I have been an Ottolenghi fan for a long while now so I was super excited when the group's charming General Manager, Basia, found time to chat with me in their Islington store whilst I was in London recently. Delivering a visual food feast through engaging counter display formats, the food presentation is testimony to the saying 'what the eye does not see, the heart does not desire" ...  once you've clapped your eyes on the food you can't help but want to buy and try.

Sadly, here in Oz, our food laws do not allow for unprotected food which puts something of a dampner on the deal unless you are clever with your design.

Before establishing the business Yotam Ottolenghi was pastry chef at Kensington Place, which just happened to be a fave dining destination when I lived around the corner whilst working as a pastry cook at Hamlins of Kensington.  Trained at the Cordon Bleu, and once the head pastry chef at Baker & Spice, Yotam's cookbooks are must haves for their simplicity of ingredients delivering complexities of flavour.

This was the first time I'd been to the flagship on Upper St in Islington. It was well worth the outrageous taxi fare to get there given the Tube was on strike!  #lovelondon #ottolenghi #yotamottolenghi #loveit