Blackbird Tearooms - Brighton

After my trip to Canterbury to visit to three cafes in my one of my favorite towns in one day was so fun and such a success, I decided to take my notebook elsewhere, Brighton! I haven’t been to Brighton since I was 16 and I have never been by myself so the whole trip is an adventure! After an…interesting train journey, first boxed into a claustrophobic corner by an elderly woman with endless bags of cheese and onion crisps (I almost died from the smell, I swear!) then opposite two seventeen year olds who had the strangest conversation (I only understood half the words, if that, it made me feel so old…) I finally arrived!

The place most people recommended to me when I asked people about the best places to go in Brighton was the gorgeous traditional tearoom, The Blackbird Tearoom, so that was where I had to head first.

This quaint little tearoom sits on the corner of Ship St and is lovely, even from the outside. Its black and gold front stands out from the surrounding shops and on a warm enough day, the open door invites you in. The front room consists of six tiny, round, wooden tables squashed in front of an old fashioned wooden counter. In fact, everything in here seems to be a bit small and squashed, from the tiny plate my delicious cake barely fits on to the FIFTY or so small, framed pictures on the wall in front of me and continuing up the stairs (yes, I tried to count). Though it feels a little cramped in here I actually have all the space I need for my notebook, tea, cake and flowers on my table and room to spare! The whole place has a lovely vintage feel to it, the wall behind me is full to the brim with shelves of beautiful old tea and coffee tins and sitting here in the window is like being transported to the past, I almost expect to see a beautiful classic car drive by.

The huge slice of cake in front of me is the house special, the ‘Blackbird Cake’ a Victoria sponge cake using blackberries instead of strawberries and it is delicious, possibly the best cake I have ever had (and that’s saying a lot!) I almost want another slice but one is definitely sweet enough. The breakfast tea, like all the teas here (and like all tea should be) is loose-leaf. Of course, I didn’t realize that until I poured it, THEN I found the strainer that the waitress had hidden (accidentally I’m sure) behind the milk.

I really love the feel of Blackbird Tearooms, the vintage atmosphere, the lovely waitresses dressed so smartly and the ever so slightly crammed feeling created by its eclectic decorations. I also love the sign over the counter which says ‘Dispensing Dept’ and all the lovely crockery displayed beneath it. The whole feel of the place is welcoming and worn, as any well done vintage place should be, I feel like I could sit here in the window for hours and just enjoy the feeling of time passing and this gorgeous place connecting the past and present so neatly.

Thank you so much to everyone who recommended The Blackbird Tearoom to me, I it is a really beautiful place for relaxing and letting the world outside go by with lovely tea and delicious food. I certainly pass the recommendation on to anyone visiting Brighton and looking for a tearoom, a nice place for lunch or something a bit different for a bite to eat. One day I might even return in vintage dress!

Twitter: @blackbirdwitter
Website: blackbirdtearooms.com
Address: 30 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD

Chocolate Cafe - Canterbury

This is another café that was around when I lived in Canetrbury but I never visited. I think I thought it was a restaurant and so I didn’t bother to check it out properly. Now I’m inside, I am sorry that was the case. With delicious crepes on the menu and my tea beautifully served in a glass mug it’s a shame I didn’t visit sooner.

I got a ‘hello’ before I had even entered the café from a member of staff coming out as I was going in, and this really set up the rest of my visit. All the staff were so friendly, even finding me a table next to a plug so I could charge my phone, though I felt really rude for asking (… sorry!) I didn’t want to be stuck miles from home without a phone (though in my beloved Canterbury, I think I’d be ok).

So here I am staring out of the window upstairs at the street below, Canterbury is really beautiful if you just sit back a watch... Anyway, inside here there is 80’s music blaring just a tad too loud but fine because it’s good music. I love the way the food and drink is presented, I have a cup of lovely breakfast tea in a glass mug, so I can see the sugar cubes (yes more than one) swirling around inside and a gorgeous lemon and sugar crepe with a slice of lemon for extra juice on top! The only thing I will say about the crepe is that you need to eat it fast because if you leave it to chat of look at your phone or… write a blog… then it will cool and get a bit tougher and less enjoyable (but enjoyable all the same).

As I said, the staff have been really friendly and accommodating to my phone-charging needs and sitting up here surrounded by art work everywhere, on the walls, on the floor and above the doors, there is even a lovely painting of a couple having tea painted on my table (the varnish over which made the table a bit sticky…), a glass covered installation of a masquerade mask in the floor made me jump because I thought I was going to fall in! All this is like a metaphor for how eclectic this place is in itself, the design is all over the place but somehow it all fits together in a huge mad pattern and the customers are the same. Around me there are school students, university students, mums and daughters, families and even dates and they all seem to be regulars, rushing for a favorite table or seat and relaxing like it was home. I highly recommend this beautiful place, who doesn’t love tea and a crepe!

