Rotherhithe

                       

Four stops from Shoreditch High Street on the East London Line is Rotherhithe. On Saturday we went for a stroll along the river, then stopped for a lunchtime pint at the Mayflower. The pub is named after the ship which left from here for New England in 1620. On the way home we passed this field of crocuses which I am sure will be completely full of flowers in just another week or two. And on my feet I had shoes but no socks. Spring is here for sure!

Lemon and Almond Cake

The addition of ground almonds makes this cake slightly denser and a bit more luxurious than a normal fluffy sponge. I like it quite zingy - for a subtler lemon flavour, reduce the amount of juice a bit.

175 g Sugar

75 g Butter

2 Eggs

110 g Plain Flour

50 g Ground Almonds

2 tsp Baking Powder

Juice of 1 Lemon

100 ml Milk

125 g Icing Sugar

Juice and Grated Zest of 1 Lemon

Melt the butter and allow to cool. Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix the dry ingredients and fold them into the egg mixture. Add the butter, milk and lemon juice. Pour the batter into a greased cake tin and bake for 45 minutes at 175 degrees. Allow the cake to cool, then mix the icing sugar and lemon juice and spread it across the top of the cake. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea - Earl Grey goes particularly well.

At last

Spring takes me by surprise every year. You walk along looking down, hiding from the cold and darkness, until one day suddenly it arrives. This morning the sight of this beautiful blossom literally stopped me in my tracks and for the first time in a long while I found myself looking up, towards the bright blue sky. Took a deep breath full of a delicate floral scent. And in an instant, everything seemed so much easier.