Chelsea Bun - Fitzbillies, Cambridge

Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun

Firstly, an apology for the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks.  Sadly, my Gran passed away and therefore, my time has been spent elsewhere.  We are left with fond memories, many of which involve food, and I am sure I have inherited my love of good food from her.

Anyway, some resemblance of normality must resume so I am pleased to bring you my next installment.

The choice here has to be credited to a friend of mine, Milton, who recommended the Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun to me in his blog.  I will also place all blame on him for my inevitable repeat visits and the resulting hole in my wallet and expanding waistline!

Fitzbillies, located on Trumpington Street near King's College, Cambridge is a beautiful bakery, renowned for it's Chelsea Buns, which are also available to mail order.  The selection of sweet and savoury goodies was fantastic and it took me some time to decide on what to have for my lunch.  The signature Chelsea Bun won in the end, but I also went for a rabbit pasty to start which was absolutely delicious too.  Anyway, this is about the cakes, so without further ado I'll get down to business. 

Presentation - Score: 7/10

My personal opinion is that Chelsea Buns are not the prettiest of cakes, but at the same time there is a certain appeal in their swirling form.  What set these Chelsea Buns apart was the honey oozing out of every crevice, which is enough to make me drool even now just thinking about it!  This means the Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun scores a rather good 7 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 10/10

Firstly, these buns should come with a warning not to eat them at your desk in the office unless you have a plentiful supply of wet wipes to hand - a thank you to one of my colleagues there for coming to my rescue :)  Secondly, these Chelsea buns are deeeeeelicious!  The sweet honey, spicy cinnamon, chewy currants and perfectly textured dough combine beautifully to create a treat that is truly divine and is well deserving of a perfect 10 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: 9/10

Here we have another special cake, which doesn't quite pip the courgette cake to being the best one I've reviewed so far, but runs a very, very close second.  Overall, a fantastic score of 9 out of 10.  I can't wait to go back and try something else...and maybe another one of these :)

Fresh Cream Scone - Julie's Bakery, March

Julie's Bakery Fresh Cream Scone

After last week's interesting experience with Greggs I decided to try another bakery in March.  Julie's has a wide range of sandwich fillings on offer, freshly made to order, but not quite as much choice in the way of sweet treats.

I was tempted by the fresh cream counter and plumped for the fresh cream fruit scone.  Here's what I thought.

Presentation - Score: 7/10

The scone was nicely shaped, round but not perfectly so like the ones at The Carnaby Room.  There was absolutely loads of fresh cream in the middle, already looking to burst out the sides with just the weight of the top half of the scone.  The only disappointment really was that there wasn't jam squidging out the sides as well.

All this means that the fresh cream scone from Julie's bakery scores a very respectable 7 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 7/10

As expected with the first bite, I was scraping cream up of the table, but, ignoring the mess, I was impressed with the texture of the scone.  It was nice and soft, maybe not quite crumbly enough, but certainly not too dry.  My only complaint with the scone would be that, in my opinion, there wasn't enough fruit in it.

The cream was slightly sweeter than I expected, but a lovely texture, and definitely the next best thing to clotted cream.  I have to say I hardly noticed the jam though, which was disappointing, as everything else was rather good.  Therefore, the fresh cream scone from Julie's bakery scores another good 7 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: 7/10

Another solid score from a scone, but I'm still waiting for one that has everything.  The Butterfinger's cream tea needed better cream, the Carnaby Room scones were not really up to scratch and this one needed more jam.  Will I find the perfect combination?

Therefore, the fresh cream scone from Julie's bakery scores a good 7 out of 10 overall.

Apple Rhubarb & Custard Pasty - Pasty Presto, Cambridge

Apple, Rhubarb & Custard Pasty

I do like a pasty at lunch time, traditional Cornish and steak and stilton being two of my favourites, but I've never eaten a sweet one before.  So, when I saw this in the window of Pasty Presto in Cambridge I was intrigued.  The fact it had rhubarb and custard in definitely sealed the deal, so here is what I thought.

Presentation - Score: 5/10

Pasties are never going to make the top of the list in terms of looks, but they do rough and ready really well.  I think the fact that the only differences between this and the savoury pasties were the markings and icing sugar on top kind of tells the story.

However, the pastry was a beautiful golden colour and I couldn't wait to see inside so the Apple, Rhubarb and Custard Pasty scores an average 5 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 7/10

Taking the first bite, I was full of anticipation.  As I went to sink my teeth in I took a breath, and got a lung-full of icing sugar!!  After a brief coughing fit, and brushing some of the remaining icing sugar off the top so there wasn't a repeat performance, I took that all important first bite.  The pastry on the outside was delightfully crisp and just that little bit flaky, not so much that my lap was showered in the stuff, but just enough to create a wonderful texture and sound to the bite.

