As you may appreciate Covid-19 has made going to buffets a struggle. As the hospitality industry has ground to a halt they are considering their future if there is no vaccine or treatment available.

The hotel industry is considering moving away from the breakfast buffet and industry sources discussed the plans in this Times article https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hotels-to-bin-buffets-and-pull-plug-on-spas-as-covid-19-lockdown-eases-g9pvcs77q

I discussed the article and long term implications this policy may have on the buffet food industry in general (about 45 mins). Let me know what you think. Are buffets most at risk in this new normal or can they come back stronger than ever.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000j3gb?fbclid=IwAR1tISNLSOW1Zc1ryhopApfr14cksE8VH0cqeZbbH5iaKdmuBj2qJbBxUZo

Have you ever watched The Great British Bake Off and thought “Yeah, I could do that” The Big London Bake offers the opportunity to put yourself to the test, without humilation on national TV.

Up to ten teams of two compete to make the best bake (which changes monthly). I took my friend Alison, a great baker I still dream about the pumpkin samosas she made for a party 10 years ago.

Me on the other hand

Our Paul Hollywood for the evening was the lovely Chris, supportive, gave a delightful giggle when I told him what this blog was called. This was the man Alison and I needed to impress.

What does impress is this large tent behind the cavernous The Castle Pub on Tooting High Street. It looks the part, they have fancy Kenwood mixers and there are people to clean up after you. The dream baking environment.

Our task was to make summer inspired marshmallow cones. On paper a simple technical challenge with detailed instructions. What could possibly go wrong? The ovens are on, the materials are provided. Let’s do this!

We started with a simple task of mixing the cone batter, adding colour and flavourings (we went for a tropical theme of reds, yellows, oranges and ginger flavouring) before creating a cone to bake using the silicone stencil. This was a new challenge for us both but Alison smashed it. I only burnt 1 cone which is achievement because I don’t understand what happened.

You also have to make your own marshmallow. I didn’t even know you made marshmallows. I thought it grew somewhere, like asbestos. In the big Kenwood Mixer. For 15 minutes

It was a tough task, the silicone spatula melted for at least two groups and after what felt like half an hour we were informed, mid-piping, that we had 1 minute left. OMG!

Then came presentation, only one group (Not us, Thank Mary Berry!) failed to pipe their marshmallow centre and whilst we didn’t we (we were beaten by the attractive looking ones who had more piping time) and I am pleased with our pineapple flavoured marshmallow tropical inspired cones

Of all the experiences in London right now this by far is the most value for money, certainly one of the most interesting. There might be debate about the chosen bake, this is not something I would eat, make or even consider in my repertoire but as the team create recipes there is a real consideration to create something interesting. If you just want to competitively bake a Victoria Sponge or some Shortbread this probably isn’t for you but I am very keen to see what future months bring. The time went quickly, it is just a lovely way to spend an evening. I am not going to be auditioning for Bake Off anytime soon. Not unless Alison can help me but this is definitely a better and more welcoming option anyway.

Thanks to the lovely Joanne Mortlake at Love London Pop Ups https://lovepopupslondon.com/ for arranging my ticket.

Tickets from £35 https://www.thebiglondonbake.com/

It has been a while. The problem, as I am sure you fellow Buffet Bitches will agree, is that I am so dangerously full after a good buffet that I can barely remember my name let alone offer a decent review.

Regal Spice, an Indian and Nepalese buffet. Whilst it may lack the Aladdins cave quality of larger buffets its small but perfectly formed menu provides classic curry cuisine. From sundries like Poppadoms and chutney (Naan is provided on the table), to side dishes like rice and noodles and an array of meat and veggie curries. All for £9.95. 

There isn’t a lot to say about Regal Spice, the drinks are a bit pricier but that is to be expected in London and a worthy sacrifice for a cheap lunch. Service regarding drinks and naan breads are prompt and the buffet dishes were regularly topped up. It is a nice alternative to your curry house as the buffet also includes a small dessert selection (though if you are me your dessert might end up poppadoms and mango chutney)

If you are local to the area then it is worth a trip for a different kind of Sunday lunch but even if not it is worth the journey. 4 Plates our of 5

 

528-530 Victoria Road, Ruislip , Greater London, HA4 0HD

 

 

 

Wingstop is finally in London!

Wingstop isn’t one of the big American imports, like Taco Bell (which also arrived in London this month) or Wendy’s (which hasn’t exisited in London for a long time) but I regularly do focus groups and when I was offered a focus group in summer 2017 that involved trying wings it set over a year of anticipation.

Wingstop, which has opened in the old HSBC building on Shaftesbury Avenue faces a lot of competition from chicken rivals such as Nandos and KFC but also locally as it is close to Chinatown, Shake Shack and McDonalds. The plus with this location is that it will get a lot of passing trade, particularly tourists and theatre goers (it is opposite Harry Potter and Cursed Child and not far from the Shaftesbury Avenue theatres) but I question whether people want this style of fast food, mainly because it isn’t very fast at all.

When I arrived there was a long queue and it became apparent that service wasn’t bad, it was customers confused by the range of options. Customers face choices over what style of chicken they want, what flavour, what dip, what kind of side and what flavouring your side you has. That’s before you even get to the Coca Cola Freestyle (which British customers are familiar with in Burger King and Five Guys) machine which offers a wide range of fizzy drink flavours.

I went for Lemon and Pepper Wings with Blue Cheese dip and Wing Stop style sweet potato fries with a Freestyle drink (which is unlimted and thus on buffet bitch) I ended up with the Lemon and Pepper boneless due to miscommunication and the fact that customers seemed to be choosing boneless options on the whole. I have to complement to lovely server who thanked me for printing out my voucher (I got the wings for free and didn’t feel I was in position to complain when I got the wrong kind of chicken) but also my knowledge of the product, as I said it is clear that UK customers are struggling with the concept even though it is very similar to Nandos.

Is it worth getting excited about? I think it offers a change but foodies may struggle with the fast food style service and the relatively long wait. Each meal is cooked fresh and once you order and pay you find yourself with a buzzer, which goes off when it is ready. If you go upstairs be prepared to have to come back down to collect your meal, hence why I didn’t make a fuss when my order was wrong. I couldn’t face a 10 minute plus wait but once it sorts out these minor issues and with plans to open across the UK in a competitive market then it could become a major fast food brand; the biggest criticisms are that customers cannot mix and match flavours and it is far more expensive than KFC/McDonalds and closer to Nandos in pricing

Wingstop UK’s first branch is now open https://www.wingstop.co.uk/locations