2013-05-22T18:34:31-04:00 Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=anna-berrill Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Anna Berrill Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2060355 2012-11-01T17:50:14-04:00 2013-01-01T05:12:01-05:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/ Great British Bake Off confirmed that we remain firmly in the grip of the baking boom. But whether you are inspired by bread baker Paul Hollywood's tricky plait-off in that nostalgic, picturesque tent, have a growing appetite for cookery shows, or simply taken to sipping the carmine-coloured drink du jour, Campari, as your evening tipple, has food become the new fashion?

Yes, there have always been 'trends' in food, just as on the catwalk, but there seems to be more prominence placed on Russell Norman's downstairs red titan bar, Scandinavian foams, pickling, offal, and a return to casual dining (with those minimal menus), than in previous years. Sales of cookbooks have also risen by a whopping 250% this year, with the Hairy Bikers' new offering even knocking E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey off the number one bestsellers list. Farmers markets, national food weeks, supper clubs and TV shows are in abundance, with an emphasis on achieving that lifestyle - whether it's Nigel's minimalist kitchen or Maman Blanc's golden tarte tatin,

And, food, after all can be enjoyed by everyone. A Chelsea bun doesn't suit a pear shape better than an apple, or a small kitchen that rivals Rachel's Khoo's no longer means spaghetti bolognaise. And the dream is affordable, too. The current climate appears to have fed our interest in cooking, with the economic downturn resulting in more and more people eating at home. Young women, in particular, are once again turning to the WI to pick up money-saving tips. With a new vibrancy about this 93-year-old organisation, 56,500 women have signed up to branches across England and Wales in the last three years, bringing the total membership to 210,000. It's no longer just about jam and Jerusalem. Thanks to the new wave of younger WI groups, such as the Shoreditch Sisters, the Women's Institute has got cool. So while preserving and pricking are still enjoying a new lease of life (with sales in jam making equipment still continuing to rise), there is more to the WI than channeling The Good Life with homemade cakes, scones and tarts.

Geoff Booth, Vice Principal of the School of Hospitality at Westminster Kingsway College, says 'There has been a massive growth in the interest surrounding food in the last 10 years. Because of the TV chef and the concentration on television of all kinds of elements of food, such as foraging, procurement, sustainability, and the seasonality of food, we've found that there is a great demand and interest in each of these areas, and it is this which is defining where we are going with our curriculum.'

Founded just over a hundred years ago by Cesar Ritz and Auguste Escoffier, the godfather of catering if you will, in a response to the shortage of labour for London's five star kitchens, they now train chefs and restaurant managers for establishments including Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social, The Dorchester and Gordon Ramsay's empire. The college also counts Jamie Oliver, Ainsley Harriott and Anthony Worrall Thompson among their past students.

And with 15 kitchens, supplying two in-house restaurants, guest lectures from Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White, and courses in everything imaginable from sugar work and bread making to game, fishmongery, molecular gastronomy, and restaurant managers, the appetite for food is certainly continuing to grow.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1725815 2012-08-02T19:00:00-04:00 2012-10-02T05:12:06-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
"It was seasonal, floral. I wanted to put it with something else, lavender and lemon, lavender and geranium, you've got to be so careful with lavender otherwise it tastes of soap. I put it in things when it needs to be."

And it is this creativity and individuality oozing out of every handmade treat from the fine chocolatier that has set him apart from every other chocolate company. With unique, luxurious and somewhat unexpected flavour combinations, it is Young's flare for treating British classics, such as Marmite and Pimms, as an ingredient and tasted as a seasoning which has kept his chocolates clear of gimmicks.

"Sometimes it's instant and you know it's going to work," says Young. "But other times it can take weeks or months to get something that really, really works. Of what we have in the collection now, it's funny, it's not the strange ones that have taken the longest, it's something like the champagne truffle. It's just champagne and chocolate but champagne truffles should taste of champagne, and we don't cook the alcohol off, so it was tricky to get the consistency right. It took a long time to put the right amount of chocolate in."

