A Day Trip to Orford, Suffolk

Last Saturday I visited Orford, a very pretty little Suffolk coastal town. Aside from getting some gloriously fresh sea air and the odd precious glimmer of sunshine, our day turned out to be pretty food-orientated - the absolute best kind of day!

What nicer place to sit and read a book?

A pretty wisteria-draped doorway spotted along the way

We started off with breakfast in the form of the most delicious freshly baked pastries and Monmouth coffee at the somewhat iconic Pump Street Bakery. From the outside, Pump Street Bakery looks like your standard Suffolk-pink chocolate-box town house. But to the side of the building, just above the door, you'll see the swirly and rather lovely sign painted onto the shell-pink wall, behind which lies a cosy, top-notch bakery.

Pretty as a picture, Pump Street Bakery

Aswell as buying a stash of baked goodies to take home for later (when in Rome...), we had a breakfast fit for a King, sharing sweet and sticky cinnamon buns, the most delicious buttery almond croissants, and a bear claw (an almond paste filled pastry which is shaped a little like a bear claw, hence the name). There's not all that much space to move inside the bakery, and as you'd expect it's a busy and bustling little place, but we managed to grab a table outside. My advice- get there as early as you can bear to. They also do more extensive cooked breakfasts- I saw a rather substantial and heavenly looking bacon and avocado bap floating past to a nearby table, so if you're in Orford, this is definitely your breakfast spot (and possibly lunch and afternoon tea too!)

Freshly baked goodies at Pump Street bakery

Decisions, decisions.....

But first, Coffee- a perfect flat white to perk me up

A soft and sticky cinnamon bun, devoured within minutes

An almond paste-filled bear claw

Honestly, everything you buy from this bakery will be top-draw. We took chocolate brownies back home for later, which we kept in the fridge- a cardinal sin some might say, but actually I would recommend doing this, as eaten cold they became even more chewy and fudgy. We also bought baguettes, a ham sandwich and some of there Pump Street Bakery chocolate to take home (yes, they make incredible chocolate too, which is mixed with excess bread crumbs- sounds weird, but trust me it delicious). We were officially out of control and living some kind of carb-filled dream!

Make sure you don't miss their beautiful bean-to-bar chocolate range too, what a lovely present it would make

Goodies to take home

After breakfast we went for a long walk along the sea wall, to burn off some of that pastry (it's all about balance guys..), before heading to our lunch venue, The Butley Orford Oysterage. With a name like that I knew I was going to like it before I'd even set foot in it.

As unpretentious from the outside as it is on inside in terms of decor, service and food, The Butley Orford Oyster serves up some seriously comforting home-style cooking. It is primarily a fish restaurant (so not the place to take your veggie mates), but if you like your portions big and your flavours strong, then this is the place for you. I'm talking hot and bubbling fish pies straight out of the oven, a giant fillet of cod, simply grilled and smothered in parsley sauce, and of course the most deliciously plump oysters, home-grown in their own oyster beds nearby, and seriously some of the best I've had. They also have an off-site smokehouse, where they smoke their own trout, mackerel, salmon, cods roes and more, all of which is served up in the restaurant. The desserts too were simple but good. A selection of fruit sorbets was a nice palate cleanser, and a slice of warm chocolate and almond cake with pistachio ice-cream was the perfect sweet treat to end on. The interior is informal and humble, and almost cafeteria-like. I don't mean that in a negative way, I just mean that the interior won't wow. But when the food is this good, who cares!

A humble starter- smoked mackerel pate and hot toast

Grilled prawns, simple and delightful

The Butley Oyster legendary fish pie

About as unpretentious and as delicious as it gets

Because every good meal ends with warm chocolate and almond cake with pistachio ice-cream

Hopefully this review of my day trip to Orford will inspire some of you to visit this great little town with plenty to shout about. In summer particularly it's a great destination to get some fresh sea air and jolly good food too. I know I'll certainly be revisiting!  

A Hope & Glory Afternoon Tea

As a Born and Bred Brit, I'm a sucker for a good and proper brew. If I've had a bad day, nothing lifts my mood more than refreshingly hot and clean cup of tea. So I was really chuffed when the lovely folk over at Hope & Glory Teas (https://www.thehopeandglory.co.uk/) sent me a few samples of their delicious premium Organic, Fairtrade British teas. And what a treat they are too!

With four main collections (Maharajah, Maharani, Rajah and Rani) which range from your standard but essential English breakfast, through to a light and fresh Jasmine Green, a moreish Chai blend, and the rather beautiful Red Velvet tisane, there is something for everyone within this range. A personal favourite of mine was the Peppermint tea, part of the Maharani collection, which really packed a punch and invigorated the senses- the perfect Monday morning head cleanser! The Darjeeling tea would also be a top pick for me- it paired perfectly with my scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam, cutting through the richness of them, for a truly wonderful, proper British afternoon tea.

