Pastry Makes A Comeback: Best Morsels to Look Out For in London

If you want to know what is happening in the world of food, look no further than London. The bustling city is where you’ll find the latest and greatest food trends, and the rest of the world watches eagerly to see where London will lead.

We’re happy to say that one delicious trend is the comeback of pastries—whether it’s global uncertainty, being sick of too many kale smoothies, or just because they taste so good, Londoners are reaching for a chocolate croissant or a new spin on a Danish.

You only live once, so drop the diet, and sink your teeth into something blissfully delicious. Pastry is back, and it’s more creative and pleasurable than ever.

Here are some of the best morsels in London to watch out.

Global Influence

London is a melting pot of cultures, so it’s the perfect place to find a delicious pastry with a twist from another culture. Look out for the influence of Indian sweets like kulfi and magus, South-East Asian fruits like durian and jackfruit, and the inescapable influence of Japanese macha. It’s common in Japan to see green tea-flavoured filling inside everything from cream buns to cat-shaped waffles, so look out for green tea fillings in your favourite pastries as London gets in on the buzz.

Home Flavours

As well as looking around the world for inspiration, pastry chefs are also making increasing use of the bounty of produce available in their own backyard. Rather than just boring old apple, lemon curd, or maybe the occasional tinned apricot, keep your eyes and nose alert at markets and pastry shops for creative morsels using fragrant local quinces, heritage peach and apricot varieties, fresh local raspberries, that English garden staple, rhubarb, and more.

Chefs like Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver have led the way championing local produce, and the benefits can be seen in increased awareness of the bounty of England’s garden, and increased availability of previously hard-to-find fruits and vegetables. Elderberry turnover, anyone?

A Return to the Classics

They say that burgers, ice-cream sundaes, and cereal bowls had a boom in popularity around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, and in our current uncertain times, people are once again turning to the simple classics. When the going gets tough, people want something comforting, familiar, and delicious. This means the classics, such as pain au chocolat, pain au raisin, almond croissants, donuts, cream buns, custard squares, and éclairs.

Look for the best: find yourself a bakery with high turnover (and apple turnovers!), that doesn’t use any artificial colours or flavours. Find yourself a regular haunt that you think makes the best London pastries: where the buttery flakes are juuuuust right, and every mouthful is melt-in-the-mouth tender.

Another trend that is spilling across from the world of desserts is complete over-the-top indulgence. “Freakshakes”, giant milkshakes featuring so many toppings you can barely see the glass, are a big Instagram-worthy trend, and we can expect to see some of this unrestrained exuberance spilling over into pastries in London. Think chocolate sprinkles, multiple toppings, whipped cream, chocolate AND caramel sauce, and anything else you can imagine. Now is not the time to think healthy!

The Flipside: Health Craze

At the other end of the spectrum, some of the most creative, best morsels in London involve new-era ingredients that ARE a little healthier. Coconut flour brownie, anyone? How about cashew cream custard, thickened with ground chia seeds? Maca and cacao cookies? Or maybe a slice of dairy-free chocolate cheesecake, made with coconut oil, freeze-dried açai, and activated almond flour?

The most exciting things to look out for in this buzzing area are interesting flours, such as buckwheat, coconut, besan (chickpea), and nut flours; superfoods from around the world, such as maca, chia, hemp seeds, goji berries, açai, cacao, macha, and bee pollen; and creative sweeteners, such as agave nectar (made from the agave cactus plant, which is also where tequila comes from!), coconut sugar (made from the nectar of the flowers, and then dried), dates, raw natural honey, and stevia (a naturally sweet leaf that can replace sugar).

Our knowledge of superfoods and creative food chemistry just keeps increasing, so if you have allergies or intolerances, or enjoy eating outside the box, look out for creative reinterpretations of old favourites, using some of these new-era ingredients.

Be warned, however: there are a few things to watch out for. Some of these treats can be very pricey, so if it’s not completely delicious, don’t bother. Watch out for food-world followers, such as big supermarket chains, trying to get in on the trend by adding negligible amounts of certain superfoods: read the labels to check you’re actually getting what you’re paying for. And finally, don’t get too caught up in the (expensive, often-pretentious) health-food buzz: If it tastes disgusting (or anything less than swoon-worthy), it’s probably not worth it. “Pastry” and “healthy” were never meant to go together in the same sentence. What’s the point in living longer if you you’re not going to eat chocolate croissants?!

