Micro-bakery founder Sophie Handschuh, known as Sourdough Sophia, has shared her favorite culinary delights, ranging from innovative restaurants to comforting ready meals. Handschuh, who runs a micro-bakery, highlighted her preference for sourdough bread, especially darker varieties made with older wheat, for toasting. She pairs this with The Estate Dairy butter, appreciating its cultured and fermented notes.
When dining out, Handschuh recommends Angelina in Dalston, an East London restaurant offering Japanese Italian fusion cuisine, as a perfect spot for a date night. For a more casual yet high-quality meal, she praises Jai Krishna, a vegetarian Indian restaurant in North London, for its affordable and filling options. Her top pick for a Sunday roast is The Parakeet in Kentish Town, where dishes are cooked over fire, imparting a deep flavor.
For a spicy kick, Handschuh favors Casa Firelli Italian Truffle Hot Sauce, describing it as a pure umami hit. Her Uber Eats indulgence is often a burger from Honest Burgers, specifically the Finsbury Park 2.0 burger, which features fried chicken and Korean hot sauce, often accompanied by wings and onion rings.
Among her indulgent choices is a whole Baron Bigod cheese from Fen Farm Dairy, which she admits makes her fridge stink but is considered the best cheese she has ever tasted. For a convenient yet flavorful meal, she pairs M&S Beef Shin & Chianti Tortelloni with Belazu Wild Mushroom Pesto. When it comes to sweets, she fondly recalls nutty triangles from her hometown bakeries in Frankfurt—a shortbread base with apricot jam and a nut caramel topping dipped in chocolate.
Handschuh also offered advice on saving money and flavor, suggesting that vanilla extract is overrated and recommending making homemade vanilla paste from whole pods for a more intense flavor at a lower cost. Her choice for fish and chips is Clifton Village Fish Bar in Bristol, which she remembers as an institution with freshly caught, non-greasy fish. Her most useful kitchen gadget is a Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker, which she employs for various cooking methods including slow cooking, pressure cooking, and air frying.
Internationally, she recalls a memorable experience at Sundara Beach Club at the Four Seasons Resort in Bali, enjoying a drink with a sunset view. Despite being German, she now packs Yorkshire Gold tea when traveling abroad, signifying her adaptation to British tastes. For a simple evening treat, her go-to supermarket chocolate is Lindt Excellence Dark Orange Intense.