Short and Sweet ♥

Major Macaron Love! Photography by Robyn Lee

‘All good things must come to an end,’ a phrase first echoed by Chaucer in 1347 and more recently by Nelly Furtado albeit through a different medium, certainly rings true in the following tale to which I now relate. This is because a short while ago, I made the life changing decision to do a sugar detox, that is, completely give up on dessert and excessively sugary snacks for an extended period.


This self induced tragedy may seem quite melodramatic to most ordinary folk, however any seasoned dessert lover will know that kicking this decadent, sugary habit is worse than giving up smoking. There are no friendly and supportive helplines to call when you feel like you’re missing out on a sugar rush, no NHS funded counselling, no patches, or even some sort of bizarre inhaler to help counteract the longing for something luxuriously sweet and yummy tap dancing on one’s palate.

Chocolate Millefeuille from William Curley, yum! Photography by suziedepingu

I did however, have an extremely good reason for taking this somewhat drastic step. For the majority of my life I had happily succumbed to the temptation of every yummy treat presented to me, be it a decadent Ladurée macaron or the humble sticky toffee pudding, with sheer and unabashed abandon, completely reckless as to the possible consequences of my inability to curb my appetite for anything that consisted mostly of sugar. 


Like a bad boyfriend I had indulged for too long, my relationship with sweetness had actually soured with my love for dessert and was playing havoc with my system, in the form of an expanding waistline and constant sugar highs which needed constant refuelling lest they fall into the dreaded sugar lows – all this possibly furthered by my potent fear and hatred of rigorous exercise.


This was quite an extreme regime, but I did want to distance myself away from anything too sugary for a fortnight to ensure that my evil sugar dependence was well and truly annihilated. I have to admit, the no cake rule was somewhat painful but I soldiered on, knowing that it was for the best. I have never crash dieted, mainly because I have zero self control and I am easily persuaded by food adverts (M & S anyone?) so this was really a test of my willpower.

Brownies and Whipped Cream? Ooh yah. Photography by Robyn Lee

My most embarrassing moment, by a mile, was probably when I spent a considerable amount of time eyeing up a gorgeous display in Pierre Hermé not unlike a slimy pervert giving a couple of buxom maids a long and salacious look of lasciviousness. I was however brought back to my senses by an assistant who peered at me through the other side of the shop window worriedly and gave a small wave. 


Although this was nowhere near as bad as being caught playing strip poker by one of my form tutors in senior school, this was pretty high up on my personal ‘everyday life embarrassing incidents’ scale, somewhat above the ordinary awkwardness of say, walking out of the house with hair rollers still attached or perhaps dropping a silver platter on a child’s head (unfortunately all real life incidents that have actually occurred within my lifetime).

Cinnananananamon Buns forever! Photography by Robyn Lee

Despite the fact that this was not a particularly pleasant experience, I now had plenty of time to reassess my excesses. What had originally been occasional comfort eating had turned to a discomforting habit and after my sugar free fortnight, I saw the benefits. My waistline had (not surprisingly) shrunk and I was no longer a victim of my mid afternoon sugar grouches. With great trepidation I have now decided to hit the dessert trolley once more but this time, instead of my previous regime of careless abandon, there will definitely be some casual calorie control going on.


One profoundly interesting thing I did discover though, when I took the time to retrain my palate, was that I was enjoying eating dessert far more than I previously had. I was no longer on a crazed, one woman mission to devour every single type of known dessert on the planet, for I had somehow managed to retrain myself to relish one tasty dessert and leave things be. And so readers, I leave you with another well known saying which summarises what I have learnt from this experience...when it comes to dessert and sugary treats, less is most definitely more.

♥

//Food on Film ♥

Um..decadence and luxury anyone? Kirsten Dunst in the Sophia Coppola film has it all. 