Beyond Trends: Deliciousness is Never Out of Fashion

London is full of crazy food trends, but some things will never go out of fashion: simple, sweet, melt-in-the-mouth, fresh London pastries—preferably warm out of the oven. In our complex world, it’s the quiet moments that count: sitting down on a park bench with a lemon custard tart. Sharing a custard scroll with someone you love. Pulling a sticky raspberry bun from the brown paper bag at the end of a summer’s picnic, and licking the icing from the paper. Pastries mean pleasure, so start searching for your go-to source now!

10 Ways To Enjoy French Toast That You Never Knew Existed

French toast is such an easy recipe that resourcefully combines eggs, milk and bread to make an exquisite breakfast or sweet treat with your afternoon tea. However, after you have mastered how to make French toast, you might be ready to up your game. You want to get creative and take French toast to new heights. French toast is such a basic recipe that it can take on various additional ingredients. That’s why we found these 10 ways to enjoy French toast that you never knew existed.

  1. Nutella Bacon Stuffed French Toast

    What could be better than putting the two naughtiest foods together for the ultimate taste bud explosion? Everybody loves bacon and Nutella, although there are some who are too shy to say it. The mix of salty with sweet will have you hooked in an instant. We must admit that this is not the healthiest way to dress up your French toast recipe, but it could be the yummiest. If you are feeling invincible, pour some maple syrup on top. Let us stop teasing you and give you the recipe here.

  2. French Toast Bowls

    This is such an awesome twist to a boring bowl of cereal in the mornings. Certainly, its full of the richness a traditional French toast has and that you have come to expect as well as love. However, topping this bowl of lusciously butter and egg soaked bread with healthy berries will make you feel less guilty digging your fork into this slice of culinary heaven. Give this recipe for French toast bowls a go and let us know how they turned out.

  3. French Toast With Peaches And Ice Cream

    When the summer season hits you like a big rock, it’s time to whip up this delicious breakfast treat. Peaches are in their element in the hotter months, so it’s a great way to use up all the peaches you got from the market. Adding that scoop of vanilla ice-cream just lifts this dish. A classic ingredient pair that will never disappoint you. If it’s the dead of winter, you can still use tin peaches to make this tasty French toast with peaches and ice-cream recipe.

  4. Creme Brulee French Toast Bake

    This just makes our hearts skip a beat. Although the French aren’t the politest, are responsible for Napoléon and think they are better than us Brits – they do two things very well. French toast, of course, and creme brûlée. Put them together and you have heaven on earth. Once you bite into this creme brûlée French toast bake, you will have a soft spot for the French.

  5. Cannoli Stuffed French Toast

    After a trip to the country shaped like footwear, you might be missing some of their famous treats. Trying this combination of the Italian dessert with fluffy French toast could get you into some political trouble, but it’s so worth it. When two countries with excellent cuisine join forces you get this amazing French toast.

  6. Churro French Toast

    Speaking about countries coming together to make the French toast world a better place. Somebody married the Spanish treat Churros with French toast and they came up with this. A perfect formula for French toast lovers who like their bread on the crispier side.

  7. Hot Chocolate French Toast

    We didn’t forget the chocoholics across the globe. Imagine French toast drowned in hot chocolate. You can’t, but you hope it’s true. It’s a legitimate fact that this hot chocolate French toast recipe exists. However, it’s totally up to you whether you want to have it for dessert or breakfast. Either way, we won’t judge you. All we can say to those of you who try this recipe, is that you have a good eye for epic grub.

  8. S’more Stuffed French Toast

    A s’more is a common night time campfire treat that campers cook up in their campfire. They roast a marshmallow, get a piece of chocolate and sandwich them between two graham crackers. It sounds very basic, but it’s very tasty. A genius created this s’more stuffed French toast recipe. The French might look at this twist of their national dish with disdain, but it’s absolutely fabulous.

  9. Baked Egg French Toast

    Maybe your sweet tooth isn’t calling your name? However, a spot of French toast could really make your day. Here’s a recipe for baked egg French toast. If the sweet tooth calls you after you plate this delicious recipe, just add some maple syrup to answer to its demands.

  10. Baked Chai Spiced French Toast

    If you are looking for something exotic to add to your French toast, you should try this baked chai spiced French toast recipe. So, if you find your mornings are dull and mundane, add some spice with this avant garde French toast recipe.