That’s the only way to celebrate a big birthday, right?
- Chloe from Chocolatia in Scotland sent me a box of her chocolates and I’d heartily recommend them all, though my favorites was the pecan pie – a layer of praline and a layer of caramel. All the chocolates were made with Valrhona.
- I visited Harrods and tried their Christmas chocolates – the panattone chocolate sandwich was so wonderful. The trifle from their patisserie range (a gift from chef Phil Khoury was a highlight, too)
- Valrhona sent me their new make-at-home hot chocolate and I made it for my in-laws and they loved it.
- The Marylebone hotel left a pumpkin pie with a chocolate pastry case in my room and it was one of the best pumpkin pies I’ve had – using cocoa in the pastry is genius. The custard was smooth and it was hard to stop eating. Though I slightly regret how many spoonful’s I had before an early dinner at Trishna because I couldn’t finish all of the savoury food we ordered, nevermind order dessert. Sad times when I realised I left the leftovers in the hotel fridge the next day.
- If you go to Trishna don’t go past the Chaat or the Truffled Mushroom Biryani. I regret not ordering the breads, even though there’s no way I could have fit them in!
- My friend Meredith sent me her Pump Street Chocolate-dipped Anzac cookies and I can’t tell you how good they were, along with her salted Madagascar hot chocolate
- The Basque Cheesecake from Chatsworth Bakehouse was worth queuing in the rain, though I wish I’d gone slightly later to get a slice of one of their pizzas or one of their famous sandwiches.
- The pecan pumpkin pie from Brett & Bailey was excellent, too. A totally different take to the one from the Marylebone with a pecan pie layer topped with a heavily spiced and very sweet-roasted pumpkin layer of custard. The textural contrast was addictive and the flavours balanced perfectly.
- Lunch with friends at the Leyton Tavern was wonderful. A flawless Sunday roast and sticky toffee pudding.