Good Stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy.
Have you been to The Hawkhurst Vault yet? If you’re a tea aficionado or partial to supporting indie East End businesses, then you definitely should! This months old tearoom offers “17 beautiful varieties of tea and the highest quality coffee, all sourced from local suppliers, with a range of locally crafted pastries and cakes to compliment them.” The spacious, two story shop is situated on the more relaxed (and relaxing) side of Brick Lane just north of Bethnal Green road and is a lovely place for a cup of tea (more than decent coffee too) … and a smart spot to keep in mind for your morning beverage needs and for catching up with folks in a comfy setting.
A new monthly subscription delivery scheme called Cocoa Runners aims to “run around the world discovering” fine chocolate and then send you the best of what they found. The Cocoa Runners monthly boxes are designed to be “letterbox friendly” and to fit through nearly all UK letterboxes, and you don’t need to be in to sign for deliveries. I got a taste of one of the Runners’ boxes a month or so back. I liked (!!!), particularly an included bar of Pacari 70%. The packaging was attractive and with the chocolates and thorough info about them well presented. I reckon this service would be good to keep in mind as a gift for any chocolate lover or person-who-has-everything you might know. Give it a try at £16.65 for a one off or £14.95 per month for a three months (as long as the introductory offer is still on).
The Collective’s Limited Edition Crème Brûlée Yoghurt + New Yoghurt Drinks
Gourmet dairy brand, The Collective, has brought to market a limited edition Crème Brûlée Yoghurt created by two-time Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas. I got a taste of some recently. It’s delicious. Be on the look out for it while it lasts.
The Collective also has launched a range of four yoghurt drinks produced with British milk, and containing no refined sugars, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. I got a taste of the new drinks and was glad to have done so. I especially liked the Coconut, Vanilla & Honey drink, a “moreish, indulgent and perfectly balanced blend” of live yoghurt, Madagascan vanilla, coconut cream, coconut milk and honey; and the Bloody Mango, a mix of live yoghurt, crushed Alphonso mangoes and blood oranges. Deeeelish. There’ll be more to share about these treat to come! So stay tuned.
Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally
Isabel Legeron, France’s only female Master of Wine and the one and only mastermind behind the fantastic RAW artisan wine fairs has published a book, Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally. I gave it a flip at the recent London launch (held at super yummy Borough Market restaurant, Elliot’s) and reckon it’s well worth any wine lovers or would-be connoisseurs doing so as well.
