed like a good idea. Unusually CB and I decided to have a mooch up Kastanienallee - a supposedly very hip street in Berlin for those that don't know; I'm always reading it's known as Casting Alley as it's so full of models, photographers and other hipsters but I've never actually heard it called that by anyone other than a guidebook writer. Anyway, I digress. We spotted a cute looking little place called Napoljonska which seemed fairly quiet and decided to give it a whirl.

On entering I was struck by just how un-Berlin the cafe was. A riot of pink and pale grey with matching chairs and tablecloths it just didn't fit the identikit bare concrete and secondhand furniture mould I've come to love and expect in the Hauptstadt. No, this looked like some serious time and effort had been put into achieving an actual coordinated look. Normally that might put me off but in this instance I rather liked what I saw. Something about being in there made me feel like I was inside one of the huge old-fashioned sweetie jars behind the counter: pink walls, pink gingham tablecloths, cute sweetie-style lampshades - I know it all sounds a bit much but it was actually perfectly balanced with grey chairs, a couple of grey walls and a grey floor.

The specialities of the place are homemade waffles and crepes with a huge choice of fillings. They looked great but given that we had dinner plans later that night they seemed a bit excessive. We decided instead to go for the intriguingly - and not altogether pleasantly - monikered Kalter Hund, or Cold Dog. Despite conjuring up images of an old limp frankfurter in a soggy bun this was actually a rather delicious chocolate and biscuit layered fridge cake. I have since found out that it's a staple of celebration tables in Germany. Who knew?

Anyway, to accompany our sweet but delicious Kalter Hund we were fairly spoilt for choice. There were a good selection of teas - both green and black, and the usual collection of coffees. I went for a vanilla rooibos as I had already had about 8 cups of tea that morning and CB went for a flat white, because he likes to think he can blend in with the hipsters. Both were fab. My rooibos came in a really lovely little teapot and consisted of leaves rather than a bag. But the star of the drink-show was the flat white - wow, it was fantastic: strong and full of flavour without being bitter. Despite my quality tea I actually had just a little bit of envy for the coffee.

Although the place was pretty quiet when we arrived it soon filled up. Unsurprisingly, given the whole look and vibe of the place, it filled up with parents and young kids. In and of itself that wouldn't be a problem but many of the Prenzlauer Berg mums and dads fall into the "let your kids screech at the top of their voices otherwise you are an authoritarian tyrant" category. Honestly whenever I spend half an hour in a place in P'berg that's full of little ones I understand why the staff are so grumpy! But the symphony of screeching didn't reach its crescendo until we were about ready to leave anyway so it didn't spoil our enjoyment too much.

Napoljonska really is a nice place: the cakes and waffles look great - and if the Kalter Hund is anything to go by they taste great too; the drinks are of a really good quality; and it looks super-cute. There was something amazingly refreshing about being in a place that had totally gone to town with the decor - right down to the fifties-style font on the sign for the toilets. It may be a little too styled for many Berliners' tastes but in truth the bare walls and concrete floors thing is a carefully-studied style too. I for one applaud Napoljonska for trying something a bit different - and succeeding.

(p.s. Sorry for the recent lack of posts - difficult times in the ATT house have pushed blogging to one side. I'll try my best to do better!)

A Massage and a Cuppa

2011-08-27T12:54:00.000+01:00

The promise of a nice cup of tea is enough to encourage me to do pretty much anything. So when a friend told me about a place near her Berlin flat that served up a massage accompanied by a cup of tea I was intrigued. I am not the world's greatest massage fan but the thought of being pummelled whilst trying to sip a scorching brew sounded exciting if not a little dangerous. I decided I'd give it a try.

Having got 32 mosquito bites the night before (I don't want to make a big fuss but I had repellent on all exposed skin; that didn't deter these little bloodsuckers who just bit me THROUGH MY CLOTHES!) I was a bit worried about spreading the poison that my allergic reaction had brought forth around my body. No worries, my friend told me, you keep your clothes on - this is a mechanical bed massage. Suddenly, I was feeling far more enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Arriving at Jade Vital I was pretty blown away. I had expected a massage place which served up a nice cup of tea - kind of like you get at the hairdressers; but no, this was a proper tea shop stacked full of tins containing everything from top-grade Sencha to a rich black Ceylon. I was seriously impressed by the selection and all of the lovely cups and teapots that stood alongside but there was no time to ogle just yet as it was massage time. We were shown through to the adjoining room and I was put on a bed alongside the huge window. As I wiggled myself into the correct position, the woman - who I assume was the owner - told me (in helpful English) that the massage would take around forty minutes and that I should place the thermal jade-ball thing on my "organ area". I guessed that was my upper abdomen, popped it there and I was away.

The massage was pleasingly vigorous. A set of rollers within the bed travelled up and down my spine and two other sets concentrated on my lower legs. The spinal rollers were so strong as to actually lift my whole body up, which felt strangely satisfying. I discovered later, when I had had time to read and translate the leaflet, that the rollers were full of jade balls believed to have a mystical power in eastern medicine. I have no idea if anything mystical was going on but it certainly felt good. The bed and the thermal thing on my abdomen got lovely and warm and the sun streaming in the large window did a wonderful job of making me fully relaxed. The massage was a little too rigorous to fall asleep to but I definitely finished my forty minutes feeling relaxed and tingly.

Now, as if all that pleasure wasn't enough, it was tea time. There was a fairly overwhelming choice of tea but my eyes alighted on the sign for "new bubble tea". As it was such a warm evening my friend and I decided that was what was required. We both went for a green-tea based, mango juice tea with traditional black tapioca pearls. It was actually really delicious and I found that this non-milk variety was actually much nicer than the last one I'd tried.

What a fantastic place Jade Vital is; it's one of those curious combinations that sounds odd but makes perfect sense once you are there. Of course it would be perfectly possible to pop in for a cup of tea with some homemade cake or just go along for a massage but the real pleasure is surely in treating yourself and enjoying both.

And best of all this pampering visit is something of a bargain: just €7 for the massage and around €3 for a tea. If you can think of a better treat for around a tenner I want to hear about it. In fact, at that price I see no reason why it can't become a regular thing. And that's my very favourite kind of treat - the one you can indulge in as often as you like.

A Well-kept Secret

2011-07-13T15:56:00.000+01:00

Do you ever find yourself in that situation where you discover something and wonder how you hadn't known about it before? That's what happened to me a couple of weeks ago when my friend M had a stopover in town on her way from Tokyo to Düsseldorf. I was wracking my brains trying to think of somewhere to take her when I decided to do a bit of Googling for inspiration. Narrowing my parameters to Soho, Covent Garden and Piccadilly (nobody wants to spend a stopover trekking around town) I saw a couple of references to Soho's Secret Tea Room. At first I ignored them not realising this was the actual name of the place and then I did a little bit more digging. Here, apparently, was an old-fashioned tearoom in a hidden room above one of Soho's most traditional pubs. Why had I not heard of it before? How long had it been there? Was it any good?

With so many questions there was only one thing to do: book a table and go and bloomin' well go and do some hands-on research. My hope before arriving was that I could show my friend a proper English afternoon tea. Not the kind of thing you get in big fancy hotels and department stores where she was more likely to be surrounded by her fellow Japanese countrywomen than ordinary London folk, but the kind of afternoon tea that real Brits enjoy; the kind of repast you remember having at your grandma's or your great-aunt's when you were a kid. In short, my holy grail of afternoon teas.

At first I wasn't sure I'd made the right choice. As we went into the old boozer with its selection of colourful Soho drinkers I was a little worried this may be a slightly-too-authentic experience for her. My feelings weren't assuaged as we were shown behind the bar and up the stairs. Having grown up in pubs this brought back all sorts of memories for me but I could tell that M was wondering where exactly I had brought her. But as we entered the tearoom all my worries evaporated. A beautiful old room with bare floorboards, dark wooden tables covered with lace tablecloths, cream walls with chimney-breasts painted a rich inky green, old fireplaces and sash windows with billowing lace curtains - it was just perfect. It really felt like sitting in your aunt Nellie's parlour - but not a posh aunt Nellie; this would have been the kind of room that was kept for best and used only on an occasional Sunday. It was exactly what I was hoping for. The abundance of cakes set out in the room and the languid 1930s jazz playing over the stereo only helped to give the place a truly lovely atmosphere.

We both decided to plump for the Traditional Afternoon Tea for £14 which included sandwiches, scones, a slice of cake and cupcake of our choice, accompanied by a pot of tea made with proper leaves. It was all choices, choices, choices so we decided to spread our bets and go for different things so we could try as much as possible. The sandwiches were egg mayonnaise, smoked salmon and cream cheese and, of course, cucumber. I have to admit to being a little bit disappointed by them. We were the first people there, having to have our afternoon tea at lunchtime as M wasn't in town for long, but already some of the sandwiches were feeling a bit soggy. The fillings were tasty but really quite meagre and in the case of the egg mayonnaise seemed scarcely thicker than a good spread of butter. I know these kind of very delicate sandwiches are in keeping with the "austerity Britain" feeling of the tearoom but I do think you can take these themes a bit too far. Having said that the smoked salmon sandwiches were really delicious and at the very least these savouries served as a bed on which to lay the linen of the sweet-stuff to come.

From here on in the meal took a decided turn for the better. In keeping with the vibe of the place. the sweet stuff on offer wasn't of the fancy and dainty kind; no, these were proper, full-size treats. We were given a choice of plain or fruit scones (hallelujah!) and there was really good strawberry or blackcurrant jam to put on them - along with a little pot of clotted cream. The scones were great - the kind I never seem to be able to make myself: firm yet crumbly and a perfect basis for the loveliness on top. Then it was time for the cakes. I chose a Bakewell tart, which was more of a Bakewell cake, and M went for the carrot cake. The carrot cake was good with plenty of sweet cream-cheese frosting on top, but the Bakewell tart? Wow. It was truly delicious. Just the right amount of cherry and a fantastic almond icing on top. By now we were feeling pretty stuffed but we still had a full size cupcake to get through. We considered taking them home with us but what with M's flight and me remembering that Coffee Boy was out and I therefore probably wouldn't bother to make dinner, we just decided to go for it. I chose a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting, after all there had been no chocolate so far... And M lightened it up (ahem) with chocolate with vanilla frosting. They were both really good. That lovely moist texture with enough but not an excess of buttercream.

By this stage we were really reaching sugar saturation point. Thank goodness we had a big pot of tea each to help wash it all down. I went for a Russian Caravan, as is my wont, and M went for the more traditional English Breakfast tea. Both were excellent and our friendly, white-aproned waitress was very forthcoming in her offers to top up our pots with hot water. I managed to drink the contents of two large teapots which might sound like a lot but we spent a good three hours gorging ourselves that afternoon and in the scheme of things that felt entirely reasonable.

What a wonderful afternoon we had. A truly lovely space, which I discovered is also the setting for Private Eye's infamous long-lunches, and some really great cakes, scones and tea. I'm not entirely sure I would opt for sandwiches again but for tea and cake I honestly can't think of a nicer place. It's taken me a while to write this review because I almost don't want it to become swamped and impossible to get into. But in the spirit of Afternoon Tea sisterhood I realised I couldn't hold back any longer. If you find yourself in central London and want to be transported to a little piece of tea heaven, head across to Greek Street and wallow in the loveliness of Soho's Secret Tea Room.

A Perfect Sunday

2011-06-03T11:44:00.000+01:00

There are few things I like better on a sunny day than poking around gardens that aren't usually open to the public: whether it's a workplace garden or an someone's own little oasis, I love seeing places that are usually reserved for private down-time. Actually I like nosing around pretty much anywhere but that's by the by. So I was pretty excited when I read about Anderl Kammermeier on one of the Berlin blogs I follow. He's an artist who opens the garden of his studio once a month in the summer. Not only does he welcome the public to peek into his private world, but he provides a space for a series of performances and a cafe in which to purchase cake. Clearly, I needed no more encouragement.

I set off to Berlin's Moabit area with Coffee Boy and Rebecca from The Field Office. It was a glorious day so we took our bikes and headed through what we'd imagined would be an industrial wasteland but which actually turned out to be a surprisingly attractive neighbourhood. I've just bought a new camera so we stopped to take a few pics on the way. As soon as we arrived at the studio it was clear that we'd made absolutely the right decision in coming. The garden was truly lovely: dappled sunlight and lush grass and foliage all surrounding a brick workshop where the artist creates his metal pieces.

We first checked out the performance area but as we were a bit early we thought we'd make the most of a free table we'd spotted and grab a drink and some cake. My hopes weren't amazingly high but yet again the German knack for having quality food in the most unlikely of places took me by surprise. There were at least five cakes to choose from including a chocolate torte, and a cheesecake but I found myself drawn to a rather lovely looking peach cake, with a cup of fresh mint tea to wash it down. Coffee Boy went for the strawberry cake and, naturlich, a milky coffee.

Well, what a treat everything turned out to be. My cake had fairly dense sponge on the bottom with a thick topping of sweet vanilla cream filled with chunks of fresh peach and topped with crushed nuts. My tea was strong and refreshing and CB reported that his coffee was top notch. Obviously I had a little sample of his cake for research purposes and can report that it was bursting with a proper fresh-strawberry taste and was nearly as delicious as mine, but not quite. Yet again I win the cake-choosing contest (that I haven't actually told CB about).

Once the performance started CB went over to check it out whilst Rebecca and I guarded our table and continued to chat and enjoy the laid-back vibe of the place.We were a little perplexed by the shouting we could hear coming from the performance area until CB enlightened us. The performance was not flamenco music as I'd thought, but an actor declaiming a poem with sometime accompaniment by flamenco guitar. It sounded interesting but not quite what I was expecting so we decided to forego the crush around the little stage and have a beer instead.

What a gorgeous afternoon it was. We managed to stay at our table under the floating parasol for some hours and then pootled back to Prenzlauer Berg for more drinks and dim sum. Just pretty much a perfect Sunday. And I'm reminded yet again why I love this place so much. The fact that you can buy really good cake almost anywhere makes it just that little bit more special.

Espresso Coffee Cupcakes

2011-05-20T12:03:00.001+01:00

Do you ever get bored of chocolate? No, neither do I. When I'm in the mood for a spot of cupcake-making I generally find myself drawn to either a chocolate cupcake or chocolate buttercream. But last week I fancied something a bit different: I had a craving for coffee cake.

I know coffee cakes aren't everyone's cup of tea (so to speak) but I have a real love of anything coffee-flavoured. Coffee and walnut cake? Yes please. Espresso crème brûlée? Nom nom nom. Coffee ice cream? Pass me a spoon immediately. So, being in one of those kind of moods I decided to make some espresso cupcakes. After a quick trawl around the interwebs I was having no luck. All of the recipes were using either instant coffee or that coffee essence stuff (I remember thinking that the Camp Coffee my Mum bought in the '70s was the very height of sophistication). I don't really get these kind of recipes. If I like to drink really good espresso - albeit decaf - then why would I want to use yucky instant in my cakes? So I decided to just wing it and make up my own recipe.

A risky strategy I hear you say; and you'd be right. But they actually turned out to be rather delicious. And somehow, I've no idea how (but someone sciencey can probably tell me), the buttercream ended up wonderfully light; more the texture of whipped cream. It was a total accident but I really loved it. I often find buttercream a bit overwhelming on cupcakes but this stuff was just right. Of course I'll probably never be able to recreate it but hey ho. By the way please excuse the paucity of photos on this post but I returned home from work one day to find that Coffee Boy - true to his name - had scoffed a number of the cupcakes I was saving for a mini-photo shoot, including the best-looking ones: "I didn't know there was a hierarchy of attractiveness" was his defence. Honestly, men eh?

Espresso Coffee Cupcakes (makes 10-12)

120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g butter (room temperature)
large shot of strong espresso (about 50ml) - I used decaf but normal would obviously be fine too
70ml milk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
Sift the flour, and stir into baking powder, salt & sugar and then beat the dry mixture with the butter (I use a handheld electric whisk) until well combined
Gradually add the wet ingredients (espresso, milk and egg) until incorporated and beat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is smooth
Pipe or spoon into a muffin tin lined with paper cases so they are half to two-thirds full
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
After a few minutes remove the cupcakes from the tray
Place them on a rack and let them cool thoroughly. Do not attempt to ice until fully cooled

Espresso Coffee Buttercream

125g butter (room temperature)
220g icing sugar
large shot of strong espresso (about 50ml) - again I used decaf

Beat the butter and icing sugar together with an electric whisk or in a mixer
Gradually add the espresso and beat until buttercream is light and fluffy
Pipe onto cupcakes

German History with Cake on the Side

2011-04-21T13:02:00.000+01:00

One of the things I love about Berlin is the little pockets of history that you can discover all over the city. The fact that you can cycle to them without battling aggressive drivers just makes it all the better. So the other day, as it was beautifully sunny, we decided to hop on our bikes and head up to Pankow. I had read in Slow Travel Berlin that a number of the dignitaries of the ruling party of the former East Germany had lived on one street in the suburb at Berlin's northern edge. Being suckers for old DDR stuff we headed up the, thankfully gentle, hill of Schönhauser Allee to check it out.

A mere twenty minutes or so later we found ourselves at the entrance to the Majakowskiring; literally a small ring road full of grand villas. Most of these rather imposing houses were built in the 1920s but there are also a number of impressive modernist buildings that appear to be home to a variety of businesses.

We cycled around the ring a couple of times taking pictures of some of the more interesting buildings as well as the villas with historical significance. I was somewhat surprised that most of those houses had plaques on stating who had lived there and when; generally Germany does a pretty good job of trying to erase the DDR from memory. Although I wasn't shocked to see that Erich Honecker's former residence wasn't trumpeting the fact it had been home to the long-term Head of State - especially as it now seemed to be some sort of children's activity centre. I guess all of those human rights abuses don't make for a lot of fun...

As if cycling around a leafy, rather lovely, street on a gorgeous day wasn't pleasant enough, imagine my joy as I realised that one of these grand villas was the Majakowski Gasthaus: a cafe and restaurant with a pretty plant and tree-filled garden. As if by some extremely fortuitous stroke of luck we realised it was 4pm and therefore kaffee und kuchen time. Hurrah! We locked up the bikes, found a quiet shady spot, and ordered ourselves some refreshments faster than you can say "so much for a healthy afternoon bike-ride". My heart sank just a little bit when our waitress told us there was only chocolate cake available as, although chocolate is never wrong, I feared that this meant that there was one rather sad lonely cake hanging around waiting to be eaten before any fresh goods would be ordered. I also decided to opt for a coffee fearing that the tea on offer might be somewhat mediocre.

Well I needn't have worried. I admit, when our cake arrived I was a bit disappointed to note it was of the loaf variety with no filling or topping. The sprinkling of icing sugar on top wasn't fooling anyone, I thought. But how wrong I was. This was no last-cake-in-the-vitrine situation: this cake was still warm straight from the oven and was moist and chocolatey without being sickly. The coffee that accompanied it was, as is usual in Germany, strong and tasty. Yet again I was reminded that Germans really do get some things right. It doesn't seem to matter where you go and how out-of-the-way it might seem, there are always the necessities of life available to you: whether that's a cafe serving good cake; a restaurant that will serve you a meal whatever time of day it is; or even a toilet that's open to the public. I really do love that practicality.

I mean really, how can I not love a place where you set out for a bike ride to look at some old communist stuff and end up eating delicious chocolate cake? Next time someone asks me why I spend so much time in Berlin I guess I could do worse than tell them about my trip to Pankow. It pretty much sums it all up. History + cycling + cake = happy me.

A Parisian Tea at Mariage Frères

2011-04-10T10:02:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago Coffee Boy and I popped to Paris on our way to Berlin. It sounds very extravagant but actually, because for once I was organised, the journey cost us less than our usual flights to Berlin (perhaps I could learn something from this...). It gave me the perfect excuse to visit Mariage Frères - the mother of all French Salons de Thé. Sixteen years ago we used to live in Paris but I had no more than a passing interest in tea in those days so I'd never even heard of Mariage Frères at that time, let alone visited.

There are a number of branches throughout the city, but on Sunday we were using the excellent Vélib' scheme to cycle through the Marais so we decided to visit the tea room there. I was actually pretty excited about my visit - so many people have asked me over the last few tea-obsessed years whether I have been, it was hard to believe it was finally happening. Perhaps it was all that expectation, or perhaps it was being spoilt by so many amazing tea emporia in Japan last year, but I have to confess, I was a teensy bit disappointed.

You enter through a shop with an amazing selection of tea. The shelves stretch up to the ceiling and they're laden with huge black tea caddies. There are also some beautiful cups, teapots and tins to feast your eyes on as you stand waiting for a table in the smallish tea room at the back. We managed to time our visit quite well and waited only a few minutes before a little corner table became free. The tea room itself was, I thought, no great shakes. Painted a sunny yellow with a large palm in the centre below a skylight it was pleasant enough but certainly not amazing. It was a great spot for people watching though: I had assumed it'd be full of tourists, and it had its fair share, but there were plenty of bourgeois French ladies out for a gentle afternoon's sugar-fix that provided some added entertainment.

Faced with a frankly breathtaking list of teas it was hard to know where to begin. I decided to go for a black tea and was in the mood for something a little bit smokey so opted for one of the house blends called Roi Soleil. CB is not such a fan of the smoky teas (which was just as well as I wanted to try more than one) so he chose another house blend called Fils de France.

We were a bit overwhelmed when it came to choosing what sweet stuff to have, especially after having worked our way through the list of about 300 teas, so we chose a selection called "Time for Tea" (bet that pleases the Académie Française...). There was a vitrine with some nice looking cakes and there were various descriptions of desserts on the menu but we figured that our English monikered selection would let us try a bit of lots of things and we could stop reading the menu into the bargain.

