Recipe challenge finished with these two:

25. Lamb with Rosemary & Port and hasselback potatoes, Nigella Lawson

26. Smoked haddock, mustard and saffron, with deconstructed piccalilli, St John

17. Tabbouleh salad, Delia Smith

18. Chicken with coconut and apricot, Nigel Slater

19. Rhubarb fool with lemongrass and lemonade, BBC GoodFood

20. Patrick Leigh Fermor’s moussaka, Rick Stein

21. Lemon drizzle traycake, Mary Berry

22. White chocolate and pistachio cream, Ferran Adria

23. Lamb Peka, Rick Stein

24. Chicken and chorizo jambalaya, BBC Goodfood

14. Steak Tartare, Spuntino

15. Roasted Whitefish and Leeks, Jamie Oliver

16. Super-speedy Steamed Salmon, Jamie Oliver

One of the things that’s clear from this challenge is that I’m not the most skilled food photographer… Some of these dishes look horrendous…! But so far, they haven’t tasted too bad. So that’s something, I suppose.

#10. Mediterranean-style lamb chops, BBC GoodFood

#11. Mighty mackerel salad, Jamie Oliver

#12. Cheat’s pappardelle, Jamie Oliver

#13. Chicken with thyme salad, Angela Hartnett

Coffee Shop: Stumptown Coffee, Greenwich Village
Time: Wednesday mid-morning
Coffee beans: Stumptown own blend
Ordered: 2 x Cold brews

Handsome store. Parquet flooring edged by pretty tiles. Teak wood finishing across bar. Long building. Feels old and antiquey, like an old spice trader or bookseller. Circular tables down one side. School type seats. Books on high up shelves. Orb lighting held in place with nets. Lowercase blackboard menu. Students on laptops. Hipsters crowd. Sunglasses and converse. Sweet food on sale, including Donut plant goods and Mast chocolate. Great merch on sale. Cold brew is delicious and refreshing.

Coffee Shop: Two Hands Coffee, Rock Rose
Time: Friday midday
Coffee beans: Finca El Peten
Ordered: 2 x Drip coffees

Unfortunately not great. Very big space. But quite plasticky, like a new build. And a bit lacking in character – like a Starbucks or an All Bar One. Needs roughing up. Concrete floor. Hanging lights. High ceiling. Bare pine wood on back of bar. Wall murals share coffee quotes. Slight division of space where people work on laptops. Doubles as a licensed bar with real ale available. Pour over coffees looked pretty good. Food looks quite nice, albeit sugary. Juices also sounded good. Friendly staff. Two bean options for drip coffee, we went for the bolder. Unfortunately it tasted a little burnt.

Coffee Shop: Intelligentsia Coffee, Venice Beach
Time: Sunday afternoon
Coffee beans: Black Cat Project
Ordered: 1 x Espresso, 1 x Cold brew

Beautiful store. Perhaps the best yet. Approach from the road, via a green seating area. Concrete floors. Muted grey walls. Open air ducts. Industrial feel for the barista area. Shelving full of merchandise on either side of room. Standing spaces around bar. Tiered concrete seating at back, which makes the whole space feel much bigger. Seating pads for the steps. Wood and wire stools at various points. Hanging glass above makes the space feel two tiered.Very busy. Friendly staff at multiple serving points. Delicious food behind glass. Great music. Tasty coffee.

Coffee Shop: Dept. of Coffee and Social Affairs, Leather Lane
Time: Monday afternoon
Coffee beans: The Dark Horse, Ethiopia
Ordered: 1 x Americano

Open brick wall parts space into two. Wooden floors. Wooden stools. White walls. Clunkydoodle murals and framed art on walls. Smart looking serving counter. Delivery bike propped up by window. Delicious looking food in glass cabinet. Menu held up with bulldog clips. Cubby holes towards back, lit with fairy lights.Red hot chilli peppers playing on sound system. Friendly, helpful staff. Guided help on coffee beans with tasting notes. Coffee not great – a bit watery. But I’ve heard it’s usually good, so maybe just a dud cup.

Moving slowly on this challenge – beginning to wonder if I’ll even finish before June.
Most of the photos make the food look pretty unappetizing. Some of them tasted okay. A couple of duds in there which need more work.

#5. One-pan salmon with roast asparagus. Recipe from BBC GoodFood

#6. Chicken, Goats Cheese & Tomato bake. Recipe from BBC GoodFood
(Forgot to take a photo before. So afraid we’re left with a photo of all the washing up…)

#7. One-pot Chicken and Chorizo, Nathan Outlaw

#8. Roast Chicken and Lemon Bombay Potatoes, Jamie Oliver

#9. Pickled Celery, Pitt Cue Co.

Coffee Shop: Lowdown Coffee, George St Edinburgh
Time: Saturday afternoon
Coffee beans: Five Elephant
Ordered: 2 x Americano, 1 x raspberry doughnut

Basement coffee shop. Beautiful pared back interior. Concrete floor. Grey and white walls. Scandi wood tables. Brushed metal strip lighting. Like an Apple Store for coffee. Very small service counter. Delicious pastries and doughnuts displayed. Nice branding. Friendly staff. Super sugar hit from BreadAhead-style doughnut. Great tasting coffee.