The filling was lovely too, not too sweet, with a good mix of apple, rhubarb and custard to create the flavour - although if I had my own way I'd drop the apple and just go with the rhubarb and custard!

Therefore, the Apple, Rhubarb and Custard Pasty scores a good 7 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: 6/10

I was very pleased that I gave the sweet pasty a try, and would definitely choose it, or another flavour, again.  It was always going to be let down a bit by it's looks, but at the end of the day if it tastes good the looks don't really matter.  All-in-all, a very respectable 6 out of 10 for the Apple, Rhubarb and Custard Pasty.

Blueberry Burst Doughnut - Greggs, March

Greggs Blueberry Burst Doughnut

I think its important that this blog doesn't just concentrate on 'posh' or 'special' cakes, but reflects the fact that a baked treat and mug of tea/coffee is sometimes just what's needed to get through a morning or afternoon, or both for that matter.

The Blueberry Burst doughnut from Greggs fits nicely into this category and has been one of my regular indulgences over the last few months.  I was going to write about it last week but didn't as the one I had wasn't up to the standard of those I'd had previously - I'll explain more in a minute.  However, I have been back today and am pleased to bring you this post.

Presentation - Score: 6/10

As doughnuts go, I have to say these look pretty darn good.  Lined up in the shop display case alongside their multi-coloured brothers and sisters they do look a treat.  Certainly much more appealing than the confectionery aisle of Tesco Express next door!  The doughnuts themselves look plump and as if they could literally burst with their filling and the purple zig-zag lines on top of the icing, even though in many cases they are broken lines as in the picture above, add that little finishing touch.  It is a shame they end up slung in a paper bag, where the icing sticks to the sides on the way back to the office, but what more can you ask for just 80p!

Never going to be in the same league as any of the 'posh' cakes, but all in all the Greggs Blueberry Burst doughnut scores a very respectable 6 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 3/10

Now here is where I go into the story about why I didn't write about this doughnut last week.  As I've said above, I have eaten quite a few of these doughnuts over the last few months and up until last week I have enjoyed the way the filling really does burst out of the middle as you bite into it, oozing out of any available hole and inevitably dripping onto something white or important!  However, last week I bit into the doughnut, ready to catch the unsuspecting drips, and all I got was dough - very soft, beautifully textured dough, but just dough.  I took another bite, thinking it could be possible that all the filling was to one side... still just dough... eventually I got to some filling, but there can't have been more than half a teaspoonful!  I was very disappointed to say the least, but I didn't write it up as I figured it could easily have been the last in the run or something like that and I would give it another go this week as a chance to redeem itself.  Well today was the day and it took me very much by surprise.

Where's the filling?

Today I bought my doughnut and returned to the office, where I took that first bite I'd been looking forward to... again no filling!  If anything there was even less than last week!  I was so annoyed I took a photo and returned to Greggs to complain, with what was left of the doughnut.  The picture is to the right here, and what filling you see in the image is all that was there!

The lady in Greggs was absolutely lovely and gave me my money back, along with two additional doughnuts.  Being the very kind person I am, I gave one to a colleague and took the other back to my desk.  Before I had managed to start on mine, my colleague came over to show me that his hardly had any filling in, a similar amount to the one I had just taken back in fact.  This was getting beyond a joke, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane, back to science class at school, and dissected the remaining doughnut.  The result is shown in this last image below, and is the reason for the shocking score I have given this doughnut.  Due to the distinct lack of both blueberry and burst, the Greggs Blueberry Burst doughnut scores a miserable 3 out of 10 for taste.

I was so shocked by the lack of filling in here!

Overall - Score: 4/10

So, so disappointed with this, as on past experience we would have been looking at a 7 or 8 overall.  Sorry Greggs but you have one unhappy customer and your Blueberry Burst doughnut has scored a poor 4 out of 10 overall.  Please sort your filling out!

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had the same experience, or if it is just my local Greggs that has had a problem?  Anyone willing to take on a tasty challenge?

Courgette Cake - Nigella Lawson recipe

Nigella Lawson's Courgette Cake

I am very blessed with the fact that the women in my wife's family are all fabulous cake bakers, my wife included.  Unfortunately I don't have their cake baking flair, with most of my attempts failing miserably, so I rely on them for my homemade treats.  In reviewing these homemade cakes I'll be concentrating on the recipes and any changes made in giving a score. 

This delight comes courtesy of my mother-in-law using Nigella Lawson's recipe from her book 'How to be a domestic goddess'.  

Many people I have spoken to have never tried courgette cake before.  If you haven't I think you are missing a real treat.