Our tea was first to arrive and it was pretty amazing. Both blends were really delicious: mine was light and bright yet with an underscore of smokiness; CB's was effectively like a black jasmine tea - unusual but lovely. What made it taste even better was that each of the teas came out of one of those china pots with a metal cosy clipped on - I love those! Then our sweet stuff arrived. It was, how can I say this without sounding like a greedy pig, a bit on the small side. OK, I know there were five different things on the plate; and each thing was pretty darn tasty; but I have become accustomed to the English afternoon tea that comes on a cake stand laden with enough sugary delights to sink a battleship. True, you may not be able to finish them all but you can have a bloody good go trying. This though was clearly an altogether more refined affair. I know there have been books written about how French women keep their figures by only eating until they've had enough and never having a blow-out but if you can't stuff up on afternoon tea once in a while I wonder if life is really worth living (over-the-top about tea? Moi?).

So, what did our little plate feature? A little shot glass full of raspberry custard and gelée which was very creamy and really delicious; a tiny little lemony Madeleine which was good; a mini-pistachio loaf which had a nice piquant flavour; a petit creme brulee with almost caramelised cream and a delicate but crisp crust; and finally a little vanilla macaron which was rich but not amazing. Do I sound slightly underwhelmed? I guess I was. And CB's disappointment at the meagre portions only served to confirm my feeling that this wasn't the tea experience of my life. Of course, it could have been that we chose poorly. We saw a number of people eating a dessert-like chocolate confection that was covered with an entire square of gold leaf that looked pretty amazing - in fact we saw a lot of the dames-qui-déjeunent eating them so perhaps it's one of those signature dishes that you need to be in the know about. If I ever went back that is definitely what I'd try. And going back isn't out of the question. The tea itself was really pretty amazing and it might be that another branch has a more "special" feel.

Before leaving we had a little look around the shop where I decided to purchase a tin of the Roi Soleil, partly because it was lovely and partly because I have a sad obsession with tea tins. I managed to snap a couple of photos before being told off by a member of staff (note raised hand). I was only snapping with my iPhone and I was pretty pleased I hadn't realised before as I'd been busily clicking away in the tea room - including asking the chaps on the table next to us if I could snap their beautiful flowering jasmine tea.

Now, I don't want to give the impression I didn't enjoy my trip to Mariage Frères as there were lots of things about it that were good. I was just, as I said, a bit underwhelmed. I'm glad I've finally been (and I've got the tea tin to prove it) but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I think the problem is that I've just had so many really great afternoon teas I'm becoming more and more difficult to please and that is especially the case when paying over £15 for the privilege. I wouldn't want to put anyone off as the tea selection alone if worth experiencing but perhaps don't let yourself get quite as excited as I did before going (probably not hard). Nonetheless, the weekend as a whole was fabulous and now I have a new mission for next time I return: to find the ultimate Parisian afternoon tea experience. Watch this space.

A Sad Time

2011-03-16T20:06:00.000Z

I can hardly believe the events that are unfolding in Japan. It was this time last year that I was there on a holiday that turned into a tea odyssey. When I was there I remember reading that the notion that "the big one" would come one day was embedded deep in the Japanese psyche - it seems unbelievable that that day has actually come. There isn't much to say but I wanted to let my readers in Japan know that my thoughts are with them and that I hope things can return to some kind of normality for your wonderful country soon.

Small But Perfectly Formed

2011-02-16T12:04:00.000Z

Last month while I was in Berlin I was browsing though my trusty Tip Speisekarte magazine looking for new cake places to try in Berlin. One that caught my eye was Fraeulein Dickes as it was not far away up in Prenzlauer Berg; but for some reason there were no details other than the address. I mentally stored it away in my brain thinking I'd check it out next time I was up that way. And then, in one of those weird coincidences, a new blog reader (and fellow blogger), Schlactplatte, happened to mention it was her favourite place for cake. That was it, I didn't need any more encouragement. A short U-Bahn journey later (no cycling thanks to the snow and ice, grrrr) and I was there.

Immediately I fell in love with the place. Tiny, with just three tables, the cafe has been beautifully decorated. From the old window frames hung on the wall to the broken chandelier, and from the beautiful original ceiling painting to the equally gorgeous vitrine of delicious-looking cakes. It has that lovely atmosphere of faded glamour that used to be so prevalent in Berlin but now, as the city becomes more like other European capitals, seems to be sadly in decline.

As if the wonderful surroundings weren't enough to make my heart sing they carry a selection of lovely Kusmi Tea. So, what to order...? Obviously Coffee Boy went for a latte ("really good") and a piece of baked cheesecake. I struggled over the tea selection for a while but ultimately went for a blend called Sweet Love which combines black China tea with liquorice root, guarana seeds, pink pepper and other spices. To be honest these kind of teas aren't usually my thing but I'd had a couple of milky drinks already that day and fancied something spicy and warming. And it certainly fitted the bill. It came in one of those stitched muslin bags and emitted a gorgeous aroma when dunked in my tall glass of boiling water. In fact I liked it enough to actually consider buying some on my upcoming trip to Paris.

For my sweet treat I made the brave decision not to have the chocolate cake and instead opted for a pear and almond one (having been tempted by the words "fresh out of the oven"). Wow. It was truly delicious. Moist and fruity with a just-right almond crumb it was completely heavenly. CB's cheesecake was also really good but nothing was going to match mine.

What a discovery Fraeuline Dickes is. If you can get a seat (and that will be easier as the weather warms up as there are a few outdoor tables) it is totally worth a visit. It really is very nearly my ideal afternoon tea place. Just a couple of things hold it back in my opinion. Firstly there's no loo. This is pretty much a disaster for me. When I drink tea, I need to know I'm going to be able to relieve myself without having to walk for 10 minutes and then go and have another drink in another cafe just to use their facilities.

And finally, and this is especially an issue for Coffee Boy, please don't speak to us in English when we are coping perfectly well in German. The main woman who served us was friendly and stuck to German (in fact she spoke like a machine-gun) and we coped. But when it came time to get the bill another waitress arrived and decided to show us how brilliant her English was. The truth is we're not impressed. Pretty much everyone under 40 in Berlin speaks English and although you might be trying to help us it actually comes across as kind of rude. A bit like "your German is so rubbish I'm going to have to speak to you in your own language". I realise being offended by this might be a very English thing but it really does rankle.

Anyway, I didn't mean to hijack my review of what is a really rather wonderful cafe with a rant about loos and language. Fraeulein Dickes is a gem of a place and the goods on offer are top quality. I guess my only hope for them is that they move to larger premises so that I can comfortably hang out there for hours (and have a loo to use). So thank you Schlactplatte, I await more recommendations with bated breath.

The Ultimate Green Tea

2011-01-16T13:56:00.000Z

Whist having a Twitter chat with blogging chum Caroline, No recently (gosh aren't we modern and multimedia) I realised it has been quite some time since I wrote a purely tea-based post. I have to admit it, delicious cakes can sometime overshadow the humble cuppa in my posts, but never in reality: cake is massively diminished without a great cup of tea to go with it.

And today I have a really wonderful tea to recommend to you. I've heard so many people say that they think green tea is OK but it's a bit bitter or sour. When I hear this I turn into a slightly scary tea evangelist shouting about water temperature (I'll save you from that now, see previous post here) and quality leaves. The water temperature is easy enough to get right when you know how; but quality leaves, well that's a different story.

Now I'm not one of those tea snobs that feels that any tea you can buy in a supermarket is not worth drinking (I regularly work in places with nothing on offer but a bag of PG Tips if I'm lucky) but I will say this: once you discover really good tea, it's very hard to go back. As far as I'm concerned this is as much the case with Breakfast Tea as it is with herbal infusions, but it's with green tea that I think quality really stands out. My trip to Japan earlier this year was, of course, amazing in terms of drinking quality teas and especially some amazing Senchas. But I think the lovely astringent grassiness of Sencha can sometimes be a bit much for the new green tea fan. The one I want to recommend to you today has been one of my favourite green teas since my very first sip.

I realise I'm in danger of becoming something of a groupie of this company, but Postcard Tea's Lao Shan Green is really something. So many of owner Tim's teas rank among my favourites that I find myself coming out of his off-Bond Street shop with a massive spring in my step every time I visit. Partly it's the lovely chilled atmosphere; partly it's the wide variety of carefully sourced tea from tiny independent producers, often utilising ancient bushes; but largely it's about Tim and his colleague Lu's enthusiasm and knowledge about the product. It was this enthusiasm that resulted in my discovery of the Lao Shan green.

A beautiful fresh and slightly fruity-tasting tea, made correctly there's none of that bitterness that can put some people off green tea. There's a lovely roundness about the flavour which manages to be comforting and refreshing all at the same time. Anyhoo, I'm no Jilly Goolden so I'll leave the waxing lyrical there but if you find yourself curious about green tea - or even if you're a confirmed fan - I can't recommend it highly enough. My tea cupboard has never been without it since I first tasted it a year or two ago. And given how overflowing my tea cupboard is that is praise indeed.

A Taste of Hamburg in Berlin

2011-01-03T14:08:00.000Z

Realising it's been quite a while since my last post (sorry about that, work & Christmas rather got in the way...) I was determined to try somewhere new for afternoon tea when I met up with Rebecca from The Field Office yesterday. Struggling to find anywhere to fit the bill that was actually open I was ready to give up until I remembered hearing about Elbspeicher. Being a predominantly coffee place it wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I decided to give it a go.

As I arrived outside I decided that this was probably not the kind of place I'd just wander into - it has that slightly corporate look that is generally shunned in Berlin in favour of a kind of thrown-together shabby chic aesthetic. But on entering I found myself quite enamoured with the decor: a white and pale grey colour scheme may sound a little cold and sterile but actually the higgeldy-piggeldy floor layout and pretty lamps and flowers actually made it feel surprisingly cosy. I found the vibe quite Scandinavian, which is perhaps unsurprising when you realise that this is a cafe that hails from Germany's most northerly metropolis Hamburg - a fact that's emphasised by the triptych photo of the docks as you walk in.

The main draw of the cafe is supposedly their hand-roasted Elbgold Coffee, so bucking convention I decided to start with a decaf latte to accompany my rather tasty goat's cheese, lettuce and rosemary honey roll. I could see a tempting-looking selection of fruit tarts, brownies, cookies and other cakes and suggested to Coffee Boy (who obviously went for a latte) that we buy something straight away. He convinced me that we should wait as we didn't know what we'd fancy after our late lunch; it seemed to make sense and I settled down to enjoy my small but delicious roll and my really very good coffee. Personally, and I know there are plenty of people that would disagree with me, I think a decaf coffee is often a good benchmark for the general quality of the coffee in a place. This one was smooth but with a nice rounded flavour and none of that bitterness that some decafs have. Coffee Boy was impressed by his regular latte too and judging by the wall of coffee beans to choose from this looks like it could be a good spot to purchase your coffee for home.

Anyway, pleased with my opening gambit I decided to move on to the main event - a spot of afternoon tea. But disaster: all the cakes, cookies and brownies had gone. As you can imagine CB was not in my good books for restraining me earlier. There was no choice but to go for one of the two lonely muffins left on the counter. Not being a the biggest muffin fan (a bit too bready for my taste in the afternoon) we decided to share the chocolate one. I was happy though to see a good selection of teas on offer and decided to try an Oolong with blossoms.

The good news is that the muffin was absolutely lovely: soft, fresh and very chocolately with decent chunks of good chocolate throughout. Sadly, the tea was not such a success. Presented in a mug with a proper china infuser things looked good, but rather than the one heaped teaspoon of tealeaves I would expect to see within the infuser it was literally filled to the brim. This is actually the second time this has happened to me in the last month - and is clearly the result of non-tea drinkers making the brew. Not only is it unnecessary (and incredibly wasteful in terms of running a successful business - this cup actually had about four times the amount of tea needed) it also makes for a pretty horrible cup of tea. It was incredibly strong and I had a suspicion the leaves were scalded with boiling water although it was hard to tell as the flavour was completely overwhelming.

I left Elbspeicher with very mixed emotions: as a cafe it had a nice vibe (apart from the customers who seemed absolutely fascinated by everything that was being said on our table but I guess that's hardly the management's fault...) and was a really pleasant place to while away an hour or two; the coffee was very good and all of the food we tried was fresh, tasty and made with care. But running out of cakes before 5pm (it doesn't shut until 7pm) even on a busy New Year's Sunday isn't great, and to mess up a cup of tea when so much effort has been put into sourcing the leaves and the china to serve it in seems a crying shame.

But despite all that I can imagine popping into Elbspeicher again. It doesn't have the homely feel of some of the other cafes in the area but their coffee and products were really good and the staff were amazingly friendly (I suspect they've imported either the people or at the very least the service culture from Hamburg as this was no typical Berlin welcome - I mean there were smiles and everything!). But I can't see myself going there for a cup of tea again as a badly made, and virtually undrinkable, cuppa is just too depressing. Not the New Year's tea treat I was hoping for then. Ho hum, I guess I'll just have to keep on searching.

Konditor and Cook - My Saviours

2010-12-07T08:39:00.001Z

Leisurely afternoon teas have sadly been out of the question for me lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been making the effort to indulge in a quick cuppa and little something sweet. Thank goodness then for Konditor and Cook. From their fantastic mince pies to their tangy Black Gingerbread, their shops shops really are a sight for work-weary eyes. I could write a post on pretty much any one of their cakes (yes I have tried most of them...) but I'm here to tell you about their amazing brownies.

Now, a good brownie is a welcome treat at any time but Konditor & Cook's brownies are quite simply in a league of their own: chewy with just the right amount of crispiness on the top and, most importantly, supremely chocolatey. The plain brownies would be good enough on their own but there's so much more on offer than that. The Boston Brownies are full of lovely cranberries that give a welcome tartness to cut through the chocolate; the Curly Wurly Brownies are based on the same concept as the bakery's famed Curly Wurly Cake, a delicious mixture of chocolate and cream cheese; but my real favourite is the unfortunate and somewhat inexplicably titled Fudgepacker Brownie (given the exact etymology of that particular piece of slang I'm assuming it may have lost something in translation for the German owner of the bakery). Name aside, these brownies are the business. Hidden pieces of fudge are scattered throughout the gooey chocolateyness (is that a real word? If it isn't it should be) and the top is slathered in the most delicious fudgey salted caramel which has to be tasted to be believed. The combination is completely heavenly.

Popping into Konditor and Cook for lunch each day is an act of willpower: fair enough they do lovely proper hot food and delicious soups - perfect for the freezing temperatures we're currently experiencing here in London - but getting out without purchasing some kind of sweet scrumptiousness is a feat I find myself incapable of living up to most days.

On those occasions I try and limit myself to a mince pie on the grounds that they're largely fruit (...) but when it's particularly cold and I know I've got a long difficult afternoon/evening of work ahead of me, a brownie is just what I need to see me through. Sitting alongside my sad polystyrene cup of rooibos it may not look like an afternoon tea break; but my goodness it certainly tastes like one.

A Dangerous Mug Obsession

2010-11-22T08:03:00.000Z

During our recent move Coffee Boy insisted that I get rid of some of my enormous collection of mugs. I was horrified at the suggestion. What? Give away that 25p IKEA mug I bought for work eight years ago? No way! But on arrival at our new house I had to admit that the drinking vessel situation had got a little out of hand.

I don't know what it is but I just love mugs. Going to a gig? Why not buy a souvenir mug? Browsing in a bookshop? Hmmmnnn, mugs for £1, better get six. Visiting a German war bunker? Ooh, look they sell mugs, brilliant - let's get one. You get the idea. But the thing that's most curious about this mug obsession is that I'm actually very picky about which mugs I drink from. Firstly, the inside of the cup or mug has to be white - I like to see the colour of the tea I'm drinking. Secondly, I don't like them to be too huge - I prefer to refill my cup rather than let the tea go cold. Thirdly, I much prefer them to be made of bone china; I don't know why but tea just tastes a lot better from a thin cup. And finally, I like the cup or mug to be attractive. How then did I end up with a cupboard full of assorted drinking china when I only actually have about four mugs I like drinking from?

Anyway, answering questions about weird facets of my psyche is not why I'm here. No, I'm here to tell you about two new mugs I've bought that fit the above criteria perfectly. I have had a number of Orla Kiely mugs for a while now and let me tell you, they are wonderful. Obviously they're beautiful but they are also the perfect size and are made of bone china. For drinking black teas I have found no mug better. So when fellow blogger Katie tweeted that Orla Kiely was having an online sale recently I decided to have just a little look.

Well, typically, most of the mugs had sold out, but there were a couple of lovely ones still available and they were only £4.50 each. There was no two ways about it: I had to have them. When they arrived yesterday I knew I'd made the right decision. A beautifully lined box with my carefully packaged mugs just got my little mug-obsessed heart going. And the mugs inside didn't disappoint either. Coffee Boy was speechless with horror and disbelief but I didn't care. They are totally worth it. The only problem is that I don't actually have any room in my mug cupboard for them. Of course, I could get rid of some of those 50p Habitat mugs we've had for about five years that I never drink out of, but that would be silly. I think the answer is much simpler than that: we'll just build a new cupboard.

Barcomi's Revisited

2010-11-01T08:08:00.000Z

You may remember that some time ago I wrote about a rather disappointing cake-away I'd had from Barcomi's in Berlin's Mitte. Well, in the spirit of fairness I decided it was time to go back. As I reported late last year I have been to Barcomi's - both the Mitte & Kreuzberg branch - many times and last Christmas was the first time I'd been anything other than impressed.

Well I am very pleased to report that this return visit proved that Barcomi's is as nice as I'd remembered and that that previous trip was just a one-off. Over the last week or so we have been going all over town visiting galleries for the European Month of Photography and finding ourselves in Hackesher Markt at afternoon tea time we decided to pop in. And we were lucky, it seemed like we got there just in time - fifteen minutes later and we'd have struggled to get a table. I am always amazed by how many Americans are in this place: given that the menu is full of American favourites such as brownies, cheesecakes and drinks like Celestial Seasonings teas perhaps homesickness drives them there - or perhaps it's just the quality of the goods.

Although things didn't necessarily start that well. Coffee Boy (of course) went for one of their wide selection of coffees, a latte in fact, and reported that it was acceptable if a little thin. I decided to have a chai tea latte which sadly was also very much on the thin side. I suspect both drinks were made with skimmed milk which I hate; as far as I'm concerned you might as well drink white water. Really, why does anyone bother? But I was prepared to overlook it as it was the cakes I was really interested in. I again chose the raspberry and ganache cake because it just sounds too darn tempting, and CB went for the chocolate espresso cheesecake. It soon became clear we had chosen well as both were huge and delicious.

The cheesecake was creamy and very chocolatey with a lovely espresso kick; the base was nice and crunchy and also chocolatey. The overall taste was pretty rich; this was no tea time snackette I can tell you! And the ganache cake even less so. I actually struggled to finish it and had to rope in a far-from-reluctant CB to help me out. The chocolate sponge was properly chocolatey but my favourite bits are the thick layers of ganache - yummy. And then just to cut through it there are two lovely thin but sharp layers of raspberry: truly a divine combination. Both cakes were fresh and did I mention they were huge?

I was so pleased to have returned to Barcomi's and found it to be as nice as I'd remembered. I particularly like the location of the Mitte branch: hidden in a little courtyard it feels like a secret spot - although the busyness of the place attests to the fact it's not a very well-kept secret. The decor also has a really pleasing vibe: a nod to an American diner with its Formica tables but still very much an overall Berlin style. All round Barcomi's is definitely worth a visit when you're in the Hackesher Markt area. But please save a table for me: now I've made a return I think it won't be long before I'll be heading back.

No Fools or Horses

2010-10-22T11:11:00.000+01:00

One of the best things about moving house is exploring all the little shops and restaurants of your new 'hood. But obviously for me it's all about discovering previously unknown cafes and teashops. So when my friend L told me she had spotted a nice looking cafe near the place she does an upholstery course (note to self: check out the courses there ASAP) I could hardly wait to go.

Set on a beautiful corner in the leafy backstreets of Peckham (yes there are attractive leafy backstreets in Peckham), Petitou has a prime location. A terrace at the front alongside a lovely tree looks like a great place to while away a few hours on a sunny afternoon. Sadly, this was a rather cold drizzly lunchtime so we went instead for one of the tables inside. Actually, we were lucky to get one as the cafe was busy the whole time we were there: when we arrived for a late lunch there were local workers filling the place and by the time we left some hours later it was rammed with mums and buggies bearing babies.

We started with lunch: I had a spicy veg pasty and salad and my friend went for an avocado & tuna salad. It was all tasty and organically leaning but to be honest it was fine rather than amazing. Very much simple, hearty fare. We hadn't planned on having anything else but as I was trying to choose my food up at the counter I found my eyes being drawn to some amazing looking homemade cakes. We ended up chatting for so long we found we had segued into tea time and it seemed foolish not to try the sweet things on offer.

And I am so glad we did. The tea selection was OK, all bagged but all Clipper Organic. I went for a Redbush as I wasn't in a caffeine mood and drank it, as usual, with milk. L opted for a cappuccino which she reported to be rather good. But, yeah yeah, drinks schminks - what about the cakes? Well, they were blooming fantastic. L had a fig and walnut cake which was fresh and delicious. It had an amazing buttercream in the middle which wasn't overly sweet and the cake had a firm but not heavy texture. But mine, wow, it was delicious. A chocolate and cherry cake, it had that homemade look (i.e. a little uneven) but the taste was basically perfect. The sponge reminded me of a flourless chocolate cake - incredibly light and airy but intensely chocolatey: no cocoa powder here, this was the real deal. And the filling in the middle, a slightly sweetened whipped cream stuffed full of cherries. Really, it was a fantastic cake. Whoever does the baking at Petitou is certainly gifted. I can't recall a cake that has lingered in my memory in quite the same way. Sure, I love chocolate and cherries but the execution of the cake was top notch.