In honour of the upcoming London Film Festival, my mind instantly drifted to pondering about films focussed on food. Unfortunately, mainstream food films like Chocolat - a frankly quite overrated story about the potently amorous quality of chocolate and the cheesy, nausea inducing Simply Irresistible are all quite boring and predictable so I won’t be taking the easy way out and gush about either of those atrocities. 

I am at no point suggesting that all films that have a strong ‘food’ theme are vacuous pieces of cinema – my favourite sex scene (yes, I do have a favourite, it’s not weird I promise) is the hilarious and totally silly cake extravaganza in The Baker starring Kate Ashfield and Damian Lewis. On the other end of the spectrum I also loved the heart melting Soul Food which highlights the simple importance of food in family life. Another favourite, albeit a slightly odd one is The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover which is sumptuous to watch as well as showcasing a dark, sadistic manipulation of food.

The concept of food can be very successfully used as a plot device to reveal more about the nature of the characters.  The types of food characters eat or surround themselves with can offer film watchers a deeper insight into a person’s nature and desires. What we eat is such an important and intrinsic part of being human. We eat in order to stay alive and the types of food we consume shape us physically and metaphorically as a being, it can therefore be assumed that types of food we eat have a great potential to reveal certain elements of our personalities. 

In some cases, the presentation of food in a film almost serves as an extension of a character. A perfect example of this is the portrayal of Marie Antoinette in the 2006 Sophia Coppola film. Lavishly delicious displays of sweets (all made to perfection by Ladurée) highlight the frivolity and extravagance of Dunst’s character and this, juxtaposed with constant images of beautiful costumes and other luxury goods bedazzle and overwhelm watchers with a parade of decadence. The climax of all this is a brilliantly beautiful montage with I Want Candy playing in the background. If anyone with a penchant for self-indulgence can watch it without drooling or feeling extremely jealous then I’m confiscating their tiara.  

A totally gratuitous photo of a topless Christian Bale from American Psycho for your perusal.

Continuing on the subject of self indulgence and materialism, the food in Mary Harron’s American Psycho- the film adaptation of the Brett Easton Ellis novel- is also pretty impressive. I’m not even going to try to dissect Patrick Bateman’s character because of the complexities involved but his strict and uncompromising values of immaculacy and perfection when it comes to appearances is perfectly reflected in the types of food he surrounds himself with: controlled, sterile, highly processed fitness formulas or prized and costly nouvelle cuisine. 

On a more humorous note, the titles of Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me never fail to make me cackle like a toothless and slightly pervy great aunt.  If, for some bizarre reason you haven’t watched it, the gastronomic innuendo laden scenes are quite a sight to behold. Breads, meats and other general foodstuffs are carefully placed in front of characters’ naked bodies meaning that watchers get to experience a visual buffet of juvenile but very funny puns. I won’t ruin it all for you but there are melons strategically held in front of ladies’ chests and salami covering...well I needn’t go further, you can supply the extra details using your imaginations. 

The fact that food can make an appearance in such vastly different films highlights the universality of food as a concept. It can be manipulated into a subtle form of expression to show a character’s inner feelings or used as an amusing visual pun. On the subject of amusing visual puns, you’ll have to excuse me because I’m about to settle down with some luxury popcorn and giggle at food covered naughty bits.

There's more than just baking going on between the leads in 'The Baker'...ahem

Published in London Student 11/10/10.

//Food, Fashion, Friends?

I have always thought that it is possible to have a great love for both food and fashion but constant stereotyping has made it difficult for me to reconcile the two as concepts that can peacefully co-exist.

It seems unfair that a person who is truly passionate about food is sometimes imagined to be ungainly, large and on an uncontrollable quest to consume but it is also equally unjust that a person who adores clothing and the fashion industry is stereotyped as someone who is afraid of the consumption of anything vaguely calorific. Obviously stereotypes exist for a reason and I am not suggesting that the aforementioned types of people do not exist but if we ignore these two extremes this leaves the vast majority of fashion conscious foodies in the middle.