Beautifully delicate in flavour, these teas come in both loose leaf form and lovely little muslin tea bags too for convenience. And with such gorgeously patriotic pillar-box red packaging, what lovely gifts these teas would make too.

Thank you Hope & Glory for sharing your lovely teas with me!

Styling for 'Market Life' magazine with Ursula Ferrigno and John Holdship

I worked with chef Ursula Ferrigno and photographer John Holdship recently on a 'Market Life' magazine shoot for Borough market (www.boroughmarket.org.uk). Ursula runs Books for Cooks cookery courses in London (http://www.cookwithus.co.uk/ ), and as well as teaching at the prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine, she also has many books to her name (Bringing Italy Home, A Gourmet Guide to Oil and Vinegar, Ursula Ferrigno's Complete Italian Cookery Course to name but a few). She is incredibly passionate, and her excitement for food, teaching cooking and life in general is totally infectious, so it's always a real joy to spend the day with her.

Ursula had written a recipe for a beautifully simple french dish, a tian. John did a stunning job as always of photographing this rustic dish, and I assisted with the styling of it, using old crates and pieces of wood that we borrowed from Borough Market traders. It turned out to be one of my favourite shoots we've done for the Market Life magazine actually. There's something so beautifully simple about the dish itself and the final photographs, so I think everyone was pleased with the outcome!

Recipe: Ursula Ferrigno
Photography: John Holdship
Styling: Georgie Hodgson

A Borough Market Feast, 'Market Life' Magazine shoot

Recently I worked with Eco-chef Tom Hunt, the brains behind Poco restaurant (http://www.tomsfeast.com/), and incredible photographer John Holdship (http://www.johnholdship.com/), to create this beautiful alfresco lunch party right in the centre of Borough Market. This was for a photo shoot for the Borough Market magazine, 'Market Life' (www.boroughmarket.org.uk) . As well as assisting Tom in the kitchen, I was the stylist for this shoot, so I sourced all props and decorations from Topham street prop house (http://tophamstreet.com/), which I would highly recommend- the girls there are lovely! Here are some of the images from the shoot (there are so many beautiful images to choose from it was difficult to decide which to upload), but for the full article and recipes, please see the latest issue of Market Life magazine.

It was a great to meet and work with Tom, whose creativity and energy is absolutely infectious. And as always, it was brilliant to work with John, who has taught me a great deal about photography and styling since I started working with him. I am constantly in awe as to how he can always take a fabulous shot, even when we are working with next to no light and in limited conditions- he's a true genius!

Photography: John Holdship
Recipes: Tom Hunt
Styling: Georgie Hodgson

Cornish Yarg and Nettle Tart

Clementine and purple sprouting salad

Rhubarb and hibiscus pavlova caused a stir...

A proper market barrel always makes for a good backdrop.

Tom and I adding the finishing touches to the table. 

Celeriac remoulade with burnt butter

Blood orange mimosas injected some nice colour into the table

Winter griddled venison and green sauce

Cheers! What a pretty lunch. 

Food Styling the front cover of Good Things Magazine

I am pleased to be able to show you all the July/August front cover of Good Things Magazine, food styling by myself, photography by Vladimir Studenic (http://vladimphoto.com/), and Art direction by Alice Griffiths. The recipe was barbecued hoisin and cola ribs. One thing I will say is that it's quite tricky to make juicy, sticky, giant pork ribs look pretty! But it was a good challenge for me, and they tasted delicious. Just the thing after a long day in the kitchen! 

A Borough Christmas

There is nowhere more festive in London than Borough Market at Christmas time. With its twinkling wreaths swaying high above shoppers and mistletoe hanging from the stalls, Christmas is well and truly in the air. I always think there’s a Dickensian charm about the market at this time of year, what with the sound of angelic carollers echoing and clouds of steam from vats of aromatic mulled wine wafting past your nose, a warm glow seems to emanate from the market. If that’s not enough to make you feel a hint of Christmas spirit, then I find that a glass or two of the wine soon will - accompanied by a freshly baked mince pie perhaps - essential for your shopping experience!

Christmas wreaths galore providing Christmas cheer for your front door

Now that’s a proper mince pie, from Bread Ahead

Warm your cockles with a mulled wine or cider, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and orange - just the thing to lift your mood and inspire good purchases…

You can get just about everything you need for a grand old Christmas Day at the market, even down to a beautifully bushy Christmas tree from Sharon at the Gated Garden (worry about the logistics of how you’re going to manoeuvre it home on the tube later) and thoroughly enjoy the festive experience of it all at the same time.

How about a Scottish Langoustine Cocktail to start with on the big day?

