Gotland: Sylvis döttrar café on Fårö

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A real ‘must’ when visiting Fårö, the little island just north of Gotland, is a fika (coffee and cake) at Sylvis döttrar, a bakery and café on the island. My friends mentioned it like an institution; it must have been around for years, so we made sure to visit in the afternoon.

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The place was very popular with a long queue of tourists waiting to buy their baked goods, but we were not all that impressed.

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Both mother and I are keen bakers and we all found the cakes a little basic. And some slightly dry. I got a sense that the café was past its prime, living on its reputation from years ago.

A real shame, when so many people come here for fika all summer long.

Sylvis döttrar, Fårö Bukleks 1526, 624 67 Fårö, Sweden 

Amazing eclairs

photo 2It is thanks to a French colleague of mine I discovered the lovely bakery that is Maitre Choux. Based in Kensington it is a very niche bakery concentrating on choux pastry and they do it very well. My colleague sometimes buy a large bag of lovely chouquettes to share with us in the office for breakfast and they are certainly the best chouquettes I’ve ever had, so when my parents were in town I got us a selection of their amazing (looking and tasting) eclairs.

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The flavours are (from top to bottom): salted caramel, raspberry, dark chocolate, salted caramel (again), passionfruit and yuzu, pistachio.
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We loved them all but salted caramel was (hardly surprising) my favourite, but I also really enjoyed the passionfruit and yuzu and the raspberry eclairs. I just can’t get over how delicious they are and how pretty they look. They’re in a league of their own.

Maitre Choux, 15 Harrington Road, London SW7 3ES (5 min from South Kensington tube)