Fortitude Bakehouse

Sticky Bun
at Fortitude Bakehouse

The aroma of melting cheese and warm Bara Brith is wafting from the open door of Fortitude Bakehouse on a soggy spring morning.  It's a beguiling fusion of savoury and sweet on the nose. Spiced-up dried fruit and the right cheese have a harmonious relationship - Eccles Cake and Lancashire; Christmas fruitcake and Wensleydale; Malt Loaf and, well, take your pick but I'd go for tangy Cheshire.  I've come across a Christmas Cake flavoured cheese, but best not to go there!  At Fortitude today it's, maybe, fortuitous timing that sees me walking through the door to find Eccles Cakes on the counter, just-out-of-the-oven Bara Brith cooling in its loaf tin and Cheese & Leek Batons reaching peak aroma point in the oven.  Symphonic scents.

Fortitude Bakehouse is the new venture of Jorge Fernandez, founder of Fernandez & Wells and Dee Retalli, founder of Patisserie Organic and until recently Operations Manager for Fernandez & Wells.
Slow ferment Sourdough craft-baking, sweet and savoury, and single-farm coffee is their usp but there are gluten-free and vegan bakes too.  Wholesale and take-away is their focus but a strip of the small bakehouse is given over to those who can't wait to tuck-in and there is bench outside too.  A Victoria Arduino coffee machine expresses the single-farm coffee and there is stone-rolled tea from the excellent Postcard Teas.

Fortitude Bakehouse

As far as the waistline goes, it's a dangerous place to linger.  All the preparation and all the results are in full view, and smell.  There's a constantly changing parade of bakes - Dee Retalli clearly has quite a repertoire to place before us - but a slice of that Bara Brith is a good starting point.  Lightly spiced, good dried fruit and a great, satisfyingly chewy (in the best way) texture thanks to the sourdough ferment.  The Sticky Buns are irresistible and the muffins are what you always hope they will be but seldom are.  I've ordered enough bad ones to last a lifetime but my faith is restored by Dee's Carrot and Almond Muffin, not to mention the Bilberry version.  And don't miss the Boiled Orange & Almond  Cake - moist, sharp, sweet, bitter and fragrant.  Or the Bostock, which until now has always failed to hit the spot for me.

Bostock
at Fortitude Bakehouse

Early-morning means a bowl of yogurt with granola (nut-free and delicious) with honey;  you may find a Berber omelette stuffed into a Breakfast Batbout (Moroccan Pitta bread).  There's an unmistakable Moorish influence in the Bakehouse.  By mid-day expect to see a soup on offer, a seasonal salad like a bowl of grains, herbs and roast vegetables, and a Ryebread Tartine.  Bread, right now, is not too much in the frame, - though rye, soda bread and flatbreads make an appearance.  There's a customer appetite for it.  Can they resist?

Carrot and almond muffin
at Fortitude Bakehouse

There are plans for baking classes and workshops and I, for one, can't wait.

You'll find Fortitude Bakehouse right behind Russell Square Tube Station.  The Bloomsbury Mews setting is just right - nicely tucked away and not too prettified.  The old 'Horse Hospital', now an arts venue, occupies the corner site right next door and is the signpost that you need to look for.  Or follow your nose to those harmonious scents of dried fruit, spice and cheese.

Fortitude Bakehouse
35 Colonnade
Bloomsbury
London WC1N

The Quality Chop House Shop

The Quality Chop House Shop 1

From its new incarnation towards the end of 2012, The Quality Chop House (QCH) has had a 'shop' incorporated into the wine bar side of the business.  Lack of space restricted this to the opportunity to buy kitchen-made produce such as pork pie, sausage roll or sandwich, and pick up a bottle of wine.  The ambition to offer more has now been realised with the acquisition of a shop next door to the restaurant.  Opening without fanfare on the run-up to Christmas, I noticed its lights spilling out welcomingly onto the Farringdon Road pavement.

The Quality Chop House Shop 2

Now, not only can you buy those wonderful pies or a hot sausage roll without weaving through a sea of diners, but there's all manner of other good things coming out of one of my favourite London restaurant kitchens.  It starts with the butchery occupying one half of the shop where Oliver Seabright, formerly at The Ginger Pig and Barbecoa, is in charge.  Right now, alongside the sides of British beef, pork, lamb, veal and venison, butchered how you want it, are game birds such as woodcock, snipe, widgeon, pheasant and mallard. There may even be a hare or two.  Having their own butcher, of course, means head chef Sean Searley has a ready source of quality meats for the restaurant, they can offer a butchery service and add value by producing cooked meats, pies and pates for the shop.  Other good things coming out of the kitchen might include tubs of smoked cod roe, remoulade or mayonnaise.  There could also be a treacle tart being sold by the slice, a tray of chocolate brownies or custard tarts on the counter.  QCH jams, chutneys, pickles and marmalades have shelf space alongside a small selection of the wines available.

The Quality Chop House Shop 3

Bread comes from Elliot's Bakery producing one of the very best sourdoughs in the capital.  Until recently, to get my hands on a loaf, I had to go to Elliot's Cafe on Stoney Street, Borough Market, and ask one of the staff to fetch one from the kitchen.  In the new QCH shop you'll find British cheeses from Neal's Yard Dairy and Blackwoods Cheese Company, British, Italian and Basque charcuterie, Hanson & Lydersen smoked salmon and Nardin smoked anchovies alongside the staples of milk and eggs.  There'll be a few seasonal fruits and vegetables too as well as some lovely little treats like chocolate from The Pump Street Bakery and, maybe, a bag of honeycomb or marshmallows.

The Quality Chop House Shop
Vegetable crisps

The shop is still evolving so it's well worth keeping an eye on it.  Now if they could only fit in a fish counter and spare me some of that fabulous fish they manage to get for the restaurant ….

The Quality Chop House Shop
90 Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3EA
Open 7 days a week

Brockley Market - Lucky Lewisham

Van Dough
 at Brockley Market

For my last blogpost of 2013 it seemed fitting to finish on a market, the lifeblood of London food.  London Farmers' Markets (LFM) now have 20 market sites covering areas from Balham to Wimbledon. LFM's principle of "We grow it. We sell it." is laudable but its rules and regulations can mean some good "local" producers don't quite qualify.  I shop at one or two LFM markets but they don't satisfy all my needs.  Some very good producers and traders who do not fit neatly into LFM's strict criteria find a home for their goods at Brockley Market in SE24.  That's not to say Brockley doesn't have high standards of its own, they're just different and, in fact, some of their stallholders also trade at LFM.

Brockley Market offers a cracking list of traders in a compact area where stalls are ranged around the car park to Lewisham College.  The estimable BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards described Brockley as "a market that serves a community without pretence or artifice, a model to be followed". Brockley Market is doing a great job of finding, hosting and presenting some of the best food and drink producers and suppliers.  Some of what's on offer is very locally produced and some not, but Brockley Market has most of the food bases well covered.  With a central area devoted to seating, it's a family-friendly place to shop and eat.  This adds to the relaxed and welcoming feel of the market.

So who's there?  To mention a few, there are two excellent Organic fruit and veg stalls in the form of Wild Country Organics from Cambridgeshire and Kent-based Perry Court Organics; meats by my three favourites, Jacob's Ladder Farms, representing a small cooperative of Sussex farmers rearing animals on organic and biodynamic principles, The Butchery, the Bermondsey-based whole carcass butchery owned by Nathan and Ruth Mills and poultry from Fosse Meadows Farms in Leicestershire; East Sussex-based Hook & Son for raw milk; Hartland Pies who I know also make the excellent pies sold by The Butchery using The Butchery's meats; Flavours of Spain with a good range of Spanish ingredients; Blackwoods Cheese Company selling a small selection of Neal's Yard cheeses alongside their own Lewisham-made fresh cheeses.  Food vans include Van Dough selling freshly-made pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven mounted in the back of a 1970s Citroen Hy van; Mother Flipper offering burgers; and Good & Proper serving tea with, that irresistible pairing, crumpets.  Coffee is represented by Dark  Fluid.

Blackwoods Cheese Company has quickly become a favourite of mine for their lovely marinated raw cows milk Graceburn.  The fledgling cheese-maker is already getting noticed, being stocked by both Neal's Yard Dairy and the recently-opened shop attached to the Quality Chop House restaurant on Farringdon Road.  Look out for a Blackwoods washed-rind cheese coming soon, I'm expecting it to be pretty special.

You really get a sense of passion from walking around and from looking at the Brockley Market website.  It's a market I want to go to more and if I lived closer I'm sure I'd be shopping there every week.  Luckily, I can shop on Saturdays at some of the same traders in Spa Terminus/Druid Street, Bermondsey.  From talking to those traders, I know that they love trading at such a well-run and well-supported market as Brockley.  I can see how hard the organisers work at getting the best and Lewisham is lucky to have it.

Happy food shopping in 2014.

Brockley Market
Lewisham College Car Park
Lewisham Way
SE4 1UT
Saturdays 10-2pm
The market is a stone's-throw from St John's train station (7 minutes from London Bridge)

LeCoq - London

LeCoq
Roast chicken & Caponata

After far too many lean years London has seen a spate of quality chicken restaurants opening in the last 2 years, from fried chicken in Brixton to chicken schnitzel in Soho.  Mostly they've left me cold.  The American chicken and 'slaw formula just doesn't do it for me - let alone the German twist.  The chicken joint I was looking for, it seemed, just didn't exist in London.  My dream place has a warm neighbourhood feel; the aroma of well-reared chicken turning slowly on a spit, potatoes beneath soaking up the chicken fat; something acidulous alongside to cut the richness; an uncomplicated, yet gutsy red wine to drink with it.  It seemed this was too much to ask of London.

