The Gift Guide Top 5

Published on December 5, 2013 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: Featured, Reviews, Uncategorized

It’s that time of year again; we’ve hit December and already passed the busiest online shopping day of the year apparently. Well versed in the art of shopping, I thought it only fitting I share my failsafe food inspired gift guide, hopefully taking some trauma out of your Santa duties.

The coolest cookie cutters

I have a sneeking suspicion the sunshine eggs could be a bit of a faff; maybe one to delegate to your sous chef / spouse / kids. You can always thank them with some Made with Love cookies.

Sunyside eggs £7.95 from Rocket St George and Made with Love cookie stamp £6.00 from Anthropologie.

4th Wave Coffee at home

One morning spent researching cafes and sampling espressos with Gather & Gather in house coffee guru, Paul Hallit and I came home with the above (essential) haul. We’re now entering the 4th wave in coffee apparently: Beyond independent cafes and single origin beans, it’s also about the science behind the perfect cup. Anyone who appreciates coffee will thank you for this kit, or simply some decent beans.

V60 coffee makers for single (01) and double cup (02) filter: From £35. You can also buy the V60 on its own to sit directly on your cup: From £20. Multiple options available from Brewed by Hand or Coffee Hit.

Union Hand Roasted for a wide range of single origin beans (best for V60 brewing) as found in Gail’s Artisan Bakery, Harris & Hoole and Gather & Gather. Coffee from Shoreditch roaster All Press is also hard to beat.

Seggiano stars

Seggiano. God of taste: flavour and design. Everything from panettone to olive oil, chocolate clementines to raw honey. Packaged so beautifully, wrapping paper wrestling is a thing of the past.

Available from Wholefoods or independent delis. Olive oil: £11.50. Honey: £8.50. Foraged tree: Free from Clapham Common.

Compulsory cookbooks

Two years in and these are still my failsafe classics. For the creative cook keen to go off piste: The masterpiece that is The Flavour Thesaurus. Jerusalem, the latest kitchen handbook by My Favourite Places Godfather, Yotam Ottolenghi is a must that no self respecting food lover should be without.

And for the adventurous: Milk of New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar fame, as recommended by uber chef and Gather & Gather colleague, Dan Rampat. Momofuku means Lucky Peach. Sold!

£10+ from Amazon

Spa scents

Because, as much as I love to cook, there are few kitchen smells I want to curl up on the sofa with. And let’s face it, smelling of Eau de Honey Roast Ham outside the kitchen is offensive. End of.

Diptyque Baies and Jo Malone Grapefruit are clean classics guaranteed to win over the fussiest of recipients. At £40 neither candle comes cheap but the quality is second to none: dripping in perfume oils = stronger and longer lasting spa scents. RK Ridings does a huge selection of similar diffusers and candles at 1/3 of the price.

Space NK stock most of Diptyque’s range. Their online and customer service is super efficient and given their giant selection of Christmas gift ideas, this is a no brainer for filling your Santa sleigh. Jo Malone and RK Ridings stock direct.

Christmas mugs

When all else fails, opt for a mug. 19 carat gold rim mug with horse design (obviously) and coffee cups you can bake in. Genius. In the spirit of giving, I’ve tested festive Orange, almond & chocolate cake in said super mugs.

Designer tartanry brand ANTA also do a range of throws and cushions as cozy as a Christmas jumper. Sign up for Tartan Tuesday (2 for 1 offers) and their Advent Calendar of daily discounts in the run up to Christmas.

Horse mug £20 from Rocket St George; Tartan cups £22 from ANTA.

Some more failsafe gift ideas

Best cookery courses: Ginger Pig butchery class, Rick Stein Seafood School, Bread Ahead bakery school.

For Little Miss Fussy: Big rocks are in! Try Bex Rox or Aurelie Bidermann. The Outnet also has a wide range of heavily discounted designer jewellery (and clothes).

For kids: Cox & Cox have an inexhaustible selection of games and trinkets for kids of all ages.

For The Friend Who Has Everything: Diageo Brand Store offers a 6 ltr bottle of Ciroc vodka for £250. You can even have your own bespoke swing for a mere fifteen hundred quid.

Gather & Gather: My day job

Published on May 3, 2013 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: Featured, Reviews

With all my eulogies on India, Spain, yoga and hot eating and travel spots, you could be forgiven for thinking my life is one long, gluttonous yoga retreat. It’s not. At least not all the time. I’m pleased to say I have a day job for which, like this blog, my gathering of said wholesomely seductive treasures and trends is quite fortuitous.

In fact, as Creative Director for Gather & Gather, that’s precisely what I’m tasked to do. Unless you’ve been holed up in an igloo, the food revolution to hit the UK over the past 15 years can’t have escaped at least a tiny part of your cognitive function.

Like or loathe them, celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Nigella (and their promotion of packed lunches from your travels) have helped propel our dinner party repertoire far beyond the realms of Dolmio and Pot Noodle. Once the underdog of Europe in terms of cuisine, London café concepts at least, are now some of the most innovative in the world in terms of ethical sourcing, quality, menu planning and understated brand design.

No-where is this shift more evident than in coffee shops. Glossy chains no longer cut it. Instead, the more discerning British public is paying a premium for farmers market styling, locally roasted coffee and sweet-corn fritters. Starbucks is being shunned in favour of independents sporting extensive chalk doodles and an Antipodean pierced and inked barista.

In fact, the recent rollout by Taylor Street Baristas of Harris & Hoole took a severe publicity beating when news of the chain’s Tesco backers called its non-corporate roots into question.

In true Wholesome Seduction fashion, health is no longer the preserve of mung bean munchers. Again, thanks to the likes of the super brand J’me and his travels, there’s a demand for intelligent menu planning which our insides love as much as our taste buds. Given that the free-from market is growing faster than any other category (up 300% in the last decade, according to Datamonitor), it’s probably time we took note from our forward thinking, hippy mums.

So in a nutshell, when I’m not performing pool-side yoga, I’m tirelessly crusading for wholesomely seductive eating and styling at Gather & Gather. Given the feedback from our recent brand launch, I think we might be on the right track. With the help of our street food friends and coffee gurus, of course.

Don’t just take my word for it; Coverpoint Foodservice Consultants blog by Jonathan Doughty gives the full low down here. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Namaste.

Stags, sterling board & street food

Published on December 6, 2012 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: Reviews, Uncategorized

I’m ashamed to admit, blogging has taken a back-step of late. But I can explain: For the last 5 weeks, social lives and sleep have been shelved; yoga memberships even put on hold, all in the name of creating our very own street food pop-up. Let it not be said that we don’t love what we do.

My latest crusade involves teaming up with a host of my favourite street concepts and Gather & Gather to feed a certain telly broadcaster. I think I may have found my vocation.

I’ll report back on week one very soon. In the meantime, join me on the journey with Twitter and #skypopup.

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