The Graphic Foodie

"Give your throat a vacation..Smoke a fresh cigarette!" "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” Wow! We now look back at these adverts from the 40s in wild disbelief, where medical professionals are actively promoting smoking as a health benefit. How utterly bonkers consumers must have been, hacking up their guts yet happily puffing away through it.

But this is how I like to think we will look back on the anti-bread era we seem to be stuck in. I overheard a group of teen lads in the supermarket banging on about avoiding the big G too; "Nah mate, can't eat that, I've had two slices of bread today."...What? You can't put a pair of socks on, yet you know your precise carbohydrate consumption for the day? What is this World?

Firmly avoiding any of that balderdash* is Sugardough, emporium of glorious gluten, mecca of the carb. The window displays are lined with luscious loaves, perfect pastries and the cabinets contain the cakes of dreams. From the central bustle of Brighton you are transported into what feels like a French patisserie; bentwood chairs, silverware, vintage bakeware line the walls and an Amelié-esque soundtrack plays in the background.

From their popular bakery in Hove, where the magic happens, the Market Street branch was a place to sit and enjoy their efforts. What I didn't realise is that they offer more than pastries and tea with a full menu of brunch, lunch and treats, plus brunch cocktails.

I cancelled my coffee when I saw the iced drinks, I love a golden mylk (I'm convinced by the claims, ironically) so opted for the *deep breath* iced coconut milk turmeric flat white. It was delicious and I enjoyed it despite Rosie rolling her eyes at me the entire time. What can I say, Brighton got to me...hard.

There are some lovely teas, proper hot chocolate with house made marshmallows, natural soft drinks or if you need something stronger, wines and a short cocktail list. The latter, being the weekend, I chased my golden mylk with. Balance innit? My mimosa, with freshly squeezed orange juice, was a welcome perk up. There's a Cherry Bakewell with kirsch, amaretto and prosecco or an espresso martini. All of which perfect brunch or cake partners.

The menu is served from 8am-5pm everyday starting with a pretty sounding confetti bircher, French toast, croques and of course pastries.

I chose the Turkish cilbir eggs, a dish of soft poached eggs, garlic yoghurt and an insane amount of beurre noisette, warmed with chilli. Exotic dippy eggs, if you like. To mop up the butter and yolks was sourdough toast filled with teeny chopped confit tomato and red onion. This was supposed to be served with brioche but was delicious none the less. Such a refreshingly different brunch choice and worth the order, although next time I'd love a bigger hit of spice.

If you're venturing into the lunch side of things there are some great sounding dishes, which are an interesting cultural mash up; smokey aubergine with greek skoldalia and Jerusalem classic a'ja bread fritters or roast cauliflower and chickpeas with pea humus sprinkled with Egyptian dukkah. I saw the posh ploughmans which looked a treat, but Rosie settled for a Burrata with spiced, roast butternut squash, fried sage, brown butter and sourdough toasts - simple, classic and a lovely thing to eat.

Even if you just order toast and marmalade, which is hand made here, it arrives in a beautiful cut glass bowl. So much nicer than the sugary shop bought kind, they've even made the staple basic breakfast a delicacy along with generous slices of the house sourdough bread which will have been freshly baked by baker-owner Kane McDowell.

Of course it would be crazy not to dive into the cake cabinet whilst here and it's like choosing between Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds, for goodness sake. Each impeccably decorated, glossy and enticing, it's a hard task to decide.

After much agonising I opted for a classic lemon meringue tart, which had it all and the impressive, peaks were beautifully torched.

I completely underestimated Sugardough's food offering here. Everything is lovingly made, touches to both the food and interior made with a very keen eye that comes only with a family-run business. I struggle to think of anywhere in the city quite like it. Leave the carb bashing to Instagram and tuck in I say.

NEWS: There's also more to love about Sugardough. They have just been approved to deliver a new craft bakery apprenticeship from this September in partnership with Plumpton College.