Finally we have LeCoq, the perfect, no-booking, 40- (or so) seater, only a few doors down from Islington's excellent Trullo.  It's handily close to Highbury & Islington underground and in the rapidly developing food hub of N1.  I don't know if this is the chicken restaurant London has been waiting for, but it's definitely the one I've been craving.

LeCoq is owned by sisters Sanja (a founder of Salt Yard Group) and Ana (Bocca di Lupo, Rochelle Canteen) Morris.  Ben Benton left Stevie Parle's Dock Kitchen to head up the kitchen.  The menu is admirably simple.  A couple of starters, a main of rotisserie chicken served with something to complement and cut the fattiness, and two puddings.  Although focused firmly on chicken, the menu changes weekly and, on Sunday,s a different roast meets the flame of the rotisserie.

LeCoq
Ricotta, fig leaf, Strega ice cream

Starters, on our visit, were an artichoke dish and some Pico charcuterie but we'd already spotted the puddings so something had to give.  The chicken, cooked to juicy perfection, was firm-fleshed, the way well-reared outdoor chicken should be.  That day it came with a portion of knock-out caponata, a jug of juice and spoonful of tarragon mayonnaise alongside.  A side dish of potatoes and garlic cloves cooked in the chicken fat was more than worth its £3.75, a salad ordered proved unnecessary.  The house red, Nero d'Avola, at a very reasonable £4.50 a glass, was just right.  Puddings were a good Chocolate Tart scattered with honeycomb or a very good Ricotta, Fig Leaf and Strega ice cream (made for LeCoq by Sorbitum ices).

More about those chickens, as these things matter a lot to me.  The birds come from Kennel Farm in Sutton Hoo.  Slow-growing, fed an additive free diet and allowed to forage freely with plenty of room to stretch their legs (far more space than any EU law on "free-range" directs).  The quality shows on the plate. Two courses for £16, a couple of side-dish and a glass of wine each brought the bill to a very satisfying £47.25 excluding service.  That's what I call a bargain.  Added to which, the care taken over every aspect ensured a swift return is certain.

LeCoq
292-294 St Paul's Road
Canon bury
London N1 2LH
Open Tues-Sun 12-2.30pm & 6-10pm

PS  Takeaway coming soon.

Maltby Street & Spa Terminus Update

I know many of you are interested in news from Maltby Street and Spa Terminus so here's a quick update.  In April I posted about the gradual migration of the original Observer Food Award winning Maltby Street traders.  The end of the year seems a good time to update you on how Spa Terminus is looking now.  To save repeating myself, you can find my April piece at Maltby Street & Spa Terminus - the doors open  Since then, Spa Terminus has welcomed a few more wholesale businesses opening for retail every Saturday:

Monmouth Coffee

England Preserves

La Grotta Ices

Natoora

Spa Terminus now has a website  with a map and a listing of all the businesses.  A few currently don't open their doors for retailing on Saturdays, and I have yet to try them.  The ones I mention here and in my April piece do open and I can recommend them.  The good thing is the 'Spa Terminus' website covers the new site and includes those few traders who are remaining in their original arches for the time being.  Most are on Druid Street (north side of the railway line) with only Gergovie Wines/40 Maltby Street bar remaining on Maltby Street (south side).

Other traders have moved into the area, particularly Rope Walk, to take the place of the originals.

The Little Bread Pedlar - perfect croissants

LBP Almond Croissants
at Monmouth Coffee

A 4am alarm call is not my idea of a great way to start the day but the promise of croissants fresh from the oven overcomes my slothful tendencies.  Not that I’d get out of bed at this time for just any croissant.  I know them to be the finest croissants in London and I’m not about to pass up the chance of tasting one just 30 minutes old.

By 5am I’m crossing London Bridge.  The sun is shining and the sky is blue, lifting the spirits of the nightshift workers, cleaners and deliverers, who are surprisingly numerous at this hour in the capital.  The irresistible aroma of baking is in the air as I peel back the shutters of The Little Bread Pedlar artisan bakery in Bermondsey. 



'Parma Rose' pastries

A conversation with Anita le Roy of Monmouth Coffee on the difficulties of finding good pastries in London had alerted me to an embryo business focusing on baking brownies and croissants.   Well, if Anita was impressed, I had to find out more. 

After 10 years working as a pastry chef, Nichola began baking a small range of cakes and breads and trading as Cherry Pippin on Pimlico’s Tatchbrook Street market.  Success with this venture and encouragement from Leila McAllister of Leila’s Shop in Shoreditch/ Spitalfields and Anita le Roy gave Nichola and partner Martin the confidence to launch The Little Bread Pedlar (LBP).  The initial aim was to perfect the best artisan chocolate brownies and croissants in London and supply businesses they admired.  By the end of November 2011 perfect croissants were being biked across London.  Not that it was easy.  Managing with domestic equipment meant long hours.  Christmas saw them move into bigger premises and take delivery of better equipment, including a longed-for proving cabinet.  They no longer have to get up in the middle of the night to attend to the pastries. 

