In Praise of Black Forest Gâteaux

I have been absent from this blog for some time. A combination of work and lack of inspiration has kept me away - apologies for that. But finally I have been driven to write by a truly awesome cake experience.

I've always been a fan of unfashionable food: fondue - one of my favourites; cheese and pineapple hedgehogs - a party nibble of choice; and now Black Forest Gâteaux. I have to admit I've always been a fan in theory. The combination of chocolate, cherry and cream - I mean, what's not to like? But more often than not they're of the light and tasteless variety and never offer enough of a chocolate or cherry hit to be really satisfying. But recently I enjoyed a Black Forest Gâteau - or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte as they're known in German-speaking countries - so delicious I'm ready to spearhead a one-woman revival.

Tea on the Go

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.

Review: Mariage Frères, Paris

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.

A Sad Time

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.

Tea and Chocolate - A Dream Combination

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.

Iced Matcha Latte in Style

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.

An Ace Iced Tea

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.

Maid in Japan

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.

Japanese Tea - The Bitter & The Sweet

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.

Global Communitea

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?

Tea is the Best Medicine

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.

Mastering Pu-erh

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.

Don't Be Fooled: This is Tea Hell

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.

From Disappointment to Delight

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.

An Idyll by a Lake

Having recently spent many hours of our holiday sitting on/walking along /cycling by the gorgeous beach at the end of our road we decided to take a cycle ride into the interior of the island. There are a whole series of cycle routes marked out and we chose one through a wood just a couple of miles from our little house. It was a lovely cycle ride – although I now realise that people have different definitions of “really flat” - and in the 25 degree heat it was nice to be in the shade whizzing along through the cool dappled light. After climbing a gentle hill we came coasting down to a beautiful lake surrounded by trees; and there on the shore was a guest house, appropriately called Idyll am Wolgastsee. After our exertions we thought we deserved a little refreshment and found a shady seat on the terrace overlooking the lake.

Baltic Tea Heaven

So my amazement at the quality of tea in Germany continues. I am currently holidaying on the island of Usedom in the Baltic Sea: it's very beautiful and when the sun's out – which luckily it has been – the five mile beach of powdered sand is close to idyllic. But imagine my surprise yesterday when after a short bike ride to the town of Heringsdorf virtually the first thing I see is the speciality “Old Pomeranian Tea House”. Packed to the rafters with large caddies containing everything from fourteen types of green tea to around thirty “classic” black teas – it really was pretty astounding. They also stocked loads of flavoured and herbal teas, most of which had a few too many flavours and aromas to really take my fancy, although I was tempted by an interesting sounding Chai. As well as hundreds of teas the shop also sold loads of tins, teapots, cups and pretty much every other sort of tea accessory you could hope for. On the whole they were a little chintzy for my taste, but nonetheless there was no doubt that this was an impressive tea shop - and let's remember it's located in a tiny town on a small island in the Baltic. But here's the real shocker: a mile and a half cycle ride along the sea front is Ahlbeck, another little town with, wait for it, another tea shop! What is going on here? Have I stumbled into tea heaven? Although in truth I suspect that I would find a similar picture all over Germany – would that I could say the same for Britain. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make the most of it while I'm here. I'll keep you posted about what other tea delights I stumble upon.

A Tea Tin Paradise

For a nation of tea lovers us Brits really could learn a thing or twelve from our German cousins. I am currently in Berlin (which accounts for my recent lack of posts) and am constantly amazed by the superior facilities for the tea obsessive. As I've mentioned before I am a big fan of the tea accessory and none is higher on my list of must-haves than the attractive tea tin. I have searched high and low for nice tins in the UK and although I've managed to find some good ones online it certainly hasn't been too easy. You would expect that department stores like John Lewis or the considerably more gift-oriented Fortnum and Mason might have them, but no, they are completely bereft. Here in Germany it's a different matter altogether.

My Cornish Sweetheart

I think my love affair with afternoon tea began when I was eleven or twelve during a family holiday to Cornwall. We spent an entire month in St Ives lazing on the beach, jumping in the surf and, most importantly, indulging in traditional Cornish Cream Teas. So when a family wedding took me back down to Cornwall last weekend it seemed like the perfect opportunity to rekindle my first love. I was a bit pushed for time over the weekend but just before heading home I found myself with an hour to spare and grabbed my chance. The wonderful thing about Cornwall is that while in, for instance, London, one may need to seek out the afternoon tea, reading reviews, booking tables, travelling across town, etc. in Cornwall signs advertising cream teas are everywhere. I was staying in Newquay and decided to pop into Nile's Bakery on the main street; it was apparently established in 1955 and looked homely and fairly traditional.