The atmosphere in the cafe itself was friendly, laid-back and (that charming phrase from my youth) continental. Although I'd be hard pushed to say which country on the continent it felt like, it was certainly not what I had imagined the back-streets of Peckham to be like. After such a pleasant afternoon I now find myself dreaming of returning, but with so many new cafes to explore it seems crazy to go back to the same one; doesn't it? Well, maybe in a week or two I can check it out again - just to be sure that those cakes really are as good as I remember.

Life Beyond Tea

2010-10-13T09:54:00.001+01:00

I know it's sacrilegious to say it but sometimes there is more to life than tea and over the last few months I have found myself desperate to write about other things. I am a huge fan of design, beautiful fabric and all sorts of other arty and crafty things. When this came up in conversation with my friend Trudi and she told me that she was also thinking about starting a blog, we decided to combine forces and set one up together (particularly appealing as we both have pretty busy day jobs...).

So for those of you interested in things other than tea and cake (although you might be asking "what else is there?") come and check out our new blog Fabricated Tales. I will, of course, still be writing about my afternoon tea adventures right here but when I spot something else that I want to share Fabricated Tales is where I'll be sharing it. And by the way, if you're keen on food other than cake Trudi is an amazing cook and will, I'm sure, be sharing some of her fantastic recipes with us all over there.

My less tea-obsessed alter ego looks forward to seeing you in a whole new world.

Baking's Best Kept Secret

2010-09-28T13:08:00.000+01:00

I really feel like I've been duped. How can I have got this far in life without discovering just how simple muffins are to make?

For someone who considers themselves a fairly enthusiastic baker, I recently realised I've never made a muffin in my life. This thunderbolt hit me when my lovely friend R bought me Muffin Magic by Susannah Blake as part of a rather wonderful housewarming present. I suppose I had always assumed that muffins would be much more difficult to make than, for instance, cupcakes as they have a more bready texture. But how wrong I was. The first muffins I tried were a savoury cheese and onion batch which turned out amazingly well. Frankly it came as something of a surprise as throughout the mixing process - which took all of about 10 minutes - I kept thinking, this can't be right; it's just too easy.

So today I decided to go for something sweet. There are loads of delicious sounding recipes in the book but it was pecan and maple syrup that took my fancy this morning. Yet again they were really easy and have turned out to be pretty darn good - even if I do say so myself. I think what makes them such a joy to put together is the fact you don't need a mixer or any fancy schmancy equipment: just a bowl and a spoon is all that's needed to mix these little beauties. So if you fancy giving them a go here is the recipe. And if you're a muffin-making virgin like I was, don't delay - making these babies is a piece of cake (oh, hang on...)

Spiced maple & pecan munchies (makes 12)
(adapted from Susannah Blake's Muffin Magic)

300g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g caster sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice
75g roughly chopped pecan nuts plus extra for sprinkling
2 eggs beaten
75ml milk
100ml plain yoghurt
4 tbsp maple syrup plus extra for brushing
85g melted butter

Preheat the oven to 180º fan/190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin.
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice and sift into a large bowl, then add the nuts.
In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, yoghurt and syrup, then stir in the butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Spoon into the muffin tin and sprinkle over a few chopped pecans.
Bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. While still warm, brush with more maple syrup.

And there you have it. Simplicity itself!

Back in the Game

2010-09-21T15:26:00.002+01:00

Hello tea friends! It feels like I have been away so long. Let's just say I've been in house moving hell where the only tea I've been making (although rarely drinking) is the above.

But now I'm almost settled I plan to get resolutely back on the tea and cake horse. More anon (and thanks for bearing with me)...

A Tate Tea Update

2010-08-15T21:45:00.000+01:00

Firstly apologies for recent quietness - a job has been keeping me very busy and away from the blog for a couple of weeks. To make up for my lack of afternoon teas I decided to pop to the nearby Rex Whistler restaurant at Tate Britain today. I have written about the excellent afternoon tea there before but as things have undergone a few changes I thought I'd just mention it again.

First the bad news - the afternoon tea is smaller: there is only one scone not two; and the open sandwiches have turned into traditional finger sandwiches of egg, smoked salmon, and cucumber. Plus, it's now £7.25. But the good news is, that it's all still delicious. Today I was served a lovely mini cake with fresh raspberries and a mini chocolate eclair filled with chocolate cream. Yum. For a fuller review please look at my previous post.

I'd actually gone to look at the recent William Blake acquisitions but was really taken by Fiona Banner's Harrier & Jaguar jet planes. Something about seeing these surprisingly small machines in the context of the neo-classical galleries was pretty amazing. I really couldn't decide if I thought they were beautiful or terrifying.

Definitely pop in if you're nearby. And goodness me if you do it'd be simply crazy not to have an afternoon tea too. It may have gone up slightly but there aren't many places in London you can get a decent homemade afternoon tea on lovely china with proper linen for well under a tenner.

What's with the Milk?

2010-07-30T15:19:00.000+01:00

What is wrong with this picture? Have you spotted it yet? Yes, it's the plate full of coffee creamer. Rarely a good thing in my book these little plastic pots, but when served up alongside a pot of tea? Yuk.

I'm not sure what the deal is here in Germany, but when you order tea one of three things happens: a) no milk is brought at all - fair enough for a green tea but I'd like it as an option for black teas; b) these little plastic pots of UHT coffee creamer are brought out; or c) a little jug of hot frothy milk is proffered. What's going on? I find option (c) particularly baffling as surely pouring milk straight from the carton is easier than heating it up and then pouring it?

It amazes me that a country that gets the quality of its tea so right, gets its milk accompaniment so wrong. Thank goodness they have some darn fine cake to make up for it is all I can say.

Tea and Chocolate - A Dream Combination

2010-07-23T19:50:00.000+01:00

When Sarah from the lovely Maison Cupcake contacted me recently to say I'd won a giveaway I was thrilled. When I realised it was for a box of tea flavoured chocolates I was pretty much ecstatic! Somehow the existence of Matcha Chocolat had passed me by, which was frankly a miracle as it is a product combining two of my favourite things in the world. Such is my love for tea flavoured chocolates I had previously sought them out at Pierre Marcolini and l'Artisan du Chocolat amongst others but here was an opportunity to have a whole box devoted to that most glorious of combinations. I awaited them with eager anticipation.

When they arrived a few days later I couldn't wait to tuck in but managed to restrain myself for a few hours as it was about nine o'clock in the morning... Instead I spent the intervening time checking out the packaging: a nice square fuchsia box with a Japanese inspired design; and reading up about the company's philosophy. They produce a seasonal selection of chocolates three times a year and make a point of sourcing their tea and chocolate ethically: so far so good. But how did they taste?

To be honest I was blown away. As I've mentioned I've sought out tea chocolates from some of the most renowned chocolatiers in Europe before now and Matcha Chocolat were up there with the best of them. I received the summertime Jade Selection which included five different chocolates: Sencha, Liquid Jade, China Rose, Strawberry Summer, and Masala Chai. It was a fantastic selection with each chocolate having a definite and distinctive flavour. My personal preference was for the chocolates where the tea was really front and centre, namely the Liquid Jade - a white chocolate dome containing a dark chocolate ganache with matcha liqueur; Masala Chai - a milk chocolate ganache full of all the gorgeous flavours of chai tea, covered with dark chocolate and topped with piece of crystalised ginger; and my absolute favourite, the Sencha. This delight features a white chocolate shell filled with white chocolate ganache that is infused with an intense hit of sencha. Despite not usually being a huge white chocolate fan I think its delicateness really let the green tea punch through which I loved.

This is not to suggest that the other two flavours were not also delicious; I for one am always a complete sucker for anything rose flavoured, but I found the tea a bit more delicate and therefore they didn't rate quite as highly for me. Having said that, the other people who tried them (although I wasn't being overly generous with them as I wanted them all for myself) really loved them, with the Strawberry Summer being a particular hit with Coffee Boy. I guess not everyone is as obsessed with tea as me (which is frankly weird) and in that case these flavours provide a great balance.

Overall, what a treat these chocolates are. Very much a box of loveliness that I can highly recommend for the tea lover in your life. Or why not treat yourself to a little box? At £14.95 for the seasonal selection of sixteen chocolates they are not an everyday indulgence but for a special occasion they are definitely a hit. I hope, and presume, the other collections will be just as delicious but I'll have to wait for a special someone in my life to treat me when the time comes. (Friends? Family? Are you reading this..?) Until then I'll content myself with a cuppa and a square or two of chocolate. But it definitely won't be the same.

Where's the Green Tea?

2010-07-15T10:51:00.000+01:00

If you're in London, I'm sure the latest craze for frozen yoghurt hasn't passed you by (and if you're in the States you're probably thinking "latest craze??"). I wasn't overly fussed about it having had a couple of fairly disappointing tubs but then I discovered that Frae offered a green tea flavour and I hot-footed (or hot-wheeled) it up to Islington to try some. My anticipation grew as I saw that one of the toppings on offer was mochi - the pounded rice sweets I had so enjoyed in Japan. I also added some mango and was ready to go. Well, it was another disappointment I'm afraid. Sure the mango was deliciously ripe, and the mochi were nice but where was the green tea in the frozen yoghurt? At first I thought I'd been served the wrong flavour but on comparison with Coffee Boy's I could taste that it was a bit different but I'd have been hard-pressed to tell you what the flavour I was eating was.

The fat-free, low calorie and organic nature of the frozen yoghurt is to be commended but I really don't see the point in offering a flavour that is so slight as to be virtually undetectable. I thought this was just a Frae issue but I have been informed by my friend Miss O that it's much the same story in Snog and in various places she's tried in the States. Come on frozen yoghurt companies; the health benefits of green tea are all very well but let us taste some of that good stuff too!

Green Tea cupcakes

2010-07-09T00:35:00.001+01:00

Recently I decided to indulge two of my favourite things at once: tea and cakes. But not in the usual way: you know a lovely cake with an accompanying cuppa. No, this time I planned to enjoy both in one creation. Luckily, the lovely Rachel that I met on my cupcake course last year had sent me a recipe for green tea cupcakes that I adapted a little. In truth, although I loved the way the matcha frosting turned out, the tea flavour in the cupcake was a little bit too subtle for me. But then I do love my tea... I might be tempted to up the tea content in the cakes in future and lose the cocoa powder altogether. Still, they went down very well with everyone else so here's the recipe I used.

Green Tea Cupcakes (makes about 18)
3 heaped tsp green tea (you could use green teabags if you prefer)
125ml milk
1 egg beaten
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
100g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
20g cocoa powder
140g of caster sugar
40g margarine (see my previous note about using marg rather than butter)
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
Put the green tea in the milk and place in the fridge to infuse. A few hours is enough but longer is better. I left mine about 3 days as I forgot about it
When you're ready to use it strain the milk, which should now be infused with a lovely tea flavour, and combine it with the egg and vanilla extract
Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt together and then mix with the butter (I use a handheld electric whisk) until well combined
Add half the milk, egg and vanilla mixture and beat until smooth. Then add the other half and blend for a couple of minutes until everything is thoroughly combined
Pipe (or spoon) the mixture into paper cupcake cases until they are half full
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
After a few minutes remove the cupcakes from the tray
Place them on a rack and let them cool thoroughly. Do not attempt to ice until fully cooled

Matcha Buttercream
250g icing sugar
20g matcha powder
80g butter
1-2 tbsp milk

Beat together the icing sugar, matcha powder and butter (beware the powdery mixture doesn't go everywhere!)
Add as much milk as you feel in necessary and beat entire mixture for around 5 minutes until very light and fluffy
Pipe or spoon icing onto cupcakes

I was very lazy this time and failed to make any special decorations for the top of my cupcakes. Frankly I was just in too much of a hurry to try them! My favourite bit was definitely the buttercream and I have every intention of trying it with some other cupcake recipes. If I find any particularly good combinations I'll be sure to let you know.

More Than a Fleeting Fancy

2010-07-06T19:04:00.001+01:00

It always makes me happy when I read about a new independent cafe. With so many chains filling every high street in the UK it's good to know that smaller enterprises can make a go of it. One such place I was particularly pleased to hear about was Fleet River Bakery. For those of you that don't know the Fleet River is one of London's old rivers that is now subterranean. It starts in Hampstead and flows down to the River Thames just near Blackfriars. Apparently there are certain spots where you can hear the river flowing beneath your feet as part of London's labyrinthine sewer system.

One place it doesn't flow, perhaps surprisingly, is through Lincoln's Inn Fields, the location of the Fleet River Bakery. I first visited the cafe last summer and have been a couple of times since. Every time I go I seem to forget my camera but on my most recent visit I decided to take some quick snaps with my iPhone for fear I'd never get around to writing about it if I didn't.

Located in a nice old building with large arched windows the cafe has an unusual layout. You queue up to buy your hot drinks and food in the front room. They seem to have a rather strange system where you queue at one counter to get your food and order your drink and then you queue again to pick up your drinks at another counter: it's a bit chaotic but it seems to work. Once you've collected your vittles you can either carry your tray down to a basement room or you can do what I tend to do and go down some stairs and then up some others to get to the light and airy back room. It's a nice room with a few long wooden tables to share or a few smaller ones if you want to be more private. It has something of the air of a canteen about it which may be more to do with the fact it's full of staff and students from the nearby LSE rather than anything intrinsic about the decor which include over sized photos and lovely fresh flowers.

On this recent visit I chose a pot of Assam and a lovely looking Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. I was pleased to see that the tea in the teapot was loose leaves popped into a muslin bag for cleaning convenience. It had the usual good robust flavour I'd expect from an Assam and certainly did the trick in sating my thirst after my cycle ride there. But the teapots in this place give me as much pleasure as the lovely tea inside. Whenever I've visited before I've always been given a proper Brown Betty teapot and on this visit although the shape was the same it was a yellow colour. My BB at home has been serving me faithfully for the last 18 years (!) and despite a few cracks and chips it's still going strong. I'm not saying that I don't like pretty fancy schmancy teapots but the classic style and superior brewing power of the Brown Betty is hard to beat in my book.

With the tea all going swimmingly it was time to concentrate on the lemon poppy seed cake. It had a lovely, and properly potent lemony tang but was just a bit too sweet for me - you know the kind of buttercream that actually makes your teeth hurt because it's so sweet? Well this was it. Still, I managed to force the whole thing down so it can't have been too bad... I should also mention that I have previously enjoyed some pretty delicious carrot and chocolate cakes there so perhaps this particular cake was just not quite to my taste. Next time, I'll just have to go for something else...

And there's sure to be a next time. Although the service has a tendency to be a little erratic and dirty cups and plates often hang around on empty tables for too long, there is a nice relaxed vibe at Fleet River Bakery. Coupled with that is good tea and generally pretty fine cake.

The other brilliant thing is their location. Situated just by the grassy expanse of Lincoln's Inn Fields it's perfect for a take-away on a sunny day (although I don't really approve of tea in paper cups...), and is close enough to Covent Garden to provide a welcome escape from the hordes of shoppers. All in all I'd say that Fleet River Bakery is worth half an hour of your time. (But given the size of their slices of cake it might be better to give yourself a little bit longer. After all, what fun is a rushed afternoon tea?)

Iced Matcha Latte in Style

2010-06-15T10:39:00.002+01:00

It's hard to single out a favourite area in Tokyo: as with any huge metropolis there's so much diversity it feels crazy to pick just one spot. But an area I absolutely loved was Naka-Meguro and what's more, I stumbled across it almost by accident. Coffee Boy and I were in Roppongi where we visited the 21_21 Design Sight gallery and were wondering where to head to next. Roppongi is an area dominated by two enormous complexes of shops, offices, etc. and is also home to quite a few galleries. But for my money it's all a bit soulless. I'm puzzled why so many foreigners choose to hang out there - although maybe that explains my lack of love for the place. Anyway, we had had enough of malls and chain stores and fancied something bit different. I noticed in the guide book that they mentioned an area nearby that was a good cherry blossom spot. Having already embraced the local obsession with the little pink flowers it sounded perfect so we jumped on the metro and headed over.

Well, what a fortuitous little detour it was. The area was fantastic. There is a canal there that is lined with Cherry Trees that, at that time, were absolutely bursting with blossom. Strung alongside were lovely lanterns that just made everything look so beautiful; and on either side of the canal was a narrow road absolutely full of little design shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

It was totally different to everywhere else in Tokyo we visited and was clearly where the rich boho thirty-somethings that used to be cool kids hung out. I loved it. We mooched up and down the canal crossing back and forth over the many bridges looking for a veggie restaurant that we never found - pretty much the story of our holiday lives - but it didn't matter as it was just such a nice place to be.

One of the things that made me warm to the area was the preponderance of dogs: there were loads. Although I have to confess to not really approving of dressing them up in dresses/jackets/sunglasses, there was one particularly unbelievable sight that I'm glad we didn't miss: the Hells Doggel. A small grey dog wearing - and you're going to think I'm exaggerating here but I promise I'm not - a leather jacket, a leather flying hat and goggles. But he wasn't just strolling down the street: oh no; he was sat on a motorbike in front of his owner with his front paws on the fuel tank riding along. Really, it was the biggest disappointment of the holiday that I couldn't get my camera out of my bag in time to snap a picture.

So, obviously, all that walking around seeing lovely/crazy things worked up quite an appetite. We decided to try a place we had spotted beside a design boutique earlier in the day. All we could see from the street was the door with the place's name, Drole on it and a long narrow corridor beyond. Still, something about it caught our attention so we decided to give it a go. At the end of the corridor we discovered a timbered space filled with beautiful wooden tables and chairs, mostly occupied by local hipsters. In fact, we were the only gaijin in the place. Luckily the menus had some English on and the cakes were all in a vitrine so pointy sign language was yet again the communication tool of choice.

I ordered a strawberry cheesecake and decided to try an iced green tea latte. As I only drink decaffeinated coffee I was really hoping that it would be a success as I'd noticed that these matcha lattes was available everywhere in Japan (and that includes Starbucks) whereas decaffeinated coffee seems to be unheard of except in filter form. As we waited for our goods to arrive I was pleased to note the jug of lemon infused water that was popped on our table and just busied myself with people watching.

When the cake arrived I was a little disappointed in that it wasn't what I thought I'd been ordering (clearly the pointy sign language wasn't quite as successful as I'd hoped) but I needn't have worried as it tasted really good. Although it looked relatively humble it had a lovely flavour of real strawberries and it was accompanied by a scoop of ice cream - just in case there weren't enough calories on the plate already. And even more excitingly the iced green tea latte was fantastic. I was curious how the matcha would work with milk as in its normal form you'd never dream of putting the two things together but it really worked. The bitterness of the matcha worked in a latte in much the same way as a bitter espresso does. It makes perfect sense really but I'm not sure it's something I'd ever have considered if I hadn't seen them so frequently in Japan.

As well as the comestibles being top quality there were lots of lovely little touches in the cafe that, for me, were the essence of Japanese design simplicity. From the jam jar full of daisies on the table, to the lovely crocheted coasters that our drinks were served on, they were nothing flashy but all the more beautiful for that. Even the loo had a lovely scrap of spotty red fabric pinned to the back of the door. It's these kind of details that really made me fall in love with Japan: the way they embrace the simple, hand-crafted and natural. Of course they embrace designer labels like no one else too but there is a traditional side of Japan that makes me wish we hadn't lost so much of our quality craftsmanship here in Britain.

So all in all, one of those incredibly successful unplanned trips that often turn out to make for the best kind of days when you're on holiday. As well as seeing a beautiful area, marveling at some incredibly cute dogs and enjoying the Japanese design aesthetic, I discovered a whole new tea drink that I could enjoy all over Japan. Who could ask for more?

Happy Anniversary

2010-06-06T23:32:00.004+01:00

I just wanted to post today to celebrate the first anniversary of my blog. It was exactly one year ago today that I first set sail on this journey and I've loved every minute of it. Meeting so many like-minded readers - and other bloggers - has been an unexpected joy and having a forum in which to talk at length about all things afternoon tea-related has probably helped me stay sane!

So thanks to all my regular readers; and those that just stop by from time-to-time. Here's to many more years of tea fun.

An Ace Iced Tea

2010-05-29T10:34:00.001+01:00

There's no doubt that Kyoto is a pretty amazing city: attractive canals; the occasional glimpse of a Geisha; great food (even for a veggie) and far more temples than you could possibly shake a stick (or ring a bell) at. But the most significant thing about Kyoto for me was that it was where I finally learned to look up. Finding addresses in Japanese cities is basically a nightmare; and finding a bar to pop into for a quick drink is no mean feat either. But in Kyoto I cracked it.

Between allied bombing in the second world war and the Japanese love of all things new, old buildings have had a pretty tough time in Japan. Most cities are full of fairly mediocre structures of at least four or five stories which, although undoubtedly practical, are often less than inspiring. The drive for redevelopment in a country as overcrowded as Japan is unsurprising but I was particularly horrified to discover that Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel in Tokyo was demolished as late as 1968. Anyway, I digress: it was in Kyoto that I realised that if you want to find a restaurant or a bar you need to remember that some of the best places are on the upper floors of the buildings. I am so used to the typical western thing of wondering along a street and peering inside a place to see if I like the look of it, the thought of taking a dingy lift to the tenth floor of a tower block and entering the unknown is completely alien. But in Kyoto I took the plunge and was richly rewarded.

