A Crisp October Day

As Autumn sets in and we begin to get the hang of things in an altered world, we’ve been thinking about the things we learned in lockdown: namely, how staying in touch with people in a really simple way brought us immense pleasure and comfort, and how cooking uncomplicated, nourishing things became a way to find stability and joy. It’s with these two things in mind that we decided to start this weekly newsletter – think of it as a virtual invitation into the Cake Shop kitchen to see what’s cooking, hear what’s playing on the speakers, and join in the conversation. 

Terry’s love for autumn cannot be dampened. She loves the crisp note in the air when she’s cycling through town, and she loves the rich colours of the year’s end: oranges, yellows, and the majestic purple plum. This month the October glut of British plums is featuring heavily in our baking; we’ve got brown sugar plum muffins in the oven, and a gluten free plum cake with almonds and walnuts cooling on the countertop. 

Our lunch specials this week are all about bright yellows, a mix of some of our favourite golden oldies and some new recipes that pack a restorative zest. Turmeric tonic with citrus and kombucha makes a bright pick-me-up alongside our burnt lemon and lentil dahl. (Or, as Terry likes to put it: Let’s dole you up some dahl, doll!) We’ve been making a different humus every morning, which we’re pairing with cauliflower salad. This spontaneous humus-making is a relaxing, intuitive way to start the day – what ingredients are calling to us? What mood are we in? What song did we listen to on the bus? Lee Scratch Perry humus is a current favourite; it’s got a nice smokey flavour.

Intuition is important but some things take time. We’ve put some of our plums to ferment, and in a month or so this brew will turn into a heady homemade plum wine, which you can keep an eye out for around Christmas. For now, we’re planning an October Saturday Special in the courtyard with a mellow autumnal infusion of Cox apples, whisky, chamomile and cinnamon to soothe the soul, and plenty of space for social distancing. You can join us on the 31st for a browse and a beverage, but feel free to stop by before then – in person, by email, or via social media – for plums, love and 1970s dub.