Now the only London-based chocolate company producing everything onsite by hand (that's about 15 tonnes a year without any machinery), every piece of chocolate is tempered on marble slabs to make it shiny and crisp. And it's since opening his three London boutiques - the first six years ago - that Young has seen a change in attitudes towards the affordable luxury that is chocolate, moving away from milk, white and Guylian seashells.

"It's a very different mindset and language now, which is brilliant," say Young. "People come in and know the percentage of cocoa they want, the country, the type of bean, the origin, they know the flavour profiles and whether they like truffles or bars. They know the words, they know the terminology."

And just like perfume, chocolate and personality types go hand in hand:

"Generally people like solid chocolate or truffles, some of it is age driven. I don't know if it's just in London, but I would say late 20s to early 40s are the foodie, gastronomic people who like to experiment, who want to have one nice thing, and then you've got the people who love the classics, like the champagne truffles, the caramels, the things that you know what you're going to get, and they tend to be an older age group."

But with three shops in very different parts of London, the customers chocolate habits are noticeably different.

"It's like having three different businesses which is one of the most challenging things," Young explains. "In our City shop, it is very swift and quick. There is a lot of classical buying, lots of grab and go things. In Camden Passage (in Islington), there are lots of families who will get a couple of things for the kids, buying to take to a dinner party, it's a lot more gifting. But on Saturdays, it's packed with a very young crowd who will buy brownies, or something really indulgent and properly naughty. And the beauty of Soho is that anything we launch that is really creative will do well."

After the success of Young's cookbook, Adventures with Chocolate, he is penning another set to be released next year, which is sure to deliver the same menagerie of indulgent sweet and savoury treats. And there are plans to take his award-winning chocolates across the Atlantic, to America.

"I like the way the New Yorkers buy and view retail, customer service and difference. I adore Williamsburg. There are no chain stores and people are looking for those little boutiques that only they know about."

But for now, experimenting with cocoa beans is the next step for Young. "I want to make chocolate from the bean. It will change all of our recipes and no one else will have the characteristics."

But with his innovative nature and seasonally led ingredients, Paul A Young's is already deliciously different.


Paul A Young's Bramble Cocktail




For the chocolate liquor:
300g unrefined golden caster sugar
150g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
For the rest:
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon 100ml gin (I prefer Tanqueray or Plymouth Dry)
25ml Crème de Mûres (blackberry liqueur)
8 blackberries Lots of crushed ice
2 squares of your favourite dark chocolate

Method:
First, make the chocolate liquor. Put 150 milliliters water in a saucepan along with the sugar and bring to a simmer. Allow to rest for two minutes, then pour over the chocolate pieces in a bowl. Whisk well and leave to cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile, place two martini glasses in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to get the frosted effect.

In a cocktail shaker or jug, place the lemon juice, gin, Crème de Mûres and six of the blackberries. Muddle and mix well until the blackberries burst slightly.

Place a pyramid of crushed ice into each glass and pour over the blackberry mixture.

Now top up each glass with the chocolate liquor, then place a blackberry and a piece of dark chocolate on top of each ice pyramid.

Recipe, Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A Young (Kyle Books), image by Anders Schonnemann.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1660091 2012-07-10T19:00:00-04:00 2012-09-09T05:12:04-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
Every summer we descend on the Ile de Re and my first port of call is always their delectable jam shop. Sticky and gooey, the smell of sweet fresh fruit bubbling away wafts out of the doors, shelves packed with a selection of jams, relishes and condiments, to rival any chocolate box selection.

Jam making is having something of a revival, no longer just confined to the ladies of the WI. From the classics raspberry and strawberry to the slightly unusual apple pie and melon with ginger, confiture has turned into a cult.

Last popular back in the 70s, equipment for jam-making is proving popular, with sales of thermometers increasing by 17%, jam jars by 37% and funnels by 61% at John Lewis over the past six months. And there has also been a big increase in the sales of the ready-made stuff too, with demand growing for the more bizarre concoctions and flavour combinations.