Ace Cafe is the kind of place that wouldn't feel out of place in east Berlin: a combination of modernist and industrial design where concrete plays a large part. There's a DJ positioned in the middle of the room perfectly placed to play the tunes that everyone is in the mood for; great-looking food coming out of the bustling kitchen; and an absolutely amazing view. With glass on three sides and a position right above the Kamo River, the view from the cafe across to Gion and the mountains beyond was breathtaking. Apparently amazing at sunset, even at night it's well worth seeing. The view alone would make the Ace Cafe worth a visit, but the vibe in the bar was so laid back and cool it was just a real winner.

So imagine my delight when I looked at the drinks menu and discovered that they had a really interesting selection of iced teas. I decided to go for mugicha (frankly the menu was in Japanese, the waiter didn't speak English and I just went for the thing I thought I could have a stab at repeating!). But I was in luck. It turns out that mugicha is actually an infusion made from roasted barley but given that my first visit to Ace was pretty late at night it was a bonus not to find myself buzzing on caffeine. The fact they had a selection of iced teas would have been enough to please me but when it came served in a whiskey glass looking for all the world like a sophisticated drink on the rocks it made me love the place all the more. Alongside the glass I was given a little glass jug of sugar syrup (ubiquitous in Japan - no trying to get crunchy sugar to dissolve here) and a jug of milk. But I drank my mugicha neat. Because I am hardcore. And what was really funny was the fact it was served like a classy drink made it taste like one.
Ace Cafe was such a great place that we found ourselves back there on quite a few occasions; in fact I'd go so far as to say it was our favourite bar in Japan. And it taught me that important lesson: looking up and exploring the upper floors of faceless buildings can sometimes reap rich rewards in Japan. Once you make that discovery part of the joy is that you don't tend to be surrounded by tourists as they're all wandering around downstairs wondering where all the bars and restaurants are. But the other lesson that Ace Cafe taught me was that if you treat iced tea with the reverence it deserves it can be every bit as enjoyable as a cocktail or glass of wine (well nearly...). Certainly, the next time I have guests, instead of just serving water to the non-drinkers, I might just make up a pitcher of iced tea and serve it like the sophisticated delight that it is.

Maid in Japan

2010-05-13T16:11:00.002+01:00

From reading my last post you could be forgiven for thinking that Japan is simply a country of tranquil tearooms, zen gardens and traditions stretching back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. But, as I hinted, there is a whole other side to the place, and for my money it's a side every bit as interesting. Nowhere is this other side more evident than in Tokyo. Tokyo is quite definitely my kind of town: streets as busy as Oxford Street on a Saturday; neon lights that dazzle your eyes; and noise emanating from shops, arcades and even passing trucks. It may rain a lot (witness the umbrella cover dispensers outside every shop) and it may not be the most beautiful of places but it really feels alive.

I began and ended my trip around Japan in Tokyo and I loved every minute of it. Of course the fact that you can drink tea everywhere helps: from the tempura place serving hojicha, to the karaoke bar offering iced oolong, this is a country, and city, that loves its tea. But there was one spot we visited where I gave tea (at least in liquid form) a miss.

Tokyo's electronics town Akihabara - or Akiba to its friends - is the kind of place that people like to talk about in the same breath as the film Blade Runner. And there's no doubt that on a rainy night it does have the feel of a dystopian future world where cheap electronic goods could mean the difference between life and death. It is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an area loved by people into manga, anime and computer games, and features plenty of manga cafes. These places offer you your own little padded cubicle, not completely dissimilar to a padded cell except that you have your own TV, computer, selection of manga comic books and access to a shower in case you end up making a night of it. But although these places were actually surprising chilled out and cool we had come for something else: to visit a maid cafe.

Maid cafes have been around for ten or eleven years and feature staff dressed as french maids. Although this may sound overtly sexual, and in some of the newer cafes the maids certainly look somewhat on the tarty side, this was not the original idea. We went to a more traditional maid cafe (if there is such a thing) called Mai:lish where the waitresses, or maids, play the role of a humble servant. When we walked in we were greeted by the maids saying "hello master" and "hello mistress" in a very high-pitched and cutesy voice. The room itself was bright with a huge TV screen showing a Harry Potter film, and soothing classical music was being played. The place was fairly full of salarymen and others although, perhaps predictably, I was the only woman. Obviously my lack of Japanese made it difficult to follow exactly what the maids were saying to us but everything sounded incredibly polite, deferential even; in fact, it was sort of like being served by a very servile cartoon character.

The combination of the high-pitched, childlike voice, and the costume and hairstyles straight out of a manga comic was pretty bizarre; but it was nothing compared to the behaviour of some of the customers. My particular favourite was the thirty-something besuited salaryman sitting next to us. He was very keen to engage his favourite maid (having favourites is encouraged, you can even buy merchandise) in conversation and spent most of his time talking to her from behind his hand whilst giggling like a six year old. This continued until he was leaving the cafe where he proceeded to have a giggling fit about the fact he had momentarily misplaced his wallet. The maid joined in with the childish laughter but I couldn't help wondering if behind the scenes they were all rolling their eyes.

Anyway, I decided this probably wasn't the kind of place to have a sophisticated cup of sencha and decided instead to go for maximum sugar. I achieved this via a chocolate milk float and the special of the day, a piece of Matcha Gateaux. To be honest my hopes were pretty low as to the quality of the food and drinks but I was quite wrong - my cake was pretty darn delicious.

And Coffee Boy was more than happy with his Mai:lish Toast - a dizzying concoction of toast, honey, ice cream and chocolate sauce. We left the place in something of a sugar daze - so much so in fact that we bought a plastic fan featuring a picture of the maids (why?) on the way out.

Sadly photos are not allowed in the cafe so I had to make do with sneaking a couple on my iPhone but I just couldn't manage to get any of the maids in the flesh without giving the game away. Although this wasn't one of the special breed of cafes where the maids berate you for your entire visit then cry when you leave, I still didn't want to make a spectacle of myself by breaking the rules. But you can see pictures of all the maids here.

All round, it was a pretty extraordinary experience. And it summed up that whole other side to Japan perfectly. Remember, this is a country with an amusement arcade on every other corner and where the culture of cuteness is so all-pervasive that the ancient city of Nara celebrates its 1300th anniversary of becoming the country's capital with the help of Sento-kun, a buddha-like boy cartoon figure with antlers. But it's this dichotomy, the ancient traditions and the crazy modern madness, that make Japan so fascinating. But wonderful as this flip side to the traditional is, I have to admit that when when Coffee Boy asked if I fancied visiting another maid cafe later in the holiday I declined. There's only so much weirdness I can handle on one trip. Maybe next time...

Japanese Tea - The Bitter & The Sweet

2010-05-02T12:15:00.001+01:00

So, I'm finally back from my extended (thank you ash cloud) trip to Japan. And it was fantastic. I saw, ate and, of course, drank so many amazing things it's hard to know where to begin. Before I travelled eastwards I'd hoped that I might be able to have tea in at least one or two traditional tea houses, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be indulging virtually every other day! As wonderful and individual as each of these experiences was I think writing about all of them might stretch everyone's patience so I have decided to concentrate on the tea that made the biggest impact on me.

My very first tea house experience was in Tokyo, in the Shinjuku Gyoen on our first full day in Japan. As I've said, I was worried I wouldn't get many chances for a traditional tea; so spotting a tea house whilst walking through a beautiful cherry blossom-filled park in one of Tokyo's busiest areas, I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass me by. It was a lovely little tea house which shocked me in its austerity as we walked in: a tiled floor, paper screens, and bench seating at tables that faced into the middle of the room (photos inside weren't really appropriate).

We were served the frothy dark green matcha and delicious pale pink sweets by ladies in kimonos and it all felt quite zen. I was so pleased to have experienced traditional tea I didn't allow myself the tiniest little bit of disappointment that I could feel trying to peak through my mood. Perhaps I was just too western to really appreciate the simplicity of the experience; maybe I needed to soak up a bit more of the Japanese spirit before I could really enjoy it. As we continued our walk past thousands of Tokyoites taking photos of the glorious cherry blossoms (and I'm talking virtually everyone in the park whether on their camera-phones or their telephoto lenses that would put a paparazzo to shame) I was determined that next time I would be prepared for the whole tea experience and really grab it with both hands.

My next opportunity came in Kanazawa, a smallish town near the Sea of Japan about 4 hours north of Tokyo. On the afternoon we arrived we walked through Kenroku-en, its famous garden in the sunshine (although slightly wishing we'd brought warmer clothes with us); and that evening we went to the rather wonderful contemporary art museum. Kanazawa was turning our to be a bit of a hit. The following day we decided to hot-foot it over to Higachi-Chaya, the Geisha district - the only one still in existence outside of Kyoto. It was a lovely area of tiny streets and little squares all overshadowed by a temple-strewn wooded hillside.

When we went into a traditional house and discovered it had a tea room at the back I was determined to give the whole thing another shot. As is usual we paid for the tea and sweets up front and then went into the tea room. To say I was completely blown away would be an understatement. The little tatami room had the kind of seating that allows you to put your feet down into a hole (which makes it much easier if you're not used to sitting on the floor) with a long wooden table in front of you.

Everyone (although at this stage Coffee Boy and I were alone) had to sit facing the same way - but given the (sadly unphotogenic) view I can't imagine anyone would want to face anywhere else. The windows looked out onto a tiny but beautiful garden. Despite its diminutive size, every angle was like a picture: some moss covered rocks here; a bamboo water feature there; and all with the most gorgeous light dappled through bamboo leaves; it was just amazing. I have to admit, I was so overcome by the beauty of the room I could feel tears pricking at my eyes. I thought I'd managed to pull myself together when Coffee Boy said "you're not tearful are you? Oh for goodness' sake"...

This tea room was, so far, everything I'd hoped it would be. We sat ourselves down and waited for the main event. First to come out, as is customary, were the wagashi tea sweets placed upon a simple piece of folded paper along with the implement to eat them and a perfect little sprig of leaves, wet as if with dew. The wagashi themselves were of the lovely moist variety and each was shaped like a cherry blossom. These type of wagashi are a very sweet concoction made of pounded rice and filled with a paste made from aduki beans. The idea is that you eat the sweet first and then counteract it with the bitterness of the matcha but personally I prefer to eat my sweet whilst I'm drinking - just call me a tea rebel. Perhaps the most amazing discovery for me was the fact the matcha was nowhere near as bitter as I was expecting. I subsequently discovered there are different grades of matcha and generally the more expensive stuff is less bitter. For my taste the stuff they were serving in this glorious tea room was pretty perfect - bitter but still refreshing.

As I sat enjoying the view and soaking up the whole ambiance of the place a few more people arrived. But to my pleasure everyone was treating the room with the same quiet reverence. I found this to be a feature in all of the traditional tea rooms we visited - I guess people who are paying £5-6 to sit on a tatami mat and drink tea aren't likely to be the lairyest customers but it was gratifying that we never encountered the loud coach parties we kept bumping into at our various hotel breakfasts either. One thing that did surprise me was how quickly our fellow tea drinkers seemed to move on. I had assumed that the whole experience was one to be savoured and contemplated but for most of the Japanese people we encountered in these kind of tea rooms it was very much a pop-in and pop-out again kind of deal. Well no matter, I was determined to take my time. From feeling the rough tea bowl in my hand to gazing at the beautiful views the whole experience was, for me, completely magical. Just I was sinking into a reverie of tea bliss Coffee Boy put everything in perspective by gazing across and with a quizzical tone in his voice said, "so, ice cream?" Obviously, having just eaten an incredibly sweet wagashi that wasn't what was uppermost on my mind but it was time to go and having indulged me in my culinary desires it was only fair I reciprocated (and we did find some pretty amazing ice cream...)

As you can imagine, this was far from our last tea encounter. A number of the gardens and parks in Japan have tea rooms, usually in the spot with the best view and I was determined to indulge in as many of these amazing experiences as I could. It turns out that our first two tea rooms were actually quite unusual - at least in the seating arrangement - as nearly every other one we visited involved sitting on a tatami mat (cross legged for me as kneeling does not equal an enjoyable tea break!). And although I came to prefer the simplicity of sitting on the floor, this tea room in Kanazawa still holds a special place in my heart. In fact, I find myself smiling just thinking about it.

I'm so glad I discovered my love of tea otherwise I may never have enjoyed such lovely experiences as these. And I urge you, even if you're not the biggest tea fan in the world, if you ever go to Japan you really much visit a traditional tea room. For me it really summed up the essence of the country, at least its more traditional side. Of course there is a whole other side to the place. But that's another story...

Stranded in Tea Heaven

2010-04-19T02:00:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the longer than expected hiatus. Thanks to the cloud of volcanic ash I am stranded in Tokyo. Although with delights such as Matcha Tea Cake to console me things could be worse... Hopefully normal service will resume sometime soon.

A Little Tea Break

2010-03-31T07:55:00.004+01:00

I am currently in Japan - a country so obsessed with tea, there are vending machines selling iced versions every 100 metres. So please excuse my lack of posts over the coming weeks.

I will be back with tales of tea nirvana soon!

Lavender & Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-28T09:24:00.008+01:00

Much as I love cupcakes – and in fact cakes in general – there are times when biscuits are called for; one such time was the other day. I had arranged to go to Miss O's for lunch and it wasn't until about an hour before I was due to leave that it hit me – I hadn't made anything sweet to take along. Never one to let an opportunity for baking pass me by I started searching for a recipe. What did I have in the cupboard? All of the usual basics: flour, butter, sugar etc. But what could give these biscuits a taste of the unexpected..? Chocolate – never wrong but hardly a shocking choice. And then it hit me: my old favourite, lavender. Perfect. I could make a sweet biscuit with lavender and chocolate chips.

So here is the recipe I came up with:

Lavender & Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 18)
100g butter (preferably at room temperature)
100g caster sugar
1 egg
175g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1-2 tbsps dried lavender flowers (check they are the kind that are suitable for eating!)
150g dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa Green & Blacks)

Preheat the oven to 200C/180 fan/350F/gas mark 6
Begin by softening the butter. I use an electric whisk for all of the hard mixing
Add the caster sugar and beat until light and fluffy
Beat the egg lightly and gradually add to the mixture
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix well
Stir in the lavender – I used 2 tbsps but if you're nervous perhaps just try 1 tbsp the first time
Roughly chop the chocolate (don't make the chunks too small) and add to the mixture
Lightly grease 2 baking trays and spoon the mixture on, flattening each dollop with a spoon dipped in cold water and leaving enough room for each cookie to spread
Bake for between 12-15 mins then cool a little in the tins before turning them onto a cooling rack

Be warned. If you are tempted to try the cookies while they are still warm, the lavender may very well taste somewhat overwhelming. But once they are cooled the flavour is less intense and altogether nicer.I was really pleased with this recipe: it had all the loveliness of a chocolate chip cookie but with the added sophistication of the lavender. They seemed to go down pretty well – although I suspect they may not be loved by children – oh well, all the more for you I suppose!

Little Blog Awards

2010-03-24T17:25:00.005Z

I just wanted to post a little note to say thank you so much to everyone who has voted for me in the Dorset Cereals Little Blog Awards: I am currently in second place - which is very exciting! If you haven't voted yet and would like a chance to win a case of lovely Dorset Cereals - not to mention making me very happy in the process - please click on the link below.

Last Impressions Count

2010-03-22T09:37:00.004Z

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOU TEA HAS NOW CLOSED DOWN

I like to think I've got pretty good instincts. If I meet someone and don't warm to them I rarely find that we end up becoming good friends. Likewise, if I go into a shop, restaurant or cafe and get a bad vibe there's not much hope it's going to become a favourite. But sometimes first impressions can be misleading.

I'd heard about Bou Tea in Covent Garden and was very excited about the idea of a proper tea room a mere ten minute bike ride from home. But it took me a while to get there, in no small part because I just couldn't seem to find it. When I did eventually stumble across it I had, rather typically, just had lunch and a cup of tea and had no room for any more. No matter, I thought, I was running low on black tea at home and I could pop in, buy some and have a bit of a suss at the same time. As I walked in I was struck by two things: the place had quite a stripped back, cold feel; and there was nobody in there, and that included staff. Shortly after that a member of staff who had actually been in the kitchen came out front to serve me. I had read that they sold tea to take home and asked her if I could purchase some. She informed me that they had run out of bags the day before so no, I couldn't. She was in no way rude but I was overcome with a kind of irrational irritation: here was a completely empty cafe in a prime, and I suspect rather expensive, location, and something as lame as a lack of bags would stop them making a sale. I was feeling increasingly indignant as I walked off - what kind of operation was this?

Anyway, fast forward to a month or so later, and I decided I really needed to give Bou Tea another go. Perhaps they were just having a bad day when I went in; perhaps there had been a London-wide shortage of bags..? I arranged to meet the delightful Miss O there and hopped on my bike. On arrival the cafe again had no customers and still the same slightly cold feel. But I did spot some rather nice looking half-baguettes on the counter. Having had no lunch I ordered a poppy-seed one filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese and munched it whilst reading the tea menu. If I tell you that I had finished the baguette long before I'd got to the end of the tea list, you'll get an idea of how extensive it was.

There were three different white teas, twenty (yes twenty) green teas, ten oolongs, fifteen black teas, three puerhs, twelve infusions and, as if that wasn't enough, a tea of the week. Wow, now that is a serious tea list! By this time Miss O had arrived and we both decided to try a black tea with some cake. With so many teas to choose from I was determined to go for something I had never had before and a Bolivian Cochabamba fitted the bill nicely. It was a robust tea, less malty than an Assam and reminded me a little of a Ceylon although it did have a flavour all of its own. It complemented the cakes we chose really well - a bran and fruit muffin containing pieces of apple and topped with raspberries, and a fruit cake that was reminiscent of bread pudding.

The cakes were rustic in texture - although we could have chosen something more refined like the very good looking chocolate brownie - and seemed to suit the pared down simplicity of the cafe's interior. Gradually, the place was starting to grow on me.

Second, or even third infusions of the tea leaves were available and as we whiled away the afternoon chatting and sipping at our tea it became clear that the guy who was working there was both knowledgeable, and more importantly, a real enthusiast for the tea they sell. After a couple of pots of our black teas we decided to move on to something else. Miss O chose the Oriental Rose and I decided on something that was completely new to me: the homemade Hojicha. Hojicha, I was informed, is a Japanese tea made by roasting or pan-frying green tea. The process removes a lot of the caffeine from the leaves and once brewed they create a red/brown tea that has a slight caramel flavour. Apparently it's a popular choice in the evening and is also enjoyed by children in its native Japan. I was really impressed: not only had I learned about a whole new type of tea, I had tried it and really enjoyed it. Nothing pleases me so much as discovering there are yet more types of tea out there for me to take pleasure in! Sadly, Miss O was less impressed with her Oriental Rose as she couldn't even taste the roses and was reminded of a rather horrible mango fruit tea. Apparently it's the cafes most popular green tea blend which I suspect says more about the general lack of popularity of green tea here in the UK than anything else.

There is no doubt that Bou Tea is not aesthetically my favourite kind of tea room: the bare boards, kooky murals and plain decor actually say cool coffee bar to me. But over the course of our visit I started to really like the place and that was largely down to the fact that they had such a great member of staff behind the counter. I heard him advising customers of which tea to try, and reminding people they could have multiple infusions of their leaves. I've written before how bad service can really put you off a place, and now I see the opposite can also be true. Given that I was starting from a negative position in my view of the cafe, the enthusiastic tea guy really did well to win me over. Although it may not be a place I'll plan to hunker down and spend a cozy afternoon with friends, it's certainly somewhere I'd happily visit for an unusual and well-made cuppa when I'm out and about. So if you're ever in Covent Garden and want to steer clear of the tourist traps and chains I'd suggest making a Bou Tea call. (Sorry, I nearly made it to the end - but I just couldn't resist).

A Secluded Gem

2010-03-15T09:45:00.011Z

The other day I had agreed to meet the lovely Miss O for a little afternoon get-together. She was coming from Islington and I offered to find us a delightful spot to have afternoon tea in the area. I was determined to cycle as it had been so long since I'd strapped on my rather chic helmet (yes, that's right I said chic!) so I started to do some research. I had a vague memory of a cafe I'd heard about in Clerkenwell, incidentally my favourite bit of town and the area that contains my familial roots (perhaps the two things are connected..?), and after a little bit of research I found it and arranged to meet Miss O there.

As soon as I saw J&A Cafe I fell in love with it. Tucked down a little alleyway just off busy Clerkenwell Road, J&A is in a beautiful old industrial building, apparently a former diamond-cutting studio and as such, filled with light despite its enclosed location. There are a number of tables around the edge of the room but the centre of the cafe is filled by a large communal table and that's where we decided to sit. Neither of us had had any lunch so we agreed it'd be foolish to move straight to cakes and chose a sandwich each instead. And what sandwiches they were. I was a little disappointed to hear they had run out of smoked salmon (why do places always seem to run out of the one thing you have chosen?) so I opted for a cheddar and fruit chutney sandwich on Irish soda bread.

It turns out that the sisters who run the cafe are themselves Irish and one thing is for sure, they know their soda bread. It was quite simply some of the best bread I've ever eaten: soft and light in the middle with a deliciously chewy brown crust. The cheddar and chutney was good too but frankly, I would have been happy with just a few slices of that bread. The other thing that really impressed me was that the sandwiches were served up with accompanying crisps. Not only did this serve to elevate the sandwich from a mere snack to a proper lunch, but the crunchy salted crisps alongside the fantastic soft and chewy bread was a complete winner.

It soon became clear that this was going to turn into one of our marathon afternoons. Not only were we having some amazing food, the atmosphere in the cafe was just great: bustling but, perhaps because of its secluded location, never horribly busy. And not being able to see any traffic out of windows only added to the chilled out vibe. Having had such success with the sandwiches, an hour or two later (did I mention that we don't struggle to make conversation..?) we decided to sample the cakes.

They were all homemade, and all looked really good. I chose a lovely-looking Coffee Cake and Miss O went for an equally appealing Apple & Maple affair. I had already been impressed to note they were using the Zero Japan teapots I have written about before and that the tea was loose-leaf. The choice though wasn't too wide with only English Breakfast and Earl Grey in terms of black tea so I went for good old EBT. That minor disappointment though was soon forgotten as our cakes arrived. Not only did they look amazing, they came accompanied by pots of whipped cream. Just like the crisps before them, they were an unexpected but very welcome treat.

And the cakes were no disappointment. My Coffee Cake had a decent proper coffee kick and a lovely buttercream in the middle and on the top. The cake was quite crunchy on the edge, but not in a bad way, just in a "cooked for the maximum time' kind of way. In truth the cream was unnecessary given the buttercream, but I managed to force some down anyway... Miss O's Apple & Maple cake was equally tasty with a firm texture and a very sweet maple icing on the top. The accompanying cream was more welcome with this cake, not because it was dry but because it just complimented the taste and texture so well. And despite not having an enormous selection of tea, the English Breakfast that we were served was still a good cuppa, and washed down our cakes incredibly well.

After more than three hours spent enjoying the atmosphere and delicious wares of the cafe we realised it was time to go; I think the general mopping and tidying-up gave it away. We still managed to stand chatting in the alleyway for another half an hour, and I noticed with some pleasure that there were tables and chairs outside which would be very inviting on a warm day. But eventually the staff were leaving the cafe and needed to lock the gate at the end of the alleyway. If we weren't to be trapped all night there was nothing for it but to just leave. But what a lovely afternoon it had been. A great location, really good homemade food, and just the most chilled, laid-back vibe. If you find yourself in the area - or frankly even if you don't - J&A is really worth a visit. I for one, can't wait to return, and now I'm back in the saddle there's no reason why I shouldn't. Although if I keep ordering so much food I may have to cycle the long-way round to get there; you know, via Manchester...

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla & Rose

2010-03-07T16:00:00.000Z

I was giving a dinner party recently and wanted to be all thoroughly planned and organised. But in my more typical style it wasn't until a couple of days before that I got a chance to sit down and plan the menu. I quickly settled on the starter and main course but couldn't make up my mind about dessert until I stumbled upon Maison Cupcake's recipe for Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle: it sounded perfect as it could be prepared in advance thereby taking the pressure off on the day itself. The other big bonus was that the base of the trifle required chocolate sponge. I had an old friend coming for tea that day and hadn't made anything yet - chocolate cupcakes would offer a double whammy of delight!

For the cupcake bases I decided to use a recipe that had been a big hit at Christmas but I decided to try something different for the toppings: I covered half with a vanilla buttercream; and the other half with a rose-fondant icing. I was really pleased with the way they turned out and it was a great way to make one cupcake base into two completely different cupcake experiences.

When you read my recipe you may be surprised to see that I make the cupcakes themselves with margarine rather that butter. When I was told this tip on my cupcake course I hated the sound of it, yucky old marg instead of lovely organic butter? But now I am a convert. There are a number of reasons but the most important is that with marg your cupcakes will not dome in the same way as they do with butter. I've tried most recipes both ways and the ones made with marg are much easier to ice - especially if you're going for a flat fondant finish. On top of that I genuinely cannot tell the difference in taste. I wouldn't dream of using marg for a topping but once it's mixed in with all that sugar, flavouring - in this case chocolate - baked and slathered in sweet topping it really does taste the same. My teacher on the course told me that professional cake bakers rarely use butter in their sponge bases. Of course there's the added bonus that it's also much cheaper. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Chocolate Cupcakes (makes about 18)
100g good quality chocolate (I use 70% Green & Blacks)
125g margarine
225g sugar
4 eggs
100g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
large pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
Break up the chocolate and place it, with the margarine, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted and well combined
Take off the heat, stir in the sugar & then set aside
Once mixture has cooled (after about 10 minutes) beat with an electric mixer for 2 or 3 minutes
Add eggs one at a time continuing to beat for around 10 seconds between each
Sift the rest of the ingredients (flour, cocoa powder & baking powder) into the mixture and beat until well blended
Spoon or pipe mixture into lined cupcake tins until each case is between one third and one half full
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
Place on a rack and let them cool. Do not attempt to ice until fully cooled

Vanilla Buttercream (enough to generously cover 8-10 cupcakes)
125g butter
250g icing sugar
5 ml vanilla extract
1 tbsp of water if required

If the butter is not already at room temperature beat with an electric whisk until fluffy
Add sifted icing sugar, vanilla extract and, if necessary, a little water
Mix until light and fluffy

Rose Fondant Icing (enough for 8-10 cupcakes)
250g fondant icing sugar (ignore packet instructions)
Few drops of rose water
Few drops of pink food colouring
A little water

In a heatproof bowl very carefully add rose water (a little goes a long way) & food colouring to the fondant icing sugar. Then add water a few drops at a time - go slowly with this as the paste needs to be very stiff, almost too stiff to stir
Heat gently over a pan of simmering water until about body temperature by which time it will be more runny
Remove from the heat and spoon fondant onto cupcakes one at a time
Tip & shake cupcakes from side-to-side to get fondant up to edge of case. When completely covered used a sterilised pin to prick out any air bubbles (this will ensure a nice smooth finish)
As icing starts to cool and stiffen return it to the heat until it reaches body temperature. Continue like this until cupcakes are all iced

When doing a mixture of fondant & buttercream iced cupcakes it obviously makes sense to use the flatter cupcakes for the fondant icing. Ideally there should be a few millimetres between the top of the cupcake and the edge of the cupcake case to enable you to get a really perfect finish.

Finally, I decorated my cupcakes with a variety of purple & white flowers (using piped stiff royal icing as glue on the fondant icing) and green sparkly spring leaves (I'm ever hopeful). I have to admit I thought they were pretty good - and I didn't get any complaints from anyone else either. However you decide to decorate them, this chocolate cupcake recipe is a real winner.

An Expedition to the West

2010-03-02T10:30:00.002Z

Whenever I am in Berlin I rarely venture to the west of the city. I'm not necessarily talking about the part of the city that used to be on the "right side" of the wall as I do hang out in Kreuzberg quite a bit - although I'm not sure that really counts. It's become something of a standing joke amongst my friends and family, and my Berlin-loving friend K likes to remind me that I no longer need to obtain a special pass to visit.

Anyway, last week we decided to venture across to visit Manufactum, a shop selling the most bizarre selection of goods I've seen since I visited A. Schwab's in Memphis. To give you an idea I came away with a product to make scratches in wood disappear; a big Chinese bicycle bell; and an old-fashioned glass bottle with a dropper. Before we set out I had sussed out a place for cake nearby and once we'd finished our shopping and had a little walk we decided to pop in (as if there were any chance we wouldn't...).
I'd read a couple reviews of BagCo which were pretty positive. I was almost put off by the name which struck me as one of those weird examples of Berliners embracing English but in a slightly odd way. I wasn't really sure what the "bag" referred to but hoped it might be tea. On arrival I was no less perplexed: although nicely decorated, with a particularly cool large pendant light in the centre of the seating area, the place had the definite feel of a chain. From the seemingly mass-produced signage listing their wares to the uniforms of the staff behind the counter, this place was about as far away from the individual, cool cafes that we usually visit in Berlin as it could be.

Having come so far from home (a good seven stops on the S-Bahn) I wasn't going to be put off by some questionable styling. It was a self-service place - another downer in my book - but I was pleased to see a good selection of tins containing loose-leaf teas. I opted for an Assam, usually a good safe bet with cake, and Coffee Boy had his usual latte. Cake-wise there was the usual vast array of delicious looking goodies to choose from. I have basically made a ruling that whenever we visit somewhere new we have to get two different cakes and share them. This is not necessarily good news for Coffee Boy who pretty much hates sharing food, but I insist as I feel it's difficult to judge a place on just one cake. So this time we went for a Mohnkäsekuchen (a poppy seed cheesecake) and a Pflaumen-Streuselkuchen (plum crumble cake). Although it wasn't by design we ended up ordering what I think of as two of the classic German cakes. Poppy seeds are really popular here and virtually every cake shop will have at least one poppy seed variety. And a Streusel is almost the definitive German cake. A firm base somewhere between a sponge and a biscuit covered with fruit and then finished off with a crumble style topping.

My tea came served in a nifty glass cup with a built in infuser and lid which allowed plenty of room for brewing. Sadly, the cup was more worthy of excitement than the tea it contained. Despite allowing the leaves to brew for a good few minutes the tea was rather thin and lacking in flavour - I'd have been hard pushed to even identify it as an Assam. The cakes, on the other hand, were really good: the poppy seed cheesecake had a lovely consistency and a distinctive but not overpowering poppy seed flavour; and the Streusel was fantastic. The sharpness of the plum was perfectly balanced by a crunchy, sweet crumble top. It went down very well indeed.

Yet again I am bowled over by the quality of cakes on offer in Germany. Overall I felt this cafe was nothing to really write home about. The decor was nice but felt, as I've said, strangely corporate (on finding the website when I got home I saw that there were two branches which can't really account for the chain feel). The cakes though were really good. If this cafe was in London I'd be tempted to make it a regular haunt, at the very least for a cake-away, but in Berlin where there are so many lovely cafes serving really good cakes I'm not sure I'll be stopping by too often. I don't mean to damn it with faint praise, I just think it's possible to do better if you're searching for the perfect afternoon tea spot - especially if you actually want to drink tea. Coffee Boy wasn't bowled over by his latte either so it wasn't just a tea-related disappointment. But there is no doubt the cakes were really good and if you find yourself in the area you could certainly do a lot worse.

Cake in a City of Ice

2010-02-24T11:04:00.003Z

I'd heard that Berlin had recently had a big snowfall so I wasn't altogether surprised to see the entire city blanketed in white as my plane came in to land at Tegel Airport last week. But what did come as something of a shock was the eight inches of thick ice - still containing the residue of New Year's Eve fireworks - covering every pavement. Winters are always hard in Berlin but this was something else. Ice upon grit upon snow upon ice - well you get the picture. Undeterred Coffee Boy and I headed to the Mauerpark Flohmarkt the morning after we arrived. It's an enormous flea market held in a park where part of the wall used to run and sells everything from handcrafted baby clothes to bits of old electrical cable. In truth we were more interested in browsing than actually buying anything (sorry freezing stall holders) but did purchase some delicious caramel & mint licorice. After we'd had our fill of shuffling past the eclectic offerings we stopped to watch the intrepid sledgers on the steep hill in the park alongside - some of whom were reaching speeds that wouldn't look out of place in the Winter Olympics. By this stage we were thoroughly cold and decided that the best thing to warm us up would be a hot drink and perhaps a slice of cake.

Luckily, just across the road from the flea market is Oderberger Strasse, a street chock-full of restaurants, bars and cafes. Whilst pondering which one to visit I suddenly remembered a nice place I had been to a couple of years ago. As the streets were thronging with Sunday moochers we crossed our fingers and hoped we could find a table. And we were in luck: as we peeked behind the heavy door curtain, protecting the customers inside from the biting cold, we spotted one table for two which looked made just for us.

Lotterleben is a gem of a little cake spot. Decorated in muted beige, with a few walls papered in beautiful gold cherry blossom wallpaper it exudes an understated elegance yet manages to feel cosy at the same time. That probably comes from the fact that this is a family-run business, with the cakes being made by the cafe owner along with her mother and grandmother. And as you enter, the vitrine greets you loaded with a delicious-looking array of those cakes. After some debate we settled on Chocolate Espresso Tart and a Gooseberry Meringue Tart (Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte). These Baiser Torte are really popular in Germany and I can see why. Usually I would have no interest in a meringue cake, but the Germans really get it just right: soft pillows of sweet air coupled with a crunchy top. Nearly every time I've tried one I've found them to be delicious. And Lotterleben didn't disappoint with either of our choices.

The Chocolate Espresso Tart was a dense sponge infused with both rich chocolate and a fairly decisive hit of coffee, topped off with a velvety chocolate sauce. The taste was really intense, not like an over-sweet mocha, but a proper grown up combination reminiscent of the flavour of a good chocolate covered coffee bean. But as if that wasn't enough pleasure for one afternoon, the Gooseberry Meringue Tart was amazing: a firm base topped with the perfect combination of sweet, crumbly and then soft meringue and there in the middle was the sharp bite of the gooseberries. I love the way Germans embrace fruit like gooseberries and rhubarb in their cakes - it seems to be very much out of fashion to use these kind of old-fashion fruits in Britain - but personally I think the sharp/sweet combo is hard to beat.

We washed our cakes down with a latte (for Coffee Boy, obviously) and a cup of Russian Tea for me; incidentally I'm enjoying the fact that I'm increasingly finding various Russian blends on tea menus both in London & Berlin - long may it continue. The tea was of the good loose-leaf kind served in one of those large open tea bags, and it even came accompanied by a pot of cold milk rather than the usual warm frothy stuff. It tasted great and Coffee Boy confirmed that his latte was pretty good too. All round, this is a lovely little cafe and I found myself wondering why it took me so long to go back. It has a really nice atmosphere, somehow quite different from most of the other Berlin cake spots I frequent and that coupled with quality cakes, and a nice selection of teas make Lotterleben well worth a visit. But when you've eaten your fill and decide to totter off an hour or two later, don't let the extra pounds you've inevitably put on knock you off balance - you might have to negotiate eight inches of ice on your way home. Obviously I'm not suggesting you avoid eating cake, I'm just saying, be careful out there people!

Global Communitea

2010-02-14T19:30:00.001Z

It was a cold and miserable day in London last Monday (no big surprises there - it is February) so walking Jimmy, my beloved terrier, was a little bit more of an effort than usual. It's not helped by the fact that as he gets older - he's around 16 - he gets more reluctant to go out in the rain himself. Anyway, on arriving home, damp and ever-so-slightly gloomy, I discovered a parcel left by the postman. It had come from Australia so I knew it had to be the tea that The Likkle Girl who Wurves Pwetty Things had promised to send me. But I was expecting a few tea bags and this was a not inconsiderable parcel. What could be inside?

Firstly, I discovered a card, and then a parcel wrapped simply and beautifully. And inside that parcel was a selection of three different teas: the Japanese green tea that she had told me was her favourite; a zip-lock bag full of Chrysanthemum tea - something I love but have never seen in London; and a gorgeous little tin full of pouches of Oolong. The Oolong pouches are such a clever idea: each one contains enough for a serving which can, of course, be infused a number of times. As I was heading over to Berlin a couple of days later, and was busy until then, I didn't get a chance to try anything except the green tea. We had had a discussion about how much of a tea-snob I was as Likkle Girl was concerned I wouldn't like the tea as it came in a teabag. And although I must admit I never buy bags myself anymore she needn't have worried: the green tea was lovely. A classic Sencha style tea with a fruity, grassy flavour, it reminded me that good tea is good tea, whatever receptacle it comes in.

One of the nicest things about all of this, aside from receiving lovely gifts in the post from the other side of the world, is the knowledge that I have made another new friend in the blogosphere. When people talk about the internet causing the break-down of communities and social isolation I have to say that my experience since I began writing this blog has been the complete opposite. I have met some lovely people, both virtually and in person and have found a community of like-minded people who care about cycling, good food, design and, of course, tea. They may not all be near enough for me to meet up with them on a regular basis, but I like to think that if my travels take me to some of the places where my new friends live we'd get together for a pot of tea and perhaps a slice of cake. And if that's not something positive, I don't know what is.

Upmarket Cupcakes

2010-02-08T11:15:00.001Z

I've realised I am becoming quite fussy when it comes to cupcakes. The more baking I do myself, the more I feel it's unacceptable for so-called bakeries to make a boring old vanilla cupcake, stick a few sweets on top and charge upwards of £1.75 for it. So what a delight to stumble upon Molly Bakes yesterday. I had a lunchtime bowling date for a friends birthday and on the way home decided to pop into UpMarket at the Truman Brewery to grab a bite to eat. One delicious Ethiopian injera wrap later it was time to head home. But just as I was thinking "hmmmnnn, what I really fancy is something sweet", the Molly Bakes stall appeared before me as if a vision. My growing scepticism about cupcakes may have encouraged me to walk on by were it not for the lavender cupcakes I spotted.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I am a lavender fiend. I can't get enough of it. The smell is good - but the taste is just heavenly. So imagine my excitement when I spotted a stand of violet-coloured cupcakes with tiny lavender buds sprinkled on top. I just had to try them. As it was getting towards the end of the day, the lovely lady behind the stall (Molly herself I presume) offered a bargain deal - 4 cupcakes for £5 - so I really had no choice but to accept.

Half-an-hour later, at home, with a steaming cup of my Assam/Darjeeling/Lapsang blend in hand, it was the moment of truth. And, I'm pleased to say, a pretty good moment it was too. The texture of the cupcake itself was perfect - light without being insubstantial. But the biggest delight was the presence of tiny lavender buds throughout the cake which gave a subtle yet distinctive flavour. The vanilla buttercream was a lovely texture and those few extra sugared lavender buds topped the whole thing off beautifully. Coffee Boy had a banoffee one which he declared to be delicious: banana sponge with lovely little chewy toffee bits. I also chose a lime & coconut, and a rose & pistachio one, neither of which I've tried yet. But if the two we've sampled so far are anything to go by, we're in for another treat.

It really is a pleasure to find someone making genuinely good cupcakes and selling them at a reasonable price, rather than the scores of places that seem to be jumping on the cupcake bandwagon and offering - at best - pretty ordinary goods for far too much dosh. So if you find yourself wandering down Brick Lane one weekend and need a little sugary pick-me-up, you know where to go. Just save a lavender one for me!

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

2010-02-04T10:46:00.003Z

I really hate wasting food; it just feels wrong on every level. But there are some things that no matter how infrequently I buy them, I seem to find myself tossing, mouldy, into the bin a week or two later. One such culprit is the black banana. Truth be told I'm not the world's biggest banana fan. Oh I like them and everything, but if I'm reaching for a piece of fruit it's generally fairly low down on my list of preferences. Coffee Boy purportedly loves them though, so from time to time I buy him a bunch. But clearly he doesn't love them quite enough as I often find them hanging sadly upon the banana stand (yes, yes, I know I have far too many kitchen gadgets) looking black and pretty yucky.

The other day, spying a few sad specimens, I decided to make something with the black bananas before they became good for nothing but the bottom of the bin. I remember from the bad old days of yo-yo dieting a surprisingly delicious Rosemary Conley recipe for a banana loaf - apart from the use of sweetener which I loathe and even then used to substitute for actual sugar. But if black bananas can work in a healthy recipe, I reasoned, there's no reason they can't work in an unhealthy one too. So this is what I came up with:

Banana Cupcakes (makes about 18)

Adapted from various recipes including Ellen Einstein's Banana Cake recipe

125g butter

200g sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 egg - large

200g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-3 very ripe bananas - black is OK

125g of sour cream

Heat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
Beat the butter in a bowl until it's creamy - I use an electric whisk to save time
Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy
Add the vanilla and the egg and continue beating for around a minute or so
Mash the bananas and thoroughly beat them into the mixture
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix in
Add the sour cream - don't worry if the mixture looks like it's separating, it will come out OK in the end
Finally add the rest of the flour mixture and blend until everything is well mixed
Spoon, or preferably pipe, the mixture into lined muffin tins so each case is no more than half full
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
Place on a rack and let them cool to room temperature

I usually leave my cupcakes for a day, or at least overnight, before frosting but if you're in a hurry just make sure you leave them until they are really cool.

Chocolate Buttercream

200g of good quality dark chocolate

225g of butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of milk

325g of icing sugar

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt above a bowl of simmering water. Leave to cool
Beat the butter (again I used my trusty electric whisk) until it is smooth
Mix the cooled melted chocolate into the butter until well combined
Add all of the other ingredients and beat until evenly mixed. Take care not to over mix
Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes - don't be stingy you have enough for a generous frosting!

I decorated my cupcakes with mother-of-pearl stars which I made from very thinly rolled cream florist paste, dusted with edible mother-of-pearl powder, but you can use anything you like. Or nothing!

I was really pleased with these cupcakes. I was worried the chocolate would overpower the banana but I really liked the balance. And they've certainly gone down well with friends and family. So well, in fact, that I don't see myself throwing any black bananas in the bin anytime soon. Now, what better excuse to over-shop?

Excess in an Age of Austerity

2010-01-26T20:28:00.002Z

My quest to sample afternoon teas beyond zone 1 yesterday took me out to West Hampstead and back to the 1950s. I had arranged to meet up with Miss O and remembered hearing about a place not far from her called Bake-a-Boo. To make sure I wouldn't be disappointed after my journey up the Jubilee Line I phoned the day before to see if I could book a table. I was told I could but if I wanted the Afternoon Tea, I would have to book in advance and pay a deposit. I was somewhat taken aback but we were keen to skip lunch and make an afternoon of it so I went ahead, reserved and paid the 50% deposit.

