Crumpets with honey butter
What a busy time! My many months of job searching have paid off as I've got a new job with Spring Food + Wine. It's pretty wonderful to be part of Brisbane's ever-growing and increasingly impressive food scene. Since I work right in the city and feel all grown up, here's a nostalgic breakfast post…
Crumpets were a bit of a weekend breakfast treat when I was growing up. They were always savoured, too, but over the last few years, the crumpets we've bought in the supermarket have gone mouldy so quickly! It's disappointing, but last weekend, (before a trip to the zoo) I woke up to find that Mum and Dad had made crumpets! I whipped up the honey butter to accompany them, and we all enjoyed the deliciously crispy, holey, buttery crumpets. As my Mum said, you really cannot have enough honey butter on them! This recipe makes at least 16 crumpets, so there will be plenty there for you to reheat for weekday breakfasts too.
The Grounds of Alexandria
I have been anticipating a trip to this quirky little place for so, so long now! On the way to Alexandria, Sydney, around 5% of me was hoping that my bouncing/over-the-top excitement wouldn't be struck down with disappointment. It certainly wasn't. As we entered under iron-arches, I skipped through the garden like all of the other three-year-olds wandering around. (It's fair to say that Mum's like The Grounds too.) There was a chicken run with clucking chooks; gardens overflowing with herbs; the tallest and most charming sweet-pea bush; and a beautiful, big wood-fired oven. What was once an old pie factory is now one of Sydney's most popular cafes. I can't tell you about the coffee because I'm part of the 0.002% of people who don't drink it, but the food exceeded all of my expectations.
The breakfast menu has everything from Turkish sausages to spiced granola. The breakfast board ($20) was stacked with ciabatta, eggs, avocado, shaved leg-ham, house-made pesto, sweet little cherry tomatoes and a solid helping of luscious Persian feta. The pesto was fresh and lively - totally delicious and worth every cent. Whenever I get a chance to order sweet over savoury, I take it with both hands and treasure it. For the sweet-toothed diners, like myself, the French toast was unbeatable. Cooked perfectly with a crisp outside, each slice was accompanied by zingy roast rhubarb and a subtly sweet lemon mascarpone. The ratio of toast:rhubarb:mascarpone could not have been more perfect for my liking. (I'm a tad obsessed with perfect ratio!) Having noticed that my breakfast was only $13, I was expecting a meal less than half the size that it was. It was just great to get real value for money, but I would definitely pay a few dollars more for that.
The Grounds was plagued with high-heel wearing, Dior-bag-carrying women, men wearing Ralph Lauren shirts, and trendy mothers' groups, but I can see why everyone flocks to it! The Grounds is so refreshingly real.