Take bacon jam. The barbecue-style relish from East London's Eat 17 is made from smoked bacon, sticky red onions, coffee, and even a drop of whisky, and is delicious mixed into pies and casseroles, or served with burgers.

Or what about Nigella's chilli jam or Oxenpark Farm's bramble and chocolate mint jam? We seem to have moved beyond the usual suspects of strawberry and raspberry for jazzing up a Victoria sponge, classic scones, or slices of bread and Noddy's lunch.

As Britain remains firmly in the grip of the baking boom, channeling The Good Life with homemade scones, tarts, and cakes, and allotment waiting lists continue to grow, preserving and pickling is the activity du jour.

While Moss may prefer plum and the Duchess a classic strawberry, with a glut of seasonal fruit and veg available this summer, there are plenty of good quality jam ingredients around. So, go to a pick-your-own with a spurt of enthusiasm and capture the flavour of summer with some good berries, a dash of sugar and a little patience.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1557214 2012-05-30T17:06:42-04:00 2012-07-30T05:12:13-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
And with yellow street signs popping up across London alerting us to road closures so neighbourhoods can turn into Jubilee party hosts, supermarkets and shops are packed full of a generous helping of culinary nostalgia. We might not quite be returning to mustard and custard powder - although the latter is delicious added to a biscuit mix - yet it's not far off.

I can generally get on board with any celebration that is centred around a food fest, but as the Jubilee approaches, have we not, on this occasion, gone just a little bit over the top?

No groceries seem to be safe from the Jubilee makeover. Even M&S's chocolate insect staple, Colin the Caterpillar, has not escaped the regal touch with a chocolate crown and splash of red, white and blue sprinkles. Now, I might not be the best judge as I spent the day of the Royal Wedding having a long breakfast in an eerily quiet Clerkenwell celebrating the fact that I could get a table without queuing, rather than lining the streets or glued to the television. But if the sales figures of the ingredients list for Heston Blumenthall's seasonal offering for Waitrose is anything to go by (the store has now quadrupled its supply of whipping cream) the Jubilee seems to be taking over. .

Everyone from Lyle's golden syrup and Kingsmill (or Queensmill as it will be known this summer) to Marmite's Ma'amite are flying the flag, but it's not the food itself that I'm objecting to. Nothing beats a true British classic: a slice of Victoria sponge dripping with fruity jam to accompany your afternoon cuppa, jam sandwiches on crusty bread, or a dollop of colourful jelly - which is now not just the preserve of children's parties thanks to the jellymongers Bompas and Parr who have taken the wibble-wobble to a whole new level.

There's no denying that Coronation chicken sandwiches, glistening iced buns and celebratory trifles bring a comforting and indulgent sense of nostalgia to the table but do we really need all of this memorabilia? Tea caddies, mugs, and cookie cutters (to name just a few) are all emblazoned with Union Jacks and the Queen's face. Has the marketing machine just gone that little bit too far?

Celebrate the best of British foods on your long weekend, cook your Victoria sponge cakes and scones, but stay clear of the patriotic memorabilia. And if you really need a royal fix, go for the HRH The Ginger gingerbread man from the Biscuiteers.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1531221 2012-05-20T14:03:42-04:00 2012-07-20T05:12:15-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
People would now have you believe that fat is this evil ingredient that will double the size of your hips, block up your arteries, and add that extra wobble under your chin. And even in its many guises, fat has developed a bad reputation and has lost its lustre.

Yet it has been at the centre of our diets for centuries, and we need a return to the food we ate before over-processing and misinformation made eating and cooking filled with guilt.

Fat, fundamentally, adds flavour to our food. I'm not going to suggest that you start tucking into a tub of lard or munch on some bone marrow (though its appearance at sought-after restaurants is growing), but this phobia of fats, in all its forms, coupled with our obsession for low-fat products, is unhealthy. Are we now more likely to cut entire food groups out rather than eat in moderation?

My favourite thing to do as a child was to suck on a piece of pork crackling. Odd, as a now vegetarian, that the thing that thrilled me the most was a piece of roasted pig skin, all juicy and dripping in fat, with that tasty crunch.

