How inviting is this? Imagine sitting in such velvety style on the sidewalk for an aperitivo in London. There is more to say, discover and taste in London so we are going for round two. Many of the goodies discovered in here could be scooped up and transported to a country retreat spot.

Our quest for the perfect retreat venue continues…

Borough Market was full of wonders and surprises. Here are just a few.

These teeny tiny pineapples.

Grouse, ready to pop in the oven.

A gigantic wheel of Comté cheese.

A whiff of heavenly fresh truffles.

This thing of joy is two kinds of sorbet from Alain Ducasse who has 21 Michelin stars to his name. I am a fan. Not everything he puts his hand to is three star level. This is street food at its finest and was to be found right beside Borough Market.

A fresh herb sorbet – sharp, herbaceous (obviously) with a grassy finish not unlike the finish of an extra virgin olive oil. The golden one is mescal and tamarind. Oh my. Fabulous. This will be made as soon as I get back home to my ice cream maker and bottle of mescal. It was truly swoon-worthy. I can imagine either as a palate cleansing interlude for a future dinner party.

A local establishment near where I am staying is called Vins. This is their soda bread which they serve with treacle butter. Lovely and unusual to see a bone handled knife in a restaurant. Such a nice touch. I think all that is missing is a glass on Guinness to complete the dance of flavours.

This was my Sunday lunch dish, served at Primeur in Cannonbury. It is partridge with “fresh shaved summer truffle”. The big white beans had been cooked long and slow and were a perfect foil for the birdy.

There is Persian restaurant we went to which was very memorable, Berenjak. It was tiny and the dining room was up a spiral iron staircase. In order to get a booking we had to dine at 5.30 – and there was already a queue of extremely Persian looking people at the door. The interior was full of Persian treasures – art, china and even the glassware was traditional and etched. The highlights for me were the herb salad – full of mint and dill and the hummus that was like silk.

Dessert was a gorgeous saffron creme caramel.

Now I’m in the Netherlands. The next mail will be about baby dutch pancakes served with butter and icing sugar, how to make Dutch egg cakes into a summer pudding and the joy of Michelin star dining on a lake. Also, a completely out of the blue suggestion for a retreat in Af