When I arrived at 3pm the cafe was very quiet, with just one other table taken. And there, right in front of me, was our table all laid out with our pretty coated-iron tea stand laden with all sorts of goodies. It was a surprise to see it there waiting for us, but a pleasant one. All we had to do was choose our tea. Bake-a-Boo sell quite a selection of Martyn's Teas - it's good to see another tea room supporting this local business - and they had a large selection of tea on their menu which they had split into those available in bags and the loose leaf variety. As I always choose loose leaf if available, and like a black tea with milk when I'm eating cake, I had the choice of English Breakfast, Assam & Earl Grey. Between us, over the course of the afternoon, we tried all three, and were impressed by them all - although, in truth, I wouldn't have minded a couple more to choose from.

The attention to detail in the cafe is fantastic. There's a lovely 1950s vibe with pastel spotted bunting and chintzy, old-fashioned crockery - all pleasingly mismatched. One thing that I loved was the large china jug of water on the table - even though I find tea incredibly refreshing, when I'm drinking a lot of it I do like to have some water too. There were plenty of nice things to look at, such as interesting cards, packs of tea, party invitations, and, of course, lots of cakes - many of which were on our table.

But we began proceedings with sandwiches. Each of us had 6 finger-sandwiches, with either cream cheese, cucumber or egg mayonnaise filling. Unfortunately, the downside of preparing the afternoon tea in advance is that these kind of finger sandwiches inevitably go a little dry. Coupled with that, the fillings were somewhat on the meagre side. To give you an idea, I would usually use about twice as much filling at home. Perhaps I like a particularly full sandwich, but Miss O was in agreement. Still, the sandwiches are just the foundations upon which the glorious edifice of the afternoon tea is built: they may be important, but if the layers above are good then nobody really minds too much.

That certainly proved to be the case with this tea. To say there was plenty would be quite an understatement. We each had: two scones (no fruit but still nice); a teapot shaped butter biscuit (very cute); three chocolate-dipped strawberries (the nicest I've ever had, thanks to the chocolate having a ganache quality rather than the usual hardness); a selection of old-fashioned sweeties (fudge and flying saucers); a slice of banana cake with an absolutely fantastic passionfruit buttercream topping; and lastly a full size cupcake (vanilla sponge with a thick fondant icing). To go with our scones, the table came equipped with a large bowl of strawberry jam and another large bowl of whipped cream. I hate it when you're given those rather measly little ramekins so it was great to have enough topping to match the scones - the only disappointment being that the cream was whipped rather that clotted. For me, whipped cream just can't match up, but I dare say my arteries will appreciate the break just this once.

The highlights for me were entirely unexpected: that banana cake and those strawberries were really good. They sounded straightforward but both had a delicious twist. The other really lovely thing was the atmosphere of the place. It was clearly run with love and an attention to detail that you can appreciate as soon as you walk in. And it's obviously loved by quite a few locals too. Come 3.30pm the place was absolutely chock-a-block with mums and their offspring on the way home from school. Apparently, they are planning to start offering courses in the mornings (they are currently closed until 2pm) which will hopefully see even more business coming their way. The afternoon tea may not have been absolutely perfect, and at £15 it wasn't a total bargain like others I've had, but it was certainly very enjoyable. Let's put it this way, I could very easily be tempted into a return visit. Next time I'd probably just go for tea and cake - you know, the healthy option... But a business like this, that puts so much care and attention into their premises - and makes some pretty mean cakes to boot - deserves our custom, and I for one intend to do my duty.

A Greener Start to the Day

2010-01-21T15:23:00.000Z

This morning as I walked, still bleary-eyed, into the kitchen, I was hit by a horrible realisation: we had run out of milk. Although this didn't pose a major problem for breakfast - fruit, yoghurt and granola is my preferred option at the moment - it did mean I couldn't start the day with my usual cup of tea. In the old days I used to like a latte first thing in the morning, but over the past few months I find I just can't wait for that first cup of lovely, refreshing tea. A fairly strong black tea with milk is now, definitely, my preferred way to start the day.

But this morning, with no milk in the house, a rethink was needed. Obviously there was no shortage of other options, as anyone who has seen my somewhat chaotic tea-cupboard will tell you. But what to choose? A white tea? An oolong? A pu-erh? Or a green tea? In the end I decided to go for a Genmaicha, for no reason other than the fact I just fancied it. For those of you that don't already know, Genmaicha is a Japanese green tea that is blended with roasted brown rice. It was traditionally seen as a cheap tea - and certainly considered to be of a lower grade than some other Japanese teas such as the revered Matcha - as it has always been drunk by Japan's poor; the rice serving to bulk out the tea leaves and keep the cost down.

Today though, Genmaicha is widely drunk in Japan by people of all classes. And it's also a real favourite in my house. I absolutely love the combination of the grassy green tea and the nutty roasted rice. I find something very comforting in the flavour, although it has been known to divide opinion wildly. For instance, Coffee Boy is not at all keen, or at least he wasn't on the one occasion he tried it, but other friends I've made it for have absolutely loved it and vowed to buy their own tin forthwith.

Anyway, this morning, Genmaicha was my breakfast brew; and do you know, I really enjoyed it. It was just the right combination of refreshing and gutsy with a lovely rounded flavour and I didn't miss my usual breakfast blend at all. Although my consumption of non-black tea has been steadily increasing (from about 5% of my tea intake a year ago, to about 40% more recently), I haven't really changed my breakfast routine. But after this morning's experience that could change. At the very least, I no longer need to worry about running out of milk - although latte obsessed Coffee Boy may feel differently...

High Tea for Two

2010-01-17T12:29:00.009Z

Living in the centre of London, it sometimes feels like a little bit of an effort to travel anywhere for afternoon tea. There are so many nice cafes right on my doorstep, even heading out to zone 2 can seem unnecessary. But there are tea shops with quite a different feel when you move away from the hustle and bustle in the middle of town: less swish and corporate and more family-run in atmosphere, which means it's always worth seeking them out. This week I had the perfect excuse to make, admittedly only a small, journey to meet fellow blogger Caroline of Caroline, No. Once I discovered that she lived in north London I remembered a tea room I had heard about not far away and suggested we meet there to give it a go.

High Tea of Highgate is located on the pretty, and rather posh, Highgate High Street (are you getting the High theme yet?). As I as spotted it, whilst trudging up the hill, my heart warmed. A pretty pink frontage with an art-deco styled, hand-painted sign, this was clearly a place with the personal touch I love. On entering that warm feeling continued: a counter laden with lovely looking cakes; a pretty pink and white colour scheme that had that old-fashioned high tea feel; shelves and cabinets filled with tea paraphernalia, jewellery and really beautiful crockery; and tea-related art on the walls. Having no idea how popular the tea room was I had booked ahead; and with only six or seven tables in the place I was glad I had - true, they weren't too busy when we arrived at 3pm but by 4pm it was packed.

The menus, like the room, were pink and homely with a handmade feel and they contained a pleasing selection of teas. Caroline is a self-confessed coffee addict but she decided to try a Darjeeling as she fancied something light and bright. I was thrilled to see one of my favourite blends, a Russian Caravan on the menu. I just love the slight smokiness of this tea but I find that it's not that widely available. As for cakes, we were spoilt for choice. I was very tempted by the lavender sponge - I just can't get enough of either the smell or taste of lavender - but instead decided to give the the wheat-free chocolate orange a go. Caroline went for one of her favourites, the lemon drizzle cake.

Our tea arrived in really lovely Zero Japan teapots. I had seen them online before but actually using one has made me appreciate their quality. I'm normally in favour of quite an old-fashioned teapot and like nothing better than finding a well-loved, second-hand bargain at a flea market. But these Zero Japan teapots having very modern styling with a porcelain body and an attached stainless steel lid and infuser basket. Yet despite that there is something about the shape of them which does feel old-fashioned, and traditionally "tea time'. And the tea inside the pot was of a good quality too, supplied by local shop Martyn's of Muswell Hill. I was a bit slow in staying Caroline's milk-pouring hand so her Darjeeling ended up a bit pale and milky but she did her best to drink it before moving onto a Ceylon (who's robustness was, I suspect, more up her street being a confirmed coffee-drinker). My Russian Caravan was so good I had a second pot.

The overall experience of the tea room was quite lovely. The staff were helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, and made us feel very welcome despite the fact we ended up hogging our table for almost three hours(!). The ambience of the place was spot on: never too noisy despite being full, and with plenty of interesting things to look at when your companion nips to the loo (tea does take its toll...). The only let down for me were the cakes. With a large oven in the relatively small kitchen area behind the counter, and the smell of freshly baked goods wafting throughout the cafe, the cakes are clearly all homemade. The selection was, as I've said, impressive but, much as it pains me to say it, the two that we tried just weren't the best.

My wheat-free chocolate orange cake was literally oozing with what seemed like a syrupy substance. I'm no fan of dry cakes but this was a bit much even for me. The chocolate on the top was more of a drizzle and as such didn't make much impact on the orange flavour. After a while I realised that Caroline's cake hadn't gone down that well either as she had left most of it. I tried a bit and was surprised that there didn't really seem to be much in the way of that crusty, sugary topping that I would expect to find on a lemon drizzle cake. We also both detected a tang that, despite disagreeing about what it was (metallic/fishy), wasn't appealing to either of us.

It really was a terrible shame that we didn't enjoy our cakes that much as everything else about the tea room was spot-on. Perhaps we just chose poorly: the chocolate cake or scones, or even the tempting lavender cake may have been more to our taste. The place certainly seemed to be full of regulars who were happily tucking into their wares. And despite the cake-related disappointment I can see why they were busy, even on a rainy Friday afternoon. The atmosphere, the tea, the staff and the objects and cards on sale make me determined to return. If they could only get those cakes right it would be a near-perfect tea experience.

The Perfect Mince Pie

2010-01-11T12:15:00.000Z

I've always enjoyed cooking and especially baking. But in recent years the relentless treadmill of work means there's been little time to do much more than throw together dinner at the end of the day. My decision to become a freelancer, and specifically my decision to take more time off to try and achieve some kind of work/life balance, has changed all of that. Now I'm constantly looking for excuses to cook. Visiting a friend for tea? Quick make some cupcakes. Sister coming over for the day? Get that breadmaker fired up. Upcoming dinner party? Trial some recipes. Well, you can imagine that hosting Christmas gave me the perfect excuse to spend some time in the kitchen.

In mid-December I realised with some surprise that I had never actually made mince pies. Deciding it couldn't be too much of a challenge I got to it. I made it even easier on myself by buying some good quality, ready-made mincemeat and just concentrated on getting the pastry right. You may think this is cheating, but with lots of other things to cook (including my Christmas cupcakes); shopping to do; and the general stress that that time of year brings, I was prepared to cut myself some slack.

The first recipe I tried was from the BBC Good Food magazine. It was actually designed for baking with children so I reasoned that it couldn't be too difficult. It was most definitely a "getting your hands dirty" kind of recipe. You make a very buttery pastry and instead of rolling and cutting you simply ball it up and press it into the bun tin. Despite having greased the tins I found them very difficult to get out and as a consequence they ended up looking really messy. The mince pies were a big success with everyone that tried them but they weren't quite what I was looking for. The pastry was verging on shortbread which although really tasty just wasn't the beautiful, traditional kind of mince pie I was looking for.

So just before Christmas I had another go. The Guardian featured various chefs talking about their ultimate Christmas recipes and Nigel Slater had one for his favourite mince pies. I was heartened to see that he recommended using shop bought mincemeat - hurrah, I wasn't excessively lazy! But frankly, they were a bit of a disaster. The dough was incredibly dry and difficult to work with, and the resulting pie was just not crunchy or sweet enough for my liking. The family polished all of them off and said they liked them but I was incredibly disappointed. My attempt to be the perfect Christmas hostess hadn't gone to plan at all. But I was determined not to be beaten.

Sadly, by the time I returned from my Berlin trip last week, my family had gone home and the Christmas decorations had come down. But I still had two large jars of mincemeat in the cupboard I and was determined to make a really good mince pie. This time I turned to the blogosphere. I have recently started following a number of really good cooking blogs and one of them had a recipe for mince pies. The writer made her own mincemeat but I just took the pastry recipe and used one of my jars.

And finally, here in early January, I had found it: my perfect mince pie. It was the pastry I had been dreaming of ever since I was a child and my friend's mum made some delicious, slightly orangey mince pies - and these were them! They are really delicious and the brilliant news is that I have another jar of mincemeat to use up so I'll just have to make some more. They are absolutely perfect with a cup of black tea - I particularly like them with my Assam-Ceylon blend - so much so that I'm actually wishing I'd bought more of the mincemeat whilst it was still in the shops. Because now that I've found this recipe, as far as I'm concerned, a mince pie is for life, not just for Christmas.

Vietnamese Tea in Berlin

2010-01-07T15:25:00.001Z

Despite what some people may assume, there is a lot of good food to be had in Berlin. Sadly, if you're a vegetarian, traditional German cuisine doesn't have a lot to offer. True there is Flammkuchen – a kind of pizza without the tomato sauce – and Käsespätzle can be nice on a cold day, but if you're looking for variety you need to seek out the increasing number of good restaurants serving ethnic food. Although Berlin can't really compete with London on that score, I always make an effort to visit the type of restaurants that are a bit of a schlep for me to reach in the Big Smoke.

A couple of my favourites are two Vietnamese places, Si An & Chi Sing, run by the same people. So when I read about a new dessert spot they had opened, Si An Tra, I was determined to visit. But by the time I returned to Berlin on this trip I had completely forgotten all about it until I saw it mentioned in a blog I follow. I was suddenly reminded just how much I wanted to visit this place. What would Vietnamese cakes be like? How would the tea be served? What would the décor be like? There was only one way to find out.

As I made my way through Prenzlauer Berg last Sunday I became increasingly worried. It was after three o'clock and all of the cafes I passed were already full of Berliners and tourists enjoying the ritual of weekend Kaffee und Kuchen. I started to worry that I might be out of luck but on arriving I was hit with a familiar double whammy of emotions: firstly joy that there was only one of the four tables taken and therefore I could get in; then sadness that at this peak time the cafe didn't seem to be doing too well.

The cafe is small but really lovely. Like the restaurants, real care and attention has been paid to the décor. Paper lanterns hang from the ceiling and the tables seem to be supported by branches stripped of their bark. The waitress marked herself out as different to the usual Berlin waiting staff by being incredibly smiley and helpful in describing the teas and cakes on offer.

Although I had been excited about visiting, I have to admit that my hopes about the quality of the cakes were pretty low. In my experience, Asian desserts are not usually anything to write home about – certainly to my western palate anyway. But Si An Tra showed me that that doesn't have to be the case. The cakes were simply fantastic. Coffee Boy and I shared a Ban Chuoi Dua which was a dense coconut sponge topped with a coconut sauce and nuts, and a Ban Chuoi Dau Phung which he described as “hmmmnnn, banana Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!”. That was grossly unfair as, in my opinion, the aforementioned confectionary is not necessarily to be held up as the essence of good taste. This cake was lovely: it had a kind of banana bread base and a delicious peanut and chocolate topping. But as if that wasn't enough, the tea was gorgeous too. I had a Jasmine tea which came served in a fairly large bowl and was full of goodies: ginger; lime; lemongrass; longan; lotus seeds and honey. Coffee Boy eschewed his usual latte and chose a Sencha green tea which had just a hint of ginger and lemongrass.

The whole experience was really very lovely: delightful surroundings with a selection of teapots, teas, crockery and bags to look at; a really nice waitress; and fantastic goods to savour. I can highly recommend it. When we left there was no one else left in the place, which this time left me feeling nothing but sad. It would be a crying shame if they didn't make a success of this great tea room. I hope that next time I return they are doing a healthy trade, but still with one table free for me. That would be just perfect.

Einstein A Go Go

2010-01-04T20:29:00.001Z

Cafe Einstein is a Berlin institution. The original branch in the heart of Christopher Isherwood's Schoeneberg near Nollendorf Platz is a lovely place to while away a few hours. It's in an historic villa with all the grandeur of a country house. The Unter den Linden branch in Berlin's Mitte area can't really compete in terms of atmosphere but the menu is basically the same.

The original Kurfurstenstrasse branch has gone down in Afternoon Tea Total family folklore ever since I took my parents there and Coffee Boy decided to order an afternoon treat called a Kaiserschmarrn. We waited and waited but although my cheesecake and my parents' apple strudels arrived there was no sign of the Kaiserschmarrn. Eventually, after about 25 minutes, up came the waiter with a huge tray of freshly cooked dessert. It resembled a dish of bread and butter pudding only with plums baked within – but when I say dish, I mean dish, like the kind of dish you cook in the oven, with enough food for about four people. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Coffee Boy ploughed in and made a pretty good job of eating it up. But we've never dared order it since.

This time I met friends in the Unter den Linden branch. Far more utilitarian in feel, and always packed, it doesn't have the same charm as the original but it is considerably nearer to all of our homes and for that reason is worth a visit.

None of us had had lunch so we started of by each having a sandwich, a couple of us chose gravadlax and the others rocket and parmesan. To be honest I found them a bit odd. The bread was of the very pappy white sliced variety without crusts. The rocket and parmesan bread was toasted and seemed to go down fairly well; the gravadlax came on the plain old bread and was somewhat disappointing. But I was prepared to let it slide if the cakes would live up to my memory of them.

Usually, as you know, I would go for a lovely cup of tea, but this was an exceptionally cold day and the lure of Cafe Einstein's hot chocolate proved too much to bear. It comes served in a little jug and the accompanying cup has a lid covered in a swirl of whipped cream. The jug contains enough for two cups so prepared to be buzzing by the end of it. But just to be sure we decided to order a selection of sweet things. I, as is so often the case, couldn't refuse the Sachertorte; another of us went for the cheesecake; and two others chose the apple studel. If the sandwiches had been a disappointment, the cakes were anything but.

My Sachertorte was rich and moist with a nice substantial layer of apricot preserve. Unlike most others the chocolate coating was a hard shell that cracked as you cut into it – unusual but very good, although apparently that is the way the original was served. (Sorry for the lack of picture, and the general quality of the photos. I forgot my camera on this trip and my iPhone camera didn't cope well in the low light). The cheesecake was equally tasty and the apple strudels weren't bad either. They came served warm with vanilla sauce – a sort of runny custard – and although not as big as the Kaiserschmarrn, they were no light snack.

Cafe Einstein is not a cheap place, our sandwiches, cakes and a couple of drinks for four clocked in at €75 including tip, but it is worth visiting. The sandwiches were certainly no great shakes but the sweet offerings, and especially the hot chocolate, are pretty special. Even though this Mitte branch isn't in the same league as the Schoeneberg location looks-wise, when you find yourself on the windy expanses of Unter den Linden in need of refreshment it's well worth popping in. But be prepared to wait and then battle for a table, this is not a town that takes it kaffee and kuchen lightly.

Tea is the Best Medicine

2010-01-02T12:39:00.001Z

I am a great believer in the healing properties of tea, but here in Germany they take that belief a whole stage further. Walk into any chemist, drug store or supermarket and you'll find a whole stand devoted to medicinal teas. I came down with a fairly terrible bought of flu over New Year a few years ago and a German friend sent me home with a selection of teas she assured me would help me feel much better. I was somewhat skeptical - this was in my pre-tea obsession days - and can't really remember if I drank them, or if I did what impact they had.

Well, New Year, new illness. This time it's Coffee Boy who has been nursing a stinking cold. Whilst purchasing herbal nasal sprays, echinacea bonbons and a variety of more heavy-duty drugs I happened upon a tea especially for colds. It contained such interesting things as Linden blossom, Elderberry leaves, Dandelion and Peony flowers. He wasn't convinced but was prepared to try anything so I prepared him a cup. And I must say, he felt much better after sipping the brew. So much so, in fact, that he has nearly finished the box. So it just goes to show, tea really is the best medicine.

Intrepid Cake Eaters

2009-12-31T20:28:00.002Z

In Berlin, when the snow lays thickly on the ground, the temperatures are in the minus degrees and the wind whistles down wide streets biting into any part of you that's not wrapped in a military grade parka (a very welcome birthday present from my Mum & Dad), even going out for cake can be a big effort. Sometimes you just want to curl up with a book or a DVD box set and watch the snow through the window.

Having made one successful excursion today to see an interesting exhibition at the Deutsche Guggenheim, a not-altogether-well Coffee Boy and I decided to grab a late lunch and head home. Luckily, there are plenty of options for take-away cake in this town so we stopped in at Barcomi's Deli on our way back to the flat. Barcomi's is quite an odd place for Berlin. The original branch is in Kreuzberg and on previous visits has been cramped, scruffy and ever so slightly disappointing as an afternoon tea spot. The Mitte branch though feels completely different. It's set in a Hof between Sophienstrasse & Gipstrasse and has a light and airy feel. Also, considering its location in the heart of tourist Berlin, it's usually full of Germans. Perhaps it's because it is slightly tucked away - despite the fact I've been there about 20 times I always have to keep my wits about me to ensure I don't miss it; or maybe it's because it's an American themed deli and not what the tourists are looking for on a visit to Germany (not that that seems to have any impact on Starbucks...)

Anyway, today we were just popping in for a cake-away (do you see what I did there..?) and there was the usual scrumptious looking selection of layer cakes, cheesecakes and other American styled goodies. I chose a rather wicked looking Raspberry Ganache Cake, and Coffee Boy was swayed by the Banana & Blueberry Cheesecake. The smiley woman behind the counter wrapped them up for us in that peculiar German way - a cardboard tray with a paper wrapping over the top (I find it extraordinary that a country that takes its cake so seriously packs them in such a precarious way) and waved us goodbye. Feeling pleased with ourselves for thinking ahead to tea time, we trudged home through the snow.

When we got back to the flat and unwrapped the cakes I suddenly remembered that the portions were fairly American too! These slabs of cake were huge. In fact we had enough to last us two days. Perhaps they were making the slices a bit larger to ensure they weren't left with any over the New Year. So far so good. I brewed myself an oolong/white jasmine blend and Coffee Boy made a latte and we settled down to a plate of scrumptiousness. Or so we hoped. Sadly the reality didn't quite live up to our expectations.

