If, like The Thomas Lyte Team you often dream about sticking a finger in a fluffy icing topped cupcake, then look no further. Here are our selection of Top 10 favorite places to buy, eat and enjoy cupcakes in London.
Hummingbird Bakery
•Kim of Thomas Lyte Every so often Kim will surprise us with a freshly baked batch of Vanilla cupcakes with butter frosting. She uses a Hummingbird bakery recopy. They have been described as ‘little pieces of heaven’. Because of this and home baked cakes from a friend always taste extra special Kim takes our number spot closely followed by •Hummingbird Bakery of course!
•Maison Blanc
Maison Blanc-Pistachio Cupcake
•Lolas
Lolas Desert Range
•Outsider Tart
Outsider Tart - Meringue Cupcakes
•Primrose Bakery
Primrose Bakery-Rose Cupcake
•Treacleworld
Treacleworld - Signature Flower Cupcake
•Marks and Spencer
M&S Cupcake Selection
•Crumbs and Dollies
Crumbs and Dollies Cupcakes
•Pop Bakery
POP Bakery brightly coloured Cupcakes
Heinz Tomato Ketchup – need we say more
In the 1690s the Chinese mixed together a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it ke-tsiap. By the early 18th century, the table sauce had made it to the Malay states (present day Malaysia), where it was discovered by British explorers, and by 1740, it had become an English staple. Heinz ketchup was introduced in 1876 as a “Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!”
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Hellmans Mayonnaise – Goes with EVERYTHING. Simply must be Hellmans no other brand will do. In 1905, Richard Hellmann from Vetschau, Germany, opened a delicatessen on Columbus Avenue in New York City, where he used his wife’s recipe to sell the first ready-made mayonnaise. It became so popular that he began selling it in bulk to other stores. In 1912 he built a factory for producing Mrs. Hellmann’s mayonnaise. It was mass marketed and called Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise. It was so successful, Hellmann closed his delicatessen by 1917 to devote full time to his mayonnaise business.
Hellmans Mayonnaise
Reggae Reggae Sauce – By the Famous ‘Dragon Slayer’.
Levi on Dragons’ Den said he developed and refined the sauce over many years, basing it on his grandmother Miriam Small’s jerk chicken sauce. However, it was later claimed that the sauce recipe belonged to Levi’s friend and joint stall operator Tony Bailey who did not wish to appear on the television show and the use of Levi’s grandmother was just a marketing ploy… Either way – we love Reggae Reggae! The product that ‘puts music in your food’ was voted ‘CoolBrand’ 2008 by a panel of experts and the British Public.
Reggae Reggae Sauce
Kikkoman Soya Sauce – the best around and used in top Chinese restaurants.
The history of Kikkoman and its famous soy sauce began when the Mogi and Takanashi families began soy sauce production along the Edo River in Noda, a small city located not far from Tokyo. For more than three centuries, the company formed by these families has created delicious, all-natural seasonings that have won prizes worldwide, including honours at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair and the distinctive position as the official sauces for the Japanese imperial household for many years. Yet the name Kikkoman means more than just superior soy sauce. According to Japanese folklore, the tortoise lives for 10,000 years and thus is a symbol of longevity –what every company hopes for. Therefore, kikko, which means tortoise shell in Japanese, and man, meaning 10,000, were chosen first as the trademark for the Mogi’s best soy sauce and later as the company name. The tortoiseshell is also represented by the shape of the company’s logo.
Kikkoman Soya Sauce
Jalapeño Tobasco – divine on pizza. Better than the original.
The hot peppers are picked by hand as soon as they ripen to the perfect shade of bright red. The same day the peppers are picked, they are mashed, mixed with a small amount of Avery Island salt, placed in white oak wooden barrels, and allowed to ferment and then age for up to three years. When deemed ready by a member of the McIlhenny family, the approved, fully aged mash is then blended with all natural, high grain vinegar. Numerous stirrings and about four weeks later, the pepper skins and seeds are strained out. The finished sauce is then bottled.
Did you know? Each 2-ounce bottle of Tabasco Sauce contains at least 720 drops?
Jalapeño Tobasco
Smile Chilli Sauce – from the thai on Chiswick High Road.
Thais put raw chilis on a very wide variety of food, in lieu of chili sauces. They even put chilis on fresh cut fruit, such as watermelon. There are many recipes for chili sauces, the common ingredient being chili peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chilli peppers. The peppers are infused in anything from vinegar, oil, water, beer and alcohol to fruits and vegetable pulp. Additional ingredients are often used, including those used to add extra heat, such as mustards. The heat, or burning sensation, experienced when consuming hot sauce is caused by capsaicin. The burning sensation is not “real” in the sense of damage being wrought on tissues. It is instead a chemical reactionwith the body’s neurological system
Smile Chilli Sauce
English Mustard – so unbelievably Thomas Lyte!
Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. The first appearance of mustard makers on the royal registers in Paris dates back to 1292, due to its long tradition of mustard making, Dijon is regarded as the mustard capital of the world. An early use of mustard as a condiment in England was in the form of mustard balls, coarse ground mustard seed combined with flour and cinnamon, moistened, rolled into balls and dried The town of Tewkesbury was well known for its high-quality mustard balls, which were exported around the country. The use of mustard as a hot dog condiment was first seen at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, when the still popular bright yellow French’s mustard was introduced by the R.T. French Company.
Colman's English Mustard
Horseradish – nothing better with home cooked roast beef. Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. John Gerard describes it under the name of raphanus rusticanus, stating that it occurs wild in several parts of England. After referring to its medicinal uses, he says: “the Horse Radish stamped with a little vinegar put thereto, is commonly used among the Germans for sauce to eat fish with and such like meates as we do mustarde.” Where the English name horseradish may derive by misinterpretation of the German name Meerrettich (“sea radish”) as Mährrettich (“mare radish”) some think it is because of the coarseness of the root. In Europe the common version is that it refers to the old method of processing the root called “hoofing”. Horses were used to stamp the root tender before grating it!
Colmans Horseradish Sauce
Mango Chutney – best with a curry in front of a good DVD.
Beginning in the 17th century, chutneys were shipped to European countries like England and France as luxury goods. Western imitations were called “mangoed” fruits or vegetables. In the 19th century, brands of chutney like Major Grey’s or Bengal Club or Nature Isle Tropical Gourmet created for Western tastes were shipped to Europe. The tradition of chutney making spread throughout the British empire, especially in the Caribbean and South America where chutney is still a popular condiment for ham, pork, and fish. Generally these chutneys are fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction.
Tiptree Chutney Mango
Thousand island – the best 80’s condiment making its fashion comeback
Thousand Island dressing is a salad dressing commonly made of mayonnaise, ketchup, Tabasco sauce and finely chopped vegetables, most often pickles, onions, bell peppers, and green olives; chopped hard-boiled egg is also common. In the 1900 a fishing guide’s wife, Sophie Lalonde, made the dressing as part of her husband’s shore dinner. She shared the recipe with an actress, who requested it after enjoying the unique dressing. The actress in turn gave it to George Boldt, who was building Boldt Castle in the area. Boldt, as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, instructed the hotel’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, to put the dressing on the menu.