“We’re genuinely excited about this apprenticeship and getting more people properly trained in the artisan end of the market,” says Sugardough’s Kane McDowell. “Apprentices will learn the art of baking from scratch, and largely by hand, which fits in perfectly with what Sugardough is about. There’s currently nothing like this scheme in the area, and fundamentally it’s really important for the sustainability of independent, traditional bakeries like Sugardough.”

Sugardough

18 Market Street, The Lanes

Also at: 5 Victoria Terrace, Hove

I dined as a guest of Sugardough. Words and thoughts, as always, my own.
*Yes, I know some are genuinely gluten intolerant, but come on, the dietary requirement has been glorified for the masses.

No comments

I don't often review many cafes, or breakfasts, on the blog mainly because I don't tend to go out to eat breakfast (neither would you if you could eat Mr GF's pancakes) but I do go to plenty of cafes and definitely have my favourites. Even so a whole blog post on a chicken salad on toast or a piece of cake and a coffee is hardly riveting stuff.

But sometimes there's more to a place than you'd expect. As you walk in to V and H Cafe, a painted mural lists their main suppliers. It's a celebration of Sussex produce really and why not get everything locally if you can?

This is a real USP of this cafe. When food is as simple as breakfast, sandwiches and salads, quality of ingredient and attention to detail is what sets you apart.

As soon as my Eggs Florentine arrived I knew that these values were strong. Two perfectly poached eggs from Five Chimneys Farm in Hadlow Down (laid on the day of delivery) sat on my favourite chewy brown bread from Real Patisserie, with lightly cooked kale, mushrooms and frisee salad. And not too much Hollandaise sauce either. A gorgeous combination, much better than the typical spinach in the dish with the more robust kale. I wolfed the lot down.

My dining companion was the other man in my life, my five year old son, whose love of breakfast is making me more enthusiastic about it too. His face was a picture when his breakfast turned up, tailored from the standard menu and fit for a small prince! You see some really sad sausages in breakfast shots but this free range one from Westdene Butchers was fanastic, free from any fillers. The thickly cut rasher of bacon also came from them too. Soldiers cut from chewy brown and a generous helping of butter rich, golden scrambled eggs.

A nice touch was the homemade baked beans, made from a mix of butter, kidney and haricot given a slight kick of heat from chilli. So much nicer than tinned.

A lot of the menu can be adapted like this, the possibilities are endless but unlike some cafes who refuse to deviate from the menu, they are quite happy for you to customise - a particular bonus for those dining with little ones.

Coffee was great from Roasted in Henfield, as was the freshly squeezed juice made even more invigorating with ginger and turmeric.

We took some cakes home, made by Andrew Mikolajczyk from The Cake Time (previously head baker of Flourtown Bakery and cafe which was here before V and H Cafe took over). The slice of walnut and banana cake was really lovely. Traditional, honest and light, just as I like it. (I really have zero time for lurid, over the top cakes with piles of frosting and decoration.) The salted chocolate brownie though - this was the best textured brownie I've had. Not overly gooey but melting and crisp with a tinge of saltiness that makes it more grown up. I'd walk to Palmeira Square from Kemptown just for this.

The interior has been nicely done. It feels beachy without being themed, a lovely space to drop in any time (they also do salads and sandwiches for lunch too.)

Service is faultless, friendly and welcoming. I noticed a table of clearly well treated regulars that small businesses like this do well to retain.

I'm really glad I trekked over. This isn't my neck of the woods but if it were, I'd be in a lot, believe me. You can't fault the quality, service or attention to detail at all.

V and H Cafe

Holland Road

Hove

I dined as a guest of V and H Cafe. Words and thoughts, as always, my own.

No comments

Afternoon tea can be a very swish affair; the starched, white tablecloths, the silver spoons, delicate china and impeccable, glossy patisserie. Sigh, I'm a sucker for it...bye bye £100. Talk of Tea in Brighton however, is none of those things. Despite having the city's largest tea list with some incredibly refined options, it is very much an "everyday" venue (their words). And it suits Brighton to a, well, tee.

