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Deep-Fried Babybel Is No Longer Just the Stuff of Dreams

Plus hot cross buns arrived on the Instagram feed this week

Deep-fried Babybel at Les Nenettes in Clapton
shedlikesfood/Instagram

Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is another Gordon Ramsay diffusion line.

News of the week

If last week was all about the full flowering of spring produce in all its glory, this time round things are getting a lot more stodgy and brown. Lent may technically still be in full swing but some of London’s most celebrated bakeries are making every day feel like Good Friday by selling the season’s first hot cross buns — and on Instagram, the reaction to the latest hypebeast baked good has been predictably hyperbolic. From the traditional to the unconventional, there’s something for everyone — and even a handy map to pinpoint the capital’s best. Duck liver pâté serving suggestion optional but almost certainly delicious.

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Hot cross buns #HCB

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With Easter only a few weeks away all the bakeries are full of delicious hot cross buns. Wether you are looking for traditional or a bit more avent-garde there is something to please everyone when it comes to hcb’s. Here are some of my favourite places to get these delicious Easter treats. ⁣ ⁣ 1. St. John’s Bakery- A real classic. ⁣ ⁣ 2. Gail’s Bakery- So delicious, and you can get a bacon HCB sandwich so double win. ⁣ ⁣ 3.Bread Ahead- Fluffy texture and amazing flavour that sticks to the HCB traditional roots. ⁣ ⁣ 4. Fortnum & Mason- Out there flavours, but I loved the goat cheese and fig HCB.⁣ ⁣ 5. Dominque Ansel- Perfectly spiced and delicious. ⁣ ⁣ 6.Fortitude Bakehouse- Basically like eating a delicious pillow of yumminess. ⁣ ⁣ 7. Lyle’s- Have it toasted with butter for the ultimate treat. ⁣ ⁣ 8. Honey & Co- A HCB filled with cardamon and orange marsapone? Yes please. ⁣ ⁣ 9. Little Bread Peddler- Get one if you can! ⁣ ⁣ 10. The Modern Pantry- Can you guess their secret ingredient? It gives their buns a little kick. ⁣ ⁣ 11. Pophams- They make theirs with leftover croissant dough. Need I say more. ⁣ ⁣ 12. Melrose and Morgan- A lovely HCB. ⁣ ⁣ Bonus! my favoruite supermarket HCB are the mini chocolate hot cross buns from M&S. They are so so good.⁣ ⁣ Are you a traditionalist when it come to hot cross buns, or do you like having a variety of flavours? ⁣ ⁣ #hotcrossbuns #easter #spring #londoneats #londonguides #foodielondon #wheretofindme #visitlondon #ilovelondon #mycityloves #mysecretlondon #timeoutlondon #travelerinlondon #mycityloves #fromlondonwithlove #tasteoflondon #londondesserts #myfavourite #londonguides #londonmaps #maps #londonbest #explorelondon #wheninlondon #londonfood #londonlife #illustrator #london_only #mydarlinglondon #londonblockbyblock⁣

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Disruptive innovator of the week

Clapton restaurant Les Nenettes is perhaps better known as “that place you walk past on the way to P Franco”. But its unassuming façade has clearly been disguising a true deviant culinary genius. Presenting: the deep-fried Babybel.

Encouraging trend of the week

But why stop with just (“just”) the cheese? Excitingly, restaurants seem increasingly happy to adopt the Roman approach to frying stuff — basically, anything goes. If words like ‘deep fried pasta bombs’ or ‘lasagna fritta’ aren’t enough to make your heart beat a little bit faster, you may already be dead.

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lasagna fritta

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Low-effort Halloween costume of the week

Just add coddled eggs.

High-jeopardy video of the week

The only Duck Dynasty worth watching.

Most sandwich of the week

The ‘stuff between bread’ arms race is well and truly underway, with incumbent champion Max’s facing increasingly tough competition from the likes of The Dusty Knuckle, Monty’s Deli, and the upcoming Sons and Daughters. Does this represent a decisive moment in the conflict?

Iconic symbol of national sovereignty of the week

To be fair, ‘The Full Indo-American-European’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it

Dish of the week

Eating your greens suddenly got a lot more appealing

Shot of the week

There’s being good enough to win your regional heat on Great British Menu, and then there’s just showing off.

Spring

Lancaster Place, , England WC2R 1LA 020 3011 0115 Visit Website

P Franco

107 Lower Clapton Road, , England E5 0NP Visit Website

Les Nenettes

19 Lower Clapton Rd, Hackney, Greater London E5 0NS +44 20 8985 4311 Visit Website