Presentation - Score: 7/10

This cake is beautifully simple in its looks, with the light colours giving it a fresh, summery feel.  From a distance you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a lemon sponge, except for the raisins, as it is only on closer inspection that the green flecks of the courgette are visible.  The thick cream cheese topping just beginning to run down the edges and the layer of lemon curd oozing out the middle really make my mouth water and are both in perfect proportion with the rest of the cake.  The recipe includes the option to add crushed pistachio nuts sprinkled on top, which looks wonderful, but I think it is equally good without.

A lovely, understated look results in Nigella's Courgette Cake scoring a good 7 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 10/10

The sponge of the courgette cake is surprisingly light, particularly compared to carrot cake, but is wonderfully moist.  The generous amount of tart lemon curd and lemony cream cheese topping (none of that sweet sickly stuff!) adds a fabulous dimension and, combined with the juicy, sweet raisins, creates a truly sumptuous taste sensation.  As I've mentioned, the recipe includes the option of sprinkling the top with pistachios which adds a further dimension to the taste.  As with the presentation, I think the cake works equally well with or without the nuts, so really its down to personal choice and if you have any in the cupboard!

I have to say, this is one of my all-time favourite cakes, therefore Nigella's courgette cake scores the very first 10 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: 9/10

As I've said before there are no half marks, but this one gets rounded up rather than down to an excellent 9 out of 10 overall - you might call it bias, but I just have to say I absolutely love this cake - and also by giving this a (deservedly) good score I'm more likely to get more cakes made for me :)

Afternoon Tea - The Carnaby, Courthouse Doubletree by Hilton, Great Marlborough St., London

Carnaby Room's Chocolate Indulgence Afternoon Tea

Next one up is a biggy, a real feast of food and drink that I would be doing an injustice to if I only selected certain bits to talk about.  Therefore, I'm going to talk about every item you see in the mouthwatering picture opposite, but will give scores for the tea as a whole.


The Carnaby is situated within the Couthouse Doubletree by Hilton hotel on Great Marlborough Street, off Regent Street, in London.  The tea room/restaurant itself is relatively small and modest in it's appearance and the paneling from the old courthouse remains, incorporated into the fresh modern style.  It was kind of understated and, in that respect, very welcoming to the average Joe (me) walking in.   


We supposedly went for the Chocolate Indulgence Afternoon Tea, but I'm sure there wasn't enough chocolate to describe it as a 'chocolate indulgence' so there may have been some mistake there?  The tea consisted of: a cheese twist wrapped in prosciutto; a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich; a roasted courgette (zucchini) and cream cheese sandwich; a slice of almond cake; a profiterole; a chocolate and coffee slice; a mini chocolate torte; an almond 'horn'; a glass of champagne; and a choice from their selection of teas - I went for Earl Grey.

Presentation - Score: 8/10

The tea was beautifully presented on a silver cake stand with savoury on top and sweet underneath.  There was also a separate plate with scones, jam and clotted cream on.  As the tea was for two, there were two of everything.  I'll start describing at the top and work my way down.


The cheese twists were laid side by side on the top of the stand, perched carefully atop the sandwiches.  They were both wrapped perfectly in the prosciutto with an inch or so of cheese twist sticking out at either end.  The sandwiches had the crusts removed and were cut into a thick rectangular finger each.  The topping, visible at the sides was layered beautifully, with equal amounts of cream cheese and smoked salmon/roasted courgette (zucchini).  The smoked salmon sandwich was served on wholemeal bread, while the roasted courgette (zucchini) one was on white.


On the bottom tier, the cakes were laid out in a wheel.  Being slightly anal about patterns, I was resisting the urge to swap the almond cake and almond 'horn' round on one side to make the wheel completely symmetrical, as I assumed was meant to be the case, so I'm afraid there's a black mark there!!  Otherwise, the cakes on the bottom tier were well presented, perfectly sliced cake, crisp edges on the chocolate and coffee slice, and great sized profiteroles.  The mini-chocolate torte looked a little like an afterthought, as though they realised they would have a bit of space and needed something little to fit in.  In fact it reminded me of something, and I'm going to be a bit mean in saying it, but it looked like something out of a bumper pack of party desserts from Iceland.


Finally, the scones - the most essential part of any afternoon tea!  What first caught my eye was the cream, and if you've read my blog on the Butterfinger's cream tea, you will know why!  A beautiful round scoop of clotted cream sat upon an interestingly curved, silver spoon on either side of the plate.  Result!  Unfortunately, that was the highlight for the scones.  The scones themselves, one fruit and one plain each, looked almost fake they were so perfectly round.  Now I understand the thinking around crisp lines and shapes in a modern hotel tea room, but if that's the case make the scones square, or triangular or something that doesn't look like they are made of plastic just to look the part.  Me personally, I'd rather a scone that has sprawled across the baking tray in the oven, full of lumps and bumps that make each one unique - like the Butterfinger's ones!


