(I was meant to photograph those sneeze guards on site today at the market – but had completely forgotten to do so…. So instead, here is a picture of my fruit tarts, which are very very popular – I manage to sell atleast 25 0f these heart shape ones alone)

.

Last week I finally got around to buying some plastic sheets to place in front of my cakes. It was recommended that I do it by the market inspector the other day. And after experiencing little kids grabbing my items from the table & deeming it unsalable, & cheeky adults reaching for the cake crumbs from my chocolate cake, it was about time I sort this out once & for all.

.

First, I searched & searched for a proper ‘sneeze guard’ online, but to no avail (hey, there’s a market opportunity here someone!) – so my solution was to buy seven A5 size poster holders in see-through acylic, and line them together as per the picture above.
.

As a format it works fine, I love the fact that it’s in seven pieces as I can transport it no problem. BUT…, I must admit that it has created a different ‘air’ between me the seller, & the customer, & I don’t like it. Suddenly my cakes do not look as accessible as before, & it makes my stall look too showy behind the plastic… I have already had people mention to me that my cakes look ‘too good to eat’ (a nice way of saying ‘pretencious’ I think) & walk off. Oh well, I worry that it might bring my sales down…, but it had to be done, so I better get over it I guess.

Firstly forgive me for this short blog entry – this week I’ve been ultra ultra busy & really feeling the candle burning on both ends. I feel caved under with so many things to do & I’m cranky… I know that half of it is just about being busy in my head with so many things to think about too…

Anyway, so I’d like to take a break from this week’s blog duties, I will try to get abit more sleep in me & recover my happy self! I’ll be back with a proper entry next week tho! Til then, t xxx

(I couldn’t find an appropiate image for this post – so instead, I’ll upload a picture I took back in the good ol’ days of 2005. It’s of my attempt at making alphabet shortbread cookies with soft chocolate ganache filling!)

.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

At the market:

When a customer shows interest in a particular item, but remains indecisive, I explain to them the details of it (using delicious words such as ‘gooey’ helps), & also find a subtle way of telling them it’s handmade, & that it’s handmade by me.
.

You’d be amazed…, a whopping 9 out of 10 of them would feel assured by this, & pleasantly purchase the said item, with a smile… (which is the ‘proud’ moment of this experience for me)!
.

I believe the reason why those words lead to a successful purchase is because, in a world of big supermarkets governing our food-shopping habits, the act of buying direct from the producer had become less & less. Hence, when they do come across someone like me, who does make it themselves, it’s such an unusual experience nowadays that it grabs their imagination, with amusement! They’d then want to buy in to it – to buy the food itself, & also buy into the ‘experience’ of buying it ‘direct’ from the person who made it.

.

I mean, answer these questions:

When was the last time you bought food direct from the producer?

How often does that happen in your modern daily lives?

Unless you’re my dearest regular customers, or you frequent Farmer’s markets, I can easily predict that it’s probably not so many times. (Mind you, in writing this, I realise that this includes myself – I too rarely buy ‘direct’, & rely heavily on giant supermarkets for all food shopping needs… I should atleast support my local fish monger ‘n’ butcher more with my customs… *mental note*)
.

For me, the beauty of selling ‘direct’ is that I can give the customers a good summary (lengthy version if they wish) of what it is & what it tastes like. As the maker of the product, I would be able to tell them very precise things about it – like how much sugar went into it, any other queries about the ingredients (is it wheat-free), when it was made, how long it’ll last, etc etc. I’d like to believe that, since many of the other stalls are manned by part-timers, some doing it as a weekend job, they are less aware of what it is that they are actually selling, I’ve got the upper hand. Surely, at the end of the day, despite the fact that these part-timers can be enthusiastic & lively, they certainly don’t feel the weight of the ‘Resposibility’ to make sure that there’s best quality of service, & the pure passion towards what is being sold. It’s just not the same!
.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

This week:

A kid finger picks a raspberry from my cake. Since you never know where the kid’s fingers been, I can not sell it on. I ask the parents if they could purchase this cake, explaining that it has been rendered unsalable. – They give me a dirty look, a “we don’t want to”, & walk off. – The way they didn’t show much apology… left a bad taste in my mouth.

(Thursday 8th of February – London woke up to a blanket of deep snow)

.

For this week’s blog entry, I’ve decided to spend the time writing ‘About Me’. It’s something I ought to have done right from the beginning of the blog-life & it’s been bugging me… If you like, please follow this link, or use the link from the lefthand column to read it. Thanks!
.

And remember dearest readers, next Wednesday is Valentine’s Day!! Remember to take this opportunity to treat the special people around you to thank them… Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.
.

This Saturday’s trade:

As for me, Valentine’s Day is one of the most important events on the calendar as a Chocolatier (together with Easter & Christmas). I’ve been extra busy with making chocolate hearts, heart shaped tarts, & generally more truffles than usual. It was meant to be ‘My’ day. I looked forward to selling out quickly & with extra profit…
BUT, there were two factors working against me;

firstly, Valentine’s Day being another 5 days away, people were not buying my heart shaped tarts as gifts because it won’t last til then. As for the chocolate hearts (with assorted chocolate buttons inside), I did sell out on those, but it felt like it was a struggle too. I blame the second factor that worked against me for this; that there were heavy rain from the morning til 11ish which put people off coming to the outdoor market. – So I had a rather difficult time selling – in the end, I must have stayed on til after 5pm to sell…

(This week, I have revisited my old post about the Tarte Tatin & photographed each process. Please click this text to have a look!)

.

I own many many cookbooks. English, French & Japanese. I have formulated a very strong idea of what a cookbook should be like. I know what works, what doesn’t.

.

One of the ‘major’ features that every cookbook should have is, that it HAS TO have a picture of the finished product with ‘every’ recipe. It is a total ‘must’. Otherwise how would the reader know how it is supposed to look like at the end, or even muster the will of making it in the first place?! I tell you, so many western cookbooks are stingy with photography. Soo dissapointing. There’s even books with black & white photographs – to save on the CMY of the CMYK. It makes the food look unappetizing. What’s the point? Or worst still, the relevant cake picture is not next to the recipe page! How unfunctional! For someone like me, who takes a cookbook to bed to read, & fantasize each recipe being cooked out (how sad am I), pictures must be there to do it to me (D calls it my ‘food-porno’).
.

Now, the Japanese cooking books – they are the gems (yes, I am biased). They’d always have the picture of the product by the recipe. It’s always a perfectly fuctional shot of the whole cake too – not arty-fartied-up with blurring & cropping in an odd way to make it look trendsy. Not only that, most Japanese cooking books have ‘the process’ pictures depicting each stage of the recipe. At a glance, you’d know what is involved. It truly is my best source of ‘food porno’…
.

I realized that I’d like to do such approach to my recipes in my blog too. So this week, I have revisited my old post about the Tarte Tatin & photographed each process. Have a look. I plan to revisit my other recipes in my blog & do ‘process-images’ for them too.
.

This week:

My son is not adapting to the new arrangement of going to nursery very well – hates it infact, and gives a right old tantrum when we try to leave the house for it. I have been at the nursery with him everyday, waiting in the parent-room, & then get pulled in to the classroom when my son is distressed. – It’s tough for the kiddo y’know – he’s always been looked after by me, or if I’m working, by his grandparents – he’s maybe been looked after once or twice by his best friend’s mummy, that’s all, which is different because he knows her & has his best friend to play with. – I mean, I’d find it super-stressful if I was unknowingly thrown in to the nursery with 50 new faces! Go go my little kiddo! I know he’d shine there once he settles in…, just takes time that’s all…