And it wasn't that long ago that we considered milk, eggs and bacon the hallmark of a wholesome breakfast, with fats (and, despite my own views, I'm including animal fats in this) praised for being high in Omega 3s and rich in vitamins. But now our ideas seem so shaped by what's considered 'good' or 'bad' for us (for example, avocados and olive oil are acceptable, whereas butter and cheese should be approached with caution) that we're restricting our culinary choices.

And this theory that all fats are bad has cascaded into a barrage of low-fat fads and products, the majority of which hold little nutritional value. What happened to just eating sensibly? Is a slice of Victoria Sponge filled with cream and fruity jam any worse than sipping on several cans of diet drinks laden with sugar substitutes and goodness knows what anyway?

With barely a week going by without an obesity story in the news, our view of what is and isn't good for us seems to have been warped. Now, I would consider myself to be relatively health conscious, but I would never cut out an entire food group (minus the vegetarianism) or, god forbid, give up my daily afternoon biscuit or sweet treat. Because, quite frankly, life without some fats would just be boring.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1475814 2012-05-03T17:18:43-04:00 2012-07-03T05:12:03-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
Community co ops, otherwise known as the people's supermarkets, are popping up around the UK, with campaigning groups such as Sustain, the Dandelion Food Comity, The True Food Co Op and the Lamb Club, giving a different feel to shopping. With their alternatives to the way traditional supermarkets are run, what is the longevity and sustainability of a model that is based around volunteers and driven by ideas rather than capital?

Every day, I walk by the People's Supermarket on London's Lambs Conduit Street. With a surprising selection of groceries, including top-end delicatessen type produce, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables and household products, there is no evidence of the classic supermarket deal slicing that we've become accustomed to; it's just communal and cheap. Staffed entirely by volunteers, members pay twenty five pounds annually and donate four hours of their time per month to working in the supermarket, and in return they get a 20 per cent discount off their shopping.

And these grocery models which are starting to appear in our communities are not only a great way to get involved within your local area, but they are also an economic way of buying food in bulk to share.

The classic good life of the 70s is having a bit of a moment, with home brewing beers, making jams and chutneys, and a return to an active community coming firmly back into fashion.

But is it anything more than a fashion? Shopping around can reduce bills, but the really big savings can maybe now only be made when commodities are ordered in large quantities and that can only be done when locals join up to buy collectively.

Something that unifies us around eating has to be a good thing, and, as the recession continues to bite, as long as these co ops are easy to run, then their potential to change our food and the way we eat for the better is really exciting.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1429302 2012-04-16T14:53:30-04:00 2012-06-16T05:12:01-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
As our meals arrived, I was accosted by two camera-wielding friends who proceeded to take pictures of my dish from every angle imaginable. Dancing around my plate, they moved from above, to the side, only pausing to switch to their iPhones to use Instagram. Snapping your meal is certainly becoming the new foodie obsession.

But with a growing number of people taking and sharing pictures of their food to Tumbler, Twitter, Pinterest, or a personal blog, can we no longer just sit down and simply enjoy a meal, without it being documented?

Food photography has become a big trend this year and, with some, it's even bordering on a compulsion. From slices of toast laden with scrambled eggs and fresh herbs for a weekend breakfast descending on Twitter, to a smear of port wine reduction with an evening pork medallion on Foodspotting, people seem so compelled to record their every meal.

And there are so many food photography apps around now - the latest offering being Platter - where you can tag and share pictures of your meals, and then there's foursquare, fidd.me, SnapDish, and Instagram, which was recently sold to Facebook for a massive one billion dollars, driving the trend. Not to mention the hundreds of plates of food which descend on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest daily.

But what do you do with all these hundreds of images? They could be used as a source of inspiration, or a sneaky peak at what the latest restaurants have to offer, but I'm not convinced that I would swap my trusted cookbook or weekday viewing of a chef's new TV show for a mealtime snap from a fellow Londoner's Flickr account.