Twitter:@the_choc_cafe

Facebook: facebook.com/cafeofcanterbury

Website: cafecanturbury.co.uk

Address: 1 Guildhall St, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2JQ

Tiny Tim's Tearoom - Canterbury

Today, as you will know if you read my last post, I ventured back to Canterbury, I went to university here and I lived here for two years so its nice to come back and see how it has changed. Its hard for even me to believe but there is one tearoom that was there when I lived there then that I still haven’t visited and so, haven’t written about. I’m not sure what stopped me from visiting it back then apart from the fact that The Moat Tearoom across town (which I wrote about here: time-for-tea-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-moat-tearooms-canterbury.html?=1 ) was my favorite at the time and I went in there every few days and nowhere else! Tiny Tim’s is the only tearoom/café that I have planned to visit today but I will have a wander around and discover other spots to write about (not to mention lovely pasty places that tweet me lovely messages!)

I remember just after I left uni, I was talking to a friend, who was a local, about Tiny Tim’s and he was really surprised that I had never visited it in my time in the town, especially because we used to visit The Moat Tearoom quite frequently. Sitting here in the tearoom now, I can understand why my friend was so confused about my not visiting before, he told me I would love it and I do. It’s perfect and the minute I stepped in the door and saw the flowered wreath above the fireplace, decorated with teacups and encircling a red and white polka dot cut out of a teapot, I knew I was going to feel right at home. The smart staff in their black and white outfits were quick to help me when I came through the door and I was seated right away.

On the way to my seat I couldn’t help but notice certificates on the wall including a ‘Tea Guild Award of Excellence’ showing that you don’t have to take my word for how amazing they are! Tasting the amazing, slice of sweet, moist Lemon Drizzle cake in front of me, I can see why. That, coupled with a lovely, smooth cup of their very own breakfast tea, and I feel like giving them an award myself.

Everything from this lovely set to the tables is laid out so beautifully and looks so neat and tidy. Behind the counter, there are large letters spelling out ‘The Cake Cupboard’ which, confusingly are over the top of three wooden cabinets full of tea, crockery and…wine. However in front of that on the counter is a gorgeous display of homemade cakes from a lovely lemon (the one I am devouring as I write) to a huge FOUR LAYER Victoria sponge cake! I really love the teacups, mugs, milk jugs and teapots, all decorated with the tearoom’s name that fill the ‘cake cupboard’ though. I am REALLY tempted to buy a teapot...

If you  manage to climb up the two floors to the bathrooms you will also be faced with The Ghost Room, full of pictures and lots of information about the building, supposedly the most haunted in Canterbury and how it used to be, not to mention some of the ghosts who might still haunt the building today. The building is even a stop on the local ghost tour!

I really love the duel fireplace in the main room downstairs which is in the centre of the room and has a hearth on both sides, just one of the many beautiful features this gorgeous building has. I can’t fault this beautiful place but for one point. Wicca chairs are not the most comfortable to sit on… at all… (but putting a coat down solves that, no problem). The staff, the atmosphere of a traditional tearoom and the gorgeous décor of part bare brick and part beautifully patterned wallpaper all work so well together. Not to mention the delicious cake and tea make this place one of my favorites I have ever visited (I’m going to have to re-think my top 5…) and somewhere I would recommend to anybody and everybody for a lovely meal, a snack or just a cup of tea!

Twitter: @Tinytimstearoom

Facebook: facebook.com/tinytimstearoom

Website: tinytimstearoom.co.uk

Address: 34 St. Margaret’s Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TG

West Cornwall Pasty Co - Canterbury Branch

I know what you’re thinking, this is not the kind of place I would usually write about but after what happened to me today I really couldn’t not write about them.

It started when I was on my way to Canterbury, on the train. I haven’t been back for almost two years and was looking forward to seeing all of my favorite places and discovering some new ones. Halfway there the West Cornwall Pasty Co followed me an Twitter…with both it’s accounts (weird enough, as they aren’t a café or tearoom, so how did they find me anyway?!) So I replied, as I try to always do, with a thank you and mentioned that I used to love their pasties and was upset when my local branch closed. We had a little back and forth, they were telling me all about their loyalty card, lovely coffees and delicious menu with so many great things on it (I swear they didn’t do cake before!) Then as I was waiting for a train from Ashford my phone lit up again with a message from Heidi at their head office which said “I’ve just spoken to the [Canterbury] store and there’s a free pasty for you if you’d like one!” Now I’m not exactly a hungry bottomless pit, like some eaters but I know not to turn down free food!

