Crumbs to Crunch

As was fairly obvious in my recent post about the beginning of autumn, I can feel a bit negative about the start of the colder months. However recently I've been reconnecting with the outdoors, and I have to admit that autumn sure is beautiful. Winkworth Arboretum is probably the best place to see those autumn colours. Near Guildford in Surrey, this beautiful collection of trees really comes into its own in autumn. The grounds cover a hillside, so you can find yourself winding down a secluded pathway, hidden beneath a beautiful orange canopy. The maple trees are particularly beautiful at the moment, and their stark red colour really makes the landscape stunning. There are plenty of secret corners and good trees to climb! And when you've finished your leisurely walk, there's always time to pop into the tearoom next to the wigwam for a scone or two... Another place to see those autumn colours is Windsor Great Park. At a weekend, this park has such a lovely ...

Guinness is pretty much synonymous with Ireland as you cannot escape the brand from the many pints sipped in pubs to the numerous Guinness related souvenirs. It seems that when in Ireland, it is practically obligatory to try this stout. However, I am not keen on beer and so felt like I was missing out on this typically Irish experience. I was fretting about this predicament until Fellini  saved me. This little café in Cork gave me the opportunity to taste Guinness in my favourite form - cake. I indulged in a chocolate Guinness cake and a jug of hot chocolate. At first I was reluctant to try it because stout and chocolate seemed like a bizarre combination. However I was pleasantly surprised. I could definitely taste the Guinness but it added to the richness of the cake. As a result, I can proudly say that I have tried Guinness and have done one of the "musts" as a tourist in Ireland, even if it was only in cake form!  The spiced orange cake and caramel meringue wer...

We can't deny it any longer, autumn is upon us. After a glorious summer of sunshine, travel and cake, it can be hard to settle into the dreariness of the colder months. We're back at work, the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting worse. Sigh.   However, it's not all doom and gloom. Autumn does bring with it some fairly spectacular seasonal foods. In the cake world, the king of autumn is the crumble.   Recently we tried a pretty good crumble in Dublin that we just had to share. Queen of Tarts is a cosy little café with two premises- one just opposite Dublin Castle, and another round the corner in Cows Lane. Both ooze comfort and homeliness, with the warm colour scheme and magnificent cake stands. It's just perfect when you want a snug hideaway on those gloomy wet days.     So once you're inside, you've thrown off your coat and shaken the rain from your umbrella, what are you going to order? My advice would be the crumble. Th...

We may have found a contender to rival the glorious hot chocolate from  A chacun sa tasse  in Lyon but this time it's in Dublin. Butlers  is a chocolate café (the best kind of café in our opinion) that offers a wide selection of chocolates as well as hot chocolates. As soon as we walked through those shiny doors, we were already salivating at the sweet aroma that hit us. We were met with a chocolate dilemma: what should we try when everything smells so good? Should we buy a hot chocolate or try some of the little chocolates? In the end we opted for a silky praline hot chocolate, the wonderfully spicy chilli flavour and the cookie flavour where they actually crumble oreos into your drink. The variety of hot chocolates was divine but the best part was choosing a chocolate to go with your drink. That's right, chocolate with a hot chocolate - the best of both worlds! Some may say that it's too rich but we weren't complaining. We had entered chocolate heaven.

I'm going through a bit of a peanut butter phase at the moment. I just can't get of that peanutty goodness. So my friend's recommendation to try the peanut butter slice at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge in Dublin could not be more timely. Accents is a lovely cafe in Dublin that has won prizes for its friendliness. The girl who worked there was so lovely, happy to chat and give tea recommendations. We went for a chai latte and a citrus tea that smelt like pure Christmas. When we requested the much-talked-of peanut butter slice, the girl's face lit up. "it's one of those few things that taste so good that you want to cry" she informed us. It was a lot to live up to, but she was soon proved right. If you like, the peanut butter slice is heated up in the microwave until it becomes a gooey pile of chocolate and nutty goodness. Luxurious, rich and delicious. This is food heaven. Once the peanut butter slice was gone, the café is also a ...

Story-telling is the oldest and simplest form of entertainment. But in today's world of inescapable screens, flashing lights and loud music the humble story has been left behind. Nowadays our concentration can barely stretch beyond a half-hour soap on the telly. Sometimes I worry that we've all forgotten how to listen to each other. Just to sit and enjoy each other's company without special effects or distractions. But then a project like Milk and Cookies comes along and reminds me that, thankfully, I am wrong. Milk and Cookies is a story-telling initiative in Dublin. Once a month, the group meet in a historical building (once it was even in Dublin Castle!) to eat cake and share stories. We popped along to this month's meeting in the Dublin Writer's Centre, a lovely Georgian building in the heart of Dublin. There's an immediate cosy atmosphere as you walk in, with blankets and beanbags strewn across the floor. The room was packed, proving...