Spianata have classy boxes for their Roman flat bread sandwiches
The Cafe business for the professional operator - keeping up to date with what's new and interesting - written by Paul Cottrell, Turpin Smale Catering Consultants
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Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
The Best Brownies in London
Paul A Young has a flagship 'chocolaterie' in Wardour Street where he sells his £3.75 chocolate brownies - Time Out rates them the best in London. Tasted good!
Monday, 29 August 2011
Beetroot, Apple & Ginger
EAT's new summer drink - Beetroot, Apple & Ginger. The competition amongst the chains drives real innovation.
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Puzzle Cake
Chocolate and Vanilla Puzzle Cake by Ion Patisserie at their Exmouth Market street stall.
I have never met Georgeta Decuseara, the owner and have no shares in the company but they may be worth watching out for.
Contact 07749 475478.
Cheesecake in filo pastry
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Babies Welcome
It's really not that difficult to woo the mother & baby market - a table plus microwave to heat the bottled milk plus a large sign to show how much you care. Disposable bibs and spoons are a nice touch from Welcome Break.
Friday, 26 August 2011
In Your Face Drinks
PAUL don't have multideck chiller units where customers can serve themselves - it presumably allows more counter display space for their great patisserie. How do you keep cold drink sales up? 'Buy with your eyes' rack of their main cold drink selection at eye level.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Tea Pot Spouts & Strainers
St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields has some interesting tea strainers inserted in their tea pot spouts. They work.
Their eccles cakes, made fresh every day, are still the best going.
Their eccles cakes, made fresh every day, are still the best going.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Butter like Home
No measly, hard-to-open, wasteful, plastic butter pats.
No pretentious curls or fancy French portions here. Conran just gets it right time after time. He truly is a caff (and restaurant) hero. At the Albion Caff where we almost always start our London Cafe Tours.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Sponge Cake
Byfords in Holt, North Norfolk have such a following with their cafe and deli that they have set up their own branded range of cakes - SPONGE.
Love it.
The modern packaging and old-fashioned signage are tops.
The modern packaging and old-fashioned signage are tops.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Book and Cake
The London Review Cake Shop in Holborn is "connected to the bookshop by a passage in the History section".
No kitchen but good presentation of bought-in, made-for-them cakes.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Mini Cakes
Starbucks yet again leading the big guys cake innovation stakes with a range of three mini cakes as part of their Petites range.
See http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-mini.html
and
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/04/lolly-cake.html
Friday, 19 August 2011
Tea Deals on the Motorway
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Cafe, Deli (& Posh B&B)
Byfords at Holt in north Norfolk - brilliant. You enter the cafe through the deli where pasties and pastries are being made. The 'Take & Bake' unit is right to hand. Their tag line of "A Higgledy-Piggledy World of Pleasure" is spot on.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Toasters on the Table - Part 2
Bishopsgate Kitchen by Benugo and customers were making their own toast.
See http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/07/toasters-on-table.html
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Life by Chocolate Mousse
"Belgian Chocolate Mousse with a hint of orange blossom water and a shot of espresso. A low GI pick-me-up". Amazing how you can up the ante with such a humble dessert. Good for Leon.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Great Cafes Food Heroes
Really great fresh food at The Old Smithy Cafe tucked away in Beeley in the Peak District - just down the road from Chatsworth. The trays of cooling bakery items greet you at the door and the food is worth the wait. Smoked haddock rarebit, cake still warm from the oven and a stupendous take-away steak pie. The owners - Neil & Sue Chatterton - deserve a medal.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Six Sorts of Scones
- Cheddar, Sage & Onion Scone
- Blue Cheese, Walnut & Sultana Scone
- Plain
- Cherry & Dark Chocolate
- Sultana
- Strawberry & White Chocolate
Gail's is good, nay excellent.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Organic Ice Cream-on-Sea
Pete's organic ice cream van at Wells-next-the-Sea has taken some inspiration from a certain smoothie company to make its mark.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Not Lemonade
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Window Shopping for Pastries
Napket in Piccadilly
Sweet in Exmouth Market
Hummingbird Bakery in Wardour Street
and not a chiller or plastic dome in sight. Bravo.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Retro Table Setting
Let's start with the tables (at Bishopsgate Kitchen) - made of off cuts and deliberately not finished.
Glass mugs, not fancy glasses.
Kitchen cloths; not serviettes
Bone handled knives - the ones we all threw away as they looked old and couldn't cope with the dishwasher
Glass mugs, not fancy glasses.
Kitchen cloths; not serviettes
Bone handled knives - the ones we all threw away as they looked old and couldn't cope with the dishwasher
Monday, 8 August 2011
Lampshade of Ingredients
Leon has large tins of gherkins on display and some empty ones hanging upside down - inexpensive and fun.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Friday, 5 August 2011
How the world has changed .......for the better
Remember when we always used matches to publicise our bars and restaurants. Now it's book seeds, not book matches. Plants, not ciggies.
Benugo's Bishopsgate Kitchen " We don't take bookings, but we do like herbs" book of parsley, thyme, basil & sage seeds.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Jelly & Cherries
EAT's pots of summer jelly (berry and elderflower) and British bags of cherries - seasonal, fresh, healthy and different.