There might be some interesting ideas coming out of kitchens all around us, but how do we know that the recipes are any good? And what use is looking at hundreds of pictures of tasty treats popping up on Twitter with no recipe attached at all?

In the end it comes down to etiquette. Few restaurants (well, none that I have come across) ban cameras, so I guess it's down to the individual. But if you want to snap my meal, you have to be quick, discreet, and not one morsel of my food should go cold.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1395195 2012-04-05T19:00:00-04:00 2012-06-05T05:12:01-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
But with one food fest seamlessly running into another, when did 'seasonal' cakes, buns, and treats start to be eaten all year round?

Christmas and Easter goodies seem to be appearing earlier and earlier in our shops, with nothing preventing us from eating them at the wrong time of year. Granted, these treats, unlike seasonal fruits and vegetables, don't carry the environmental issues and air miles, but surely it just feels wrong to break the traditional dates for eating such foods?

My favourite times of the year are mostly defined by food, and we had many rules about eating them in our house; no mince pies before 1 December, Crème Eggs only at Easter, and a whole Konditor & Cook curly whirly cake reserved for birthdays. But even I have to admit that, for the first time, I broke the mince pie rule last Christmas, much to the horror of my family, caving in at the end of November.

But if the period in which we eat such foods were to be extended, surely that takes some of the pleasure out of them. If you rounded off your weekly roast dinner with a Christmas pudding or a raspberry trifle, they would be somewhat of a let down on the big day.

Is it that we no longer have the self-restraint to leave hot cross buns on the shelves in January? Or are we just becoming less strict than, say, our grandparents' generation, when it comes to eating those indulgent holiday treats out of season?

And then we have the supermarkets and producers, all vying for the top Easter treats spots, trying to differentiate themselves from one another by coming up with Willy Wonka-style creations and moving further and further away from the traditional recipes, with varying levels of success.

The latest offering from Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose, the Earl Grey Tea and Mandarin Hot Cross Bun, is not as odd as it sounds. Quite refreshing, tasty and with somewhat industrial sized infused fruits, the supermarket is clearly hoping for a repeat success of his Hidden Orange Christmas pudding, having ordered more of the buns than their most popular range last year. Elsewhere Harrod's have opted for the Gruyere and Chive hot cross bun. So far disconnected from the traditional recipe, this savoury herb-studded bread surely falls into the 'bap' category, and, call me old fashioned, but no amount of salty, oozy gruyere will convince me that this should grace the Easter table.

So, will you be selecting your hot cross buns and Easter eggs for the first time this week? Or have you already waded into the buns months ago? And, which will you be going for? Classic? Apple? Seeded? Savoury? Me, I shall be sticking with tradition and tucking into the most old fashioned of hot cross buns this Easter weekend. Probably from London bakers Gail's or Ottolenghi - my favourite offerings from this year's batch. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1378352 2012-03-25T15:00:20-04:00 2012-05-25T05:12:02-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/ Delia's Complete Cookery Course and a few other choice cookbooks in search of a diagram, I opted for a consultation with my brother, before handing over to him entirely. This was met with a barrage of complaints regarding my tools 'you need to sharpen your knives' and 'do you not have another chopping board', before I was presented with four immaculate chicken fillets. He had been on a carving course at Simpsons on the Strand, London.

And he's not the only one. Carving courses and butchery classes are on the rise, taking over from making that perfectly iced cake and homemade breads, jams and chutney's, and proving particularly popular among women.

Even in the midst of the baking boom, domestic goddesses are mastering the art of the cleaver, butchery board and the difference between a rib-eye or rump, as butchery has become fashionable.

The award winning and London-based butcher, The Ginger Pig, has seen the number of people attending its classes double every year since their launch in 2007, with a third of attendees being women. And with courses popping up all over the country, from The River Cottage to Allen's in Mayfair, forget salad duty for this year's BBQ's.

