Hi there! I’m Alex.

Hailing from Singapore, currently living in the heart of London. Ultimately, this blog aims to share my passion for all things baking and breakfast, with a myriad recipes that weave simplicity and experimental flavours into classic themes.

My first encounter with a proper baked good was in London as a toddler. The warm croissant left flakes in the creases of my palm, the smell enclosing me in a bubble of warmth in the grey Autumn sleet. It is this warmth and magic I wish to recreate whenever I get free time in the kitchen.

After publishing my first book Crumbs, which took a lot of time and self-convincing, I gradually transitioned to developing recipes that your typical vegan or gluten-intolerant individual can make too. So, starting November 2016, all my recipes are veganisable (if you count that a word, ha), and so far I haven’t heard a single cry from my wallet or tastebuds for a reversion to any degree.

This blog is dedicated to sharing recipes I have experimented with in my humble abode, adapted and played with from countless resources. It’s kind of an extension of my documenting habits; have kept a personal diary for almost 11 years and don’t plan to stop!

And some other random things!

• I have a weird collection of vintage knick knacks.
• ‘Manouevre’ is that one word I always forget how to spell.
• I live for anything black, striped or burgundy.
• Nutritional science, books, food styling and photography, yoga and long walks comprise my main guilty pleasures.
• French toast is my favourite breakfast food ever.

FAQ

Crumb?

So, bread. I’ll start with the smaller picture first. What sets a crumb apart is how it has been separated from the main picture (in this context the whole loaf of bread) in its perfect and golden entirety. It’s out of left field, off the pristine sidewalk. A zoom into all angles. Detail. To me, bread is bemusing, bewitching, honest. It forms the centrepiece of most of my sacred breakfast rituals. Most of my mornings start with toast, butter and honey. The blog’s title is hence a tribute to its humble rusticity.

Why do you blog about sweet stuff like cake and brownies?

What you see on this blog is definitely not what I gorge myself on. To me, breakfast and dessert is more of something people take time out to do, like a special occasion. I feel as if people nowadays are overly automated, too quick to respond, too slow when it comes to carving out time for therapeutic activities, like baking a cake or making a nutritious, albeit luxurious breakfast.

I do promote a plant-based, whole foods approach to eating, hence all recipes (starting Nov 2016) are veganisable, but I also advocate some sense of balance and slowing down. It’s true that sugar is the primary cause of many health issues, and many fads are unjustified, but a slice of cake doesn’t have to mean a slice of diabetes. It doesn’t have to be the enemy, a little devilish inflammation-inducing fireball dressed up in glazed strawberries and whipped cream. No. A slice of cake can also mean peace with yourself, peace with the world, armed with the knowledge that you’re properly nourishing yourself the rest of the day anyway.

You have a small head.

That’s not a question.

Favourite breakfast?

It would have to be almost-burnt toast, or French toast. Without an ounce of a doubt. Pancakes or good old-fashioned oats take second place. I’m the one who always orders the ‘sweet’ option at a café or restaurant.

Favourite food?

After french toast, vegetables are my main love. I gorge myself on fruits and vegetables almost on a daily basis. I go ga-ga over broccoli and sweet potato (yeah). Ooh, and good, dark chocolate.

How do you edit your pictures?

Nothing special, promise. I alternate between my iPhone 6 and Nikon D3200, and edit my iPhone shots using the VSCO cam and Snapseed apps. Some would claim this system fails to accurately portray colour and texture, but I am enamoured by the vintage, autumnal vibe a certain filter bestows upon any food shot, so that is why I choose to use them.

I am also honest with what I have to say about a particular recipe or place, so I won’t put it up unless I am certain of the reliability of ratios, the stunning ambience of a café and so forth. Food photography and styling is most definitely my guilty pleasure, though I am by no means a professional snapper.

What measuring system do you use?

I favour metric measurements, using grams instead of cups and so forth. I find it much easier and more reliable to simply zero the scales and work from there, leaving it to measure the tiniest fraction of an ounce. I no longer worry about the ‘flatness’ of the surface of a half cup of flour. I stumbled across this site which clearly explains the differences between metric and cup measurements, and haven’t looked back since.