Mixing the brioche dough

The move brought problems too, with getting used to the new equipment causing the most headaches.  The hours are still long but they now have a good team including bakers Stewart and Hannah, and Ruth who, amongst other things, pedals one of those covetable delivery bikes I mentioned.  It’s a tight-knit team and all are very much part of the “family.” 



The three restored Pashley deli bikes are not just there to provide a pun on pedaller/pedlar, but are an important sustainability component of the business. Up to now, new customers have been gained by word-of-mouth and are only accepted if within range of the bikes.  The long counter in the bakery was constructed from old pallets and second-hand boards rescued from Monmouth Coffee’s recent refurbishments.  Waste is kept to a minimum thanks to Nichola’s inventiveness, exemplified by her development of LBP’s ‘Parma Rose’ (a signature pastry).  A delicious curled bud of croissant dough enfolding excellent Parma ham supplied by their near neighbours The Ham & Cheese Company.    



Rolling the croissant

For now, consistency of the current range is top of their agenda.  Provenance of ingredients is of utmost importance.  Organic flour comes from Shipton Mill, eggs are organic and free range, Lescure butter and Valrhona chocolate is used.

By the time I arrive bleary-eyed on this sunny morning, Nichola and Martin have already been hard at work for around 2 hours.  Nichola and assistant baker Hannah are absorbed in checking the proved croissants, pains aux chocolat and aux raisin ready for baking.  Nichola will also hand-shape the brioche.  A glass of Martin’s pour-over of Colombian Tunja Grande coffee and a just-baked buttery shortbread erase the memory of that shockingly early alarm call.  A few golden brown, flaky croissants are already out of the oven, but there’s much more to come.



Croissants cooling

Soon the pace quickens and tray after tray of plain and almond croissants, pains au chocolat and aux raisin make their way in and out of the ovens along with the Parma Roses.  Previously-cooked and cooled chocolate brownies are cut to add to the orders.  By 7.00am the delivery bikes are loaded up with one destined for customers in West London and another headed East.   

As the bakery falls quiet there’s time to talk before afternoon preparation for the following day’s bake begins so I take my opportunity to ask Nichola a few questions:

Q  Where did you work before starting your own business?

A  I've been a chef for 11 years and worked in a couple of places in Glasgow before moving down to London. I was at The Anchor and Hope in Waterloo for three years and then at St. John Bread and Wine for a year.

Q  Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?

A  I have to say my Mum! For two reasons: Firstly, she has always encouraged me to follow my dreams and never pressured me to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Secondly, she hates cooking and as a consequence I learnt to cook as soon as I could because I love eating!

          

Q  What made you take the leap to set up your own business?

A  Martin, and the fact that I didn't want to get to 40 and still be sweating it out in a kitchen running around doing service.

Q  What's the best piece of advice you'd offer a budding baker?

A  Be prepared for long shifts and anti-social hours.  On a lighter note, always carry a little plastic scraper, they are useful for almost every job!

Q  What does "community" mean to you?

A  Conversation, helping each other and sharing ideas.

Q  What is the key to a successful croissant?

A  Maintaining good distinct laminations - dough and butter temperatures being key factors.

Q  Can you explain the effect of a slow fermentation on the finished croissant?

A  Slow fermentation ensures a more complex flavour profile for the finished croissant and improves its keeping quality, sometimes staying crispy until the next day.

A source of inspiration for LBP is the award winning Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.  Tartine espouse the, to some, radical philosophy of “Fresh bread for dinner …. toast for breakfast” to encourage customers to buy their bread on their way home from work.  Even more extremist, they don’t do cupcakes, and you won’t find them at LBP either!  



Nichola laminating

After my early morning experience I’m keen to see the full preparation and baking cycle so I return a few days later to see afternoon operations.  The croissant dough having been formed, there’s the ’laminating’ (folding), rolling, cutting and shaping.  ‘Parma Rose’ buds are wrapped and the butter-rich brioche dough is mixed.  The proving cabinet is pressed into service to allow a slow, controlled overnight  fermentation.  A batch of morning-shift croissants are split, filled with almond paste, and topped with flaked almonds to await a further bake.   Then it’s time for a late staff communal lunch, some paperwork, calls to return and maybe, just maybe, a few hours to relax.

Almond croissant
fresh from the oven

So far the one thing LBP have not had to work hard at is attracting customers.  The business is growing at a manageable pace.  Quality and reliability is of paramount importance to them.  "There’s no let-up” but they are determined to “never let anyone down”.  Recently they’ve added a few notable cafes to their customer list - AssociationEC3 , Rough Trade off Brick Lane, Café Oto, and Reilly Rocket.  

