Book Review: Afternoon Tea at Bramble Café

Carrot Cake

I’m a huge fan of a good afternoon tea, be it during those days when I have people over, or going out with a couple friends for a catch-up. There’s something special about it that I can’t really place my finger on, but I think it might evoke memories of our time in Surrey. Luckily, since moving back to Malta I found terrific places for tea alone or with friends. When I want to stay at home but still want to feel as if I’m in a quaint little tea house, in for example, places like Rye (in East Sussex), all I do is bake a couple of cakes and whip up some sandwiches, et voilà, I am there.

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Book Review: Soulful Baker

This review includes a recipe extract from the book, found at the end of the post.

There are some cookbooks which, for lack of a better word, speak to me from the very beginning. Some more than others. Soulful Baker was one that jumped up right from the page for various reasons, the most important one is the story behind it and the people who are continuously shaping it.

Mary Berry’s Banana Loaf

I know, I know. Pause. I can just see you rolling your eyes at me right now, but I just can’t help it. Yes. This is another banana loaf/bread* recipe. Listen, it’s getting warmer now and I feel my baking days for this Spring/Summer are on their last leg. I’m not really looking forward to that, but one of the joys of this blog is for me to have a record of what I made throughout these past 6 years. Woah…6 years? Yes, and a few months. I can’t believe how much C&T helped me, changed me and taught me.

Mark Bittman’s Apple Crisp

The story doesn’t change much after all. You have a bunch of apples which you will surely hate if you don’t do something with them. That’s how this recipe came to be. If I had to choose a fruit as a mid-morning snack I would most definitely not go for an apple. How can that be, you might ask? I can’t give you a valid reason for that I’m afraid. (Although, come to think of it, this might be indicative of having to eat boiled apples when I was a child every time I got sick.) However give me an apple pie and I’ll devour it. Add a couple of ice cream scoops and I’ll polish it off till the last crumb. Come on, admit it, won’t you do the same?

Chocolate and Avocado Muffins

Last week went past so fast that I have realised only today that I was due to write a couple of posts on this blog. I have quite a few recipes to choose from, and I was about to start a new one. However during my visit to the veggie store this morning, my trusty greengrocer commented on the new cover photo on my Facebook page. It also follows nicely from the savoury ones I posted before this one. (Just for my lovely readers to know, you can now also find me on Instagram, where I also happened to post a similar snap almost four months ago to this date.)

They say that practice makes perfect, and I need a lot of practice when it comes to muffins. I cannot complain about the recipes I try, because I know they’re good and so easy to whip up. They are also life-savers when unexpected guests show up for a spot of tea and cake.