Crumbs to Crunch

Spring has finally sprung and there is no better way of celebrating this glorious season than gazing at sakura in Japan.  I wasn't even planning to be in Japan for the cherry blossom season. Each area has such a narrow window for sakura that it was a wonderful surprise to be in Tokyo when the blossom was at its height. I had naively imagined myself writing haikus with blossom floating around me. In reality, about a million people and I crowded into Ueno Park to witness the event of the season! Surprisingly, it didn't matter that there were hoards of tourists and locals. In a bustling megacity like Tokyo, it was practically a miracle that we all managed to find a certain amount of peace, marvelling at this natural wonder. Many of the locals were picnicking under the blossom and their spread was incredible, from mouth watering noodle dishes to yakitori. I got very jealous and so headed towards the many food stalls in the park. I bought some Okonomiyaki which are ve...

8 cream teas in 10 days... we think that we have a serious problem! We spent ten glorious days in the West Country where we binged on the local speciality - cream tea. Never have we seen such an abundance of piping hot scones and lashings of clotted cream. The cream was so thick and delicious, we never knew that we had been missing out till now. As we have clearly been doing our research, here is a list of our favourite cream tea variations in Devon/Cornwall.  Strawberry Cream Tea - Madeleine's, St Ives A perfect way to finish a beach day in St Ives. With lovely staff, this is a traditional homely tea room. The fresh strawberries that came with our fresh out of the oven scones got us in the summer mood. Savoury Tea - The Dwelling House, Fowey Has the incessant afternoon-teaing left you shunning sweetness? Never fear, for you can have your scone and eat it too with a savoury tea. Hot cheese scones with chilli jam and luscious salad can tide you ove...

"Stop watching so much TV and get back into reading" is my mantra for the summer. It recently dawned on me that while I have watched three different adaptations of Jane Austen's beloved classic, Emma , I had never actually read the novel. So it was time to curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and delve into the world of Austen. As I was reading about the famous, or perhaps infamous, 'badly done' picnic at Box Hill, I thought why not stage my own  (hopefully more successful) picnic at Box Hill. With this in mind, I and my Crumbs to Crunch counterpart donned our best bonnet and top hat and headed for the Surrey hills. For some reason, I could not convince my friends to also sport regency attire in public... While we were munching some cookies kindly baked by my friend, I realised that even though it was unlikely that Emma ate cookies at her picnic, very little has actually changed since the 1800s. The view from Box Hill was pretty much the same as Emma wou...

As we had a heatwave last weekend, I decided to compile a list of perfect picnic spots in and around Cardiff. 1. Roath Park You can hire a boat on the lake in summer and grab an ice cream from the kiosk or the ice cream van. http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2%2C2868%2C2965%2C2991 2. Fforest Fawr - Castell Coch  We went for a lovely walk in the forest around Castell Coch and there is even a sculpture trail located  in the woods. The castle is also well worth a visit. You can get a bus from Cardiff to Tongwynlais. http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/castell-coch/?lang=en 3. Cosmeston    Not only is there a beautiful lake but also a reconstructed medieval village to explore. http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/enjoying/parks_and_gardens/cosmeston/cosmeston.aspx 4. St Fagans National History Museum This is an open air museum that showcases Welsh buildings through the ages. It is free to get into and there i...