Located right in the centre of town just off Western Road, it's an intimate little space, decorated with little trinkets, mismatched lanterns, fluro orange walls and charming it is too. There's also a sweet little yard with hanging seats for when the sun shines.

The tea menu lists Temi Tea (A Royal Tea from the only tea garden in the former kingdom of Sikkim), Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls and some fine organic Darjeeling. They have a superb green tea choice and many flavoured teas, including some rather unorthodox blends, Limoncello or Witch Blend anyone?

I had the Milky Oolong which is unlike any other tea. Refreshing, sweet and fragrant with an unmistakable milky taste. I can't get enough of it.

Unlike the extensive tea menu, the food on offer is more simple. You can pop in for a sandwich or a slice of cake for just a few pounds or have the full afternoon tea with a choice of sandwiches, scones and a slice of cake.

Cake gets a big shout out. They are made in-house and are all gluten free, not that you'd know it. The enormous slices of chocolate & raspberry and carrot cake were both super light. I sometimes find gluten free options quite cloying and dense but these were anything but. And although they don't cater for vegans, you can call in advance and they will make something specially.

I would have liked the scones to have more height but they were pleasant and sandwiches simple but delicious enough. They could probably tweak it here and there—cut the crusts off and the like—but this is all very relaxed and everything feels about right. This is a pleasant afternoon tea that won't be breaking any banks (£10.95 for 1 person or £19.95 for 2 people).

Being so close to town it's a handy one to know about for a pit shop and quick bite or a lingering tea-fuelled lunch with the ladies. And with piles of games, magazines and books, it's the place to spend some time if you have it. They are so friendly here and welcomed my two crumb making kids but I think it's not the best place for a meet up with the children in tow if they are very young due to the size of the place, lack of highchairs etc. Look, before I had kids, I wouldn't have been keen to have my quiet afternoon tea hijacked by some squarking little ones. Even though I could take my 4 year old boy confidently to a fine dining restaurant for a 3 hour meal, well the 18 month old girl is cut from a different cloth!

Now more than ever with the increase of the chain restaurants and coffee shops in the city, we should really make the effort to celebrate and support our independent places, as after all, they are what makes Brighton Brighton.

talkoftea.co.uk
26 Spring St
Brighton BN1 3EF

I was invited to review Talk of Tea, words and thoughts, as ever, are my own.

No comments

I don't often post baking recipes and I don't really do pretty baking either, but these sweet vanilla cupcakes are rather simple to make (my kind of baking) and are on the right side of girly cuteness. AND it's National Cupcake Week you know. Now, I think enough time has passed that cupcakes are ok again. Remember a few years ago when cupcakes were everywhere and piled high American style with nauseating amounts of frosting? I'm seeing more sensible versions now that you do want to eat thank goodness. ("Cake pops" will never be ok in my book though.)

I made these ones for a 1 year old's party as her middle name is Rose but didn't want anything too kiddy. These would be welcome at girly gatherings, tea parties or even wedding cake material. The roses are not difficult to make once you have the hang of them.

Ingredient quality really makes difference to baking. I've experimented with lots of butters and you can tell the difference - buy the best! The white eggs* here are from The Happy Egg Co. whose ethos I like and these are laid by white hens. They have a larger yolk than normal so fabulous for baking with. I also wouldn't be without my beloved OXO Good Grips tools to help me either. You can read more about my product reviews here but they are my go-to for everyday, affordable kitchenware.

Here I'm testing the sturdy mixing bowl* which is exactly what I want; 1. stainless steel, 2. non slip, 3. well weighted. It's perfect and the white exterior is modern and good looking for display (great for speedy chilling too). I was also testing the decorating set but had the rose decoration in mind. I've never got on well with icing kits, either the simple snipped bags or those impossible traditional metal plungers that spew icing out of the sides. The OXO 4 Piece Baker’s Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit* may look a bit bonkers but it was so easy to use and handle. No spills or mess either. The compact nature is a bonus as everything can be stored inside. Even after a quick test, I know I'll be packing my old icing kits off to the charity shop in the morning.

Makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients
125g Caster sugar
125g Unsalted butter, room temperature
125g Self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin cases.

Beat together all of the cake ingredients for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth batter. Divide between the muffin cases and bake for about 15 minutes, until risen and golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

For the decoration

Ingredients
Ready to roll icing (Half a standard 1kg pack or 500g pack)
Icing sugar
Red and green colouring paste
Silver dagrees/sugar balls (I like the soft ones you can get now)
Green edible glitter

Method
Cut a third of the icing off and reserve. Dust the work surface lightly with icing sugar and roll the larger icing block out thinly, flipping and turning to ensure it doesn't stick. it needs to only be about 3mm thick. Using the round cookie cutter that is a little bit smaller than the finished cupcake, cut 10 circles.

Cut a third off the smaller piece of reserved icing. Put a few drops of red colouring onto the larger piece and a few drops of the green into the smaller piece. Go easy as you want a soft pastel colour. Work the colour into each icing until you have a smooth, even colour. Chill this for a little while if it has gone too soft with the heat of your hands.

Once ready, lightly dust the worktop with a little icing sugar and roll each colour to around 2.5mm thick. For the rose colour cut into thin strips about 10mm tall and 100mm wide. Roll these up slightly unevenly to form the look of a rose. Slightly pinch the bottom to form a "v" shape and to hold it all together. Trim the end point so your rose sits on a flat surface. Repeat until you have 10.

Cut the green icing into 10 small leaf shapes then using a blunt knife, press lightly to form the central vein. Tip a little of the glitter onto a plate and lightly press each leaf into it.

Pour cold water into a small glass. Dip a pastry brush in an remove excess water with some kitchen roll. Lightly paint the underside of the white icing round and press centrally on top of the cupcake. Using a small clean, unused artist paintbrush, dampen the underside of each green leaf and apply slightly off centre to each cupcake. Repeat with the base of each rose and stick centrally. Apply a single silver dagree.

*I was sent the products for review. Words and content, as always, are my own.

No comments

Hands down the best patisserie in Brighton, possibly the whole South East, is Julien Plumart. Save that Eurostar ticket money and spend it here at this slice of France. I've raved about the boutique a lot on this blog but now they are serving afternoon teas on glossy tiered stands which of course needed some investigating.

You won't be getting scones and jam here though and you won't miss them either. Along with finger sandwiches, tiny, savoury filled, light brioche buns, ice cream and warm brownies you can choose a selection from their famous macaron and one of the intricate cakes.

They had just that day won a Taste Award for the Berries and Violet macaron (well deserved) and I teamed that with Black Forest and Raspberry flavours. The macaron are really gorgeously light and crisp, with an intensely flavoured filling. There are always classic flavours to choose from like Pistachio or Rose to more experimental ones like Yuzu & Black Current Pepper. Prepare to stand in front of all the flavours for a while and painfully choose just three.

Another hard task is choosing from the glossy jewelled cakes but you're practically guaranteed a good one. I've had plenty of these over the years and NEVER once disliked anything and I don't even have a sweet tooth. Although I love the Raspberry Delice and Royal Crunchy Choc, I settled for an unusual Earl Grey and Mandarin dome. There's always an array of textures to these cakes; crisp chocolate coatings, soaked sponges, super-light mousse and incredible decoration. Utterly decadent, technically spot on and virtually impossible to create at home (I'm happy to get a decent lemon drizzle down though. Baker, I am not.)

The loose leaf teas are from The Rare Tea Company and served in beautiful clear glass teapots which look very pretty. There is a decent selection and the leaves are sourced direct from select independent farms.

Afternoon tea for two people is £29 which when you consider the quality of everything, is very good value. Julien Plumart himself is still very much in the kitchen crafting the products with a small team so standards have not slipped in the slightest.

Oh and by the way, they have also recently renovated the top floor dining space. Handy if you are planning a tasteful hen dos or small party.

Julien Plumart

Duke Street, Brighton

I was invited to review. Words and thoughts, as always, are my own.

