Strawberry Journey

England’s journey in gastronomic self-acceptance has been running rings around itself for what scarily is decades. It was a new awakening in 1999 that drew Kai and I in and has had frustrating backward steps ever since. But now it does feel like there is something happening that links back to a culture that I recognise from my childhood but with a contemporary revision that satisfies my high standards of sourcing and execution. The English Tearoom / bakery. It’s not nostalgia, it’s an upgrade.

Pavillion have opened a tearoom on Columbia Road, serving Victoria Sponge and Scones. This recent Telegraph article lays out the growing development of the abandonment of the laminated vienoisserie. Although I love a croissant I have for quite a while been lamenting how difficult it is to go out and not enjoy those many other joys of breakfast and teatime baking, and yes many of them pair very well with jam. The Bath Bun, the scone, the crumpet and the pikelet. As a child we spent many of our summers in France an even there, I don’t remember having croissant very often, we were far more likely to enjoy tartine, fresh baguette or brioche with cold butter and delicious soft set jam. In fact, in the 80’s we also enjoyed tartine with a bowl of Chocolate Choux in The Dôme bar in Islington, does anyone else remember that?

I feel I can also pinpoint the evolution of the laminated pastry. In the late 90’s I was living on Kingsland Road with my brothers, and we would go to the Sunday food market in Spitalfields and there was a bakery, (if someone knows which one it was, please remind me) selling almond croissants. We had never seen anything like it before and bought many of them. I feel that this is the launch pad where croissant and pain au chocolate evolved into laminated carriers / receptacles for multitude’s of flavoured crème pate, candied poached fruit, brittles and ganache. Don’t misunderstand me, they are works of art and I wouldn’t want to live in a world without them. But I do also love a scone.