coffee

Opposite – real coffee in Leeds

August 7, 2009
Opposite Coffee, Leeds

I wrote last week about the new Starbucks stealth cafés that are springing up in Seattle, and as an afterthought added that Opposite in the Victoria Quarter probably serves the best coffee in Leeds. This doesn’t do Opposite justice. Opposite’s original branch is opposite the Parkinson building at the University of Leeds, tempting academics out [...]

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Starbucks in disguise

August 1, 2009
Starbucks' new stealth cafes

Photo: www.psfk.com Most people have an opinion about Starbucks, and it’s generally one of two polar opposites. Not many people sit in the middle. Starbucks have expanded rapidly over the last decade or so from a small, cultish Seattle coffee chain to a global coffee behemoth, with over 16,000 stores in forty-nine countries. The credit [...]

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Big crumb rhubarb cake

April 18, 2009
Big crumb rhubarb cake

Main crop rhubarb is everywhere right now, it’s huge umbrella leaves weighing down thick, green and red stalks. In a month or so, the stalks will taste bitter and old, so now is the time to pick it and use it. This cake is a superb way to do just that. It’s excellent with coffee. [...]

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Elizabeth David’s Chocolate and Almond Cake

February 28, 2009
Elizabeth David's chocolate and almond cake

A superlative cake from a cooking legend. Melt 115g of good quality chocolate, along with a splash each of black coffee and rum, in a bowl placed over a simmering pan of water. The quality of the chocolate is key. High cocoa content, at least over 70% is vital. I swear by Green & Black’s, [...]

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Pickles & Potter, Queens Arcade, Leeds

December 15, 2008
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I took a break from Christmas shopping yesterday for a sandwich at Pickles & Potter’s deli in Leeds’ Queens Arcade. This is the first time I’ve eaten there, as each time I’ve walked past, the queue has snaked out of the door. The place looks fantastic – a bit purposefully shabby and hippy-ish, with chalkboards [...]

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On the tragic state of coffee in the office

October 3, 2008
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There are a couple of things I dislike about my job. One is Internal Audit, the other is this coffee machine. This coffee machine is my office nemesis. It serves the worst coffee imaginable – too strong, foul tasting, with little bits of undissolved instant coffee around the top of the too small plastic cup. [...]

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