My train arrived and I wooshed to Canterbury, trying to remember the name of the person I was supposed to ask for when I got to the pasty shop (Maria, Maria, Maria…) To tell you the truth I was a bit worried about just going into a shop and asking for free food whether I knew the managers name or not. Could I actually do it? More importantly would they have a pasty I wanted? As a notoriously fussy eater, I can be hard to please! Its turns out I didn’t have to ask, the second I stepped up to the counter a server with a HUGE smile on his face said “oh I know you! You’re here for your free pasty! High five!” (which, of course, I gave) from that moment on, all of the staff were really nice to me.

The store, which has been re-fitted beautifully since I was last in it about four years ago is lovely, all gleaming and modern-looking. I especially love the exposed (but tidy) pipes above the counter and bare wood and brick throughout the rest of the shop. My pasty, a wholewheat vegetable one, was lovely and warm and though it wasn’t exactly like the ones I used to have all those years ago, its sliced vegetables, warm pastry and just the right amount of herbs made it delicious and tasted, to me, like the best memories.

The wonderful staff were really great to me and all the customers and the atmosphere in store is light and positive (and the room is full of delicious smells!), I really could have sat there all day.

I’m really grateful to Heidi, Maria and all the staff of the Canterbury branch of West Cornwall Pasty Co for making me feel so welcome and giving me the best lunch I’ve had in a while. It was a lovely experience and really added to a great day back in one of my favorite places!

In The Mix - Sweetpea Pantry's Playful Pizza Dough Mix

Name: Playful Pizza Dough Mix

Company: Sweetpea Pantry

This kit was generously sent to me to write about for you!

This kit is a first for me (there’s been a few of those recently) it is the first kit I have made for this blog and ever, that isn’t dessert and I’m really excited about it! I vaguely remember making my own pizza at a friend’s house when I was younger but the dough was made by their mother and I just threw some cheese on top and was given it back when it was cooked. This time I am doing everything but gathering the ingredients for the base myself (with the help of this handy kit of course!).

I love Sweetpea Pantry’s look, over the website, packaging and even the lovely delivery box which had a cute address label covered in clouds and birds. When I found their website I was immediately taken by Sweetpea, their website is simple, not covered in bells and whistles but it gets its lovely message across. All of their products are “100% natural, 100% honest, 100% fun” as the front page says and their Great Taste Award backs up their claims. It doesn’t stop there though, Sweetpea Pantry have won many awards including Most Loved Kids Food from Foodpreneur and they were also World Food Innovation Awards finalists. So plenty of other people love their kits but will we?

The design of the box is lovely, everything is covered is sweet (pea?) drawings of birds and though the back of the box has a lot of information on it, it is laid out in a way that is easy to read and pick out the important things such as the fact that this particular kit is vegetarian, non GM, contains wholegrains and is “made with love in the UK”. I love the fact that the healthy ingredients are pasted on the front of the box like film stars: “Starring CHIA & FLAX”.

All you need for the dough is water and oil and then whatever topping you want, we went for nice and simple cheese and tomato but you could add ham, pineapple, peppers, meatballs, whatever you want!

Part 1) Pre-Heat the oven, mix the oil and water then add the pizza dough mix: Mixing water and oil? As hard as it sounds but when it bubbles together, that’s fine. Pop in the dry mix and get stuck in! The instructions say “using hands if needed”, its needed! Get your hands in and make sure it is properly combined!

Part 2) Turn onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes then pop into an oiled bowl, cover and put in a warm place for an hour: Make sure there is plenty of flour on your surface so the pizza doesn’t stick to it and put a good (but light) covering  of oil all over the inside of your bowl. I put my bowl in the airing cupboard covered with clingfilm for its hour but any warm place and complete covering is prefect.

Part 3) Punch the dough and break into three pieces. Flatten and roll it into pizza base shapes. Top and bake!: Tip the dough onto a floured surface and flatten with a rolling pin, I had to use my hands for most of it and then the rolling pin to finish as the dough is quite stiff. Then top with delicious toppings and pop it in the oven! The baking time on the box was just fine to make our pizzas nice and crisp and melted the cheese perfectly.

The final instruction on the box is “Devour!” and we did, they were delicious!

These pizzas were so great, I’m not a fan of wholemeal bread so when this kit came and I realized it was a wholegrain base, I wasn’t sure what it would be like but I really needn’t have worried, it was great, both my brother and I loved our pizzas AND there is enough dough left over for one more! I recommend this kit for kids parties, I would break the dough into even smaller pieces and have all the kids make mini pizzas for their lunch, they could use the toppings to make faces or pictures!

Website: Sweetpeapantry.co.uk

Facebook: /sweetpeapantrybaking

Twitter: @Sweetpeapantry

In The Mix - Baked In's Chocolate Mug Brownie Mix

Name: Chocolate Mug Brownie Mix

Company: Baked In

Bought In: Whirligig Toy Shop

After having done the gluten free version of these gorgeous mug brownies and really liking them I had to see how the non-gluten-free ones compare. The recipe is exactly the same (to the word… I checked), the kit comes with enough for four delicious mug cakes and all u need is butter and milk or water (this means you can make this recipe dairy free if need be.)

