And assuming you have one - your point is?

I once had a boyfriend before I decided to never have a boyfriend again, who said to me as I was whining about who knows what ‘for someone who never had anything – you are incredibly spoilt’. It’s true as well, my rags to rags story began in a catholic home for wayward girls, led me through Lancashire council estates and seedy bedsits in scary parts of towns. Things were tough and I did everything within my power to make them worse. Despite all this the larger part of me always loved beautiful things, like perfumes, art, books and above all fine French patisserie. Today I bought 8 mini macaroons from Laduree in the following flavours, rose, salted caramel, violet, bergamot, red fruit, raspberry, lemon and coconut. It reminds me of one time when I was drinking Cadillac Margaritas in a Rodeo Drive restaurant with a friend I went to college with in Preston – he slammed back his shot of brandy and said ‘turned out nice again, ant it!’

Let them eat cake

Had tea at Laduree this afternoon (press the link the music on the website is fantastic). I had the speciality tea which was divine and a L'Isphahan cake. Rose macaroon biscuit, rose cream filling mixed with lychee and raspberry fruit topped with a rose petal. Not too shabby at all! The branch at Harrods is fantastic - not a single car parked outside is worth less than £100,000.00 the overall ambience is downtown Beruit.

A little of what you fancy

Finally had a day off work – spent the morning in Maison Berteaux which I love - Claridge’s prices – soup kitchen service but really good cheese croissants and cakes and the most eccentric staff of any cafe anywhere. Michelle was in today ‘back from the dead’ her words not mine. Over the years greetings have included ‘ I saw your boyfriend on the 19 bus he was going to meet his girlfriend’ and ‘Do you do any exercise?’ They also have an interesting pricing system – I have never paid the same money for the same item twice, I think fish restaurants do a similar thing ‘prices reflect the market’ they call it. The cream slice commodity market seems to be in constant flux. We ordered a croissant and pot of Earl Grey ‘ in your own time’ we laughed hysterically.

Christmas cake

Like wedding cake only cheaper! Actually I didn’t have a wedding cake at my Last Vegas wedding, strange because I love cake more than I loved him. However, I have made up for that sorry Bruce Springsteen inspired tragedy in three ways, divorce, staying single and buying my own wedding cake one slice at a time from Fortnum’s. Christmas cake – proper Christmas cake, not those dodgy chocolate logs with little plastic Robbins on them is exactly the same thing as wedding cake and I love it. As a child I always adored it although I could never be bothered with the actual cake I just liked the marzipan and royal icing. Now I am mature I eat the whole thing. Its fantastic and so many calories in just one slice you don’t have to go to the trouble of eating again all day.

Gateau du jour

Mille-feuille – my favourite cake of the moment definitely, the best Mille-feuille is from Patisserie Valerie and its just £2.60 to take away – absolutely delicious and really messy to eat which all the best food is. It’s important to make sure you get the fresh cream and fruit version though there are some imposter cakes filled with custard that I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy. The other inherent danger with these cakes is the difficulty in pronouncing the name, I can’t even say it right. When I go into the cake shop and say ‘A Mille fulingy please’ they say ‘a cream slice madam?’ then when I say ‘ a cream slice please ‘ they say ‘ a mille-feuille madam?’ typical cake shop comedy of manners . The best shop in Covent Garden for customer humiliation is the bakery Paul, they ship rude people over from Paris especially to keep the punters in check. Sunday mornings are fun as the local Guardian readers queue up for their baguettes and to practice their grammar school French. They ask for items in their best French accent and the staff refuse point blank to understand them until they ask in English, it’s hilarious.

Loving Laduree

The extraordinary Parisian cake shop Laduree did not exist in London until two years ago. I can’t imagine how I survived with out their delicious macaroons. My favourite flavours are rose, salted caramel, lemon and raspberry. My friend likes the black liquorice flavour but I don’t fancy that, nor would I waste my money on mint, vanilla or pistachio. Each season new flavours are created in limited edition , this year there is coconut, champagne, orange saffron and gingerbread. Laduree has a small golden outlet in the Burlington Arcade and a larger restaurant/shop in Harrods where they sell boring regular food like sandwiches and really interesting ice cream sundaes made with rose and violet ice cream.

Does the taste of sugar on your lips remind you of a sweet sweet kiss?

Two years ago I was in New York at the height of the cup cake boom – I shared delightful buttery cakes from Magnolia with the pigeons in the park on Bleeker Street . I sat in Billy’s Bakery on 23rd and 9th snacking on cupcakes there. Each afternoon I counteracted jet lag with vanilla/vanilla cakes at The Sunshine Bakery on Rivington. I probably ate 15 cupcakes in 6 days –average price $1.20 or 65p each.

London finally caught on to the cupcake buzz and now they are available from the Primrose Bakery £1.75 for pretty average cup cake. The dreadful Hummingbird Bakery in Portbello Road for £1.55 for a teeny cake with hardy any topping that looks a packet made cake at a dodgy school fate. And if you really want to waste £3.95 then pop into Liberty and by a cupcake there, the cakes look cute but £4 for two bites!! On the brighter side Peyton & Byrne on Tottenham Court Road do spectacular cakes for £2.50 – still expensive but they are huge with a ton of topping and come in fancy boxes. John Lewis food hall have perfectly delicious cakes for only 99p each.