The London Chapter

My move to London brings with it a brand new blog. From now on in you can find me over at The London Chapter.

A bientôt Bath

Here’s a toast to the next chapter and my last weekend in this special city. The place I’ve called home for the past 5 years; the place which will feel like home for many years to come; and the place which one day I’ll hopefully come home to.

Crunchy granola

I found this recipe late on Friday night and come 11am on Saturday I’d rustled up two jars of the crunchy stuff. You can mix and match the nuts and dried fruit; mine has chopped brazil nuts, raisins and sunflower seeds. I had a big handful this morning sprinkled over natural yoghurt with Yeo Valley blackberry compote.  Breakfast for the foreseeable future is sorted.

 

A Thursday evening

This evening I headed down one of Bath’s many cobbled streets to The Canary Gin and Wine Bar. I thoroughly recommend trying their refreshing Gin Garden cocktail before the summer’s out.

Pistachio Loaf Cake

You should never judge a book my its cover but you should definitely judge this cake by its prettiness. I love the way the green pistachio looks against the white of the drizzling icing sugar.

 Recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days cookbook. 

Sunday

This spot in this city is one of my favourites. Bath has turned inside out over the last few years and is now overspilling with restaurants, bars and coffee shops all embracing a more continental culture. This particular hub of eateries is built within the old railway arches of Bath train station so its location is second to none for people watching. There’s no better way to start a Sunday than with one of Bertinet’s almond pain au chocolats and a couple of hours taking in the surroundings.

 

Weekend brunch

Breakfast at Stokes in Stockbridge is a relatively new family tradition but one I hope will continue for many years. Stokes is just the place to enjoy a leisurely weekend brunch. The coffee is strong, the decor is cool and the eggs benedict is fantastic.

 

That’s a wrap

Oh my…it’s a big shout but I reckon this might just be the tastiest thing I’ve ever cooked. Nothing could have prepared me for the juicy, tender, sticky, messy first mouthful of this lamb flatbread wrap. I followed the recipe below, marinating the lamb neck fillet for about 24 hours – it’s amazing how doing so can transform a typically tough cut to a melt in the mouth consistency. I pretty much freestyled from there, adding roasted cherry tomatoes and a minty yoghurt dip, and wrapping it all up in my first ever homemade flatbread. I quartered this Jamie recipe and they turned out like a dream. I’m begging you, try it for yourself – you won’t be disappointed.

 

These biscuits

This book; these biscuits. I’ve often thought that when I have children and grandchildren, this will be the recipe that passes down generation to generation. Taken from ‘The Chocoholics Yearbook 1994’ I must have made these cookies more than 50 times. There’s only 4 ingredients but I still follow the recipe every time, dusting off the grease and flour that’s accumulated over the years and laughing at my younger self’s scribbles before I begin. Go on, give these a go. Follow the easy recipe and chuck them in the oven, or better still, just eat the mix straight off!

This morning

It’s a funny feeling travelling away from the place you call home, to visit the place that will become home in just a couple of months time. Especially when that means waving ‘a bientot’ to 5 years in beautiful Bath and diving head first into a new adventure in London. After months of back and forth, back and forth, today I feel a mix of warmth and anticipation as I travel east to the place that will soon become home.