Favourite Bakery Nibbles?
Posted by: u5227470736789439 on 27 July 2006
Dear Friends,
For my pains, I work in a bakery, cake, and desert-pudding factory. I have always enjoyed a 'naughty but nice' cream based cake or eclair, but my real favourites are Lardy Cakes, and Custard Tarts. Who does not, secretly, enjoy a nice tart? Naturally I am famous in the place for being a volunteer to nibble (well more like scoff) the 'taste panel' samples, and I simply explain that the reason it does not shows is that I earn my way, by sheer hard physical work and sweat - though being slightly manic helps!
I am exactly the same weight I was in 1986, so nothing hangs on me, unfortunately. I would love to be a good two stone heavier, and continue to work valiantly at this aim.
We reecently took to making custard tarts, and I am getting addicted. Rose, who is my friend and ally on the second shift in QA, seems to arrange a fresh one each day for me, and after I haqve loaded the steam pan for another conserve mix, once or twice a day I disappear to the lab for a half family sized one, though currently I am off eclairs!
I make Sarah sick with jealousy that I can seemingly put away all this cholesterol without any vivisble side effect, and always do ALL her taste panel! Sophie (QA supervisor) was so annoyed [she loves me really] with me today that she ordered me out of the office, and told me to leave her fridge alone! I had a whole ytart first. I love it, and life is about bucking the system without any harm, to some extent isn't it?
Unfortunately for me, several Polish collegues - not my team - but from the Main Bakery are now in serious competition to see if they can't beat me to the fridge!
Life is full of the fun you make it! Fredrik
Posted on: 27 July 2006 by jasons
For me i would say that you cant beat a fresh cream donut.
Problem is, where i live/work, there are very few bakers who actually do fresh cream on a daily basis.. only on a Friday.
Posted on: 27 July 2006 by SteveGa
quote:
Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Lardy Cakes
Quite takes me back to my "youth" in Colchester. There was one bakery that did mean Lardy Cakes, so good they had to go home in a poly bag rather than the usual paper bags. Those were the days!
Steve
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by garyi
Mille Fuille, for me.
With the greatest of respect the UK cannot do patisserie, only the French can.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Mick P
Gary
I agree, only the French can do a decent patisserie.
My all time favourite is a top notch home made Dundee cake. That has got to be the ideal snack at 3.00pm with a good cup of tea.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Nigel Cavendish
Agree the french do the best patisserie except for the good old custard doughnut which is my fave - 2nd place would be a French flan.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Rasher
Don't really do the cake thing at all, but a decent plain croissant in the morning with a large strong fresh black coffee is unbeatable.
(I think the "croissants" sold in packages in supermarkets are the spawn of the devil).
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
Recently i have started eating toast with peanut butter. I had never eaten this in my life until recently. Perfect with a glass of apple juice or a herbal tea.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Rasher
Are you pregnant Alan?
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by erik scothron
Hmm toast and peanut butter hmmmm freshly made French bread is best - nutty peanut butter...hmmm yummy.
I used to visit a patisserie in paris where the cakes were drenched in alcohol. You could get drunk from mixing your cakes!
I recently made myself some cucumber and marmite sandwiches so I may be pregnant too!
Lardy cakes are totally disgusting - and I love them although its been years since I have even seen one.
I'm addicted to donuts and I agree supermarket croissants from a packet are pure evil.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by erik scothron
quote:
Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:
Agree the french do the best patisserie
Nigel,
We agree on something at last. There is hope yet.
Erik
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Ian G.
I worked for a summer in a bakery between leaving school and starting at Uni. Night shift, six nights a week (compulsory). My job was to man (boy!) a huge oven maybe a 10m cubed. Inside was a rotatig set of trays like a ferris wheel on which the baking was done. The skill was to load and unload the trays of baking while the wheel was still moving. It was good fun one one got the hang of it. We baked 70,000 rolls a night.
Interestingly for a few months after that I strongly disliked the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. Fortunately normal service was later resumed.
The company policy was that you could eat anything, anytime on the job, but if you were caught taking stuff out that was stealing and you got sacked on the spot. Seemed fair to us.
