This reporter is concerned she's 'been had'. A story has hit news stands this week about a new cafe offering anti-ageing sandwiches accompanied by all manner of age-staving beauty treatments. The story runs that whilst clients chomp down into Bite of Youth sandwiches at the Sandwich Spa cafe, they will be treated to a collagen-boosting facial.
There is even a YouTube video to accompany this news, showing the cafe very much in action. Youth-hungry patrons queueing up for the latest in wrinkle-blasting fillings, before cutting to the treatment rooms where diners are tucking into their age-defying lunches, whilst beauty therapists get stuck into their neck and decolletage.
This reporter questions whether this whole thing is a send up - a satire on just how gullible people are when it comes to the fruitless pursuit of turning back the clock. There is, admittedly, an element of science behind the whole process. The sandwiches do contain known 'super food' ingredients.
A Bite of Youth contains sweet potato, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. Whilst Roll Back the Clock is the Sandwich Spa's own version of the classic BLT. But rather than consisting of the usual bacon, lettuce and tomato, its ingredients purport to give the consumer Beautiful Long Tresses. This particular luncheon bite is accompanied by a scalp invigorating head massage.
Whether truth or lies, this reporter has a major reservation around the practicality of enduring a probing beauty treatment whilst eating one's lunch.
In other shocking cuisine news - the burger is in danger of outselling the classic jambon-beurre, or ham baguette, in France. Enough to make any devout classically-trained chef choke, the news is in that French people are forsaking their usual fail-safe baguette in favour of the American import, the hamburger instead.
As facts stand, France is second only to America in the number of McDonald's fast food chains springing up in busy town centres but worse, 85 per cent of France's restaurants now also boast burgers on la carte.
Paris-based restaurant consultancy Gira Conseil quizzed more than 1,000 food outlets, including bakeries and restaurants, across France and found that about 2.4 billion baguette sandwiches were sold in France last year, half of them jambon-beurres, whilst, during the same period, 1.4 billion burgers were purchased.
Bernard Boutboul, of Gira Conseil, predicted this was only the beginning. He said: "We've been doing this research for 30 years so we have a pretty good idea of what French people eat and what they like. And for the last three years, there's been this craze for the burger. If you ask me the burger is becoming more popular than famous French dishes...But the baguette sandwich? It's still a French favourite".
Phew. This reporter wasn't sure how much more mind-spinning information she could take.
Meanwhile, the official baker of the royal wedding cake has been announced. The honour of making the cake for Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding has fallen to Claire Ptak, owner of Violet Bakery in Hackney, London.
Ms Ptak will make a lemon and elderflower cake that "incorporates the bright colours of spring". It will be covered with butter cream and decorated with fresh flowers in a truly modern take on the traditional royal wedding cake. But did we expect anything less?
Apparently Meghan and Harry are the first royal couple to forgo the traditional fruit cake at their wedding. Their cake will include only seasonal and organic ingredients.
This reporter predicts it will be to the cake world what the raffia basket bag is to the world of fashion. A breath of fresh air. Speaking of which, here's one by Carolina Santo Domingo, which would be perfect for carrying a spring picnic in.
There is even a YouTube video to accompany this news, showing the cafe very much in action. Youth-hungry patrons queueing up for the latest in wrinkle-blasting fillings, before cutting to the treatment rooms where diners are tucking into their age-defying lunches, whilst beauty therapists get stuck into their neck and decolletage.
This reporter questions whether this whole thing is a send up - a satire on just how gullible people are when it comes to the fruitless pursuit of turning back the clock. There is, admittedly, an element of science behind the whole process. The sandwiches do contain known 'super food' ingredients.
A Bite of Youth contains sweet potato, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. Whilst Roll Back the Clock is the Sandwich Spa's own version of the classic BLT. But rather than consisting of the usual bacon, lettuce and tomato, its ingredients purport to give the consumer Beautiful Long Tresses. This particular luncheon bite is accompanied by a scalp invigorating head massage.
Whether truth or lies, this reporter has a major reservation around the practicality of enduring a probing beauty treatment whilst eating one's lunch.
In other shocking cuisine news - the burger is in danger of outselling the classic jambon-beurre, or ham baguette, in France. Enough to make any devout classically-trained chef choke, the news is in that French people are forsaking their usual fail-safe baguette in favour of the American import, the hamburger instead.
As facts stand, France is second only to America in the number of McDonald's fast food chains springing up in busy town centres but worse, 85 per cent of France's restaurants now also boast burgers on la carte.
Paris-based restaurant consultancy Gira Conseil quizzed more than 1,000 food outlets, including bakeries and restaurants, across France and found that about 2.4 billion baguette sandwiches were sold in France last year, half of them jambon-beurres, whilst, during the same period, 1.4 billion burgers were purchased.
Bernard Boutboul, of Gira Conseil, predicted this was only the beginning. He said: "We've been doing this research for 30 years so we have a pretty good idea of what French people eat and what they like. And for the last three years, there's been this craze for the burger. If you ask me the burger is becoming more popular than famous French dishes...But the baguette sandwich? It's still a French favourite".
Phew. This reporter wasn't sure how much more mind-spinning information she could take.
Meanwhile, the official baker of the royal wedding cake has been announced. The honour of making the cake for Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding has fallen to Claire Ptak, owner of Violet Bakery in Hackney, London.
Ms Ptak will make a lemon and elderflower cake that "incorporates the bright colours of spring". It will be covered with butter cream and decorated with fresh flowers in a truly modern take on the traditional royal wedding cake. But did we expect anything less?
Apparently Meghan and Harry are the first royal couple to forgo the traditional fruit cake at their wedding. Their cake will include only seasonal and organic ingredients.
This reporter predicts it will be to the cake world what the raffia basket bag is to the world of fashion. A breath of fresh air. Speaking of which, here's one by Carolina Santo Domingo, which would be perfect for carrying a spring picnic in.
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