Also see my updated post for the best places in Brighton for afternoon tea! http://www.thegraphicfoodie.co.uk/2014/05/gf-guides-best-afternoon-tea-in-brighton.html

No comments

I have no idea why I haven't come across a rolling pin like this before. We all know how essential non-stick frying pans are but whenever I roll out pastry or pasta, it ALWAYS sticks to the pin! (Note: I'm not the world's most patient or proficient baker.)

The OXO Good Grips non stick rolling pin is a heavy beast. Aside from the coating, I love the shaped handles that always remain the right way up due to the weighted design. The handles enable you to keep your grip (rather than rolling with the flat of your hands) and also stop your knuckles bashing the worktop.

The pin is also 30cm wide, so you can get a decent crust top or size rolled out evenly.

Although I don't use a lot of pastry, when I do, it's normally a beautiful, glossy crostata, which is a large Italian jam tart. Delicious on its own or with a big dollop of sweetened marscapone.

Ingredients

500g self-raising flour

200g butter

150g white sugar

Grated rind of one lemon

3 egg yolks plus l whole egg

Vanilla essence (few drops)

One jar of jam (any flavour) or Nutella!
Milk or beaten egg for glazing

Method

Cut butter into cubes & rub into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add sugar and grated lemon rind
Beat eggs and add to mix with the vanilla essence
If mixture is dry, add a little milk until it all comes together and forms a ball (take care not to make it too wet – add milk a little at a time)
Leave to chill in fridge for half an hour

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5 / 190°C / 170 °C (fan)

Grease a large, loose bottomed flan tin approx 12 inches in diameter
Roll out pastry sufficiently to cover bottom and sides of flan tin
Gently ease the pastry into flan tin and trim off any excess pastry around rim of tin
Add jam to the pastry inside the flan tin and spread out evenly to cover the base
With remaining pastry, roll out and cut strips half an inch wide (use pastry wheel if you have one to make the edges of the strips decorative) and arrange on top of the jam, leaving an inch or so between each strip.
Fold down the pastry on the sides of the flan tin until they seal in the strips & press firmly all around.
Brush with beaten egg or milk and bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven at Gas 5 for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Take out and leave to cool completely in the tin.

I was sent OXO Good Grips products for review. Words and views, as always, are my own.

No comments

After reading glowing review after glowing review of Sugardough, I finally managed to get over the border to Hove to pay them a visit. The issue was I waited until I was on a dairy free diet trial (feeding a windy baby). And what I liked most about Sugardough was that, despite a huge selection, there was NOTHING I could eat under that dietary restriction. With no apologies, the food here is created for taste and everyone knows that baking includes truckload of dairy. As it should be.

So instead I watched the constant queue gorge on amazing looking huge pies, quiches, gorgeous tarts, pastries and cakes. They are super busy here and for an uninspired stretch of retail near the King Alfred is quite an achievement. Word on the street is that they are looking to come to Brighton. Here's hoping.

The interior is really cute too with lots of antique furniture and display cases to give it a homely, lived in vibe. If you can secure yourself one of the few tables, it's a really nice spot for lunch or breakfast.

But really, I was here for the pizza (what, really?!), which they sell al taglio (by the slice). Unlike the classic Neapolitan style pizza, this is closer to Roman style and even closer to a type of pizza they sell in Italian bakeries (never pizzerias) called Pizza Rossa. This typically is a dough base cooked in large trays with copious amounts of olive oil. This results in almost a fried quality to the base and if you are lucky enough to get a corner piece, you'll find it slightly charred and chewy. Probably the most delicious thing you'll put in your mouth. But unlike the pizza rossa which is only ever topped with tomato sauce and herbs, Sugardough have more variations like roast vegetables or (a Roman classic) Potato and rosemary.

Although not quite exactly like the pizza rossa back home, it's pretty close and worth a trip to get yourself a slice.

I did get to try a loaf of the bread though, an unusual potato, rosemary and garlic loaf, which I really enjoyed. All the bread looks great, especially the beautiful spelt loaves.