Croissant boxed for delivery

LBP isn’t planning to let the grass grow under its feet.  The bakery already opens on Saturdays only for retail trade.  A small selection of breads are added to the bake, including an amazing ‘Butter Bread’ invention, Bakewell tarts and individual bread puddings with a twist, so the Friday night shift is somewhat busier. 

Very soon Nichola and Martin will be opening a little neighbourhood café in nearby Abbey Street, which will allow Martin to indulge a passion for coffee.  Nothing fancy, just a modest little spot where locals and those passing through Bermondsey can be sure of a good cup of coffee and a great croissant, or a fantastic brownie. 

I did, by the way, get my 30 minute old croissant that morning, and it was as sensational as I had hoped.

The Little Bread Pedlar 
Unit 5, Dockley Road, London SE16

Spa Terminus

A version of this article can be found on The Foodie Bugle

*** STOP PRESS - Look out for fantastic Eccles Cakes now too ***

Other Postings which might interest you:
Monmouth Coffee
Leila's Shop
The Ham & Cheese Company

Coffee at Spa Terminus - Food Find

Monmouth pop-up
at Spa

For those of you who have been disappointed to find you can no longer get your Saturday morning coffee at Monmouth on Maltby Street, here's some good news.  Walk 5-10 minutes up the railway line eastwards and you'll find a Saturday Monmouth pop-up at Unit 3 Spa Arches Northside (between Dockley Road and Spa Road SE16).  Open from 8-12 for take-away drinks and currently until 1.30pm for whole or ground beans.  Sadly, you can't buy food there but their croissant/ brownie supplier, The Little Bread Pedlar, is open on the other side of the arch at Unit 5 Dockley Road.  Coleman Coffee are also trading at Spa and you can find them in The Little Bread Pedlar unit 08.30-3pm.

Here's a map http://www.maltbystreet.com/

Little Bread Pedlar Eccles Cakes - Food Find

Little Bread Pedlar
Eccles Cake

Today at Spa Terminus The Little Bread Pedlar was selling Eccles Cakes.  I got there when they had just come out of the oven and were too hot to be sold.  I reserved two and by the time I went back to collect them ten minutes later the rest had almost all gone.  Light, buttery pastry, quality dried fruit and a not too sweet filling puts them up there with the best.  I, for one, hope they will be a regular featue.  It certainly made up for the disappointment of arriving too late for croissants today - all sold out before mid-day at the bakery.


The Little Bread Pedlar
Unit 5 Dockley Road
Spa Terminus
Bermondsey
London SE16
(The bakery is open for retail sales Saturdays 9-2pm.  Check their site for outlets)

Taylor St Baristas

Taylor St Baristas
at Brooks Mews

Mayfair has long been a bit of a desert for good coffee.  So often, it seems to me, the pricier the area the poorer the food and drink choices.  My antennae are finely attuned to coffee and I'm always on the lookout for something good.  Passing through the west end a few months ago and glancing down Brooks Mews, at the back of Claridges Hotel, I spotted a new branch of Taylor St Baristas. 

Starting out with a single shop in Richmond this independent coffee shop now has 5 more branches in London, including a garden shed in Shoreditch, and one shop in Brighton.  Using Marzocco and Nuova Simonelli machines, they produce excellent coffee from Union Coffee Roasters 100% arabica beans.  They describe their espresso as a "constant work in progress" and although the blend does change, it is always very drinkable.  Last week I sampled their introduction of a delicious Union single origin Tanzanian bean at the Mayfair branch.

All of the branches are different, from the primped-up smartness of Mayfair to the dress-down trendiness of the East End 'shed'.  What they have in common is the consistency of the coffee and the knowledgeable, genuinely friendly staff.  At the Mayfair branch they offer a good selection of sandwiches and cakes, preparing everything on-site.  It's off the main drag but close to Bond Street and a very welcome arrival in an area not well served by good coffee spots.

Taylor Street Baristas
22 Brooks Mews
Mayfair
London W1K 4DY
(and other branches)

Barcelona Spring 2012

Barcelona old town

I've grown to love Barcelona at this time of year, even if the weather is less than reliable.  It's possible to shake off the tourists on las Ramblas and la Boqueria and wander the old town in peace.  I have to admit I was a little apprehensive when we touched down in the city this year.  How would this vibrant, multi-ethnic city be coping with an unemployment rate edging towards 24%.  We did see a couple of small-scale demonstrations, but on the surface life seemed little different.  Only if you asked the question did anyone volunteer that times were tough.  Barcelona is still its welcoming self, so go and spend your Euros.  It's a great city for a short break, but not too short as there is a lot to see and do.

Staying in the El Born area, two minutes from Mercado de Santa Catarina, it was tempting to spend all our time wandering the old town, but we were in a mood to explore.  So here are a few recommendations for places to see in the old quarters of Barcelona and a few to take you closer to, and north of, Av. Diagonal. 