Part 1) Put the butter into a mug and melt in the microwave: My brother wanted to make sure we had the right amount with measuring spoons but its just a small heaped tsp. The instructions say 10 to 20 secs but in my 800W microwave it was more like 25. You may want to have your butter out for a bit before using it for this recipe.

Part 2) Add milk or water: The choice means that this kit can be turned into a dairy free alternative BUT the box says it may contain TRACES of milk so its up to you if you are lactose intolerant.

Part 3) Mix “thoroughly” and microwave: Really do make sure you mix thoroughly so the ingredients combine properly and you get a great fluffy cake. I mixed one more than another and it rose more so definitely do that!

Part 4) Sprinkle the marshmallows on top and allow your cake to cool: I recommend popping the marshmallows on top straight away so they melt into the top, mmmm! The lovely instructions say this about leaving your cake to cool before eating it “Sorry, we know this is tough but trust us on this on – it will be HOT”. They are right, it is HOT to start with but don’t let it cool completely, it is lovely when it’s warm and melty!

The last point on the instructions says to enjoy straight from the mug possibly, to make it more awesome, with vanilla ice cream! I didn’t have any ice cream but that sounds good, try that! I have to say, delicious as their gluten-free counterparts were, these mug cakes are fantastic and I definitely recommend them to anyone who loves chocolate and cake!

Website: Bakedin.co.uk

Facebook: /BakedinCakes

Twitter: @BakedinCakes

In The Mix - Sweet Deceits' Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Name: Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Company: Sweet Deceits

Bought: Online

There are two things about this kit that are different from any I’ve tried so far: One is that it’s a ‘healthy option’ kit, its packaging is covered if phrases like “deceivingly good for you” and “guilt free indulgence” and it even has a section on the back describing  all it’s ingredients and how they are good for you. So I am excited and a little wary of how it will stand up to the taste test. Secondly, it’s the first one I have ordered online. I decided to go online to see if I could find any other baking kit companies that I was missing out on. It turns out there are LOADS but the lovely people at Sweet Deceits gave me a 20% off code so that I could review one of their gorgeous healthy kits for you! I was a little worried about ordering something like this online but I really didn’t need to be, apart from a little denting in the contents that had no impact on the baking at all, it arrived in one piece and there were no problems whatsoever.

Part 1) Melt the coconut oil over a pan of boiling water or in the microwave: I decided to go with the microwave but the first hurdle was removing the slab of solid coconut oil from its vacuum packaging. The box had been out on a shelf for a while and it had slightly melted so I got covered in coconut oil and half of it stuck to the plastic. I would recommend putting the coconut oil in the fridge for a bit before opening it, to make sure you get it all out as one piece. The only other thing was that in the instructions it says it should take 40 seconds but it was more like 60 by the time it was fully melted.

Part 2) Mix the dry ingredients, eggs and melted coconut oil together until combined and pour into the baking tray provided: This is the weird part, mixing the ingredients is gritty and a little…icky but once its combined its just like any other brownie mix, pour it into the baking tray that COMES WITH THE KIT (Sorry, that bit made me really happy, I’ve never seen that before.) and smooth the top so the mix is level.

Part 3) Bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 mins: Most of the time with these kits, the timing is a little off. I often find myself having to put them back into the oven after the time is up but not with this one! The 25 mins was perfect and the first skewer test I did came out clean.

The instructions say to wait until the brownies are cool to eat but of course I couldn’t wait! Now, I have to admit something to you. I was wary of this recipe, with its weird ingredients from the start. Three of the four ingredients have coconut in the title. Maybe its because I automatically expect unhealthy things like brownies to be full of unhealthy ingredients and these ingredients sound like a diet salad rather than a dessert. The real shame and the thing I have to admit to you is that I didn’t like the finished product. Though it looks like a really good, chewy brownie and smells lovely the taste, for me, just doesn’t work, they certainly don’t taste like any brownies I’ve had before. I made these for a party with some friends and some of them agreed with me but not all of them! Some people really liked these unusual brownies, which leads me to believe they are simply an acquired taste. Ten points to Sweet Deceits just for the tin included in the kit though. Very often these kits will ask for a baking container you just don’t have, while its fine to use one that is as close as you can get, its nice to have one specially made for this mix! (though, even after I lightly greased the tin as per the instructions, the brownie still stick to it!)

Over all this is a fantastic alternative kit, cutting out dairy, gluten and sugar and I love the tin included in the kit. I would certainly recommend this to parents of children with allergies or intolerances.

Twitter: @TweetDeceits  (I love this twitter name!)

Facebook: /SweetDeceits

Website: SweetDeceits.com