Anyway, despite my few little grumblings, this was quite a spread and very much a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth.  Therefore, The Carnaby afternoon tea scores a very good 8 out of 10 for presentation.

Taste - Score: 7/10

Again, starting at the top and working my way down, we travel from savoury to sweet.  I must first, though, mention that the champagne was lovely and crisp and tea was delicious, but, not being anything resembling a wine or tea expert, I'll leave those at that!  The cheese twists had a beautiful texture in that they crumbled and melted in your mouth and the prosciutto complemented them very well.  The sandwiches were soft with lovely subtle flavours brought by the salmon and courgette (zucchini).  Before I knew it, the top layer was gone!


On the bottom, I quickly removed the offending piece of almond cake which was much lighter and more moist than I was expecting - a pleasant surprise.  The almond 'horn' as I refer to it, as I'm not quite sure exactly what it was, had a much more dense and sticky texture and tasted more like amaretto.  The profiterole was topped in a wonderfully rich, thick chocolate, the pastry was soft and the plentiful cream oozed out when you bit in - so far the best piece on the plate!  The coffee, chocolate slice was again, rich and offered another strong flavour, though I did probably make the mistake of eating it straight after a mouthful of tea and I'm not sure if the two went together too well!  Finally for the cake stand was the mini chocolate torte.  I have to say, the chocolate filling was a little too rich, and the pastry rather too hard for my liking so I was a little disappointed that in addition to not adding much visually, it added very little in terms of taste.


Last, and by no means least were the scones, well that was what I was hoping any way!  Unfortunately, beyond the wonderful, thick, sweet clotted cream there is very little to shout about.  The scones were, if anything, not crumbly enough and, not realising that there was one plain and one fruit, I was very disappointed to cut into my second one and find no sultanas!  Each to their own there I suppose?  The jam wasn't anything special either, with a pot each of Tiptree strawberry jam, the same as is served in almost every hotel in the country at breakfast.


There were a few disappointments in the mix, but on the whole the standard of the food was very good, so The Carnaby afternoon tea scores a good 7 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: 7/10

All-in-all I was hoping for a little more from afternoon tea at a central London hotel.  The food was good, as was the drink, but there was nothing to really raise the bar.  Also, if that was meant to be the chocolate indulgence afternoon tea, it was significantly lacking in chocolate.  Like I have already mentioned, a little effort to do something a bit different like square scones, or even chocolate ones, would have gone a long way and subsequently I left The Carnaby rather under-whelmed.  Therefore, with no half points, The Carnaby afternoon tea scores a rather under-whelming 7 out of 10 overall.

Red Velvet & Black Bottom - Hummingbird Bakery, Waldour St., London - 14 July 2012

Red Velvet from Hummingbird Bakery

After a number of recommendations from friends to go to the Hummingbird Bakery and review something from there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity when spending the weekend in London.


The Hummingbird Bakery I visited was the one on Waldour Street, off Oxford Street.  With so much selection on offer, my wife and I chose one cupcake each and shared.  I chose a Red Velvet and she went for the Black Bottom, therefore you lucky readers get two for the price of one :) 

Presentation - Score: Both - 10/10

Both cakes open with a maximum for presentation.  For a takeaway cake you couldn't ask for any more!  Each cake was individually boxed in a simple white box with a wire handle and a Hummingbird Bakery pink and brown logo sticker.  The boxes were then placed in a beautiful paper bag to take out.  

Now enough said about the packaging, the cakes were also a sight to behold. The sponge of the red velvet, as per its name, was bright red with a perfectly swirled, thick layer of cream cheese topping and red dusting.  The black bottom, also as per its name, had a rich dark chocolate (almost black) sponge with the same, perfectly swirled cream cheese topping and dark chocolate dusting.

All in all, a very, very good opening score of 10 out of 10 for presentation for both cakes.

Taste - Score: Both - 5/10

I'm sorry to everyone who loves Hummingbird, but I was so disappointed!  Yes, the sponge on both cakes was incredibly soft, but the topping was so sweet and overpowering it was almost all I could taste.  Both cakes were very sickly, particularly the Black Bottom, with its large piece of rich chocolate under the topping, and I actually struggled to finish my share (not something I would ever usually do).  Therefore both cakes receive a very disappointing 5 out of 10 for taste.

Overall - Score: Both - 7/10

No half points here I'm afraid so both cakes score a good 7 out of 10 overall.  The reputation of Hummingbird definitely preceded it, and the first impressions certainly raised my expectations further.  Unfortunately as a result I have been left feeling very disappointed, and I'm sure all you Hummingbird fans are also disappointed with my review.  Next time I go near one though I will give Hummingbird a second chance as I certainly had my eye on the carrot cake :)