Image from www.leilasgeneralstore.com

Have you seen these fantastic British inspired cup cakes with landmarks and icons like the Big Ben, the red routemaster and a London taxi.  I just love them! I recently found them in the Swedish celebrity chef Leila’s generalstore.

We understand Leila is very fond of Union Jack inspired products, and London is one of her favourite cities.  She’s just visited London actually and has got some really good suggestions on what to do and where to go, and not at least, for a great meal of course! Read more about her recent London visit here.

Most Swedes will probably have heard about Leila, but for those of you who haven’t….Leila Lindholm is a Swedish chef, she’s written several cook books and is frequently seen on Swedish Television. She started her careeer in New York, at the Swedish restaurant Aquavit. When she returned to Sweden she worked at leading Stockholm restaurants like Operakällaren and Fredsgatan 12. In 1999 she was honoured the female cook of the year and shortly after that she began her own business.

I’ve got the theme planned for my next party – it’ll be British of course! Now I just need to learn how to make cup cakes, well bake them is the minor problem, the challenge is how I will get them to look as beautiful as above….

-Helene-

Any whisky lovers out there who fancy an afternoon tea? Well, then Scotland is the place to be.

Cameron House on Loch Lomond is now launching Whisky Afternoon Tea, with whisky from nearby Glengoyne Distillery.  

This is a more masculine alternative to the traditional Champagne afternoon tea, and is designed to appeal to men especially, with a selection of savoury, carnivorous Scottish favourites served with Glengoyne whisky and a mug of tea on a slate spread. 

Are you a fan of the TV series and ever wondered what it would be like to stay  and dine at Fawlty Towers?

I’m sure it would be quite a unique experience…and this autumn you’ve got the chance to try it at The Faulty Towers Dining Experience on the London restaurant ship Hispaniola.

As a guest you become part of an interactive theatre experience while you are served a three-course meal by a cast re-enacting the many comedy lines and controlled chaos from the television series Fawlty Towers. The main television characters, hoteliers Sybil and Basil Fawlty and their Spanish waiter Manuel, all take part in a two-hour dining event.

The Faulty Towers Dining Experience has been touring Australia since 1997 and Europe since 2008. The London cast features Alison Pollard-Mansergh as Sybil, Michael Davoren as Basil and Andy Foreman as Manuel.

It runs between 4-30 October, Tue–Sun at 6.30–7pm for a 7.30pm start. Tickets cost £75 for the two-hour show including a three-course meal.

Bon Appetit and lots of laughter I presume!

-Helene-

A couple of weeks ago, the Danish journalist Hanne Høiberg visited Daylesford Farmshop & Café in London. Here’s her review.

“- Want to try a piece of brie with truffle, we just made it?

The waiter behind the bar must be a mind reader. I was just thinking, full of a fantastic pumpkin risotto and a glass of the house wine from their vineyard in Provence, that I might want a little piece of cheese to go down with the rest of the wine. So of course I say yes and complete the meal with a perfect little piece of mature soft brie, together with some mascarpone and truffle oil – on the house.

The staff here at Daylesford Farmshop & Café in Notting Hill is without a doubt passionate about their work and want to share their passion with a Danish journalist doing a research trip. Not that I told them I wanted to write about it. In their eyes I’m just one of all the tourists coming through, who looks like they’re enjoying the food and the beautiful surroundings. And they are perfectly right.

It was a total coincidence that I wandered into this hidden pearl on cosy Westbourne Growe – a vegetable shop, bakery, butcher, cheese store and café, all in one. And everything is organic! Actually, I originally just popped in for a quick cappuccino, the best I’ve ever had in London and enjoyed the sight of the bulging cabbages, crispy carrots, homemade raspberry vodka and yellow cheddar on display in the light rooms decorated in with a Nordic design, while feeling the delightful smell of newly baked bread. After that experience, I just had to come back for breakfast.

Almost everything in both the shop and the café comes from Dayleford’s organic farm in Gloustershire. Not only the beef, chicken, fruits and vegetables are made here, but also the milk, yogurt and cheese, because Daylesford also has their own creamery. And the few ingredients that are not produced at Daylesford, are all from farms living by the same philosophy of organic foods and sustainability.

The Daylesford products have won more than 80 national and international gastronomic prizes. So if you value good fresh food in a beautiful environment, Daylesford Farmshop & Café is a must, when you are in London. “

Daylesford Farmshop & Café in Notting Hill is open Monday to Saturday 8.30am – 7pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm. Get directions in our Britain Map or visit their website www.daylesfordorganic.com for further information about their farm or other shops.

Enjoy!

/Towe