Good afternoon everyone,
First of all, a date for your diaries; we will be holding a pizza night at the bakery on Sunday 15 November. Orders will open at 15:30 on Sunday 8 November.
We are excited to get our first proper order (having previously received some samples) from the Todolí Citrus Foundation in Palmera, Valencia. The foundation is a beacon of citrus heritage and research. Not only are they custodian to native Spanish varieties but Todolí also cultivates and rescues citrus from around the globe. Citrus seeds will not survive in seed banks, they can only be preserved on living trees. At Todolí there are 500 varieties growing across their 4.5 hectares. We will have bags of tiny, flavour packed Kino Kuni mandarins for sale on our produce bench alongside the first of the season’s clementines. Ali, our head of pastry, has been recipe testing with the samples we received last week, so look out for a citrus curd Swiss Roll on the counter Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In the cheese fridge this week we welcome back our old pal Lincolnshire Poacher, with fruity pineapple notes and a smooth, crystalline texture. Making its debut we also have a new, award winning washed rind cow’s milk cheese from the Primrose Creamery in Nottinghamshire. Eggleston has a thin wrinkled rind and creamy centre; flavours are bright and lemony in younger cheeses with more buttery notes of orchard fruits as it ripens. Ask the FOH team for the tasting notes for this week’s batch. There are also two Tommes to be had among our selection of French cheeses. Tomme is a very ancient style of cheese, traditionally made with skimmed milk left over after the removal of the cream. The name itself comes from Savoyard dialect for a small wheel of mountain cheese. Although historically associated with the Alps, the style has spread acroos France. Tomme de Vache is based on a classic Tomme de Savoie recipe but is made at the Mons dairy the Laiterie de Vichy in Creuzier le Neuf. Based on prervious tasting, it's a highly sessionable cheese, with a slight lactic tang to offset savoury, umami notes. Tomme de Chambrouze on the other hand, is made with goat's milk in the Rhônes-Alpes just north of Beaujolais country. Clean, fresh and mineral, it also falls into the very easy eating category.
Finally a few wines for your consideration. Domaine Ozil in the Ardeche is a family operation making wines without any additives that belie their modest prices with their sheer deliciousness and drinkability. Gourmandise is a juicy blend of Grenache and Syrah whilst Bois Blanc is an orange or macerated white wine that is fresh, round and textured. Both of these would be equally happy being gulped down at a party or sipped in company with some rich, Autumn fare. If you fancy something a bit more substantial, do consider Metanoia from Nicholas Pavie. This is Beaujolais that has more in common with the Northern Rhône - deep, rich and layered. No sulphites added.
Well, that's all we have time for this week, folks. Thank you for reading and thank you for continuing to support the bakery. We wish you the happiest of Sunday afternoons,
Hugo and Kate