Profiling…Sarah from Maison Cupcake

While I take a little holiday from London,
restaurants, and blogging, here are some profiles of other bloggers you
should get to know! (London and elsewhere.) I'll be back in June.

Your name and location?
Sarah. London!

Your blog?
Maison Cupcake

What was your last meal out? How was it?
I went to the Cadogan Arms on Kings Road with some other food bloggers.  We'd been a bit nervous after reading a poor review on the Cheese and Biscuits blog but apparently they've changed their chef since then. I was very happy with my meal (oysters, a duck casserole and honeycomb parfait) although one of us sent back an overdone so called rare steak. I'd rate it overall 7 out of 10 – I'm knocking those 3 points off for a nasty bathroom and the lengthy wait for one of my drinks. Nice enough food but I reckon it was too expensive for a pub, but then it is Chelsea so there are probably enough people nearby willing to pay that much.

What's been your worst meal ever?
Ha! Probably one I just wrote about on my blog the other day.  I recently visited Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker in Essex and had a revolting lunch in their canteen.  They cook chips for you but if you want anything with it you have to nuke it yourself in an antiquated microwave. When I emptied my washing basket 48 hours later, I could still smell re-used chip fat on my clothes.  I'd still recommend people pay them a visit but maybe take a picnic.

My other worst meal that I'll never forget was a noodle dish about five years ago from a Chinese place on Walthamstow High St. It looked like it was covered in toenail clippings and snot but presumably this was lemongrass and lettuce. Never been back there since.

What's been the most commented post on your blog? Why?
I had over 40 comments on my first ever entry to Daring Bakers. The challenge was Canadian Nanaimo Bars made using your own graham crackers. I stuck to the basic recipe but served them in bite size cubes on sticks.  I don't think anyone can resist stuff when it's served on a stick.

Got any restaurant pet peeves? Things you really wish restaurants would/wouldn't do?
I hate it when restaurant staff start clearing tables when you are still chewing your last mouthful of food. I want to smack them when they do that.

When and why did you start your blog?
In July 2009 when I made loads of cupcakes for our Big Lunch street party and I wanted to keep a record of my (hopefully improving) cooking and baking.  Then I discovered lots of American food blogs through Twitter and started to write about stuff other than cupcakes and improved my photography. Now I blog about baking, party food and have recently started doing kid friendly restaurant reviews. The blog I admire most is Not Quite Nigella by Lorraine in Sydney.  Her blog is a brilliant fusion of recipes, restaurant reviews and food related rapportage.

Any food trends you're seeing that we should be aware of?
I'm sure mainstream supermarkets will start stocking whoopie pies soon. I'm surprised French macarons haven't been stocked anywhere beyond the Maison Blanc ones in Waitrose but maybe they work out too expensive per item to end up in Tesco.

If I could revive a trend it would be for Fanny Cradock style kitsch presentation. I love garish food photography in 70s cookbooks!!