It seems like we all go through phases with certain things and that can happen when it comes to going out to eat! There are times when similar types of eateries are gone to.

Brunch was something that had not been done for quite a few months. So I was more than happy to try Jamie Oliver’s Recipease when my friend suggested that we go there on a Sunday.

Recipease do not have a reservation system so be prepared to wait for a table. The staff do not rush the diners even if there is a queue of people waiting. That is a good thing in my eyes as the last thing that you want when you have gone out to eat is to feel the time pressure. When we got there, we opted to wait slighter longer so that we could have the comfy seats instead of the wooden window seats.

The ground floor of Recipease has the shop area with lots of baked items, fresh sandwiches, cakes and gifts. Unfortunately there are all on open display. On both the ground floor and the upper level, there are big areas in the centre that are used for the cooking courses.

While we were there, there were several courses that were going on including a children’s party and a pasta making course. There were good aromas from the fresh cooking and surprisingly it was not too noisy.

The seating area for the cafe on the upper level borders the big cooking area. Huge windows look out onto the streets below. There are displays of books and cooking equipment on the shelves. It all looked very colourful and created a bright and happy atmosphere.

Both my friend and I were considering the Bacon and Egg Sandwich but then we thought that we might as well go full out and have The Works. I had the veggie version and my friend had the normal meat one. The only difference was that the mushrooms replaced the sausages and bacon.

The Veggie Works consisted of oven roasted garlic field mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, egg, toast, Recipease baked beans, spinach and potato tortilla. It was supposed to be a poached egg but I asked for scrambled egg instead. It was a great delicious brunch with a good variety of items. The eggs were softly scrambled and the Recipease baked beans were so tasty and homemade. The wedge of potato tortilla was a big portion. All the food was of a high quality.

Brunch would not be complete without a cup of tea. The Earl Grey tea was served by the pot, with a small bottle of milk on the side. There was plenty of tea for a good few cups.

The staff were friendly and gave service with a smile. They seemed quite busy and once they served us our food, they left us to enjoy it!

Brunch at Recipease was delightful in all aspects including the food, service, dining arrangements, atmosphere and staff!

Recipease, 92-94 Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill, London, W11 3QB

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A lovely Saturday afternoon visiting the National Gallery with my friend involved introducing her toddler to the wonderful painting of Whistlejacket. This huge oil on canvas painting of the young horse by George Stubbs is one of my favourites and always seems to impress me, no matter how many times I see it!

Following on from George Stubbs’ painting, we ventured onto see the beautiful Water-Lily Pond and other paintings by Monet. A visit to the National Gallery would not be complete if Monet’s paintings were not seen! We were lucky on this occasion as the National Gallery had two new acquisitions, Water Lillies, Setting Sun and The Japanese Bridge. Monet’s Impressionist paintings of his garden in Giverny are really special!

After our fun art filled afternoon, it was time to rest and go for a cup of tea. My friend suggested the nearby Cafe in the Crypt in St Martin-in-the-Fields. The cafe is below the church and can be accessed by the cylindrical pavilion entrance, just round the corner from the church.

Cafe in the Crypt is quite a striking cafe. The distinctive brick walls and arches make up this beautiful 18th century crypt. It is quite a large cafe and even when it is busy, there is a sort of peacefulness about it. This is helped by the soft lighting.

There is a selection of food on offer, all locally sourced where possible. Soup, hot food, sandwiches, salads, afternoon tea, hot puddings and cakes are all available. The hot food and the cakes are buffet style, but the thing that I liked was that it was served and not self service.

As we were here for tea, that is what we had. Although, I was tempted by the scone with clotted cream and jam! The pot of tea came as a little silver teapot with a jug of milk on the side. It was nice that the cups were more like the size of a mug!

Even though there is quite a lot of seating, the staff do make the effort to keep things clean. They are constantly cleaning and clearing up the tables, so that the cafe is well maintained.

To get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, escaping to the tranquil Cafe in the Crypt is perfect. This is a hidden gem in the capital! Cafe in the Crypt is also host to Jazz Nights on particular weeknights.

Cafe in the Crypt, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 4JJ

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January is here and it is one of my favourite months. A lovely way to start the new year was with an Afternoon Tea! Afternoon Tea at Amico Bio was something a little different as it was a vegetarian one with an Italian twist. Amico Bio is a family run vegetarian restaurant that offers organic, vegan and gluten free options.

Amico Bio has a dining area that has been split into two different areas. The restaurant is made up with dark wooden tables and chairs. The walls are decorated with black and white pictures of the Amico Bio family, their farm and the organic produce.

There were a variety of teas on offer and it felt like I was spoilt for choice. After a little bit of time, the Orange and Coconut tea was chosen. Even though it was a fruit based tea, I chose to have it with soya milk and this was to my liking. There was the fruitiness of the orange but it also had the subtle coconut flavour coming through. The tea was served in a matching clay teapot and a clay drinking vessel. Before the tea, I was also served a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Amico Bio presented the Afternoon Tea beautifully. Lots of bite sized items were on a glass like platter, with the centre piece being the fruit salad. As there was a range of items, I started off with the small bites. Three small bowls contained tofu, black olives and seitan.

Seitan was not something that I had come across before and I was not too sure what it was. If I had to describe it, I would say that it was like “mock meat”. It had more flavour than tofu.

Homemade flatbread filled with chargrilled seitan, lettuce and tomato made up the club sandwich. The flatbread was thin and light. The club sandwich could have done with a bit more filling as it seemed a little sparse.

The other sandwich was egg and cucumber in foccacia bread. There was only one slice of egg and one slice of cucumber in the sandwich but I think that was due to it being a small canape style sandwich. The bread was fresh.

The scone was cut in half and it was generously filled with sultanas and cherries. It was a lovely sweet scone. Soya cream was another first for me and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It had the taste of dairy cream and its consistency was that of single cream. The soya cream and the preserve were a good combination for the scone.

The homemade cake was an almondy, nutty one. It reminded me of biscotti but it was not as hard and crunchy. It was not overly sweet and very moreish.

It was nice to end with the bowl of fruit salad. It gave a refreshing end to the whole Afternoon Tea. The selection of fruit was satsumas, peaches, apples and kiwi fruit.

What I liked about the Afternoon Tea at Amico Bio was that it was filling, but not heavy. The staff were great and they took the time to answer the questions that I had about the food. There was a friendly atmosphere at the restaurant and all the staff seemed really jolly with each other.

While I was having my Afternoon Tea, I could hear the chefs talking in the kitchen about the menu for the evening. They were so passionate about what they were going to be cooking. If I wasn’t full from the Afternoon Tea, I would easily have stayed for dinner at Amico Bio.

The manager was really friendly and she was telling me about the food. I learnt from her that there are quite a few items on the menu that change daily, depending on the season. Also, Amico Bio has a sister restaurant in Italy and their farm is near this restaurant. The food that is cooked in the restaurant is from the farm. The organic vegetables from the farm are also the ingredients used to make the meals at Amico Bio in London.

As I was so tempted by the food, it was nice that I was able to take home a portion of the Lasagne. It was a big portion, made up of many layers. It was jam packed with cabbage, spinach, ricotta and tomato. The Lasagne was delicious and it was made tasty by the quality of the vegetables.

Amico Bio was a very different restaurant. It was nice to try a vegetarian restaurant that had such a good range of food. The food is prepared with so much care and attention and this comes through in all the dishes!

Amico Bio, 44 Cloth Fair, London, EC1A 7JQ

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