My cake had a really tasty chocolate ganache but the cake itself was a bit bland by comparison, but worse than that it was actually really dry, even verging on the stale. I had chosen it because I love the fruit and chocolate combination but the raspberries were pretty thin on the ground and failed to really make an impact over the ganache. Coffee Boy's cheesecake wasn't much better. For a start it didn't have a crunchy base which alone is enough to put him off; the actual cheesecake was banana flavoured which really didn't float my boat and the topping was blueberry which was full of fruit and, I thought, the best bit. All round though, it was also a bit of a let down - heavy and stodgy and too much of a mix of flavours for my taste.

We were pretty disappointed. We have certainly had good cakes from Barcomi's in the past - the chocolate espresso cheesecake was a particular highlight - but this time they didn't excite. Maybe it's the time of year; perhaps the cakes weren't quite as fresh as they usually are; maybe they didn't do well in the cold temperatures. Whatever the case, Barcomi's has slid down the league table of my favourite Berlin cake spots. I will try it again (just to be sure) but probably not for a while. Now, does that count as a new year's resolution?

Christmas Gingerbread Cupcakes

2009-12-28T15:36:00.003Z

I have been going fairly cupcake crazy since my course last month but I've been struggling to find events to bake for. With my family coming for Christmas I had the perfect excuse to bake some Christmas Cupcakes. I had previously made some for Miss O's party that were like little mini Christmas cakes topped with fondant icing and florist paste Holly leaves, as well as some double chocolate ones decorated with stars, but this time I thought I'd try something different.

My Dad doesn't eat chocolate (!) so I looked for a festive recipe that would suit us all and stumbled across a Martha Stewart Gingerbread Cupcake recipe that I adapted and topped with a cream cheese frosting. Finally I made some Christmas trees out of florist paste and covered them in edible glitter. They went down a treat with the whole family - and I thought they looked really cute. Anyway, here is the recipe

Gingerbread Cupcakes - Makes about 10

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

160 gm (6 oz) Plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

60 gm (2 oz) butter

40 gm (1 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar

160 gm (6 oz) of treacle

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cream Cheese Frosting

225 gm (8oz) cream cheese

60 gm (2 oz) butter

130 gm (4.5 oz) icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix bicarbonate of soda with 125 ml of boiling water and stir well. Put to one side
Sift flour, salt, spices and baking powder together
Cream the butter then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy - an electric whisk is best for this (I recently bought a Kenwood one for £18, it was well worth it)
Beat in the treacle, the bicarbonate of soda mixture and the flour mixture until well combined
Beat in the egg
Line a muffin tin with muffin cases and pipe or spoon the mixture in (no more than half full)
Bake at 180ºC/350ºF/165ºFan/Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes. Turn the tray 180 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes. Check that the sponge springs back when poked and that a skewer/toothpick comes out of the cakes clean. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

While the cakes are baking mix the frosting. Blend the cream cheese and butter - again, best with an electric whisk - then add the vanilla extract. Finally stir in the sieved icing sugar
Store in the fridge until ready to use
Pipe onto the top of the cupcakes just before serving

If you want to learn by my mistakes here are a few tips: don't forget to sieve the icing sugar - this resulted in my Mum, my sister and I all struggling to sieve the cream cheese mixture through a pair of tights (not easy and very messy); keep each part of the cupcake in a separate place - the cakes themselves and any decorations in a non-airtight container (i.e. a cardboard cake box) and the cream cheese frosting covered in the fridge; assemble a little while before serving - this may sound a bit of a pain but this is quite a wet frosting that combines well with the gingerbread and as such will start to dissolve decorations. If you were thinking of assembling in advance I would recommend removing the cupcakes from the fridge around an hour before serving and then decorating: but in truth I don't find the fridge to be a friend to cupcakes and I would therefore advise against it.

Happy baking - and eating!

The Purple Palace

2009-12-20T11:00:00.002Z

I was wondering through Covent Garden, enjoying the Christmassy buzz, recently when I decided to pop into the Tea Palace shop. Before their Westbourne Grove cafe and shop closed down I had a very enjoyable afternoon tea there so was keen to see how the new place compared. I have to admit I was really shocked that the previous place had shut. It was very busy when I went there and whenever I passed it seemed to be fairly packed. The afternoon teas on offer were also pretty pricey so I assumed they were making a packet. But given their decision to close, and subsequently open a retail shop - without a cafe - in the centre of town, I suppose I was wrong.

The new shop is within the Covent Garden piazza and is fairly large being set across two floors. I've always thought that the nicest thing about Tea Palace is their gorgeous purple caddies and I'm pleased to see that hasn't changed. It's odd because the branding of the shop's goods feels very corporate as if they were part of a large chain - sort of like an upmarket Whittard - but, in fact, this Covent Garden branch is their only outlet - aside from their online operation.

They still stock their wide selection of single estate teas and blends as well as a nice selection of accessories. I decided to treat myself to one of their absolutely gorgeous hand tied jasmine flowering teas. They're not cheap at £8.50 for 6 (!) but they are beautiful and taste delicious.

I love the fact there is a proper tea shop in one of London's principal shopping areas. A place where people can treat themselves to something more exotic than a box of tea bags. But there's something about Tea Palace I don't love. I'm not sure what it is: it could be the fairly disinterested service; or maybe it's the corporate feel I mentioned. Whatever it is it's not the first place I think of when I need to buy some tea. I will continue to shop there as their caddies are some of my favourites. But for me the real joy of Tea Palace was their cafe and without that I can't help but feel that something is missing.

An Ulterior Motive

2009-12-17T10:42:00.004Z

It is a fact that Coffee Boy is an excellent present buyer. He always buys me really great gifts, and I never have to drop any heavy hints. I realise I am very lucky to have such a thoughtful partner but this year I suspect there was a fairly strong ulterior motive to the birthday present he got me: a cupcake making course. I was really pleased that he had not only come up with an original pressie but that he had done his research and found a highly recommended place that offered the course. Having finished my latest project recently I finally got a chance to go along to Cakes 4 Fun in Putney this week.

I didn't really know what to expect. Generally I'm quite happy following a recipe for any kind of cake so I was a bit concerned that he might have wasted his money. But I needn't have worried, the course was brilliant and I learned loads. I arrived about 15 minutes late (thank you London Transport) and when I got into the room the cake mixture was already in the mixer. It was actually something of a relief that the basic bun section was covered so quickly as I thought that watching the "teacher" make what is essentially a big fairy cake for too long would have been a bit Home Economics 1985. Once the mixture was thoroughly mixed we piped (yes piped) it into our cupcake cases and popped them into the oven. Then we got on to the real business of the day - learning to make our cupcakes look beautiful.

We learned to make lovely sparkly butterflies from flower paste; little edible flowers and layered water lillies; a textured hydrangea; and perhaps the most impressive looking decoration, a teddy bear complete with a bow. In the afternoon we learned how to frost our cupcakes with either a fondant icing or buttercream and then we had the fun of decorating them.

The whole day was really great. There were seven of us altogether including a family of four women who had obviously come for a girls' day out. The course leader was a lovely woman called Pen who struck the perfect balance between being informative and authoritative without being too teacherly. By the time our six hours were up we all went home with a large box full of - I thought - brilliantly decorated cupcakes. And they didn't just look good, they were really delicious.

So in the true nature of learning a new skill I came home and spent a small fortune online buying such essentials as muffin tins and cases and a variety of cutting tools to enable me to create some, hopefully, beautiful cupcakes. Well, with Christmas coming up it would be rude not to spread the joy. And let's face it, that was Coffee Boy's intention all along.

Afternoon Tea in a Car Showroom

2009-12-13T09:47:00.004Z

I've always heard people mention The Wolsley but have never really known what or where it is. I vaguely assumed it was a hotel and had an idea it was on Piccadilly. So it actually came as something of a surprise to discover I have walked past it thousands of times without really noticing it. Far from being a hotel it is actually a former car showroom and bank and only actually opened as a cafe and restaurant in 2003. It says something to its success that it was nestled in my subconscious as a grand old establishment even though it's only recently celebrated its sixth birthday.

I visited on a Sunday for afternoon tea, and once inside it was even harder to believe that they had only been serving food and drink for a few years. It would be easy to imagine various crowned princes of Europe popping in for a cup of tea - but unless Wolsley Motors or Barclays Bank were extrememly accommodating they would have been out of luck.

Thankfully myself and Coffee Boy were not. I had booked a couple of weeks in advance and it was obvious why that was necessary - it was completely rammed. There is something of the air of an old-fashioned railway station cafe about the place - but in a good way! It is bustling and quite noisy thanks to the high ceilings, hard floors and abundance of marble and is certainly not the kind of place to go for a chilled, intimate afternoon. At first I wasn't sure how much I liked the frenetic pace but over the course of the afternoon it grew on me. We both went for the Afternoon Tea as we'd had no lunch and didn't plan on having much in the way of dinner. There was a selection of eight or nine teas and we both opted for the Wolsley Afternoon Blend which turned out to be a suitably robust but very refreshing cuppa. It came served in a wonderful Art Deco style silver teapot with a wooden handle. I took a few pictures but as they have a "no photography" policy I had to be somewhat surreptitious which means they aren't the best...

They were happy to accommodate our vegetarian/pescatarian needs and served us up five finger sandwiches each containing such delights as the classic smoked salmon and other more unusual fillings like cream cheese with sun dried tomatoes. Those set us up nicely for the sugar-fest that was to follow. And what a sugar-fest it was! We had mini-coffee eclairs; lemon & passionfruit tart; a delicious little cheesecake with nut brittle; a beautifully light raspberry macaroon; a very rich chocolate and coffee gâteaux; and what for me turned out to be the unexpected treat of the cakes, a slice of Battenburg. The quality of the cakes really was fantastic. Every single thing was full of flavour and beautifully presented. But as if all that wasn't enough we were also served 2 fruit scones with jam & clotted cream. Yes, regular readers, finally an establishment that understands that scones need fruit! And they weren't those little mini-scones that a lot of places serve up, these were full size and of the perfect consistency.

All round I really enjoyed tea at The Wolsley. The building is beautiful, the service was fast but good, and the quality of the food and tea was exemplary. And for £19.50 a head I didn't think it was that bad value - all things being relative of course, it's not the kind of place you'd go everyday but it's nice for a treat. As I said before, it doesn't have the kind of quiet, refined atmosphere that some of the posher hotels offer, but if you actually prefer the idea of somewhere with a bit of a buzz you could do a lot worse than giving The Wolsley a try. One thing's for sure - you won't go home hungry.

Mastering Pu-erh

2009-12-07T15:29:00.001Z

I think I have finally cracked Pu-erh tea. I first tried it last year in San Francisco - I realise this sounds somewhat pretentious but it's true! Despite having a rather horrible cold which rapidly turned into sunstroke I walked across half the city in search of the famed Imperial Tea Court in Chinatown. Imagine my joy when I found the address only to discover it had closed down... or more accurately it had moved to the Ferry Building. I was pretty disappointed when I found the new branch as despite being in an attractive building devoted to good food and other lovely things it still felt pretty much a mall inside. I mean, I know malls are practical and all that, but it doesn't compare to being in a fantastically vibrant neighbourhood like Chinatown.

Anyhow, although this was very much early days in my tea obsession - in fact it may well have been the start of it - I hadn't made all that effort not to try a cup of tea. The shop itself was a little underwhelming in terms of decor but there was an extensive tea menu and very helpful staff. We were assisted by a waiter who, bizarrely enough, was from the north of England and he recommended a tea to me - which I can't even remember - and a Pu-erh to Coffee Boy. The main reason I don't remember what I had is that I spent pretty much the whole visit coveting the Pu-erh. It had a lovely refreshing top note above the characteristic earthy taste.

For those of you who've never tried it Pu-erh is a fermented tea. Now any tea purists that are reading this will probably be going mildly apoplectic at this simplistic description but you can find other blogs that will go into the minutiae of the different methods of producing Pu-erh if you want to know more. For me fermented is about as much as I've got my head around as yet. One thing that's for sure is that it's a tea that divides people. Even the master blender at a tea tasting I attended said it was the only type of tea that he personally didn't like.

Undeterred, when I returned home I ordered some loose-leaf Pu-erh (it also comes in a 'cake') and looked forward to recreating the San Francisco experience in the comfort of my own home. Needless to say I didn't. The tea tasted far too earthy, in fact on the verge of mouldy, and was a total disappointment. I'd sort of sworn myself off it deciding that my meagre knowledge wasn't enough to guarantee I could buy a Pu-erh I would actually like.

I happened to mention my experience to Tim at Postcard Teas last time I was there and he very kindly gave me a sample of his loose leaf 1992 Vintage Pu-erh to take home and try. But here was the crucial bit, he told me not only that I could make multiple infusions - something I always do with teas anyway - but that I may actually prefer the taste if I rinsed the Pu-erh before even trying an infusion.

As so often where tea is concerned Tim was spot on. I came home, rinsed the leaves in hot but not boiling water and then made the first infusion. When I drank it there I was transported back to the Ferry Building in sunny San Francisco. It was pretty exciting to realise that the simple act of rinsing the leaves had massively improved the flavour. I guess it's one of those little idiosyncrasies that makes tea such an endless source of fascination. For me it's not really an everyday tea, but it's certainly a special treat to enjoy when the mood takes me. So although it's something of an exaggeration to say I've 'mastered' Puerh, I have at least managed to find a way to enjoy drinking it again. And that's good enough for me.

Viennese Style in the Heart of Berlin

2009-11-29T21:00:00.006Z

It may not be trendy but I don't care. Where afternoon tea is concerned I'm quite happy to be a bit of an old fogey. I'm talking about one of my favourite spots for cake in Berlin, Opernpalais on Unter Den Linden. It's actually a restaurant that's open all day but it is, unsurprisingly, the afternoon tea I'm interested in. Of course it's more properly a kaffee und kuchen place but thankfully they have a really good choice of tea - and in truth their kaffee is not that fantastic, even Coffee Boy opts for tea so that gives you some idea...

They serve Ronnefeldt tea which comes in a bag, although a rather fancy schmancy muslin-style bag. And like so many of the teas that seem to be served in Berlin the leaves within are of a really pretty good quality. But in this establishment, although the tea is good it's the cake that it's really worth making a fuss about.

As you enter the finely decorated Viennese-style dining room you pass a huge case full of the most amazing looking cakes. From creamy gâteaux to fruit tarts and pies to the most amazing traditional Sachertorte. After quite a few visits, purely for research purposes you understand, I have found my absolute favourite. It's called Grillparzer Torte and it's so good both Coffee Boy and I feel compelled to have a slice each when we visit. It's a cake I've never spotted anywhere else in Berlin: a sumptuous riot of chocolate, praline, marzipan and with just a hint of what tastes like orange. Every time I go I plan to try something else but given that I don't get to go there that often I find it hard to resist the lure of my old favourite.

On my most recent visit on a typically wet and grey October day, I had an extra special treat. not only was the Grillparzer Torte as delicious as ever, but my Assam tea actually came served with a jug of cold milk - yes cold! As any of you who have ordered tea in Germany will know it's usually accompanied by a small jug of hot frothy milk so I considered this quite a treat. Whether it was a one off I will only be able to tell on a return visit which I shall endeavor to make in the next couple of months. You see, what ever else you might say about me, you can't say I'm not committed to the afternoon tea cause.

Tea in The Garden

2009-11-18T15:32:00.002Z

A couple of weekends ago, Coffee Boy and I decided to treat ourselves to a posh afternoon tea. The weather had just started to turn and we felt like dressing up and having a pleasant afternoon out - although in truth I don't really need any kind of excuse to go out for tea. It being a last minute decision we had no chance of getting into one of the usual suspects on the afternoon tea circuit, so we opted for the Covent Garden Hotel. Although we hadn't been there before we know a few of its sister hotels and really like their laid-back vibe.

It turns out that the Covent Garden is no exception and when we arrvied there were only a few other tables of people taking tea - including a group of about twenty adults and small children who seemed to be there for one of the kids' birthday party. Sorry if I sound like some kind of old fogey here but what's wrong with a trip to a farm? Or pass-the-parcel in the local village hall? Anyway, I digress.

We took our table - thankfully some distance away from the children's party - and ordered the Afternoon Tea. We both went for Assam as we wanted something robust to stand up against the inevitable onslaught of sugar we realised we were about to face. And it turned out to be a wise choice.

Our rather funky (in the cool sense American readers!) cake stand when it arrived was a perfect fit for the hotel. Made of blue tinted glass and steel yet still featuring an old-fashioned three tiers, it pretty much encapsulated the sense of unstuffy specialness that these hotels seem to exude. And what was on that stand was pretty special too.

We had a selection of sandwiches including cream cheese and cucumber and smoked salmon - there were meaty offerings too which we naturally declined; still-warm scones, some plain and some with chocolate chips, which was a first for me, served with a selection of jams and clotted cream; blueberry tarts; chocolate eclairs; fruit cake; brownies; a selection of berries, including some dipped in chocolate; and if all that wasn't enough there were two full sized vanilla cupcakes. It was clearly going to be quite a feast so imagine our surprise when our waitress informed us that we could ask for extra sandwiches or scones. Nonetheless, we managed to work our way slowly through the huge selection of food. Although not as slowly as the two women sitting near us who looked like they might have been planning on moving straight on to breakfast by the time they would be finished!

It really was a good selection, and I particularly liked the fruit which helped to cleanse the palate - and gave a vague sense that your five-a-day wasn't completely out the window. Everything was well made and tasty, the only slightly bum note being the cupcakes which were a bit fluffy and bland for my liking. That's not to say there wasn't enough richness going on on the plates but if you're going to do a cupcake, do it properly. But that certainly didn't detract from the overall experience. It was pleasing that the tea was a good quality loose-leaf variety and there was plenty of it - no namby pamby pot for one here: rather a proper sized teapot each.

It wasn't a cheap afternoon out costing £23.50 a head, but it was very much a whole afternoon. I find that whereas a lunch can easily be over in an hour or so, a good afternoon tea can go on for the best part of a day. So in that sense it represents pretty good value. Also, I personally love the styling in the hotel: bold colours and fabrics; wooden floors; eclectic furniture - it feels young and trendy but still cozy. I also liked the fact there were no tourists there - not that I have anything against visitors, after all I find myself being one on every trip abroad - but it doesn't feel like it's one of those "traditions" that no one actually partakes in except tourists looking for an "authentic experience".

All round, I can recommend afternoon tea at the Covent Garden Hotel, and having had good eating experiences in their sister restaurants I can imagine the others being worth a visit as well. In fact, I notice on their website that the Haymarket Hotel offers a similar afternoon tea for £17 per head. Given that that's even closer to home I may find myself visiting some weekend when I'm at a loose end and need to while away a few hours in a sugary haze. Well, we all need our little bit of escapism don't we?

The Best Tea Shop in London

2009-11-10T15:23:00.002Z

I don't know why it's taken so long for me to write this post. I have been visiting this shop for quite a while now but something has stopped me writing it about it. Perhaps in some deep part of my soul I wanted to keep it just for myself; or maybe I was wary of sounding a bit too fawning. Either way, it can't carry on. I cannot write a blog about tea and not talk about the wonderful Postcard Teas.

Everything about this little "tea gallery" just off swanky Bond Street is lovely: a few well-chosen accessories; a display of beautiful handmade fans and tea caddies; and one large table that encourages you to chat to your fellow tea-drinkers. But there is no doubt that in this shop the star of the show is the tea. It's run by the delightful Tim d'Offay who travels all over Asia hunting out the very best teas from the finest plantations. And it shows. Every single tea I have tasted or bought in the shop has been fantastic.

Given the location, sampling tea in this temple to the brew is amazingly reasonable. The vast majority of teas cost around £1.50 a cup to drink. But if you then decide to buy that tea Tim takes the cost of the cuppa off of your final bill. So effectively you get a beautiful cup of tea for nothing! The only slight negative is that they have recently stopped serving cake which although disappointing does mean that nothing detracts from the taste of the tea.

There are so many fine teas in the shop that I couldn't possibly cover them all in one post. And the fantastic news is that they are not ridiculously expensive. For instance, my absolute desert island tea is a blend Tim created himself called Mayfair Breakfast. It's a blend of black teas from India & Sri Lanka mixed with a Taiwanese white tipped oolong which adds an amazingly refreshing quality. My dependence is so complete I can scarcely function in the morning without at least one cup. And at just £4.50 for a 50g refill pouch I don't have to deny myself. The price feels even more of a bargain when you consider that Tim has created teas for Harrods, Selfridges and luxury companies such as Asprey and Miller Harris.

Postcard Teas have leaves of every type and hue and all of them are very reasonably priced. They even have a couple of fantastic infusions. For real tea connoisseurs they stock a selection of Master Teas which I'm looking forward to progressing to, and to help me get there they also offer regular tea tastings. All in all it is the ultimate tea fan's destination in London. A place to go and share your enthusiasm not just with the helpful and very knowledgeable Tim but with the other enthusiasts who seem to frequent the shop.

If you're wondering about the name, it's possible, either in the shop or online, to buy your tea in a specially sealed pouch which can be written on and posted just like a normal postcard. It's a really nice idea and seems to me the perfect way to spread the word about this wonderful shop.

