Kitchen Conundrum

Kitchen On the Road- Cambridge Folk Festival and Tea at The Almonry

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After a brief trip back  home to NYC to finish a project for a client, I made my way back to England. My arrival was just in time to attend the Cambridge Folk Festival for a second year in a row. The lineup was superb with bands such as Capercaille, The Waterboys, Bellowhead, The Levellers, Tommy Emmanuel and KT Tunstall headlining. The festival is one of the highlights of my year and always has so many terrific acts performing. Last year was a special treat with Nancy Griffith, John Prine and Billy Bragg along with so many other awesome performers.  Next year is the festival’s 50th Anniversary and I am already looking forward to attending and finding out which bands will be there. No matter, it is sure to be an incredible time! Folk Festival 1Folk Festival 2You have to love the laid-back atmosphere and all the festivities going on around you.  There are lots of food stands to choose from including Greek, Chinese and Mexican, plus one that sells the most delicious and messiest of burgers.  The crowd itself is as interesting and diverse as you can get too. I love just people watching and noting all the fashion choices.

We even met up with some folks that we had met at the concert last year. It was great to catch up with them and to spend the last day of our concert together. I hope that when I get back there we can all get together again.

Folk Festival 3The festival is also where I discovered one of my new favorite drinks- the Pimm’s Cup. I had several over the course of the event as well as many types of ales and lagers. I really enjoy trying the different beers that are available all around England. To dispel any myths too about warm beer, not a single pint (or half) that I had was warm!Folk Festival 4

After the festival ended we had a few days to putter around Ely and Cambridge. So of course we explored some dining establishments!

First, there was tea time at The Almonry of Ely Cathedral. While we dined outside on the lawn in the shadows of the cathedral, there is also a full restaurant inside the 12th Century vaulted undercroft.

Ely CathedralWhat a fabulous spot to enjoy a pot of cream tea, scones with clotted cream and homemade, sweet oat filled flapjacks that literally melted in your mouth.

2013-07-29 16.44.57When visiting Ely, The Almonry is a bit hidden and you might walk right by it.  But, as you walk down High Street from the cathedral and you get to the town’s market square, look out for an open doorway on your right and take a couple of steps down which lead right into The Almonry’s garden.  Here, you can enjoy coffee, tea, homemade cakes, sandwiches or light lunches in the garden with wonderful views of Ely Cathedral.  Or in the undercroft restaurant, you can have a more substantial home-cooked meal. But I’d go just for the flapjacks and the clotted cream! And for the company…20130729-IMG_9718

The Almonry

Ely Cathedral

High Street, Ely Cambs

www.elycathedral.org

 

 

Bread and Roses, Paris

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Just a block away from the lovely Jardin du Luxembourg in the fashionable St Germain des Prés district is one of my favorite spots in Paris to have lunch, Bread and Roses. Besides being a bakery featuring a wide range of beautiful, organic breads, fruit tarts, luxurious slices of cheesecake and other sweet indulgences, this wonderfully cozy spot is the perfect place to enjoy a pot of tea and delight in huge, buttery, savory puff-pastry quiches filled with bright vegetables and herbs.  They are served with a generous mesclun salad infused with sprigs of dill and drizzled with a tangy and sweet mustard vinaigrette. So delicious and filling is this meal that you might not have enough room for dessert.  Which is okay, since it’s nice to purchase a variety to take home with you.

The service was impeccable and very friendly. The charming host and lovely server remembered me on my second lunch there, which, to me is always impressive and makes the whole experience much warmer and neighborly. It’s definitely a place where you can stop in for lunch and end up spending the entire afternoon, lingering over tea and scones.

And while the prices are a bit steep for those on a budget, the food warrants the investment.  After lunch on both occasions, I bought a loaf of their divine brioche to enjoy and turn into the best overnight French toast ever.

I am so looking forward to my return visit and trying to figure out how bring some of their breads with me on my walk!

Bread & Roses
7 rue de Fleurus
75006, Paris
M° Rennes or Saint-Placide

 

Alice’s Tea Cup Cookbook

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I am always excited when a new cookbook comes out.  I love to wander the aisles at the book store thumbing through each cookbook to read the recipes and ogle the beautiful pictures.  As you may know, I  have a habit of collecting cookbooks and then I disappear to read them like novels before they rest on my shelves.  What I especially love  is when a cookbook comes from a place I enjoy dining at. It brings back the memories of my experiences there and rekindles my desire for their scrumptious fare.

I also love tea time.  High tea with it’s tiny tea sandwiches or tea with scones, and biscuits is really something to be experienced. There are some amazing official teas here in NYC, some very proper, and some very casual in wonderful little tea spots, like my favorite, Tea & Sympathy.

But none of them are quite like the whimsical experience at Alice’s Tea Cup with it’s child friendly atmosphere that transports you a more magical place.

Now, they are sharing some of their recipes with the release of their own cookbook-

At just $24, it’s available for purchase on their Website http://alicesteacup.com and most major bookstores.

I was given these two recipes to share with you.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures. I assume they were just photocopied and emailed. This in no way affects their taste!  I love Pumpkin, especially in the fall. And, well, Earl Grey is my tea. Try these recipes out and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

P.S. The pages say to see the Resources for information for the tea leaves. You can purchase tea leaves at gourmet tea shops or online.