A Christmas Carol in Chester

Nothing gets me more in the festive mood than A Christmas Carol. For all the Scrooges out there, they must visit Chester at Christmas. Gone is the bah humbug mentality when you enter the magnificent Chester Cathedral. The cloisters are lined with trees with twinkling lights, all decorated by different businesses and members of the community.

This year, the cathedral is displaying a series of tableaux depicting A Christmas Carol. The models are seriously impressive, particularly the gigantic Ghost of Christmas Present.

The festivities continue in the gorgeous café, located in a 13th century monks' dining hall. I feasted on the Liverpool cake which was inspired by the exotic ingredients newly available in the 19th centuiry from Liverpool's trade links, such as demarara sugar from Guyana, spices from the Middle East and sultanas from Turkey. This cake tasted a lot like carrot cake as it was moist and had lots of lovely spices. Perfect for Christmas!

While I enjoyed the yuletide decorations in the cathedral, the highlight for me was the cathedral falconry. I watched a fascinating demonstration led by the falconer where I fed a vulture and held a surprisingly heavy golden eagle called Grace.

After such a wonderful day, I felt Scrooge's euphoria when he learnt to love Christmas:

"I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!”

Comments

Tea with a ghost? | Tiny Tim's Tearoom | Canterbury

Canterbury is such a historic city so I was looking for a traditional place for afternoon tea. Tiny Tim's Tearoom was the perfect place. Housed in a gorgeous 17th century building, this tearoom is particularly inviting with its baked goods displayed in the shop windows. Inside, Glen Miller was playing softly in the background, giving the place a nostalgic, vintage feel. Many British favourites were on offer, such as, crumpets, scones and hearty sponge cakes. I had an excellent coffee and walnut cake which had a wonderfully potent coffee flavour unlike many shop-bought ones. Served with a dollop of cream, ice cream or custard, these cakes are the ultimate comfort food. Tea is also in abundance. I tried Keemun Orchid which was a black tea that had notes of plum, orchid, sesame and pine. There are also more traditional blends for those who prefer more conventional tea. I attended this tearoom alone after a pleasant morning visiting Canterbury Cathedral. However, was I t...

Konditor & Cook | London

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...

Fried Chicken Parfait? | Karafuneya Coffee, Kyoto

We've been around the world and tried many strange ice creams, from the tomato flavoured ice cream of Nice to the salt ice cream of Dublin . However, nothing quite matches the crazy ice creams available at Karafuneya Coffee in Kyoto. As soon as you enter this lovely cafe in the Sanjo area of Kyoto, you are greeted by an enormous number of plastic models representing the amazing desserts. The best thing about Karafuneya is the sheer range of sundaes. We were equally thrilled by the classic chocolate and strawberry parfaits and the slightly more unusual Japanese flavours, such as macha and black sesame. There were even enormous sundaes (about 2 feet tall) that you can share with all your friends. However, the real eye catchers are the more outlandish ice cream combinations. We spotted a model for a French fries parfait, a deep fried chicken parfait and an American hot dog parfait. The models actually looked surprisingly delicious, but we weren't feeling too adventurous. So ...

Crumbs to Crunch

Search This Blog