So there, I've done it. I've let you in on my tea secret. I really do urge you to get on down to the shop, or if you're too far away pay a visit to the website. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Birthday Tea Bonanza

2009-11-06T20:30:00.003Z

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I had started a new job a few days before so I decided not to make it a "big one". Instead I gathered together a couple of my loved ones and headed to Saf Restaurant in Shoreditch. It is an amazing vegan raw food place, which I realise may not sound like the most wonderful thing - but it really was. And not only was the food great but the rather fantastic mixologist behind the bar created a special tea cocktail for me!

But that's not what I'm here to write about. Instead I'm here to show off and give thanks for all the wonderful tea-related birthday gifts I received. My sister went to town and got me a gorgeous tea cup and infuser in one, a highly recommended book on the history of tea, and some Korean Sparrow's Tongue tea leaves (which I'll let you know about later); my parents got me a lovely white crackle-glaze china tea set; Miss O, who had clearly been paying attention to my reactions on our visit to the London Review Cake Shop, got me the lovely glass Gong Fu tea set from Jing Tea; and Coffee Boy got me a very nice bone china mug with Battersea Power Station on (it's one of my favourite London landmarks) and a day's cupcake making course. I do suspect an ulterior motive as he has already instructed me to be sure and bring back all the goodies I make there, but nonetheless I'm really looking forward to it.

So all in all it was a pretty great birthday. And it made me realise just how lucky I am to have friends and family who care about me - and my tea obsession.

Good Books and Great Tea

2009-10-28T10:30:00.003Z

When I recently visited the Hidden Tea Room one of the great pleasures was talking with other guests about our favourite tea spots. The birthday girl who was one of our number recommended the London Review Cake Shop to me. She told me it was near to her work place and was one of her regular haunts. I mentioned it to my tea buddy Miss O and she confirmed that she had heard great things about their cakes so we decided to meet there and sample their wares for ourselves.

The Cake Shop is located in, or more specifically alongside, the London Review of Books Bookshop in Bloomsbury. It's a nice space painted in calming greys and whites, with five small tables for two and one large table that seats eight in total. Despite the fact we'd arranged to meet at 3pm, hoping to arrive after the lunch rush and before the tea one, when we got there all of the small tables were already taken. Thankfully there were still a few spaces on the large table so we grabbed a corner and started examining the tea menu. And what a tea menu it was with offerings from Jing Tea, Postcard Teas & Mariage Freres.

Usually when Miss O and I meet it's a strictly sweet affair but as neither of us had had lunch we decided to start with something savoury. Testament to the shop's popularity there wasn't much left but Miss O went for the chorizo tortilla and the extremely helpful waitress said she was happy to put something veggie together for me. And she didn't disappoint. She arrived with a beautifully put together plate of salads featuring such delights as chick peas, rich tomatoes, marinated peppers and moist aubergines. Alongside it were two pieces of fresh toast loaded with bean pate, ricotta and a lovely tomatoey sauce. It really was a good start. To go with it I had a Flowering Osmanthus Tea which came served in Jing Tea's gorgeous little glass teapot set but as an added bonus there was a pot of hot water so I could enjoy as many cups as I liked. It was a really delicate tea and was a perfect foil to the rich flavours of the dish.

After a while we decided it was time to move on to the important stuff - the cakes. They don't overwhelm you with choice, offering perhaps four or five cakes but boy are those cakes good! We chose a Date & Walnut cake which came served with clotted cream and it was unbelievably lovely. In fact it was probably the moistest cake I have ever tried. It's funny because my slight reservation before ordering it was that date and walnut cakes are often somewhat on the dry side - but not this one: it really was excellent. The other sweet thing we went for was just too intriguing to pass up. A plate of Vanilla Madeleines served with a hot compote of pear and ginger and a good dollop of double cream. It was gorgeous, if a little difficult to eat, and quite unlike anything I had tried before. To accompany these delights I opted for a full bodied Ceylon tea which washed everything down very well.

As I was checking out the menu I also noticed with some glee that they serve Monmouth coffee in the shop which means it will be very easy for me to convince Coffee Boy to accompany me on my next visit. The only slight negative to the whole experience was the service. After the initial waitress left we had a very friendly but somewhat scatty woman who forgot our tea order both times. She did try to make up for it by bringing us a little plate of biscuits on each occasion but if I had been under any kind of time pressure I think it would have been a bit annoying. As it was we weren't in a rush and, in fact, we were having such fun that we ended up being the last people in the shop. It really was a very nice place to spend three and a half hours(!) and I suspect I'll be returning fairly soon. So thank you Birthday Girl - you weren't wrong, it is a really lovely cafe.

Come Over to Keemun

2009-10-20T22:37:00.002+01:00

Regular readers will know that I have never claimed to be a tea expert, just a very keen enthusiast. My tea education is a constant source of pleasure and excitement and a recent discovery is no exception. I love all sorts of tea but if it's first thing in the morning, or I'm having a slice of cake, it has to be black tea. I have a few blends that I really love but if I'm going pure I generally stick to a malty Assam or a refreshing Darjeeling. Indian black teas are where it's always been at for me. If I'm in the mood I do like a Lapsang Souchong but on the whole I've always found black teas from China to be a bit lacking in depth for my taste.

Well how wrong I was. I have recently discovered Keemun tea. I realise that for many of you Keemun will be old news but for me it's been something of a revelation. I'm aware that it's often an ingredient in breakfast blends but I'd never tried it in its pure form. That all changed this week when my parents brought me a couple of packs of Jacksons of Piccadilly tea that they had found discounted to the bargain price of £1 each. One of them was a Keemun and, being rather short of black tea, I made myself a cup that very afternoon.

What a pleasant surprise! I instantly realised I had been unfairly maligning Chinese black tea based on a few rather average blends that I've tried. This Keemun, by a well-known but not necessarily great tea company, was really something. Rounded and rich with a flavour that reminded me of a Lapsang without the intense smokiness. I've read descriptions of Keemun having a floral taste but that wasn't something I detected in this particular tea. Instead it was ever so slightly piney and had a certain something which reminded me of green tea - perhaps not surprising in that Keemun is grown in a province of China that until the late nineteenth century only produced green tea.

So there we are. A whole new world of tea opened up to me. And the really exciting thing is I can now buy Keemun from some of my favourite tea shops and compare aromas, colours and tastes. It's a tough job writing this blog but someone has to do it...

Great Tea for All

2009-10-15T12:45:00.002+01:00

I'm never happier than when I'm having a good cup of tea, except perhaps when I'm having a good cup of tea with a good friend. One of my favourite spots to meet for an unpretentious afternoon tea is Yumchaa in Soho.

I first heard about Yumchaa at the Duke of York market just off the King's Road in Chelsea. My interest in tea was just starting to blossom when I discovered their stall with a huge selection of tea and an incredibly enthusiastic salesperson. I went back regularly and over the months developed quite a taste for their Red Chai - a lovely spiced Indian tea made with Rooibos and therefore perfect for a late night drink. On a whim I checked out their website and discovered they had a tea room in Camden and another branch in Soho.

It took, oooh, minutes before I decided to head over to the W1 cafe and I wasn't disappointed. It's a low-key room with bare brick walls, an eau de nil counter and mismatched tables and chairs. The real star of the show though is the tea. The counter is adorned with loads of little jugs containing a sample of each of the different tea leaves for you to smell - a great touch which should make choosing easier but actually makes it even harder! There is everything from Traditional English Breakfast to Lapsang Souchong but what I think marks Yumchaa out as somewhere a little different is the selection of flavoured teas. A particularly favourite of Coffee Boy's is their Caramel Sweetheart - a black Keemun tea with an intense caramel hit. It's a tiny bit sickly for me but the Berry Berry Nice based on a Rooibos and packed with such lovely things as strawberries, blueberries, vanilla and rose petals is absolutely delicious served as an iced tea.

When it comes to afternoon tea though I'm something of a traditionalist so last time I visited I opted for an Earl Grey and my friend, who I've written about so many times now I'm going to have to give her a moniker - Miss O (for Oh My Goodness, What An Incredible Cook!), chose a Sencha green tea with apple, cinnamon and almond, delightfully titled Wanderlust. She was very happy with her choice and I found my Earl Grey to be really bright and refreshing. Given that we were there for a catch-up we felt it would be rude not to indulge in a slice of cake or two. We chose an incredibly moist Organic Carrot Cake and, what has since become something of an obsession for me, a Toffee Fruit Cake. Normally fruit cake is the last thing I would go for but the word toffee was enough to sway me and I'm very glad it did. It was absolutely fantastic: gooey; packed with moist fruit; and with a delicious caramel undertone.

One of the lovely things about coming to Yumchaa is that it doesn't have to be just a special treat. Our two pots of tea and two generous slices of cake came to less than £8 which I think is incredibly good value, especially given the location. What was even nicer was that towards closing time (we had been there rather a while) the lovely chap behind the counter offered us another piece of cake each as "we'd been such good customers and they would only go to waste if they weren't eaten". We were pretty full but couldn't turn down such generosity. We managed to squeeze down one more piece between us and I took home the other for Coffee Boy who was equally impressed.

Yumchaa isn't necessarily a place for the tea purist - the flavoured teas, although fun, might not be to everyone's taste. But for anyone that wants an unpretentious cuppa and slice of cake in the centre of town at a reasonable price this place is definitely worth a visit. In fact, let's put it this way: since discovering it there is no other tea shop I've visited more often. And I can't say more than that!

Secret Pleasures

2009-10-08T13:30:00.009+01:00

Last weekend I got a chance to attend a secret tea event. When I read about the Hidden Tea Room in a magazine recently it sounded as if it was designed just for me. An underground tea party hosted by a afternoon tea enthusiast in their own home. I immediately tried to make a reservation only to discover that they were fully booked until December. But last week fortune smiled on me when the hostess Lady Gray emailed to offer me a place thanks to a last minute cancellation. So on Sunday afternoon Coffee Boy and I rocked up to a secret location in EC1 and after giving the password were escorted through labyrinthine halls to a flat high above the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

I hadn't really known what to expect but I had a vague idea that the flat was going to be super-swish and owned by someone terribly rich who did this as a little hobby or it was going to be artsy and eclectic and bursting with bohemian chic. In fact the venue was neither of those things - it was actually the kind of flat that I could imagine myself or any number of my friends living in: nice but decidedly normal. We started the afternoon on the terrace (quite a luxury in central London) where the group got to know each other over a glass of champagne and an absolutely delicious cheddar biscuit - which actually reminded me in texture of a cheesy rock bun.

There were twelve of us, not including Lady Gray and her husband, and I suppose that is the real excitement/risk of an event like this. What will your companions be like? Coffee Boy was initially concerned to be the only male guest but the last group of four to arrive included two others so he didn't feel too much like he'd stumbled into a hen weekend. We were all twenty or thirty somethings and came from locations as diverse as Bethnal Green and Australia. Everyone was very smiley but, inevitably, it took a little while for everyone to relax.

Once we'd all eagerly scoffed our appetiser we moved inside to the dining room which had a large table set for the twelve of us and a bookcase absolutely stuffed with cookbooks of all kinds. Lady Gray then told us how the Hidden Tea Room came about and asked us to take our pick from the impressively extensive tea menu. There were teas of every hue from black to green and blue to herbal infusions - all pleasingly loose leaf. I chose a Darjeeling and Coffee boy went for the Afternoon Tea blend and in a few minutes our own full-size individual teapots (hallelujah) arrived along with our sandwiches. There was a really good selection, including for veggies, with each of us having four different crustless sandwich fingers. Then to prepare us for the upcoming sugar-fest we were served a beautiful bowl of palate cleansing mango and pineapple sorbet. It was incredibly refreshing and certainly whetted my appetite for what was to come next.

We began our selection of sweet things with some lovely, still warm, mini scones. Sadly they were plain but Lady Gray explained that she mixes it up and chose to forgo fruit on this particular day - just my luck! But they were served with proper clotted cream and a choice of either strawberry or blackcurrant jam which almost made up for it. Next up Lady Gray brought out two cupcake stands filled with vanilla and red velvet cupcakes. One of the guests was having a birthday and the hosts brought out a single cupcake with a candle which seemed to go down well. Just as everyone was starting to feel full to bursting out came plates of shortbread, lemon drizzle cake and incredibly rich toffee brownies. I have to say as a group we were well and truly defeated. We didn't manage to finish any of the sweet offerings - and believe me we all gave it our best shot.

Finally, and perhaps my favourite part, we were served beautiful flowering jasmine tea with a fantastic truffle - just in case we hadn't had enough chocolate... It was such a lovely idea to finish the very rich afternoon off with a delicate tea - even if it was accompanied by a truffle - that it inspired me to finally buy those glass teacups I've been coveting.

It was quite an afternoon, and no mean feat for the hosts to keep a disparate group happy for the best part of four hours. Obviously a lot of the enjoyment came from the fantastic baked goods on offer but I certainly felt lucky to have such a nice bunch of people to chat to. How it would be if you had more trying companions I don't know. Lady Gray's husband (Lord Gray? Earl Gray?) told me that they had had really nice people so far but I can't help thinking it would ruin the enjoyment if you had a real bore next to you. But I guess that's all part of the fun with the underground restaurant movement - you never quite know what you're going to get.

My one slight reservation is the price. At £25 per head, paid in advance, it's not cheap. And although there was no question that lots of time and thought and effort had been put into the afternoon, I do think that some people may find £50 for two people a lot to spend. Afternoon teas in London's top hotels are usually in the region of £30 per person and for that you are getting to sit in some pretty sumptuous surroundings. Although the food and drink at the Hidden Tea Room was every bit as good as you would get in those other venues and the crockery and cutlery were all top notch, the surroundings are much more down to earth. That may very well be the appeal for many people - and I'm never one to pass up the chance at a nose around someone else's home - but if you are wanting a really luxurious environment, perhaps for a special occasion, this may not be quite right for you. The whole experience was like going to a delicious afternoon tea party hosted by a friend who is an excellent cook. The only difference in this case is that you don't know the friend or any of the other guests. It really was quite an experience.

Don't Be Fooled: This is Tea Hell

2009-10-04T11:23:00.007+01:00

Firstly, I must apologise for my recent absence. But I have a good excuse. I've been away in what can only be described as tea hell. I was on the Spanish island of Fuertaventura in the Canaries and in my week there I didn't drink a single cup of tea. Before I left for my trip I actually contemplated taking with me some loose leaf tea and a little infuser but stopped myself on the grounds that I couldn't cope with being one of those English people that thinks you can only get a decent cup of tea at home - my trips to Germany have shown that to be far from true. Sadly, in terms of tourist Spain it looks like those tea-carrying people could be right.

True, there were PG Tips & Tetley teabags in the local supermarket but if you're looking for a really decent cup of tea it seems that Fuertaventura is not the place to find it. I am constantly amazed at the way that cafes outside of the UK have a varied supply of tea bags that seem to be English: Lipton; Big Ben; etc. But despite the names they're brands that you never get served in a cafe here. Anyway, deciding that no tea was better than bad tea I stuck to other things - mainly water given the sweltering temperatures.

So when I got home a couple of days ago I was gagging for a cuppa and was somewhat disappointed to discover that Coffee Boy had finished off two of my favourite black teas. Not to be dissuaded from my mission I blended a couple of my more robust teas - an Assam Superb from Fortnum & Mason and a really tasty Ceylon Tea that a friend brought me back from Sri Lanka - and fired up the kettle.

A few long minutes later there it was, a good old cup of tea. It was delicious. And I haven't really stopped drinking tea since I got back. In the three days I've been home I've crammed in a pu erh, a white tea with jasmine, an oolong and numerous cups of black tea with milk. I really don't want to turn into someone that takes Branston Pickle, Marmite and Heinz Baked Beans on holiday but next time I go to the kind of tourist destination that is beloved of people who don't want to eat and drink "foreign muck" I'll be the one with a small tin of tea in my suitcase. And if it's the first step down a slippery slope so be it: a really good cup of tea is a treat too fantastic to go without.

A Beautiful Boîte

2009-09-13T14:06:00.010+01:00

I have to admit to a secret longing. It's been nine months now and I feel I have to come clean. At the beginning of the year I was visiting friends in the Czech Republic and whilst hanging out in their kitchen I spotted a gorgeous tea tin that had come from shop in Paris. It was a lovely flat oval shape and when you pulled back the sliding lid, there beneath it was another lid which you pulled off using a little handle. I didn't even try the tea inside but the tin lodged there in my psyche just waiting for a chance to assert itself.

Over the past few months Coffee Boy has mentioned popping to Paris a number of times: he used to live there and I spent about half my time there for eight months or so. We haven't been for years and although I'm always up for a trip pretty much anywhere, I have to admit the knowledge that I would be able to get one of these tins of tea made me just that little bit more enthusiastic. Anyway, what with one thing and another we haven't yet managed to take the Eurostar over for the weekend so I was pretty excited when my lovely foodie friend (the one who cooked us amazing dim sum) told me she was going and she'd be happy to pick a tin up for me.

This may all seem rather ridiculous when you look at the Fauchon website for yourself and see that they do mail order at a fairly reasonable price. I'm not sure I can explain it but ordering a tin of tea from Paris felt like a ridiculous extravagance whereas picking one up if I or a friend happened to be there seemed completely reasonable. I know it doesn't make much sense but it works for me!

Thankfully my friend had planned to visit the "luxury food store" anyway so bringing home one of their beautiful black and white bags wasn't too much trouble for her. And now, finally, I have my very own lovely Fauchon tin of tea. I chose the Green Tea with Mint as it was something I didn't have and, more importantly it's something that always reminds me of Paris as one of my favourite places to go is the mosque in the 5th Arrondisment where they serve Moroccan mint tea and cakes. I have tried, and failed, to make the tea at home before but I have to say this tea lets me get pretty close to the nectar they serve there. I have to admit it's an unexpected bonus - I was so fixated on having one of the tins I almost forgot about the tea inside! So my longing has been satisfied, but there's just one problem: my friend told me about another shop right near Fauchon which she described as pretty much a heaven for tea lovers. So despite my best efforts, it seems like we'll have to make that trip to Paris after all...

From Disappointment to Delight

2009-09-05T12:34:00.010+01:00

I'm no longer on the beautiful Baltic island of Usedom but I didn't feel I could totally leave my lovely holiday behind until I told you about a search I made for some reputedly fantastic cake. As I've already mentioned, Coffee Boy and I were really enjoying our little cycle rides into the wooded interior of the island and our eyes lit up when we read about a forester's hut that served "the best cake on the island". Naturally we set off straight away.

We headed along the coastal cycle path and then climbed up into a series of picturesque little villages full of thatched cottages that overlooked bucolic lakes. We'd mapped out a route for ourselves that turned out to be somewhat hillier than we had intended but we were determined to reach our goal and kept pushing on. The first low point came when we realised that we had passed the turning to the cake spot about twenty minutes and two hills earlier. Undeterred we decided to continue with our route and swing back round to the cafe a little later. This we did and although the route wasn't as lovely as some we had cycled the promise of delicious cake was enough to keep us going. Finally, at about 4pm - afternoon tea time no less - we coasted down a hill through the cool shady forest until we stumbled across the little wooden forester's hut, surrounded by flowers and plants and looking every inch a dream location. But then came the second, frankly crushing, disappointment: it was shut.

To say I was furious doesn't perhaps convey the full extent of my mood at that moment. We had deliberately checked the opening times in our guide book before setting off and had been pleased to note that it was open daily. When I saw that the little board outside the cafe indeed confirmed that it was "Open Daily" I was verging on apoplectic to note that beneath it was another sign reading - "Closed Mondays". After a ten minute rant about the incompatibility of these two statements I was encouraged to, literally, get on my bike and head for home.

Given that the forester's hut was some way from the village we were staying in and the cycle ride to get there hadn't been one of our favourites we mentally waved goodbye to any hope of experiencing this fabled cake-lover's dream. But a couple of days later whilst trying to purchase gifts for my family, who were very kindly dog-sitting for us, I remembered how much I hated shopping and suggested we give it another go.

We tried a different route that was thankfully an altogether more enjoyable experience and along the way discovered a lovely patch of forest we hadn't seen before. This time, when we finally arrived at Forsthaus Fangel, it was not only open but there was a queue! So thrilled were we that we'd finally made it, we simply waited our turn and when a table became free we didn't even mind that it was inside. The menu listed about twelve different sorts of cake, all of them homemade, and judging by the tables around us the most popular were the fruit tarts. With that in mind I chose a gooseberry tart with a pot of tea and Coffee Boy went for a sour cherry tart with a pot of coffee. As it had taken so much effort to get there we further rewarded ourselves with a side order of whipped cream.

Ordinarily, when a teapot arrives with a little string coming out of it denoting some mass produced tea bag hiding inside my heart sinks a little. But this time the cake that accompanied said tea looked so amazing I hardly even noticed. Both of our fruit tarts were about three inches thick, with most of that being fruit. My beautiful green gooseberries were offset by a topping of candy pink icing and the sour cherry tart had a thick dusting of icing sugar. The cakes tasted just as delicious as they looked: not overly sweet thanks to the sharpness of the fruit but rich and of the absolutely perfect consistency. My Assam tea wasn't much more than warm and wet but Coffee Boy let me try a sip of his coffee which was so good I had to concede that coffee and cake wasn't a totally terrible idea.

As the sugar rush hit all the trial and tribulations of getting to that point were forgotten. And as we finished off we noted with some smugness that the homemade cakes were only sold there in the cafe which made it all seem even more worthwhile. In fact, I don't know if it was the energy from the, likely thousands of, calories we'd consumed or just the joy at having found such fantastic cake so far off the beaten track, but the cycle ride home was one of the most enjoyable of the holiday. So my advice is this: if one summer you find yourself near the Baltic coast in Germany, make the effort to visit this cake paradise. I cannot believe that any of you would be disappointed. Just one reminder: don't go on a Monday.