In praise of the slice

The baked slice is an unsung hero. They are fairly simple to assemble, don't usually require too much fuss, bake quickly and deliver fabulous results. Slices are not as popular in cafes and bakeries in the UK as they are Down Under. They are even more prolific in New Zealand. And what struck me was not only their popularity - it was their size. The slices in New Zealand are Mahoosive.

On a recent trip I rediscovered my love for the humble slice. Lots of them utilise a biscuit base or one that's a cross between a biscuit and brownie. I personally prefer biscuit/brownie cross myself and anything with chocolate and caramel - I'm sold. Consequently, most of the slices I indulged in were of this variety. The best - well my personal favourite was at a cafe in New Plymouth called Elixir. Served with a strong Flat Whie (what else?) I opted for the Caramel Brulee Slice (pictured above). It featured the said brownie/biscuit base with a thick layer of caramel and was dusted with a layer of sugar that was caramelised. It was pure heaven.

Down the road at Sugar Juice Cafe where my dear friend Gwenyth works there were nine slices on display (and they tell me that was less than normal). Sugar Juice is in Opunake and is worth the trip alone (head towards Taranaki from Wellington and follow the signs). I am reliably informed that Sharon creates lots of the slices. On this particular day she has turned her hand to a Dream Bar, Gooey Nutty Caramel Slice and the Chocolate Caramel Slice (pictured) amongst others.I was of course in heaven and grabbed a Chocolate Caramel Slice to go. It fed two people sufficiently. Divine.

So I have rekindled my love for the slice. The perfect slice is something that is an indulgent sweet treat, usually something you wouldn't have every day - but a spur of the moment decision, accompanied by the response "Oh go on then, one can't hurt."

Henceforth, my plan is to work on a few slice recipes of my own and share them. They will, I can assure you involve choclate and caramel. If you can't wait until then, check out Amazon for a selection of the Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks on the topic. Here's a link to one, but there's heaps in the series. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Slices-Australian-Womens-Weekly/dp/186396665X

The land of the long flat white

Flat White at Midnight Espresso

In the pursuit of great coffee I have searched far and wide and naturally that search should include New Zealand. The capital, Wellington, often referred to as the Capital of Cool was the first stop. It's widely reported that Wellington has more cafes per capita than New York and from what I found they are all excellent. Producing fine and fabulous Flat Whites, I was left buzzing for the whole stay. A truly Antipodean drink there is some dispute about which country actually invented the Flat White - was it Australia or New Zealand? My reading up on the subject could find no definitive answer, however, due to their virtual addiction of to the brew, lets settle on New Zealand for this post.

It is prepared by pouring microfoam  (steamed milk from the bottom of a pitcher) over a single or double shot of espresso. A quality cup is topped with a touch of barista art and comes in a small cup - so its not drowned by milk.

Midnight Espresso

If you want to sample the local Flat White in Wellington, head on down to Cuba Street a mix of pedestrianised shopping precinct and trendy cafes and a few bohemian shops. We were confidently recommended Midnight Espresso that's been around since 1989 and it didn't disappoint. It was strong, full bodied and bloody beautiful.

But it wasn't only Midnight Espresso that delivered the goods, every cafe we tried came up trumps. Fidel's Cafe (again on Cuba Street) was fab, Caffiend in Petone (up the road from Wellington) perked us up on a Sunday morning and the lovely Sugar Juice in Opunake (more to follow) was fab, we also loved Elixir in New Plymouth and indeed we never had a bad coffee in the week we were in the land of the long white cloud.

Breakfast at Kaffiend

If you google Flat White or New Zealand coffee there are lots of statistics to keep you occupied for an hour or so, the site I loved most was Kiwianarama - a sort of Kiwi Wikipedia - here's a link to check out: http://www.kiwianarama.co.nz/the-flat-white/

There's something about caffeine

Britain's love for coffee is growing year by year. We are more likely to grab a coffee on the way to work than a takeaway cup of tea. That's not to say our love affair with tea is over. We still consumer far more tea than coffee every day. According to the UK Tea Council us Brits knock back 165 million cups daily or 60.2 billion per year. Seriously! Whereas for coffee, it's estimated to be about 70 million cups per day. That's still quite a hefty amount of caffeine, but it's worth noting that tea contains about half the amount of caffeine of coffee.