Gleaming Chestnuts - a great way to spruce up your sprouts

There is some wonderful produce around the market at the moment to inspire your Christmas cooking - from multi-coloured carrots and two-tone sprouts, through to free range, beautifully plump, turkeys and humongous hams, just waiting to be glazed. Personally, my number one Borough Market essential to take home at Christmas is a Mrs King’s Pork Pie. It’s a must on Boxing Day amongst my family and there would be an outcry if I returned home without at least two. The crumbly pastry and meaty filling is just the thing to combat your post-Christmas Day food needs; and all it requires is some good strong English mustard or sharp piccalilli to cut through the richness.

Mrs King’s pork pies - a Boxing Day essential

Multi-coloured carrots at Elsey and Bent to brighten up your Christmas Day veg display

Why have only one colour of sprout when you can have two?

So wrap up all warm and cosy in your multiple winter layers and turn Christmas shopping into an enjoyable experience. Be inspired by the array of produce at the market - it really makes Christmas easy when you can buy everything you could possibly need, right down to a beautifully made, glistening, fruit topped Christmas cake (no need to tell the guests it’s not homemade), all in one place.

  

Sunday Roast @ Pizza East, Shoreditch

For me a leisurely roast lunch is the absolute best way to while away a grey and cold winters Sunday, so I was very excited to be invited to try out the Sunday roast at Pizza East in Shoreditch. You wouldn't know it from the name, but as well as doing a cracking selection of antipasti and small plates along with pizzas (obviously), Pizza East also offers a Sunday Roast. So last Sunday I went along to try it, taking with me a plus one in the shape of my half-Mexican, Los Angeles born-and-bred friend Armando, who (shock horror) had never had a British Sunday roast lunch, so I was interested to see what he made of it too.

A bit of background for those who don't know Pizza East; it's a great place to pop in, have a nice meal from a menu that has something for everyone really, at good value, in a laid back atmosphere. Service is always prompt, and I've always found the staff to be really friendly, relaxed and not at all pretentious (as you can experience in other trendy East London joints).

We kicked off our experience with a couple of cocktails, a Picante de la Casa for Armando, which had a serious kick to it and was a highly addictive, zesty little number, made with limes, chilli and coriander. It certainly blew the cobwebs out! I opted for a Giallo, which was a well-balanced blend of crème de peche, passion fruit and basil. Once our tropical fruit-based cocktails had blown away any inch of winter blues, it was time to address the serious subject of food.

Picante de la Casa cocktail- highly addictive, with a good chilli kick

Pretty as a picture, my Giallo cocktail

Pizza East takes the difficult out of ordering for you on this one- there are 3 Sunday roast options; rib of beef, roast chicken & pork belly. All of these can be ordered for one or two people. So basically you pick your meat, and job done. I'm a roast beef and Yorkshire pud kind-of-gal pretty much every time, so my decision was easy, and my companion opted for the pork belly.

After a short wait, my plate arrived piled high with food, just the way a roast should be. I'm not going to say the presentation was a work of art, but to be honest with a Sunday roast, who wants perfect little precise portions? Not me, I say cram on as much as possible in this instance. The beef was a thick chunk of freshly carved rib, which was cooked beautifully, perfectly tender and flavoursome, with the fat being soft, buttery and delicious. The pork too was really well cooked, and had a good slab of crunchy crackling on it. Of course, it would make sense that the meat would be good, as I'm pretty sure it's roasted within their beautiful wood-fired pizza ovens. The veg was the real hero for me- roasted fennel added something a bit more interesting to the plate than usual roast accompaniments, the roasted carrots were sweet and still had a bit of bite to them, and the crunchy, fluffy roast potatoes were very good indeed. We also got a separate serving of steamed greens which added a nice freshness to my huge heart-attack-on-a-plate of a meal, and an extra jug of gravy each. I like to have my roast swimming in gravy so this was ideal.

Look at that lovely veg, such an important element to a roast.

My plate with half a cow on it.

After this HUGE plate of food each, we felt we really should sample the dessert, but were pretty full, so were considering something light and fresh perhaps, like a sorbet or fruit salad. So we opted for the salted caramel chocolate tart and the banana bread with caramel sauce and ice cream....I mean if you're going to do it, you may as well go all out. Again these were lovely, particularly the banana bread which was warm, comforting, stodgy goodness. Just what you need after eating all the carbs in the world..!

I always find that there's something very satisfying about a very precise slice of tart

Oh yes. Warm banana bread, cold ice cream, caramel sauce.

After this it was time to make a move, not least because I urgently needed to get home, get out of my jeans and into something with an elasticated waistband. I must say we had a lovely time, and I can confirm that Armando is a roast-convert now, so I think it was a good first impression for him of a British Sunday roast lunch. Thank you goes to the Pizza East staff for a great meal and top service. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday!