Matcha and ‘Sakura’ strawberry cookies
As a self-confessed Japanophile*, I was excited to discover fledgling Bournemouth business, Sancha. Sam makes Japanese confectionary with a British twist, and having lived in Tokyo for seven years he knows a thing or two about Japanese culture and cakes.
*I threw in a photo I took whilst in Kyoto many years ago, because the colours match Sam’s cookies so perfectly.
Sancha is what locals call Sangenjaya (meaning “three tea houses”), the place in Tokyo where two popular pilgrimage routes diverged and people would stop for refreshments. This was one of Sam’s favourite places in the city, hence the business name.
Sam returned to Bournemouth last year due to the pandemic, and started Sancha while looking for work as a UI designer.
He has plans to extend the range and is busy recipe testing at the moment, but these ones I tasted have been perfected:
Matcha cookies made with premium grade Uji Matcha and Belgian white chocolate
‘Sakura’ strawberry cookies made with freeze dried strawberry powder and pink Himalayan salt
They are sweet, chewy and delicious - and just look at those colours. The slight bitterness that comes from the Matcha is offset by the generous white chocolate chunks. The strawberry ones are super-sweet and flavoursome - like summer in cookie form.
Sam will be selling both varieties at Almond & Co, the zero waste shop in Westbourne, tomorrow (Saturday 13th February, also known as Valentine Saturday). So get down there and show Sancha some love. 💚
