Crumbs to Crunch

Ice cream is not just for summer, in my book! I found the perfect ice cream for a nippy winter evening at Chin Chin Labs in London which specialises in ice cream made using liquid nitrogen.  Chin Chin Labs produce a whole host of interesting flavours such as blackberry and coriander, coconut sticky rice and advacado! I chose a scoop of white truffle popcorn. As it was chilly outside, I had the ice cream as part of the 'warmie' - a hot chocolate brownie cookie, topped with ice cream of your choice, covered in a chocolate dome. This dessert was as good as it sounds! I loved the contrast between the soft warm cookie and the ice cream. The ice cream had a different texture from conventional ice cream, it was more like melted marshmallow but cold! The chocolate dome added another level of extravagance. So this is the way to enjoy ice cream in winter, have a warmie!

We are all familiar with the importance of eating well and exercising regularly to look after our physical health. Looking after our mental health is equally as important. Doing things you love is an excellent way to ensure that you feel as well as you can be. For some, that could be running, meditation or yoga but for me, baking brings so much joy. Baking gives me a sense of achievement . It is incredibly satisfying seeing the final product and knowing that I created something that tastes good. Baking requires precision such as measuring ingredients and using a range of techniques. Last week, I made my first pavlova that wasn’t burnt on the outside and raw in the middle! I felt almost euphoric that I had finally mastered the skill of making meringues and it tasted fabulous! Creativity you can eat! Having a creative outlet is hugely beneficial but that doesn’t mean you have to be artistic. Most of my cakes taste a lot better than they look! Some people do fabulous

The most famous literary tea party is the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so where better to have tea than Guildford, the town where Lewis Carroll wrote Through the Looking Glass ?  Guildford has many links with Lewis Carroll who bought a cottage there for his six sisters. Throughout his life he was a frequent visitor to the town and is even buried in the local cemetery. There is a lovely statue of Alice through the looking glass which is just a stone's throw from where Carroll's sisters lived. On the riverbank, there is another fun statue of Alice chasing the white rabbit.  Delving into the world of Alice couldn't be complete without my own mini tea party! I went to Caracoli , a bright café with huge windows overlooking the High Street. As the weather was rather autumnal, I tried the buttermilk spice cake which was a rich sponge with a tangy icing. I was intrigued by the Monk pear tea, purely because of its name. This bla

The Crumbs to Crunch sisters have always loved autumn colours . This year, I planned a special hike up Fukushima's most famous mountain, Mt. Bandai. Unfortunately, the weekend I chose for the hike happened to be right before typhoon Lan! Due to the lashing rain, we were forced to abort our walk. However, nothing eases wet weather blues like a nice cup of tea.  Mt. Bandai We found a charming little cafe called 1888, right next to the  Mt. Bandai Erruption Museum (a great little museum with information in English, well worth checking out). The name of the café refers to the eruption of Mt Bandai in 1888 which buried five villages and killed 477 people. Part of the mountain was blown off, creating the nearby Five Coloured Lakes (Goshikinuma).  Five Coloured Lakes (Goshikinuma) Ordinarily, 1888 would have a lovely view of the twin peaks of Bandai. However, due to the terrible weather, we could only just make it out in the mist! Even though we could

Crumbs to Crunch have long been fans of the cake shop, Konditor & Cook . Over the years, their signature bake, the Curly Wurly (a dark chocolate sponge with vanilla cream cheese icing and chocolate curls) has been our birthday cake of choice. However, it is dull to eat the same thing so I popped into their London Bridge bakery to check out what else was on offer. As the weather is distinctively autumnal, I tried some pumpkin spiced cheesecake. The cheesecake filling was silky smooth, not too sweet and full of spice. The crumbly pastry base contrasted well with the filling. I also ordered the new sticky toffee cake. Sticky toffee pudding is my favourite dessert and this cake version did not disappoint. The toffee cake was sandwiched with caramel, smothered in mascarpone icing and drizzled with toffee sauce. So often, toffee flavoured desserts just taste of sugar but this cake was spot on.  After trying these sweet delights, I can't wait to go back to try some mor

Brownsea Island is a mere twenty minute boat ride from Poole but it feels as remote as a desert island! This island was the birthplace of the scout movement so as soon as I stepped off the boat, I was ready for an adventure.  Though the island is small, the topography is diverse, from secluded beaches to heathland smothered in vibrant heather. The forest was of particular interest as Bownsea is famed for red squirrels, a rare sight in Britain after the introduction of grey squirrels from North America. I was thrilled to see my first red squirrel in a matter of minutes! Strolling through the wood, I met a mother peacock with her young. From the hide overlooking the wetlands, I spied many wading birds. All this exploration required sustenance which I found in the tea room in the shadow of a castle! The main appeal of the café was the vast window which offered spectacular views of Poole Harbour. The grub was pretty good too, we had a lovely cream tea and a slice of pin

I love the outdoors and watching natural history documentaries yet I had never heard of Gilbert White who is often dubbed as the father of ecology. I recently visited his house-turned-museum, in the idyllic village of Selborne in Hampshire where I learnt about this fascinating man. Gilbert White was a man with many hats - a curate, naturalist and author. His most famous work , The Natural History of Selborne, was published in 1789 and was the first English language book of its kind. In fact, it has never been out of print since. Gilbert White observed animals in the wild which was highly unusual at the time as most scientists dissected specimens in the comfort of their own study.  Through Gilbert's observations, he identified that what was thought of as one species of bird, was actually three separate species. Nowadays, you can visit the garden where Gilbert made all his important discoveries. The grounds were ever so tranquil and full of colour. They are so lovely t

While baking is fun, it can sometimes be an expensive hobby. This was particularly a problem when I was a student so I came up with some nifty ways of saving my pennies. Shop smart Supermarket own brands of ingredients are often so much cheaper than the branded versions. I always use value flour which is always under £1 for 1.5kg and works just as well. You can also grab some bargains in budget supermarkets such as Lidl who have expanded their baking range in recent years. I even found some usually expensive ingredients like ground almonds in the pound shop. It does pay to shop around! Find cheaper ingredients You can often find ingredients at a reduced price if you look outside of the baking aisle. For example, chocolate and cocoa powder is usually cheaper if you pick them up in the confectionary or hot drinks aisle. Instead of chocolate chips, I like to buy an inexpensive bar of chocolate and chop it into chunks. It tastes better and is a fraction of the cost! Butter can