Toffee Cupcakes and Ginger Hot Chocolate

Location: McKechnie's Cafe, Stratford-upon-Avon

Date: Monday 9 March 2009

Details: Hot Milk and Hot Chocolate, both with Gingerbread Syrup, and Toffee Cupcakes

Notes:

Celebratory hot drinks and cupcakes for Kiz's birthday. These cupcakes look incredibly professional - and that's because they are. Kiz bought them at a bakery in Tewkesbury to share with her students and the staff at Foxford School where she is directing a musical. (Not McKechnie's produce I'm afraid. Naughty.)

As one of Kiz's 30-Things-To-Do-For-Her-Thirtieth, she's listed "Have Ginger Hot Chocolate with Sooze at McKechnie's" so here we are ticking it off the list.

Lovely hot milk for me with the same 'Gingerbread' syrup, and the cupcakes were perfect - sickly sweet fat layer of icing and a fluffy toffee-flavoured cake.

Brownies and Ice-Cream with a Pot of Tea

Location: Häagen-Daaz Cafe, Leicester Square, London
www.haagen-dazs.co.uk/cafes/menu.htm
Date: Tuesday 3 March 2009
Details: Chocolate Macadamia Brownie with scoops of Dulce de Leche and Vanilla Caramel Brownie ice-creams with a pot of English Breakfast tea

Notes: My brother and I had such a disappointing Indian meal at 'Masala Zone' (opposite the Royal Opera House) that we had to erase it by having an outrageously sugary dessert somewhere else. After a foray into a ChinaTown 'Hello Kitty' emporium (where John bought two strange-but-cute plush dogs), we ended up in Leicester Square at this cafe which was buzzing and full of tourists.

We both ordered tea. John had a 'Cookie Crunch' - a tall sundae glass which was crammed with Cookies&Cream ice-cream, cookie pieces, hot fudge sauce and chocolate sprinkles. J plunged his spoon in and it oozed obscenely over the side. Yum. I had a Brownie Extreme - two (!) chocolate and macadamia nut brownies with 2 scoops of ice-cream - I swapped the set options to my favourites: Vanilla Caramel Brownie and Dulce de Leche.

I couldn't manage two brownies - good job too, because the plate was probably my entire calorie allowance for one day, a total sugar overload and entirely nutrition-free. Wahey! And tastes even better on someone else's expenses!