I will take this opportunity now to disclose to you that my ultimate fantasy in life would be to have a Ladurée concession built into my house. My love for the delectable treats they have to offer knows no bounds and sometimes when I am particularly craving an indulgent snack or two, I know that I would happily offer half my soul in exchange for a box of freshly crafted macarons. Essentially I am the Faust equivalent when it comes to desserts. At the same time, I have absolutely no qualms about fighting flailing bodies in order to get into a sample sale, or violently grabbing Zac Posen dresses from screaming women.

Unfortunately stereotyping and media distortion says I should probably either confine myself to the ‘fatty’ box, or the other compartment for the trendy fashionable people. This is complete and utter silliness. If we press the ‘pause’ button on the never ending tabloid rage over the ‘Size 0’ debate and look at the bigger picture, the worlds of food and fashion have in fact been mixing quite well.

Paul Smith china...Excitement!

The Prêt-à-Portea Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley has been a hit with the food and fashion conscious of London and epitomises everything that is great about both worlds. According to Mourad Khiat, The Berkeley’s head pastry chef, the combination of colours and textures this season ‘translates wonderfully into cakes and pastries’ and before you question what a professional pastry chef might know about the vastly different world of fashion, read on.

The team of pastry gods at The Berkeley, led by Mr. Khiat are regular guests at LFW and draw inspiration from the runways, ensuring that the Prêt-à-Portea offerings are inspired by the fashion of each season. This summer, his particular focus was on the return of the statement hat and this was duly reflected in a gorgeous creamy mousse topped with Paul Smith’s signature bright pink bowler. Other delights included a Jason Wu inspired poppyseed biscuit with blueberry icing and my favourite – an almond and white chocolate Christopher Kane chequered macaroon. Sonia Rykiel, Erdem and Anya Hindmarch all make a fabulously delectable appearance too, which guarantees that this afternoon tea set is not only delicious but undoubtedly the most on trend patisserie in London. However, if you feel that Prêt-à-Portea is a little too prim and wholesome for you, then fear not as there are other darker but still deliciously trendy delights just lurking around the corner.

Cupcakes from Cox, Cookies & Cake Photography by Yukino Mayazawa

Step in Patrick Cox, the award winning designer who has teamed up with Eric Lanyard, a master pâtissier and owner of ‘Cake Boy’ in Battersea to open a cake and cookie shop in the heart of Soho. The partnership draws from both the individuals’ areas of expertise, with Cox wanting to make the cupcakes look ‘cooler than they ever have.’

Cheekily named Cox, Cookies & Cake, the concept is a refreshing change from the nausea inducing twee of the Hummingbird Bakery with its creative proprietors opting for edgy Warhol and Dali inspired cake decorations. The approach to the designs of the cakes will be sexy, subversive and appropriately, driven and inspired by the fashion of Soho. With Cox saying in an interview that he wanted his venture to be a cross between a disco, a sex shop and a cake shop, it is obvious that his penchant for avant-garde flavoured clothing designs has neatly translated into his latest forays into the world of food. This ultimately means that thematically, we can expect to see some possible similarities between his clothing and cake designs.

More cupcakes from CC&C Photography by Purple Cloud 

Interestingly, food and fashion are extremely similar to one another in various ways. The quality of the resources available and careful sourcing of materials is essential in both industries – a better quality beef will give you a better textured and more flavoursome steak in the same way that low grade silk looks and feels inferior to Long Mulberry Silk. Furthermore, at their best and often most expensive, food and fashion can be the ultimate expression of extravagance, luxury and decadence.

The relationship between food and fashion will always be on shaky and controversial ground at times but I genuinely believe that we are starting to see the two intertwined in concepts which bring out the best of both worlds. On that merry and optimistic note; I will leave you with this. In an interview with Vogue, Mourat Khiat stated that fashion and cakes have always been the perfect match for him. I firmly believe that Mr. Khiat, with all his forward thinking, fashion conscious creativity and culinary skills, is the perfect match for me!

Published in London Student 27/09/10