London Shopping: Handmade Ice-Cream at Ruby Violet.

This week we visited Ruby Violet to celebrate the sunny weather in London! The forecast for this weekend is looking fabulous, so take a trip to Tufnell Park for some ice cream and ambience, then stroll over to Hampstead Heath to make the most of the sunshine!

Ruby Violet is a gem of an ice-cream and sorbet emporium on North London’s Fortess Road: It is small, glittering and appropriately jewel-toned. Apart from luscious and unusual flavours of handmade ice cream on an ever-changing menu (including Lavender or Horseradish or Liquorice), you’ll find a beautiful vintage-inspired interior with endlessly charming decorative touches. We left with four tubs of ice-cream and smiles on our faces.

London Shopping: La Fromagerie.

We often include La Fromagerie in the shopping section of our posts, but it’s high time that we put this store in the spotlight. On this occasion, we sent our photographer Helena to the Marylebone branch of La Fromagerie on a wet and dreary day, but as with most trips to this gem of a shop, she found herself buoyed by the cosy ambience, the bright skylights, and the multiple disco balls. (And also by the cheese. And coffee. And chocolate. Of which there was much.)

La Fromagerie is more than just a cheese shop: it is a fabulous treasure trove of high quality deli goods, as well as a greengrocer, a cafe and a restaurant. Inside you can find a well-curated selection of wine, tea, coffee, bread, pastry, jam and honey, charcuterie, chocolate, fruit and veg, and even gorgeous crockery. Of course, you will also find cheese. True to its name, La Fromagerie is exceptionally well stocked in the fromage department – there is even a temperature controlled walk-in cheese room complete with friendly and highly knowledgable staff. Have a look.

London Shopping: Cocoa Bijoux

Easter is only a few weeks away, and this is a perfect time to showcase one of my favourite chocolate shops: Cocoa Bijoux in West Hampstead. This stylish jewel box of a shop stocks all manner of gourmet goodies, and although there’s a strong focus on chocolate, you’ll find plenty of other edible delights in store. Our photographer Helena visited Cocoa Bijoux last week to talk to owner Stuart Daniel, and to give you a taster of the treats you can find there.

The Best Pancakes In Town

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Day! My family doesn’t need an excuse to eat pancakes and we can be found frying-pan-in-hand on many a Sunday morning (yesterday included). Whether you’re eating in or dining out, we’ve got you covered. See below for the best places in London to eat pancakes, crepes and waffles, as well as some deliciously different recipes to try at home.