Food and Drink: July 2009 Archives

Ah, British cherries. Some of the tastiest fruits on earth we reckon. And now’s the time to eat ‘em! But did you know that in the past 50 years, Britain has lost 90% of its cherry orchards and that we actually import the vast majority of cherries from abroad? FoodLoversBritain.com hopes to change those sad statistics with CherryAid, a campaign to unite all cherry lovers to save the British cherry. Throughout the summer, the plights and delights of the cherry will be highlighted with celebrations around the country.

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Let's hope he's proud at being a champagne socialist: former Mayor Ken Livingstone's expenses for his second term at City Hall reveal that he claimed for more than £16,000 in dining bills.

Maybe if you cross your fingers, touch wood and scrunch your face up like you really really really want summer to return, it will. And when it does, a nice way to cool off would be to try some of Yu-foria’s frozen yoghurt. The shop’s just opened recently at Covent Garden (downstairs near the pesky opera singing buskers). Last week, Londonist swung by; had a chat with Yu-foria’s young and enterprising owner Leo Bedford; and sampled some of the goods. It’s a pleasant little place, not only white and plastic-y as one might expect but cozy and hip with exposed brick, hanging basket chairs and oak seating making for an organic feel. Leo’s pretty hip too: he’s a likeable chap in his mid-twenties keen to make a real go at this new venture. And the yoghurt? Yum! We tried a cup of the 100% fat free plain flavour with some pistachios sprinkled on top (Yu-foria has all sorts of toppings). It was delish and, considering we tried it on one of those hot days last week, very refreshing. We also sampled a couple of spoonfuls of the blueberry yoghurt and were impressed with its natural (not super puckery or too sweet) flavour.

Yesterday we brought you a top ten list of beer gardens from the Fancyapint crew. Today, it's roof terraces:

Located in Devonshire Square (essentially across Bishopsgate Road from Liverpool Street Station) with a lovely terrace (and smack dabbedly up close views of the Gherkin), Cinnamon Kitchen is a fairly new restaurant offering modern Indian cuisine in a stylish, swish and contemporary setting (they’ve got an especially sleek bar as well).

On the day it decides to rain, here come are the pub recommendations you've been waiting for. Our friends at Fancyapint got together last week to pool their considerable pub brain resources and compile a list of top al fresco drinking spots for you to enjoy this summer. Today we have their top ten beer gardens, tomorrow, ten top roof terraces and Wednesday, ten riverside hostelries.