First the old, south of Placa de Catalunya and north of Barcelonetta.  Mid-way between Placa de Sant Jaume and Via Laietana you'll find Calle Dagueria, a typical narrow pedestrian street in the Barri Gotic.  No. 16 is home to Formatgeria la Seu, stocking a fine range of Spanish cheeses, some you may not have come across before.  They are carefully selected direct from the farms of artisan producers by Scottish, long-time Barcelona resident, Katherine McLaughlin to grace the shelves of this must visit cheese shop.  Just a couple of doors down is the great little typical Barcelona hole-in-the-wall bar, Zim, at No. 20 selling wine and plates of cheeses and membrillo from the shop.  Very cosy and packed with a good mix of residents, students and tourists when we visited.  Squeeze in, they like it that way.

East of the Barri Gotic, crossing the Via Laietana brings you into the El Born district.  The pace is more leisurely here and you can truly wander through the labyrinthine pedestrian-only streets.  Deep in El Born is where you'll find the Museu de Picasso, with the Mercado de Santa Catarina a 5-10 minute winding walk north and the famous Cal Pep restaurant the same distance due south. 

Casa Torras
Barcelona

A few minutes further east of Cal Pep is the Placa Commercial and the interesting dried goods shop Casa Torras.  You'll wish you'd travelled lighter when you see what you can buy.  If you're in need of lunch, Commerc 24 is a few steps away on Carrer de Commerc (haven't been but heard good things).  Alterntively, you can take the weight off your feet in nearby Parque de la Ciudadela and watch the antics of the noisy green parrots.


When you've had enough of the closed-in feeling of the old town, go north of Placa de Catalunya into the Gracia and Eixample areas of Barcelona.  The Passeig de Gracia is great for Gaudi spotting and for fashion and furniture shopping.  Just off to the right on C/Diputacio is Tapas 24, sister bar to Commerc24.  You may have to queue but it's a reliable and buzzy place to eat.  Further up, at the junction with Av. Diagonal, is the little green haven of the Jardine del Palau Robert.  Crossing Av. Diagonal at this point will take you into the more heavily residential area of Gracia and to Placa Llibertat. 

Lagrana
Mercado de Llibertat

Here you'll find the very untouristy Mercado de Llibertat, a paired-down version of Mercado de Santa Catarina.  As you'd expect, there are fantastic fish stalls and grocers in this local covered market.  Look out for the stall, Lagrana, selling a huge range of nuts and dried fruits, and the fish stall with its own bar selling cooked seafood dishes.

Look too outside at the shops lining the Placa, in particular the egg seller and the dairy.  There's also a little cafe called La Pubilla catering to the market traders.  

Jamonisimo
Barcelona

Useful to know about if you are in the area but a jamon bocadillo and coffee at La Pubilla did cost the same (6 Euros) as at the outstanding Jamonisimo a 10 minute walk away.  Take the Trav. di Gracia west from Placa Llibertat and turn right onto C/ Muntaner. You'll find the exceptional Jamonisimo, at No. 328. A non-functioning website and the apparent closure of one of their three branches has caused some confusion but I can assure you this branch is open. They sell a fantastic range of the best Jamon Iberico from Andalucia, Extramadura and Salamanca either machine cut or hand carved. There's also a smart little cafe at the back of the shop. Expect charming, professional service. The neighbouring food shop Lleonart a couple of doors up the hill is also worth a look for ready prepared dishes.  Walk 10 minutes north-west to find El Bulli trained baker and chocolatier Oriol Balaguer at 62 C/ Benet Mateu, near Placa Sant Gregori Taumaturg.

Forn de Llibreria
Barcelona

Retrace your steps to C/ Muntaner and go east one street to C/ Aribau, dropping down into the Eixample area towards Placa de Catalunya. You'll find bakery Forn de Llibreria at No.22. Baking on-site, they sell breads, coques, croissant-like ensaimades, magdelene pastries and, when we were there, delicious sugar-coated bunyols.


There's just one more market you really should take a look at. Mercado de la Concepcio at 311 C/ Arago just by Metro Passeig de Gracia. It sells all kinds of food and co-habits with a supermarket and a flower market.

Good tapas is not hard to find, but when you come to crave a 3 course lunch rather than a few tapas, take a look at my post on Gresca.

Other posts from my previous visits which you may find useful:

Mercado de Santa Catarina
Barcelona Roundup

New pastries at Monmouth Coffee - Food Find

Parma Rose ham pastry
from the Little Bread Pedlar

Regulars at Monmouth Coffee in Covent Garden, Borough and Maltby Street will have noticed a quiet revolution over the past few months.  The main business of Monmouth is to select coffees from around the world, roast and sell them wholesale and retail, but you can also pick up a take-away or drink in.  They've long offered a little something to eat along with the coffee.  The food was fine, if a litte unexciting.  A rethink has led Monmouth to work with bakery The Little Bread Pedlar on a small but perfect range of morsels to complement the coffee.  Most are sweet but now a wonderful ham pastry 'Parma Rose' has been introduced.  My favourite coffee roaster paired with  one of the most interesting bakers in the capital could be bad news for my waistline. 