Anyhow my favourite nibble up here are called 'yum-yums' sort of iced twists of buttery,oily pastry. Super sweet yum-yum! You feel a bit of a t*t asking for one as a grown up tho!
Ian
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Alexander
quote:
Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Dear Friends,
For my pains, I work in a bakery, cake, and desert-pudding factory.
Fredrik
pains is plural for bread btw. In french.
A well made croissant can be delicious. Locally there are the plain 'boterkoeken'
that some bakeries manage to do quite well. While many make a complete mess of them.
And donuts, yuck.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
Rasher
I did wonder this but i am assured it is not possible.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by erik scothron
When I lived in Norway I was horrified and mystified by the practice of eating goats cheese and jam sandwiches for breakfast.
This was because the goats cheese stank and when forced to eat some in order to be polite I found it stuck to my teeth.
Not liking the cheese I tried the jam and found it to be a tad tart so the last thing I wanted to do was to try both together but try it I did and guess what? Bloody marvelous. Two things I did not like mixed together and became, as if by alchemy, totally yummy.
I like croissant and coffee as much as the next man but a good Norwegian breakfast takes some beating imo.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Chillkram
Like others here I do enjoy a (proper) croissant, but in the main do not have a taste for sweet things. However, if we are talking things bakery, I cannot resist a really good cornish pasty.
The best I have found so far are Ann's from the Lizard and there is also a great place in Tintagel.
All we get in London, though, are those soggy excuses filled with gristle and other indeterminate items that bear only a passing resemblance to vegetables.
Mark
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Stephen Tate
Who ever mentioned the lardy cakes - Absolutely seconded 100% though they do vary as do the bakers.
regards
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by toby
Toasted Tea Cakes or the odd Egg Custard do it for me,but a work colleague prefers Custard Cream Biscuits and Liver Pate! Perhaps a new future recipe Fredrik ugh,ugh!
Regards,Trevor
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Alexander
when walking past a bakery, it pleases me to stop and contemplate the goods displayed in the window...
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by garyi
I believe that the Austrians make the very best bread.
We however make the very best cheese.
Germans make the best sausage.
Collectively Europeans have a fantastic and diverse range of kit, thank god for Waitrose because if you relied on tescos you would be fucked.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Chillkram
quote:
We however make the very best cheese.
Gary
This also is my contention, but is the subject of a fierce debate between myself and a friend who says the French make the best cheese.
I don't think you can beat a nice bit of Stilton or an extra mature/vintage cheddar.
Mark
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by garyi
I like a lot of French cheese but for me its just not diverse enough, its all a variant on brie, and none keep particularly well.
These are just my opinions.
We have all got use to Cheddar as being common, but purchase some proper stuff and try it and you soon understand that here stands the most practical and tasty cheese known to man!
David Stow extra mature from the 'Rose is a nice cut at the right price.
The closes France get to this type of cheese is Emmental, which is also nice but not cheddar.
all IMO of course and the French do nice cheese, but we do it better.
Posted on: 30 July 2006 by Chillkram
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
We have all got use to Cheddar as being common, but purchase some proper stuff and try it and you soon understand that here stands the most practical and tasty cheese known to man!
Totally agree, Gary. An extra mature cheddar on a sweet digestive biscuit. Now that's what it's all about!
I got some beautiful cheddars from Cheddar village itself last year. Pure heaven.
Mark
Posted on: 31 July 2006 by garyi
I am more of a stilton man when it comes to digestives, stilton, digestive and a wedge of satsuma.
Good god thats good!
Posted on: 31 July 2006 by Rasher
quote:
Originally posted by Chillkram:
and there is also a great place in Tintagel.
Oh yes Mark, that little pasty shop on the corner at the back end of the high street. The best pasties in the world probably. The last time I had one it was my wife who brought some back for me after spending a week down there with the kids. I'd have one every day if I lived there.
Posted on: 31 July 2006 by Alexander
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
all IMO of course and the French do nice cheese, but we do it better.
What's more, they don't even have a word for chauvinism, eh?
That said, I'd be hard put to name a french cheddar-like cheese. Maybe cantal sometimes.