I was reading an article in The Guardian last week (The Guardian, Saturday 23 June 2012) and it really opened my eyes to the growth of the coffee industry. Most of these facts are taken from that article and I found then eye popping and had to share some. The number of branded coffee shops in the UK exceeds 5,000, add in the independent sector - add another 5,000 and on top of that there's more - little local places and pubs that serve coffee which takes it all to around 15,000. That's big bucks when it comes to serving coffee. I'm not saying they all do it well. I have never been a huge fan of branded chains. The big American one - which will remain nameless - I avoid like the plague. Even my favourite - Cafe Nero, has lost my patronage lately due to poor customer service, slap dash delivery and a very average cup of coffee. The last straw was an ice coffee that tasted simply of milk and ice - not coffee. Sorry Nero but I won't be coming back.

Costa Coffee is the largest chain in the UK and from humble beginnings in 1978 has risen to 1,400 outlets serving 450,000 coffees per day. I will occasionally visit Costa - but only if pushed. Again sadly, I have never had great service. Profits are up all-round and despite the recession we are seemingly happy to part with £2.50 for a cup of the black stuff. There's room for growth in the market too. The Guardian article reports that we are likely to see up to 7,000 branded coffee shops in the next few years, with a total of around 18,000 including the independents and non-specialist shops.

What I like most is that it refers to the growing trend for a more discerning customer who now knows their beans and blends. It's not snobbery, but a discerning palette for a quality cup and good service. Today people are after more than a pint of scalding milk with a poor quality blend of beans and poorly executed shot of espresso. Monmouth Coffee is touted as leading this revolution and yes, they have been serving great coffee since the late 70's in Covent Garden. The recent influx of Antipodean coffee entrepreneurs are really raising the bar and (I hope) will be where the growth in the market comes from. If you haven't visited the likes of Federation Coffee (Brixton Village), Lantana Cafe (Fitzrovia), Kaffeine (Great Titchfield Street), Flat White (Berwick Street), Caravan Coffee (Exmouth Market), Nude Espresso (Soho Square) then it's time you did. You will never look back.

For more information on great coffee in London read my post:: http://marksmithskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/stylist-magazine-top-10-coffee-shops-in.html

Stylist Magazine: Top 10 Coffee Shops in London

London has thankfully, over the past 5 or so years seen a growth in the number of cool cafe's serving great coffee. Forget Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa. I am talking about quality roasted beans, the introduction of the flat white and even a latte served in a small glass. This is all familiar territory for me. I grew up in Australia and coffee culture there is honed to a fine art. To the point that if a particular barista is not serving, my friend won't partake in a coffee. Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia and some of that style is now being served up in London (and very slowly in the regions). Stylist Magazine captured the essence of this in a great article this week and not only did a round up of our new found love of fabulous coffee, but featured a top 10 list of the best. Sadly, Lantana Cafe in Fitzrovia and Caravan in Exmouth Market were missing from that list. So I've given them my thumbs up here. A theme running through most of these start-ups is that they are run by or inspired by the Antipodean coffee culture. We musn't forget New Zealand, as coffee is big for Kiwis too. I can attest to that as I can still remember a most fabulous latte I had in Central Auckland in 2001. Seriously. 

So in the latest issue, Stylist rounds up coffee culture in the UK. OK, the chains may have got us hooked on caffeine, but as our taste buds for the black liquid matures, we are refining our requirements and it seems en masse. From the list of Top 10 Coffee Shops I have to say Flat White has a special place in my heart - I feel like I am home in Hobart (Tasmania) every time I walk through the doors. Kaffeine - a new found friend, is alive with an electric buzz every morning. It's my pit stop of choice before client meetings in the heart of the fashion district. And if I every venture "out East" then I always head straight for Nude Espresso. These are all independent, interesting British based businesses that are doing something a bit different. Visit them today and join me in the campaign for real coffee. Now.

Stylist Magazine's Top 10 Coffee Shops in London