Maltby Street & Spa Terminus

Don't forget, the Maltby Street award-winning traders are on the move. Saturday 31 March is the first day of retail trading at new arches and units for the traders affected in phase 1.

Check this link to find your favourite traders in their new homes:

Maltby Street award-winning traders

I hear there will also be a Monmouth Coffee pop-up at the new location.

www.maltbystreet.com has now been updated too.

GO HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE FIRST DAY OF TRADING 31 MARCH 2012

Maltby Street Award winning traders are on the move

Phase 1 of Maltby Street
traders move 31 March 2012

The Observer Food Awards 2011 Maltby Street traders are to start their phased move from the Bermondsy railway arches on 31 March 2012.  Moving just a few minutes walk further up the railway line out of London Bridge will place them handily just 5 minutes from Bermondsey Underground station.  The traders mentioned in my 'Bermondsey Trail' will be occupying arches and units centred around the disused Spa Road London to Greenwich railway terminus.  Not everyone will be moving in phase 1 on 31 March but as of that date you'll find your favourite traders at the following.

Malby Street & Spa Terminus
(Note retail trade Saturdays - core hours 9am-2pm - some stay open later) 
Phase 1 move Saturday 31 March 2012:

60 Druid Street
Tayshaw Ltd (Tony Booth Fruit & Veg) - unchanged by phase 1

34-36 Maltby Street
Monmouth Coffee Company - unchanged by phase 1
La Grotta Ices - unchanged by phase 1

40 Maltby Streeet
40 Maltby Street/Gergovie Wines - unchanged by phase 1 (Thurs & Fri from 5.30pm, Sat 10-5.30pm)

72 Druid Street
St John Bakery - unchanged by phase 1

104 Druid Street
Topolski - unchanged by phase 1
Kase Swiss - unchanged by phase 1
Boerenkass - unchanged by phase 1
Jacob's Ladder Farms - unchanged by phase 1

Unit 1 Voyager Business Park, SE16
Kappacasein - unchanged, already trading
Neal's Yard Dairy - new location

Unit 2 Voyager Business Park, SE16
Mons Fromager - new location
Aubert & Mascoli - new location

Unit 3 Voyager Business Park, SE16
South East Fruits - unchanged, already trading

Unit 4 Voyager Business Park, SE16
The Ice Cream Union - unchanged, already trading

Unit 5 Dockley Road, SE16
The Little Bread Pedlar - unchanged but now opening for Saturday retail from 31 March
Coleman Coffee Roasters - new location

Unit 6 Dockley Road, SE16
The London Honey Company - new location

Unit 10 Dockley Road, SE16
Fern Verrow - new location

Arch 11 Dockley Road, SE16
The Butchery Ltd - new location
The Kernel Brewery - new location

Arch 10 Dockley Road, SE16
The Ham & Cheese Co - new location

Dates for the move of those traders unchanged by the phase 1 move are to be advised later.  This will be a more settled home for the award winning traders who have worked so hard to build their businesses and serve us with some of the best produce in London.  You can pick up a copy of the flyer photographed above from The Ham & Cheese Company at 1 Ropewalk on 17 or 24 March.

I expect http://www.maltbystreet.com/ will be updated soon.  If you already know 'Maltby Street', I hope this information helps you find your favourite traders.  If you haven't discovered it yet, you'll find some of the best produce in London here.

GO HERE FOR AN UPDATE ON THE FIRST DAY OF TRADING 31 MARCH 2012

Pitt Cue Co - Soho's barbecue hotspot

Pitt Cue Co

Meat lovers have been raving about Pitt Cue, formerly trading from a van under Hungerford Bridge and now in its new Soho home on the corner of Newburgh Street. Just off Carnaby Street, its location could hardly be more central. Set up by Tom Adams, ex-Blueprint Cafe and the Ledbury and friend Jamie Berger, a line snaked out the door at this American style smokehouse as soon as the news went round that they'd found a permanent home. On a Tuesday lunchtime before 1pm the queue was already formed. “Today’s Beasts” were Gloucester Old Spot and North Devon beef and the charcoal grill delivers tender, flavoursome American barbecue style favourites like Pulled Pork, Ribs and Brisket. Portions are large and meats come with house pickles.

The queuing system has the novelty of your own numbered “cow” tab for drinks whilst you wait for one of the tables in the tiny downstairs to come available. The drinks menu is heavily American inspired with beers, cocktails, Bourbons and Ryes, and soft drinks. Their Picklebacks - a bourbon shot with a house pickle brine chaser and pork scratchings - has attracted a lot of positive attention. Not my thing I'm afraid. Thankfully for me, closer inspection turned up local gems like the Kernel Brewery pale ale.

