Honey & Ricotta: July 2015

Friday, 31 July 2015

5 Things & 3 More

It's been a crazy busy last week in London which has mainly consisted of boxes, boxes and more boxes. Here are 5 happy moments from when we escaped the boxes:

1. Shiny, glossy locks thanks to Cheeky Hair

2. A final run round Victoria Park in the early morning sunshine

3. Midweek Champagne

4. Ducklings on the canal

5. Drinks and dinner with old friends

Needless to say, I have had no time to peak my head out of a box and do any interesting reading. I've probably missed a heap of interesting stuff: please do let me know below!

Happy weekend!

Friday, 24 July 2015

5 Things & 3 More

5 happy moments from my penultimate London week:

1. Calming breakfasts eaten amidst piles of boxes

2. Post-work juice with C

3. My new sausage dog keyring (thanks little C!)

4. B's banana bread

5. Mini loaf cakes

And 3 things to read if you have any spare minutes over the weekend:

1. The dangers of having coffee with a new acquaintance.

2. Underage models return to the runway. Cue: outrage and debate.

3. The unbreakable relationship between food and wine.

Happy weekend!

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

Celebration Cakes at Violet

Last Friday was a day free of work. A whole day taken off to celebrate B's amazing results, with maman and papa coming to join us too.

After watching an hour's worth of people be clapped across a stage in their purple LSE robes, a celebration slice of cake and a cup of tea was needed (before we headed out for the tastiest supper at Som Saa just across the park).

We sat outside under Violet's new peach awning, sipping mugs of tea and nibbling away at the most perfect cupcakes and layer cakes that London has to offer.

Violet Cakes, 47 Wilton Way, London, E8 3ED

Friday, 17 July 2015

5 Things & 3 More

I've got a long weekend ahead of me, with a Friday taken off work for celebrating B's graduation. That automatically makes it a good week, but here are 5 other happy moments from the last few days:

1. Podcasts on the way to work

2. Leftover birthday cake

3. B's happiness with his results

4. Monday drinks

5. Re-watching Outnumbered

And 3 things I want to share with you from around the wonderful web:

1. Talking to the Burger King, aka Mr Shake Shack.

2. Spectacular photos and a mini guide to Tokyo from Local Milk.

3. I'm planning on making a lot of this cold brew coffee when the sun decides to shine again.

Happy weekend friends!

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

The Marksman, Hackney Road

Last year, B's birthday fell on the day we moved flat. I had flu, we made at least 6 car trips back and forth between old and new flats with cars packed with our belongings, a few glasses were smashed, and birthday cake was eaten in the couple of spare minutes grabbed between towers of boxes, heaps of bags, and a lot of stairs.

This year, a proper birthday was in order, to make up for the non-event of the year before. His birthday was on a Sunday so a proper Sunday lunch was the birthday boy's request. The Marksman on Hackney Road re-opened a few weeks ago, and had had a rather swanky upgrade to a gastropub. We hadn't heard a bad word said about it, and, after the most perfect lunch there, we are certain we will never hear one.

The Marksman is an ideal Sunday lunch location: comforting pub design, without the smell of stale beer, without the stained carpets, without the soggy chips, and with the freshest, most balanced food, and a rather wonderful drinks menu to accompany all that.

B started with the much praised beef & barley bun with horseradish cream. It was doughy and light and fluffy and stuffed with succulent meat. Sitting alongside a dollop of horseradish cream, B couldn't have asked for a better birthday treat.

Chard, beans and goat's curd was surprisingly summery; fresh, zingy, with just the right amount of crunch.

The main events were roasts for us both. Pork shoulder for B and the most succulent roast chicken for me. Both pork and chicken were incredibly rich, juicy, tasty, and balanced atop sticky, sweet carrots, with crispy potatoes, simple, fresh cabbage, and a boat full of perfect gravy.

We were stuffed full but couldn't leave without sharing a slice of brown butter & honey tart. It takes some guts to serve a single slice of tart completely alone on the plate. But luckily the Marksman team had lots of guts, because this tart with a magical wobble, a deep, nutty flavour, and a great amount of sweetness, needed nothing else.

If we weren't leaving London in two weeks time, I'd say we'd be back very, very soon. But as it is, I've got to hope that the Marksman is still here, and still serving those roasts and that tart, when we come back in several years.

Highlight: Brown butter & honey tart

Lowlight: Service from people who know little about the amazing food and drink they're giving you.

The Marksman, 254 Hackney Road, London, E2 7SJ

Friday, 10 July 2015

5 Things & 3 More

5 happy things from the last 5 days:

1. Plum crumble

2. Wimbledon

3. Working through the to-do list

4. Gin & tonic

5. Emails from maman

3 things to read over the weekend:

1. Excited to put this perfect blueberry muffin recipe to the test

2. The process of printing a cookbook

3. Miffy shortbread!

Have a lovely time in the sunshine!

Monday, 6 July 2015

Tangerine Dream Café, Chelsea Physic Garden

It's only 4 weeks until we leave London for at least 4 years. As the departure day draws nearer, we think of more and more things we will miss, and are doing all we can to make the most of every last minute of the time we have left in this city. This sudden time limit has given us a huge drive to cross things off our London to-do list which have been sitting there for far too long. One of these things was a visit to Chelsea Physic Garden.

We ran off to the other side of town one Sunday morning, and were in need of a strong coffee and a slice of cake by the time we made it there. We'd been told by many that hidden away in these gardens was the most wonderful café. In fact, it was far more wonderful that we could ever have expected.

Entering the garden through a little side gate hidden in a wall off the busy main road, you pass by a blackboard telling you what time's today's tours are, you wind past the ticket hut, and past beds and beds of plants, flowers and herbs, until you reach a stone cottage at the back corner of the garden. Tables are scattered around outside, and inside is a simple long bench with a few cakes, a coffee machine, and a selection of teas. Being the early birds that we are, the cakes had barley been cut into yet. The wonderfully smiling staff told us what they had made that morning, and we ordered a slice of orange polenta cake, and a slice of courgette and walnut loaf, both with a generous dollop of the richest crème fraîche on the side.

Sitting outside with a mug of coffee and a slice of fresh, summery cake, surrounded by all the colours of the rainbow, it was one of the happiest London moments. There were many smiles and lots of laughter as we relished the hours we spent in this bountiful west-London garden, which won our hearts by serving one of the best pieces of cake London has to offer.