December Newsletter

It's already the last month of 2015. December has come.
Scarely...  I feel time goes faster and faster year by year...

My family already had a cold and let me know the beginning of winter... I am only person who has not have any sign of cold, yet... touching wood, touching wood...
Well, it might be eating aduki bean paste so much, or might be drinking blueberry teas,

I will take a week off during Christmas holiday, so till then, I will work hard and get ready for the New Year!

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December Sweets

Satsuma Mochi (Mikan Daifuku)
Limited edition till Christmas!
Japanese winter fruits, Mikan, is wrapped by chunky adzuki bean paste and soft Mochi.
Cinnamon's spicy aroma will take you into Christmas!
(Sorry, No grape Mochi for now.)


Steamed Chestnuts Yokan
Although Chestnuts is not cheep this year, I will make a steamed chesnuts yokan with full of sweet chestnuts.

Chestnuts baked cake (Manju) & Chestnuts Dorayaki
As long as Chestnuts season is here, I keep making them.

Toasted Mochi
Choose from Chunky or Smooth adzuki bean paste. Please enjoy a different taste of Mochi.

If you take away,  please warm it up in a microwave for a few second before serving.

an-an's Christmas cake?
Maybe.... Maybe not....

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December Events and Holiday Opening Time 

3rd December (Thu)　
It was the last delivery from Namayasai, Organic Japanese Vege farm.

15th December (Tue)
The Deadline for application of Japanese style new year's bento box.
Please see below for the details.

22nd December (Tue)
Winter Equinox is on this day today, In Japanese old saying, if you eat Pumpkin (Kabocha) on this day, we will live through this winter healthily.

I will make pumpkin and Miso soup, Pumpkin Croquettes and Pumpkin sweets, too.
There will be also Amazake (sweet rice drink) to get warm!

24th (Thu) to 30th (Wed) 
Cafe is closed due to Christmas Holiday. Sorry for the  inconvenience.

31st December (Thu)
New year's Eve!!!
Open at 12;00 for New Year's Osechi Bento Box.
Close around 6pm.

Only Tenpra Soba (Buckwheat) noodle in broth is on the menu!!!
We do take away, too.

Cafe reopen on 4th January (Monday) on usual opening time.

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It's almost the deadline for the New Year's Osechi Bento Box!!!

￡18.00 each Please apply by sending English text to 15th December on Cafe Phone.number.07923 900344

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an-an wish all my customer, friends and family are fine to get through this festive season.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

A report of Japanese Afternoon Tea

Belated report of the Autumn Japanese Afternoon tea held on 20th November. Thank you so much for coming!!!

I had so much fun of making a lot of traditional Japanese sweets!
Yes, this is my first impression after the tea party.

Recently, an-an cafe became quite busy for preparing and serving lunch all time. It is good thing, but I sometimes want to push myself making more difficult Japanese sweets. So I made the afternoon event to push myself to make what I want to all the time.

I did  one session before the usual lunch service and 2 sessions after the lunch service. all the sessions were fully booked quite early.

The reason why this afternoon tea is so reasonable?
it's because you are the judge of my trials.
well, it's same as a trainee hairdresser do haircut cheaply to the cut models.
I need more practice... so please don't hesitate to tell me your honest thoughts!

Here are some photos I served this time.
Theme was "Autumn Harvests", using pumpkin, sweet potatoes and chestnuts!

the first dish, Autumn Tenpura (battered veges and Buckwheat noodles). Veses are from Organic farm, Namayasai. They were so tasty!





second dishes


Chestnuts paste, Steamed sweets "kimishigure", Sweet potato & apple pie, Chestnuts Mochi

third dishes


Jounamagashi "chrysanthemum"、Squares "Pumpkin & Azuki beans

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there were so many point I need to review.

1. I should have taken more time to prepare. Believe me, I was so busy!
This event should have happened earlier, but I could not make enough time to make all the sweets.
I managed to do this before winter... in fact, it snowed on the next day...

2. I am not professional... making Tempura...
next afternoon tea, I won't try Tempura any longer...

3. Sweet potato & apple pie was not very Japanese?
I was going to make something more like Japanese traditional sweets using something else but tartlett. However, I could not make rice wafer in the end. Some guest told me it was too British.

4. at last, about, "chrysanthemum".


When I visited my long term online Wagashi teacher first time in this summer holiday, he told me how to. I needed to practice, but I just didn't have time to make such a time consuming sweets...

So I pushed myself to make time to practice this sweets. Acctualy, I could say this afternoon event is for me to making this sweets. Still not very good, but... Thanks all who ate this sweets! I am so proud! But it has never reached to the level I ant to!!! I just need to practice.

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I am getting ready for New Year's special packed lunch box from now on.
After the New Year, i am planning another tea party.

Please keep checking this blog if you are interested!