A lunchtime saviour

Nestled in the shadow of Blackfriars railway arches, is my busy-day-lunch saviour.

Flying Fish Sushi is an independent outfit that delivers freshly made sushi, dim sum and other oriental delights to central London locations. Or if, like me, you work around the South Bank area, you can pop by and collect your haul too.

The retail and office spaces under the railway arches are pretty industrial, but I’m always impressed by how the companies that inhabit them turn them into cosy, quirky spots that are full of character.  

Although Flying Fish is predominantly a takeaway, it’s still made an effort with its ‘front of house’ area so that you can pull up one of the eclectic pews and eat in too.

 


On this occasion I went for:

the pork dumplings, 

                 

Teriyaki salmon salad

                            

crab and mango 
crystal rolls  



                                         






chicken Panko

(I was hungry, okay?!)

A crunchy carrot and Chinese radish salad accompanies the dumplings and dipping sauces, wasabi and ginger are all thrown in.

If I'm forced to have a desk-based lunch, I'll order online, specify a collection time (within a 20 minute slot) and pop down to pick up a freshly made, reasonably priced, rainbow of a meal. It beats an insipid canteen sandwich hands down. 

It's Rye Time...

...for a snack.

As much as I love freshly baked, crusty, white bread - and I do, I really do - sometimes my body needs a few more nutrients than it can provide.

At those times I turn to an open rye bread sandwich.

Rye is a fantastic alternative to wheat-based breads; it's full of fibre and vitamins such as manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.  All in all, a pretty healthy base upon which to pile a colourful bounty of tastiness.


Rye bread is also pretty dense and filling, so it's the perfect candidate for an open sandwich, as you don't need to use too many slices.


Here are three of my favourites: 2 savoury, 1 sweet. 

Avocado and goat's cheese

    

- 2 mashed avocados spread onto the bread

- 150g goat's cheese sprinkled on top 

- Lots of cracked black pepper

- A pinch of coarse sea salt 

- A good lug of extra virgin olive oil

Smoked salmon and beetroot

      

- A couple of chopped cooked beetroots mixed with some cream cheese and splash of red wine vinegar 

- Spread on the bread 

- A few pieces of smoked salmon layered on top 

- Some chopped spring onion tips

- Cracked black pepper

Peanut butter, banana and mixed berries with yoghurt

  

   

- Good quality, crunchy peanut butter spread on the bread

- A sliced banana laid on top

- Berries mixed with probiotic natural yoghurt dolloped on top (strawberries and blackberries, in this case)

- A good drizzle of honey and some toasted flaked almonds

And there you have it: a breakfast, lunch or snack packed full of goodness, which will fuel you through all that intense Team GB support. 

L'Enclume Restaurant

Nestled in the heart of the southern Lake District is an enchanting medieval village called Cartmel. 

When exploring its charming lanes and stone passageways you may discover a babbling brook...

  

ancient country pubs with eclectic garden furniture...

whitewashed gates leading to diminutive cottages...

and, if you're really, really lucky, L'Enclume. 

You may be familiar with owner and chef Simon Rogan from his recent stint on the Great British Menu.  He has, however, been cooking up a storm in this beautiful part of the country for a good few years.

Simon uses seasonal, local, often foraged ingredients and turns them into some of the most innovative and exciting dishes I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

Seated in the conservatory, with a view onto the lush garden, we were asked if we would like the 5 course or the 16 course lunch - no menu, just those two choices.

Needless to say, we plumped for the 16-courser and what followed was a 4 hour feast that I will remember until my dying day.  In fact, I'd have happily carked it after coffee, safe in the knowledge that I'd just experienced a veritable food memory. 

Now, I'm no food blogger and I'm certainly not a restaurant critic, so this won't be a dissection of each course.  Instead, here is my best attempt at capturing each delectable dish for your viewing pleasure.

Oyster pebbles

Dock pudding with nettle emulsion

Cream cheese wafers

Asparagus with bay shrimp

Cod 'yolk', sage cream, salt and vinegar

 

Kohlrabi dumplings in Westcombe, hyssop and purple sprouting

Valley venison, charcoal oil, mustard and fennel

Sea scallop with spiced strawberry, grilled cauliflower and coastal leaves

Cucumbers, pineapple weed, lobster and rat tails

Eel smoked with wood sorrel, marrow and onions

 

Lightly smoked Bay bass, cockles, courgettes and cotton lavender

Reg's guinea hen and offal, turnip and elderflower

Iced chamomile, spruce, celery and black pepper

Cumbrian slate, gooseberry, apple and lemon verbena

Cherries with meadowsweet, hazelnut and apple

Gingerbread and iced watermint*

* which comes with a confession: I was so enraptured by the whole experience by this point, that I forgot to take a photo until I'd almost finished! 

With friendly and informative service and an excellent wine list, I would recommend making a detour to visit L'Enclume if you're ever in the North West... actually, it's worth a trip even if you're in NW London.  

The Lawn Bakery

"Another local shop's closing down!" I wailed, having walked past the Wimbledon Village bakery on my way home.  

I'm a huge believer in supporting local independent businesses, so the thought of the bakery that has operated on the same site for over 100 years succumbing to the recession and, no doubt, being replaced by some average chain was rather distressing. 

I was promptly told that I needed glasses and that the sign on the door actually said that it was being renovated rather than closing down.  Phew! 

Relief soon turned into excitement when, a couple of weeks later, I saw the sign on the sunny, stripy awning: The Lawn Bakery.

If you've ever visited The Lawn Bistro, chef Ollie Couillard's exceptional restaurant at the other end of the high street, you'll understand why I was quite so delighted by this discovery.


Pressing my nose against the glass the day before the official opening, I felt (and probably looked) like a child outside a sweetshop on pocket money morning.  Here's what I saw:

After waiting patiently for a full 24 hours, when I finally stepped inside I was greeted by the tantalising smell of freshly baked bread and a multitude of sweet and savoury treats to tempt even the most die hard of dieters.

The bakery seems to work to the same philosophy as the restaurant; using quality, seasonal ingredients to create freshly made classics that deliver highly on flavour. 

You can grab a pastry on the go, or settle down at one of the tables to feast on any of the goodies on show or brunch classics  like scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.  Also on offer are charcuterie boards, my favourite being the chorizo with quince jelly. 

If you're in the mood for elevenses, I highly recommend Ollie's  fresh out the oven sausage rolls - the perfect meat-to-pastry ratio - get 'em early though, as they don't stick around for long!

I stop by most mornings for a creamy cappuccino...

...and one of these gooey gems often jumps into my hand too. 

It's open daily from 7am, so pop in for a feed to set you up for a day of serious tennis watching at Wimbledon and let me know what you think.