But whether people are just looking for a few pointers in recreating a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall meat fest, reacting to the closure of local butcher's, or just looking to save a few pennies, it seems that just cooking your own meat these days will no longer cut it to be considered a serious foodie - home curing and butchering a piece of pork, chicken breast, or lamb shank, is becoming a must.

And the timing couldn't be better. Forgotten cuts of meat (the ones probably more familiar to your grandmother than your mother) are back this year, with gourmets swapping their sirloin for a brisket, chuck or cheek.

Waitrose supermarket has even opened a 'forgotten cuts' meat counter, with inspiration for one of this year's big trend predictions, thrifty food, with plenty of scope for making a slow roasted pork belly, oxtail stew, or a traditional English steak and kidney pie.

But this metaphorical belt tightening doesn't hide the fact that the supposed 'cheap cuts' can prove very expensive. On a recent trip to a supermarket, lamb shanks were being sold for over seven pounds whereas a whole chicken further down the aisle cost around four (or a little more if you opted for organic), and this could then be cut, sliced and trimmed at home to make up many and various tasty lunchtime and evening meals.

With the loss of many local butcher's, most notably, as an Islington child, the chocolate egg-wielding Mr Wall's, butchery classes are a great way of getting to know where our fillets and chops come from, while saving a few extra pennies. But with all the will in the world, can cuts such as scrag end and the more obscure pieces of offal ever become fashionable?
]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1361563 2012-03-19T19:00:00-04:00 2012-05-19T05:12:01-04:00

Anna Berrill http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-berrill/
At around 10am every weekend, queues of candy-coloured jeans, paisley pyjamas, and Ray Bans, wind out of every chic coffee house, rustic greasy spoon, and latest pop up, all thirsty for a piccolo coffee or roiboos tea and giving a flurry of orders for organic pancakes with a dollop of bio yoghurt and locally sourced honey, smoked omeletttes, and 'high end' yet hearty full English breakfasts. Everyone, it seems, wants to be in the breakfast club.

But it wasn't always the case. I remember, as a child, staring into the compulsory bowl of soggy Shredded Wheat and tasteless porridge every school day morning, and the occasional Bank Holiday beans on toast, with my father reminding us, "food is fuel, don't get fussy about what you put in the tank."

A far cry from the Victorians, who refused to start their day without grazing on fish, cold meats, pies, kedgeree and toast, with a host of dedicated breakfast recipe books and stoves installed at the end of tables just to freshly fry bacon and eggs. And Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management, which introduced a whole new range of breakfast dishes into the mix, such as mutton chops, potted fish, and sheep's kidneys. But it wasn't until the 60s, with the rise of tourism in Britain, that the fried breakfast was popularised, becoming the standard offering at every B&B.

But what was once a hearty meal designed to set you up for the day, has become more of a fashion trend, going far beyond the greasy spoon.

Take New York's Regency Hotel. Every weekday morning at 7.30am and then again at 8.30am, its restaurant fills with a sprinkle of celebrities, at least one flashily dressed politician, and a dash of the city's most powerful publishers, writers and Wall Street tycoons. It's the place to be seen and more importantly, to see.

London office meetings have been replaced with breakfast at the fashionable Riding House Café or The Wolseley. And, somehow, despite years of Weetabix, Rice Crispies, and buttered toast, breakfast has caught up with its internationally influenced counterparts (lunch and dinner) to become the creative's meal du jour - that's if you can get a table.

The food offered on breakfasts menus is definitely getting better, but unlike the traditional (and reliable) greasy spoon, the hype can often outdo the product. A recent trip to a popular Shoreditch haunt, and a branded cup of herbal tea tipped the price scale over the three pound mark - more than a freshly ground cup of coffee at Monmouth Coffee House or a polenta cake from the delicious, yet expensive, Ottolenghi.

As the breakfast trend continues to boom, I'll continue to enjoy my creamy soy mushrooms on sourdough at Caravan, St Ali's corn fritters, and the succulent croque monsieur stuffed full of vibrant spinach leaves from the delightfully retro Pitfield café, and hope that the emphasis stays on the food and not the hype of the queues.]]>