Desserts and pastries

Dessert should provide a complete change of pace, style and maybe temperature to the rest of the meal. The table is cleared, the bread and seasonings removed – it is almost as though you are sitting at a different table. Nobody is hungry, so whatever is on offer must tempt for reasons other than appetite. At The Merchant House we find that, however filling the preceeding dishes, most customers are determined to have a pudding. At dinner parties too, guests tend to be disappointed if there is no dessert and it can seem as though the meal was cut short without the full three courses.