Eatnik Worldwide
I, along with the rest of the world, am in Europe
Hello from London! I’m sending this newsletter to you from a hotel room in Paddington. So you know: I won’t be including a recipe in this newsletter. Instead, I plan on providing you with a mish mash of food snaps and notes from my trip so far, in case you too are visiting England soon, or else as inspiration for English style cooking and eating.
It’s been a very busy week. This is my first time here, so I’ve spent a lot of time seeing the sights, classic tourist style. London is such a beautiful city. The combination of old world and new world coming together in the same scenery makes for fascinating history and a pretty picture.
In between visiting the Crown Jewels and riding the London Eye, I’ve been eager to experience the food and drink. So here’s a short wrap up of what I’ve loved so far, and in my opinion, a must do:
Borough Market
A foodie dream! The market has a rich heritage and offers locals and visitors a chance to taste exceptional quality produce from small traders and businesses. It’s visiting a place like this that it pains me I live so far away - if a wheel of cheese, a slab of bresaola and a few jars of truffle butter could survive the journey back to Oz, you best be sure I’d attempt it. I did however purchase some tinned fish to bring home - apparently Australia’s border security allows for one to carry a personal fishy stash of up to 10kg.
Must try at Borough Market: a traditional sausage roll from Ginger Pig and a doughnut from Bread Ahead.
The experience at home: fresh sourdough bread, cured meats, an array of high quality cheese and condiments with a glass of light to medium bodied red wine (such as grenache or nero d’avola), a glass of sparkling or a craft beer.
📍8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
River Cottage HQ
You’ll need to head out of the city for this one, but believe me when I say it’s worth the three hour drive. As I’ve told anyone who will listen, I simply love Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and the long-running River Cottage series has been one of my favourite shows to watch for years now. For me, a visit to England could not be complete without a trip out to River Cottage and so a car was hired and and the drive was made. I booked one of their feasts - a four hour long evening affair starting with canapes and welcome drinks, followed by a menu of absolutely fantastic food, all grown and reared on the farm. The only sad part was that Hugh wasn’t there (they do have feasts where he is in attendance, but it didn’t work for the schedule, much to my disappointment). So I guess I’ll just have to visit again next time I’m here.
This is an experience that I highly recommend. The food was uncomplicated and exceptional.
The experience at home: think simple food that highlights the produce. Something like a herby labneh with roasted pumpkin, pickled onions and tamari roasted seeds on top. Pair with a crisp and fruity unoaked chardonnay.
📍Park Farm, Trinity Hill Rd, Axminster EX13 8TB
Nopi
Nopi is one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s restaurants, located in Soho. With a fresh and seasonal menu that very much encapsulates the Ottolenghi ethos, the food was unsurprisingly delicious. The flavour he packs into his dishes, particularly the vegetarian options, is really just astounding and demonstrates the versatility and potential of vegetables. One of the stand out dishes I ordered: roasted zucchini (courgette) with mung bean curry. I’ll definitely be attempting to recreate something like it when I get home.
The experience at home: highlight the veg with broccolini pakoras and a fresh minty yoghurt dipping sauce. Best enjoyed with a chilled aromatic wine, something off-dry, like riesling or gewurztraminer.
📍21-22 Warwick St, London W1B 5NE
Carousel London
A quaint little neighbourhood wine bar located in Fitzrovia, perfect for afternoon sips and snacks. They have a lovely list of wines to choose from, both by glass and bottle, or cocktails if that takes your fancy. I visited between meals and so tried the bread with cultured butter, burrata with tomato and peach and olives. All delish.
The experience at home: slice fresh peaches into wedges and serve with generous slices of tomato with a ball of burrata on top. Drizzle with basil oil and serve with a glass of rosé.
📍19-23 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RL
The Crumbs…
Catch up on what I’ve been doing this month:
🥛DRINK: I recently came across the idea of a freezer door cocktail over on TikTok. Here’s one for a dirty martini by 177 Milk Street. A great idea for entertaining, or if you’re the kind of person that needs a drink pronto. Use the measurements in the video to create essentially a pre-mixed cocktail that you can keep chilled and ready for when life demands a quick sip.
📖 READ: right before my trip I finished reading Educated by Tara Westover. A memoir detailing life growing up as a part of a survivalist Mormon family, and overcoming this in order to seek out higher education. A very well-written and eye-opening read.
🎧 LISTEN: If I’m ever to give a podcast recommendation, it’s almost always related to cyber security. I’m aware this seems really odd and out of character. However I do insist you listen to The Lazarus Heist by BBC World Service which tells the tale of North Korean hackers attempting to steal one billion dollars through central banks, Sony Pictures and the NHS. A fascinating story told incredibly well.
If you’re really keen for some recipes, here’s some of my latest:
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A forehead kiss for you. Love,
Andrea
P.S I’m heading to Scotland, France and Italy in the coming weeks. If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them!