Amos - The dessert deli

Paperbooks Publishing, 2 London Wall Buildings,
London EC2M 5UU
info@legend-paperbooks.co.uk
www.legendpress.co.uk Contents Laura Amos 2012 The right of the above author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data available. Print ISBN 978-1-9090390-2-5 Set in Times
Printed by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Cover design by Gudrun Jobst www.yotedesign.co.uk
Photography by The Image Pantry
www.theimagepantry.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. For more information on The Dessert Deli visit: www.thedessertdeli.co.uk or follow Laura on Twitter
@TheDessertDeli or like The Dessert Deli
on Facebook This book is dedicated to my amazing Mum.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all your never-ending support and encouragement. You have been my inspiration, and I hope I go on to inspire and help others as you have done to me.Lots of loveLou xxx

If Im honest, pastry wasnt my first true passion in the kitchen when I began my life as a chef. However, having to learn the hard way via many mistakes makes you soon wise up and appreciate the precision and skills required to make the perfect dessert. My first pastry position came as a result of being offered the opportunity to go to London for three months and work under Michelin starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, after being fortunate enough to win Student of the Year at college. This initial three month period led to being offered a part-time weekend job, and then a full time position after completing college running the pastry sections at Novelli, W8 and Maison Novelli. Three years later, I then went on to work at The Ivy. Within a year I had worked my way up through the ranks to Sous Pastry Chef in what proved to be the most challenging, yet inspirational time in my career.

I worked at The Ivy for nearly three years and was then offered the role of Head Pastry Chef at Le Caprice, and Caprice Events. Here I worked for two years amongst a great team of chefs, whose passion and dedication for producing top quality food was outstanding. I reluctantly decided to leave to gain more experience and went to work at Popina, an award-winning Artisan bakery. Here I was Head Chef, specialising in product development. This is where I learnt to mass produce products to a high standard using specialist machinery, as well as making handmade products, such as biscotti all cut by hand. The Dessert Deli In September 2008 at the age of 26, despite being at the height of the recession and my friends thinking I was crazy, I saw a gap in the market for a unique, premium quality dessert brand. The Dessert Deli In September 2008 at the age of 26, despite being at the height of the recession and my friends thinking I was crazy, I saw a gap in the market for a unique, premium quality dessert brand.

Exploding with passion to produce the most luxurious handmade desserts for food lovers, I began my journey. I started the business baking from my friends house for my first ever market stall on Balhams Hildreth Street Market in London. As the weeks passed I managed to gain a very loyal network of customers who soon became my friends. So, with business increasingly brisk I quickly outgrew my friends kitchen she was delighted and moved to a shared kitchen in Clapham Junction. A year later I had also outgrown this space and moved into a unit of my own, in which time Id gained a permanent market pitch on Northcote Road in Clapham Junction. To this day it remains my flagship market stall and where I am still found on a weekly basis, supplying locals with desserts and baked goods and sharing my knowledge of baking.

Clapham Junction is now where I call home after leaving Dorset many years ago and the local community I am proud to be a part of. The online arm of the business and work from retail clients also continues to grow thanks to the success of my range primarily in Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason Food Halls. Ive also recently started supplying Whole Foods Market stores, which is hugely exciting as I greatly admire their company ethos. I hope to build a strong working relationship with them, as I have with my other customers. 2012 in particular has proved the most challenging time of my career to date. The Desserts I believe that consistency is the most important part of any business, and despite our growing workload our desserts are always made to the highest quality, with each and every batch looking and tasting as amazing as the last. The Desserts I believe that consistency is the most important part of any business, and despite our growing workload our desserts are always made to the highest quality, with each and every batch looking and tasting as amazing as the last.

All our products are lovingly made to order, by hand. We use fantastic ingredients from British producers where possible, including British Red Tractor butter, sugar, free range Lion eggs, Shipton Mill flour from Gloucestershire and milk and cream from Hampshire farms. There are a few exceptions which are not British, these include Madagascan vanilla pods and Belgian chocolate but these remain the finest quality ingredients that we can source. All our packaging is carefully selected to make sure it is perfect for every individual item. The product is then labelled by hand and packed, ready for delivery with the utmost care and attention to detail. Choosing which recipes to include in this book was always going to be a tough task, so who better to ask than The Dessert Deli disciples themselves, my existing customers.