Best Cappuccino Ever? Sant'Eustachio cafe, Rome

This is the best cappuccino both of us has ever had. The service may have been slightly rude and we did have to pay I think probably 1 euro more to have it outside at a table but it was totally worth it.

As the name suggests it is on Piazza di Sant'Eustachio, just near Piazza Navona. You can buy the beans to takeaway too, which I wish I had done. But we did come away with some beans from Tazza d'or which also made a decent (not the best) coffee.

Sant'Eustachio Caffe
Piazza di Sant'Eustachio
Rome

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San Crispino Gelato, Rome

I've decided to blog on the go from Rome, using the blogger app which I hope will work ok. This also means I'll write all the details down when I still remember them!

Today, our second day in Rome, we visited the San Crispino gelateria near to the Trevi Fountain. Written about in all the guidebooks I've read and several blogs.

From the picture you can see it is pretty hard to tell it is a gelateria, we walked past it trying to find it. It is on a small street, it definitely pays to walk a few streets away from the main attraction to get better food

I chose the hazelnut meringue and the honey gelato flavour, whilst mr went for the pistachio and the caramel meringue. Four euros for two scoops which is pretty dear but it was excellent, especially the meringue flavours.

There was a sign up saying if you fly from Fiumicino airport you can buy tubs to take back, in special containers to prevent melting. Shame we are going from Ciampino!

We're going to try Giolitti later in the week which I think is just one shop rather than a small chain like San Crispino. Our host tells us Michelle Obama is also a fan. ;)

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"white" pizza revisited

I found a recipe in Olive magazine for courgette and ricotta pizza which inspired me revisit my white pizza recipe.

The base was first spread with ricotta mixed in with crushed garlic and seasoning. Then very finely sliced courgette (a mandolin is good here, or the slightly ineffective slicer thing on a grater), black olives, basil and a little sprinkling of parmesan. It was gorgeous, less heavy than tomato + mozzarella and the perfect summer recipe.

We're growing some (pretty sad looking) courgette plants this year so I'm hoping to recreate this again with our homegrown yellow courgettes, if they grow.

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The Saffron Ice Cream Company

The Saffron Ice Cream Company are a small business not to far from me making fantastic ice cream from a little barn in the wilds of North West Essex. I thought I'd do a little shout out for these guys and my local readers! They have a regular slot at the Saffron Walden market on a Saturday and I've also seen their ice cream being sold in the Eight Bells pub and also my favourite new tea room, Teacake in Shepreth.

The focus is on mainly locally produced ingredients and seasonal flavours. They have a 'seasonal flavour chart' which tells you when the different flavours are produced depending on the time of year, which is such a brilliant idea, I love it. Right now Henham Honey & Lavender and Summer Strawberries & Cream are in season. They also have year round mainstays - Chocolate, Vanilla and Ginger. And even better the ice creams are produced without any horrible preservatives that you can't pronounce.

If you spot them on your travels I urge you to try them out, they sell little and big tubs at the market, and also at these farm shops in Cambridgeshire.

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We're Going To Rome..

a picture of coffee seemed apt, 

this was actually a shockingly bad cup in a cafe in London, hoping for much better in Rome. 

This time next week we'll have just landed in Rome and all ready for a much needed holiday.

I'd love some recommendations from my readers of places to go, and very much more importantly, places to eat. We're staying in the Trastevere area which seems to be the place to be for interesting shops and restaurants.

Any tips gratefully received. :)

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My Favourite Tea

Tea is very important to me, whilst I do drink coffee I am a tea drinker at heart. Since going to my first Secluded Tea Party I have been broadening my tea horizons a lot. A 'normal' cup of black tea with milk is my staple and early morning wake up call but I have lots of different kinds in my kitchen which all serve different purposes. Peppermint, rooibos, rhubarb and custard, earl grey, lady grey, chai...

So I though I'd do a little run down of my favourite tea and tea companies, there are lots of independent tea companies around making some great blends.

Rhubarb & Custard by Tea Box Online




One of the first teas I tried in the quest to broaden my tastes. This is a rooibos tea with rhubarb and sunflower, it is naturally sweet - works with or without milk.

Pick Me Up at 3 Tea - The Tea Shed

I am drinking a cup of this right now. Good if you like a traditional cuppa, it is caffeine rich so good for an afternoon slump or for keeping you alert whilst writing blog posts! I also bought their Tea & Biscuits multi-pack which is a great way to introduce yourself to all their range, and they are a really ingenious gift idea for tea lovers.

Kandula Tea - Ebony Chai

Shout out for a local company! Kandula Tea are based in Cambridge, their loose leaf and tea gems are stocked in lots of local delis and shops in and around the city. 

I've just placed a big order from Kandula for peppermint, pink ceylon (which is actually pink, lovely) and English breakfast. Their chai tea is just gorgeous. I tried some as recommended with some chocolate, they go so well together. The loose leaf blend (and the tea gems) come with real whole spices in it and it tastes really fresh instead of the usual musty chai you get. Really looking forward to receiving my order.

Pukka Three Mint

Pukka are an independent tea company but slightly bigger than the others I've featured, they have about 40 staff and they sell health food products as well as a great range of teas. Their teas are available in most supermarkets in lots of different flavours. Their three mint tea is one of my regular cuppas, I drink peppermint a few times a day and this one is the most minty of the teas you can buy in mainstream shops. They have loads of different flavours which I want to try, and also I am a sucker for their lovely packaging. 

Hope you enjoyed my tea round up, what is your favourite tea? Do you have any other independent tea companies to recommend? 

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Healthier Eating - Buddha Bowl

Contrary to how it may look it isn't all cakes, meals out and sandwich cookies around here. Unfortunately I have had to recently rein in my unhealthy eating which has meant exploring a whole new area of the food blogging world - healthy food blogs.

I've found lots of them, some can be a little more extreme than others but they are all good to get tips from for how to eat healthily and cutting out processed food. One of the things I have discovered is something called a Buddha Bowl, which is basically a bowl full of goodness which has to / should contain certain things. The 'formula' for a buddha bowl is (adapted from Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish )

- Healthy complex carb- quinoa, bulgar, brown rice, cous cous or Starchy Veg - sweet potato or squash
- Protein - beans, chickpeas, tofu if you are keeping it veggie - or grilled chicken / fish
- Vegetables - green ones are best - spring greens, broccoli, spinach, sugar snap peas, peas
- Healthy fat - mine is an avocado or you could try seeds or nuts
- Dressing - I usually go for simple olive oil / balsamic, or olive oil and mustard, you can try soy and honey. As long as it isn't a fatty creamy dressing.

My most recent one was a base of cooked quinoa, chickpeas (canned), peas, chopped carrot, sliced avocado, local cherry tomatoes and a mustard, olive oil and honey dressing. It was so filling, fresh and very summery. It took about 10 minutes to prepare, whilst I waited for the quinoa to cook I drained and add chickpeas, chopped veggies and made my dressing in a little jar. I sliced my avocado before eating to stop it being brown.

I've tried it again a couple of times since then - using cannelini beans, spring greens, spinach, bulgar and my usual dressing, and my trusty avocado. Toasted pine nuts are also a nice addition, I always toast too many when I make pesto.

Now I have a formula I feel armed with the ability to make better lunches!

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