INSPIRATION

On a recent trip to London, we managed to tick off some of the places recommended to us as well as stumble upon a few other treasures...

 
Monmouth Coffee

2 Park Street
The Borough
London SE1 9AB

This place held an atmosphere all of its own. The line of customers extending outside the shop door was enough to get us joining the queue.
Single cone filter coffees were being poured on the counter before us, while waiting for our flat white which was made using the 'Monmouth Espresso'. Focusing solely on the task at hand, they source their pastries and breads from elsewhere...  bakeries, Paul and Villandry. Monmouth was an inspiration to say the least and I only hope my future cafe will be half as popular as theirs.


Hummingbird

133 Portobello Road
Notting Hill, London
W11 2DY

This visit was much anticipated and possibly a little too built up. We had arranged a special trip to Notting Hill to peruse through the Portobello markets and visit the famous Humming Bird Bakery. The bakery had many of the things we hoped to see and the Red Velvet Cake was just as delicious as it looks in the recipe book, but that was about it. There were no new and exciting treats to be had and the Cheesecake Brownie was just a little, well, strange. With all this aside, I am glad to have been and it did brighten our rainy day.



Borough Markets

Beneath the railway viaducts, between the river Thames and Borough High Street in South East London.

Just around the corner from our hotel, a delicious brunch awaited us at the 'Borough Markets'. 
An amazing selection of stalls from both British and international producers. Local chefs and aspiring foodies alike, would be silly not to take full advantage of this 'real food' haven. 
So what did we come away with?... almond croissants, a loaf of ciabatta and a walnut sourdough, too many yoghurt covered cherries and not nearly enough white chocolate raspberries, handful's of fresh and dried fruit and about 100g of acorn-fed Spanish jamon for 17 pounds... totally worth it...


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The Manna House
  
22-24 Easter Road
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH7 5RG

 A small bakery and patisserie offering some of the most beautifully displayed desserts I have ever seen. As you walk in, you see a wall of baskets, holding the "tastiest breads in town". (The sun dried tomato one is supposedly the best). A larder section for salads and sandwiches is packed to the brim with vibrant and fresh fillings, and then theres the dessert cabinet. Each individual dessert has been lovingly crafted, using fresh local ingredients, topped with gem like fruits and finished with a mouth watering sugary glaze. Perfection.
So its a huge thanks to my colleague for the recommendation, and an even bigger thankyou to the Manna House for making our picnic in the meadows just that much more amazing!