Coffee and cardamom buns

For a long time I’ve resisted the idea of a Nespresso machine but then a friend said she had a spare to get rid of and I’ve succumbed. Why did I wait so long? No sooner does the thought enter your mind that you might like a coffee than you can gratify it. Literally in seconds.

Less easy is finding the kind of coffee pod you like and the right way to brew it - short or long. Bizarrely the machine has decided to make espressos when you press the long switch and longer coffees when you press the espresso one. Or I’ve flicked some secret switch which has muddled it up. Whatever. I’m getting there. I like (I think) the Rosabaya de Columbia and the Capriccio but there are so many colours, strengths and flavours I’m a tad confused.

So I’ve been drinking (black) coffee with everything including the banana and cardamom buns from Meera Sodha’s Fresh India (which is only £9.99 on Amazon at the time of writing) to which I’ve become mildly addicted.

Cardamom and coffee is of course a classic combination so it makes sense to drink one with the other. Obviously it goes with Swedish-style cardamom buns too.

Cinnamon beignets with peach jam, Nutella and a black Americano coffee

Those of you who follow my Twitter feed will be aware I’ve been away at the Vegas Uncork’d festival so it might seem a touch perverse to pick out a non-wine pairing as my match of the week - and one from a meal outside the festival programme.

Fear not - I’ll be writing a longer post about the great food and wine I came across in a few days time but this was just the perfect start to the day at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in The Venetian.

Incredibly light warm beignets dusted with fine sugar and cinnamon, served with separate pots of peach jam and Nutella to slather over them and a good strong cup of black Americano coffee.

As I’ve mentioned before I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth so it seemed to be the perfect counterbalance to the beignets - though by American standards they weren't particularly sweet - but you could equally well wash them down with a flat white or other milky white or indeed an espresso.

Incidentally this is a good way to handle breakfast in an expensive place like Vegas. Most cooked breakfast dishes - even at less swanky places - are about 15$ plus with tax and service on top. This brought my bill to an affordable $10.

Fairtrade chocolate brownies with Fairtrade black coffee

This week is the beginning of Fairtrade fortnight, the British Fairtrade Foundation’s annual push to encourage us all to buy more ethically traded products. There are now over 2000 Fairtrade certified products* available in the UK, ranging from peppercorns, cinnamon and vanilla pods, to avocados, rum and wine.

Two of the products that are easy to get hold of are Fairtrade chocolate and coffee which of course make the perfect match. Wine, as I’ve mentioned before on the site, isn’t the easiest pairing for rich dark chocolate cakes and puddings but black coffee is perfect, balancing the intense sweetness and palate coating richness of a full-on chocolate dessert while retaining its own flavour and freshness. If you find espresso too strong try a longer americano or cafetière-made coffee.

The quality of Fairtrade coffee has increased enormously over the past few years largely to an exceptional company called Union Coffee Roasters that I first came across about 15 years ago when they were operating a micro-roastery in Essex. The coffee I particularly like is their Rwanda Maraba Bourbon which is available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. They are also selling two other ethically sourced brands Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Natural Spirit which contains Fairtrade and organic coffee beans from central and south America which you can also buy from their website www.unioncoffeeroasters.com

So far as Fairtrade chocolate is concerned a good range is made by the Divine Chocolate Company. It confusingly has two websites, having changed ownership, but you’ll find some suitably indulgent recipes incorporating their products on their original website original.divinechocolate.com

If you want to do a bit more to help Fairtrade producers why not organise your own Faitrade coffee and chocolate morning (or evening) for a few friends and neighbours? Not that you probably need an incentive to eat chocolate...

* The FAIRTRADE Mark is the only consumer label that focuses on ensuring farmers in developing countries receive an agreed and stable price for the crops they grow, as well as additional income to invest for the future.