Wedding tart

It’s come to that time in my life when people I know are pairing off and inevitably getting married. The first of my school friends tied the knot this weekend in a beautiful ceremony in the Essex countryside. It rained all morning but the sun came out just as the ceremony ended in some kind of biblical symbol of approval.

Although the prospect of going to several weddings every summer for the next decade does somewhat fill me with dread, I’m happy to report that this weekend’s wedding was good fun. A lot of our friends chipped in with the preparations by making bunting, playing music or baking and the day felt like a real joint effort – although full credit must go to the bride who’s impeccable taste meant that we were surrounded by beautiful things all day long.

One of the unique touches at the wedding was the wedding cake, or cakes. As the bride doesn’t like traditional fruit cake she went for a more unconventional approach and enlisted friends and family to make different cakes so that there would be something for everyone. The result was spectacular. Eight different cakes layered up on stands and surrounded by meadow flowers, the display was mouth watering.

When asked to contribute, I decided to go for a tart rather than a cake as I know many a fella who prefers a pastry-based baked good over a sponge. Going for something tried and tested rather than taking a risk, I went for Jamie Oliver’s Jethro Tart from his cookbook ‘Happy days with the naked chef’. The recipe usually uses pinenuts rather than pecans, but our local Tesco didn’t have any so I adapted the recipe and was very happy with the result:




 Sweet pastry

115gr/4oz butter
100gr/3 1/2oz icing sugar
a pinch of salt
225gr/8oz plain flour
2 egg yolks

I find pastry works best if you make it in a food processor as it doesn’t get to hot from your hands. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt then pulse in the flour and egg yolks.  When the mixture has come together, looking like coarse breadcrumbs gently pat together to form a small ball of dough, adding a little milk or water if it’s too dry.  Wrap with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.

Once the pastry has rested, cut thin slices and place in and around the bottom and sides of your 30cm/12 inch tin, squidging it together to cover the base and sides. Leave to rest in the freezer for about 1 hour.

Tart filling

250gr/9oz pecans
255gr/9oz butter
255gr/9oz caster sugar
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons honey
115gr/4oz plain flour
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4, and bake the frozen pastry for around 15 minutes until lightly golden.  Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/320F.gas 3.

While the pastry is in the oven, whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the pecans, add the eggs one at a time, then fold in the honey, flour and salt.  Spoon into the tart shell and bake for 30-35 minutes.

A review of acanteen

 45 New London Road, Chelmsford, CM2 0ND

*New pictures added February 2012

Tucked away from the main hubbub of the town centre, this masterfully created piece of cafe culture seems quite at odds with the rest of this otherwise chain-saturated cityscape. If lucky enough to happen across it (or to have a well informed acquaintance generous enough to tell you where it is) you will be pleasantly surprised by its sprightly atmosphere enriched by a varied customer base and young, energetic staff. 

The feel of acanteen is quite antipodean, whether intentionally or not, and having visited a number of cafes in our other hemisphere I am always taken aback to find their distinctive character captured somewhere you’d least expect it. 

The name – acanteen – fits the establishment perfectly as its well worn wooden tables and chairs (some clearly rescued from a church at some point) do not detract from the overall clinical ambience synonymous with the word ‘canteen’. 

An eclectic mix of breakfast classics and unusual salads including roasted butternut squash, chilli and pomegranate as well as more substantial club sandwiches make this the perfect haunt for any time of day.  The large selection of cakes, pastries and muffins also adorning the counter top make it very difficult to avoid accidentally ordering something sweet to go with your mid morning latte.

I love the food here – it’s affordable, delicious and the menu’s varied enough for you not to get bored. I also love the feel of the place. It’s warm, welcoming and the communal seating arrangements encourage customers to dine amongst strangers – something which always gets me excited. Even in busy periods, the atmosphere is of convivial chaos, not full blown pandemonium. 

When ordering I was told up front which parts of the menu where unavailable and informed that there was a wait for food. This approach instantly put me at ease as I could make the decision whether to stay or go and not get riled waiting for my food as I was satisfied in the knowledge that it would turn up eventually. 

My only bug bear with this place is that the menu is often obscured by a long and impatient queue of people which you must navigate carefully to access the holy text. It’s also often quite hot – but now I’m clutching at straws. This place is awesome – I will and do go back again and again. 

Check out their website, or find them on Facebook. 

A review of Cafe Mio

Order numbers on wooden spoons - inspired.

85 High St, Epping, CM16 4BH.

As this cafe is the one I am on most intimate terms with, I feel it is probably where I should begin. Eventually, I hope to review cafes from all over the UK and the world. So, dear reader, do not panic. I will not expose to you to the deepest depths of Essex for long. 

I worked at Cafe Mio in Epping for four months during the summer of 2007. I’d spent my time since finishing my A-levels working in telesales and then travelling around Australia and New Zealand so needed a job to tide me over until I started university (Nottingham, if you’re interested). Thinking I had found myself an easy summer job, I was almost immediately taken aback by the passion of both the owner and manager in maintaining excellent standards of customer service and refreshment provision.

It was here that I first learnt to appreciate that to treat a coffee bean with respect is to provide a more superior standard of cappuccino. It was here that the mystery behind frothing milk into a warm, glossy, hug in a mug was revealed to me. And it was here that I began to fully appreciate the real truth and value behind getting to know your customers, as well as that age old adage “the customer is always right”. 

In life, we are so often anonymous. Sometimes this can be convenient. But at times this anonymity can make you feel isolated, alone, adrift. Of all the lessons I learnt that summer, the one I still hold most dear is the role that cafes can play in the social networks of the communities they inhabit. By getting to know our ‘regulars’ – their tastes, habits, little idiosyncrasies – both I and they felt a greater connection to this otherwise functional space. 

The ‘regulars’ would come in and order the same drink or meal and feel like they belonged. For people without a sense of belonging in the wider community the cafe offered a haven where they could be recognised, valued, remembered. Although the attention to detail required to ensure each ‘regular’ felt that little bit special often exhausted me, the satisfaction in making their day that little bit more meaningful has stayed with me. 

Of all the things Cafe Mio represents to me now, compassion is the one that sticks. In creating a space that is welcoming and inclusive, Cafe Mio is a triumph.