Miss Haversham's Wedding Cake

 

I made this cake and shot it this weekend with my friend, Simon Brown. Miss Haversham's wedding cake was the inspiration. I love the dusty roses.

Peachy Sunday morning @ Dishoom

Despite not running the marathon or, in fact, even walking the twelve minutes of sunshine to Covent Garden today I felt I deserved a treat. This particular treat was courtesy of Dishoom; a chic Bombay cafe nestled in the heart of London's theatre district.

It's the April response to the inevitable, 'where's good to eat at the moment?'. Opening last year to restaurant virgins Dishoom has quashed sceptics by being consistently swarmed by enthusiastic bloggers and city types. It is not just an evening destination however, in fact they pride themselves on having the perfect morning chai, lunchtime Thums Up and evening Sauvingnon Blanc. 

With Spring light flooding on the oh so stylish decor, I sunk into an available Leather sofa and devoured not just roomaly, kulfi, chai but a healthy chunk of Observer Food Monthly. What a peachy morning. 

Fancy a snog?

The Spring sunshine this week has awakened my ice cream tooth. Gone are the chocolate, pie and toast cravings but back with vengeance is the childish need to finish my day with a nice cold ice. With May bang in the middle of my bikini diet, it is with relief that I introduce SNOG; a brand new way of approaching cornetto cravings.  

A visit to New York last year made me aware of the difference between ice cream and frozen yoghurt. War has broken out over there, not just between Obama and Gaddafi, but brands of frozen yoghurt.  Of course each new launch is a significant improvement on the last leaving New Yorkers spoilt for choice but as far as I can see this particular war has yet to cross the Atlantic.   

My first taste of the new coffee shop concept was a sample that was handed out on the street. A little biodegradable container held a miniature pot of frozen snow - think consistency of Mr Wippy but taste of sumptuous yoghurt enhanced only with natural Agave nectar.  The first UK shop of its kind is called SNOG; it sells frozen yoghurt by the bucketful alongside a counter which holds an array of Superfood toppings. And the best thing? Each big 210g bucket contains only 110 calories so you shouldn’t be shy about going in for seconds.

The flagship South Kensington outlet has been decorated to make the punter feel like its Summer all year round. The floor is grass (ish), the walls have a vinyl flowerbed and the ceiling, with the use of moving clouds, mimics a hot English day that we don’t often see. The shop is open until eleven so should it take your fancy, there is an opportunity to dive in after a drink or two and you might even bump into the likes of Kate Moss.

I reckon this will spread across the city quicker than Hummingbird cupcakes, it’s absolutely delicious and addictive; I’d rather have a SNOG than a bird food any day.

Lamb, oodles of garlic and a bath of red wine.

Weekend at home. 

I prepared slow roast lamb shoulder with oodles of rosemary & garlic and roasted it in a red wine bath. I snapped it in the garden to remind myself that even uncooked meat look tempting.