Week beginning December 1st - Kaffeine Mince Pies

It’s the first of the month, which means two things, advent calendar begins and we start selling our own Christmas mince pies. Every year since Kaffeine opened I've been making our own Christmas mince a month before the 1st of December. I use a mix of fresh and dried fruit peels, dark sugar, calvados and spices; mixed together and stored until the flavours have infused and mellowed into a tasty festive filling. 

Growing up in the southern hemisphere you would often find mince pies were the last thing to be touched or eaten. Regarded as too old fashioned by the younger generations, the brandy and spice notes were considered over powering, only fit for older people whole were used to these kinds of flavours growing up. I was never overly fond of Christmas pies in Australasia, these were mostly sold through charities at Christmas time. The pies were made cheap with budget sweet pastry and poor mass-produced filling. I grew thinking proper Christmas pies we're dry with overly spiced brown sugar filling. It wasn't until I moved to the UK 7 years ago I tasted a decent Christmas mince pie with buttery sweet pastry, fruity and gently spiced filling with brandy butter. 

Now I'm converted and every year we make our own filling and leave it to mature. Once ready we then make our own all butter sweet pastry and bake Christmas mince pies. Often at this time of the year we have a few new staff that are relatively fresh off the boat from New Zealand or Australia. I like to test our first batch on them knowing they're generally sampling the mince pies out of obligation. The result is always a change of perception as with a lot of our antipodean customers. 

So please come into Kaffeine this week and get some action with a Christmas mince pie under the mistletoe.  

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

Kaffeine

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats

Sweet muffin: Apple and blueberry (V) 2.40

Savoury Scone: Pear, mustard, thyme and mature cheddar (V) 2.40

Friand: Orange and honey (V,GF) 2.40

Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40
Kaffeine Mince Pies 2.00

Lunch
Soup 4.50
Celeriac and pumpkin with sour dough bread (V)

French retro baguettes 5.30

Pancetta, lemon mayonaise, saute mushrooms, basil and rocket

Baked courgette, fried red onions, feta, oregano and spinach (V)

Foccacias 5.50

Ham, red pepper pesto, avocado and spinach

Crumbed aubergine, goats cheese, sweet chilli and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00

Sticky kale with bacon, clementine, thyme and maple syrup (GF)

Raw brussels sprouts with pecorino, rosemary and lemon (V, GF)

Parsnip and beetroot braised in cider (VE, GF).

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad

Turkey, camembert, chestnuts and cranberry pie 

Weekend Salads
Each weekend we offer different salads to the weekdays and we run them for a three week period, allowing our second Chef Khan to showcase her own creativity.

Salads: 5.50/7.00
Roasted HG Walters Organic Chicken with sprouting broccoli, chestnut mushrooms, chives and three mustard dressing
Slow roasted plum tomatoes, feta, green beans, red onion, basil and pine nuts
Roasted Chantenay carrots with honey, orange and pumpkin seeds


Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad
Dried cranberries. mixed nuts, mixed herbs, soft goats cheese in a puff pastry pie