Tables turn fairly quickly even though service is a little slow with the tiny kitchen delivering take away as well as eat-in. Main dishes are generous and simply presented street-food style, but here in enamel dishes. Desserts seem a little incongruous but do continue the American theme by serving up ice cream with both a chocolate brownie and a lemon tart with rhubarb and ginger.

It’s a friendly place. The bill came to £60 for 3 people. Would I go back? Yes, if I was with friends of a strong carnivorous bent.

Pitt Cue Co.
1 Newburgh Street
Soho
London W1F 7RB
(No bookings)
http://pittcue.co.uk/

A version of this article can be read at Huffington Post



 

Fitzbillies - a revitalised Cambridge institution

Fitzbillies
Chelsea Bun

Fitzbillies cake shop opened in Cambridge in 1922 and became a Cambridge institution.  Having catered to town and gown for nearly 90 years it was, reportedly, showing signs of wear and tear but its bankruptcy earlier this year came as quite a bombshell.  Depending on your particular predilection, chocolate cakes or apple pies drew you to Fitzbillies, but mostly it was the wonderful Chelsea buns - about which more later.  Tim Hayward and his wife Al moved quickly when the news broke - along with around 200 other interested parties - and set in motion a life-changing decision.  To cut a long story short - and you can read Tim's story, as I did, in the November Observer Food Monthly -  they bought the business.  It's inspirational stuff, but, as Tim makes clear, such an undertaking is not for the fainthearted.

After much hard work, not a little calling in of favours and some good fortune where staffing is concerned, Fitzbillies re-opened nearly four months ago.   The exterior is still recognisably Fitzbillies but inside, the opening up of the shop next door has added a communal table cafe space where you can get a convivial quick coffee and cake.  Some sympathetic redesign has gone on, including some walls of beautiful blue tiling on walls which is definitely not old Fitzbillies and makes a successful statement, I think.  Beyond the cake shop is the restaurant, with white painted wood panelling and those tiles, defying the chintzy image of Cambridge. 

Fitzbillies
Cambridge

My visit last week coincided with the first real chill of winter - one of those days when you really hope you'll find a good place to eat.  Fitzbillies was packed but by taking seats at the long communal table at the back, we got  ring-side seats to watch the comings and goings of the kitchen, and a chance to chat with Tim and the brigade as we ate.  With little direct recent experience in catering, it can't have been an easy four months for the Haywards.  Despite the added pressure of their first opening for dinner that evening, Chef Rosie Sykes (one of their 'good fortunes') was in control of a remarkably calm kitchen and Tim was cheerfully turning his hand to anything that needed doing.

Rosie has an impressive CV having trained with Joyce Molyneux, Alistair Little and Shaun Hill, on to Eyre Brothers and recently working with Margot Henderson at Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch.  So, it was no surprise to learn Fitzbillies makes everything in-house including their own terrines, pates, charcuterie and preserves.  At the time of writing they aren't formally open for dinner.  The lunch menus offer 'Soups' such as parsnip & apple or swede & bacon; 'Savoury Pastry' which may be egg & bacon pie or sausage roll served with plum ketchup; 'On Toast' Welsh Rarebit, Mushrooms in a cream and sherry sauce or beef with dripping; 'Terrines' of, perhaps, potted Guinea Fowl and cornichons.  There are cheese plates, a good range of salads and one or two daily-changing dishes which have been cooked in the cooling bakery oven - how about beef with dumplings or ham, chickpea and pumpkin stew?  The lunch menus are still evolving and the planned opening for dinner Thursday-Saturday from 10 December will, no doubt, have an effect on them.  Lunch dishes are fairly priced between £5-8, hot lunch dishes around £9.

We ate delicate cheese straws with a glass of decent French red from the small wine list while we waited for our order.  Anchovy and beetroot salad with just-from-the-oven soft soda bread followed and chard and Wissington cheese tart (lovely fine pastry) served with a well-dressed juicy radicchio salad.  Our restraint meant we were able to justify popping into the cafe later in the day to try out those Chelsea buns I mentioned.  My memories of these sticky fruity pastries from previous visits to Fitzbillies are good ones but I usually subscribe to the view that trying to recapture past joys is a bad idea.  How wrong can you be. This bun was magnificent.  A light, well-cooked dough encasing good quality currants, lots of spicing and a gorgeous slick of sugar syrup.  In fact it was better than I remembered.  Now, I know they were made by the same baker, Gill Abbs - another of the Hayward's 'good fortunes' - who has been Head Baker at Fitzbillies for 40 years, so how come?  Just maybe, it's because Fitzbillies is receiving a lot of much needed TLC.

Fitzbillies
52 Trumpington Street
Cambridge  CB2 1RG
http://www.fitzbillies.com/