1. My garden is suddenly bursting to life; the honeysuckle and clematis fighting for space and at night the unmistakeable sweet, sweet smell of my jasmine that hasn't flowered for the last two years...In amongst all the greenery a swathe of yellow climbing roses that nod their full-blown petals in delight.
2. A child tells me that she wants to thank me for helping her not to be fearful of life. What a joy and privilege.
3. As I wander up the hill in the early evening light, the scents of the earth, released by a sudden downpour earlier, assail me. I pick up hints of lavender, heady roses, box hedge and other sweet blossoms that I can't quite identify. It makes the meeting I'm heading to, and slightly dreading, a little easier.
I recently came across a recipe for a dish called Shakshukawhich is a North African dish that is ideal for a brunch or light supper. Traditionally made with a thick, chunky and spicy tomato sauce, the beauty of this dish is it's versatility. You can add preserved lemon, feta, different vegetables, it's your choice. On the top you crack some eggs and this was the winner for me as I love eggs in every guise. So...
Green Shakshuka
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1
celery stalk, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced or micro-planed
1 spicy
pepper (any variety would work here), sliced
Once the swiss chard and spinach have wilted, scrape down the sides, and pat
down the mixture. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the greens mixture and
carefully crack the eggs over the top, one at a time and spaced slightly apart.
Add some more freshly ground black pepper.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes (longer if you
prefer your eggs cooked more, or less time for runnier eggs). Serve immediately
with fresh crusty bread.
You can be creative with the cheese you add - maybe mozarella, a goat cheese or even a blue cheese like gorgonzola.
Here is a tutorial from the wonderful Yotam Ottolenghis with his more traditional version of Shakshuka.
I am rarely without a lip balm. If I find myself sans balm it's enough to induce a feeling of mild panic! I have tried so many different balms; some are too sticky, others not moisturising enough. The best will nourish and give a light gloss and some even have an in-built tint, killing two birds with one stone. Anyway, we all have our favourites and here are my top five recommendations...
1. Eve Lom's Kiss Mix has long been a favourite of mine. It goes on smoothly and doesn't leave a sticky residue. It has a slightly pharmaceutical smell to it too, which makes you feel it must be doing some good!
2. Lanolips is one of my newer purchases. It looks like a lip-gloss and comes either as a neutral balm or tinted with a variety of berry colours. My favourite is rose, a slight tint that just stains the lips.
3. Now Burt's Bees isn't my favourite but it works well, leaving lips feeling moisturised and it's all natural too, which is always a consideration.
4. I guess Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Lip repair cream speaks for itself! Part of the infamous Eight Hour range, I use this every night before I go to sleep. It has a wonderful eucalyptus scent and leaves a very subtle sheen.
5.What can I say! Good old Vaseline - I know, I know, petroleum...BUT it works. It goes on smoothly, not too sticky, gives a subtle sheen and comes in a variety of shades and flavours. I have a different one in every bag I own and couldn't be without it.
So, those are the balms I'm loving right now. What about you? Which balms do you use and recommend? I'd love to hear...
For months I've hardly even picked up a book, never mind read it...couldn't concentrate; too much else going on that took up all my brain space...but just recently, maybe, just maybe, I've begun to find the joy in words again. I hope so. Anyway, the books that have lured me back had to have been pretty special to block out everything else. I'm a sucker for a brilliant storyline. Is it just me, or are good stories just hard to find these days? I need to be completely transported and forget where I am - that's the litmus test of a good book for me. I rarely just have one book on the go - often I have two or three. So, to my first choice..Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard.
If ever there was a story that would occupy all your thinking room, this is it. I've read some of her other books, but none drew me in as this did. Politics, genetics, sex, murder - it has it all. The characters are completely believable and being set in London, for me anyway, I knew all the places she was talking about. I read this in one sitting. Or actually, lying down, in bed. I started it at 7am and finished it by lunch. Without so much as a tea-break.
Next up is The State We're In by Adele Parks. I've read quite a few of Parks' books and always enjoyed them. The plots are weighty enough to be satisfying, but not so demanding that it's exhausting. Her latest offering follows two characters Dean and Jo as they meet on a plane to New York. Both are dealing with difficult lives, loves and families. Jo is in search of her eternal soul-mate and has decided that her ex is really 'the one' and is heading for a showdown as he prepares to marry someone else. Dean is a defensive, cynical business man and unlikely tho' it seems, they find out that they have more in common than they'd thought. It's a light read, but perfect for when you don't want to try too hard.
I've been a fan of Chris Evans for a long, long time. TV shows, radio shows, through the ups (and several downs) of his career and now drive happily to work listening to his latest breakfast show on R2. So just how did the cheeky chap from a council estate in Warrington become so successful. If you're curious then his two autobiographies Memoirs of a Fruitcake and It's Not What You Think are a must. Candid and compelling, he takes you through his early life, his first marriage, through to Billie Piper and his now wife Natasha. He is honest about his weaknesses and excesses, his successes and his failures. It's a good insight into a life that is certainly never dull. As a complete aside, his pub in Chiddingfold, Surrey, called The Mulberry Inn is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area - the best Sunday lunch I've had in an age!
1. To arrive home tired and grouchy, to find the cleaner has been. Shirts are ironed, floors are clean and the whole house smells fresh. Even better, the feather filled sofas have been plumped and they wrap themselves around me comfortingly when I finally sit down.
2. To get an unexpected message from a bestest friend on the far side of the world, with a promise to skype later on.
3. Watching the green, green branches and leaves outside my office window as they tap and dance in the breezy afternoon. The late sun glances off the bark and creates a lime glow that bathes my desk and chair; my back is warm and the weekend is nearly here.
I love Easter. The days are longer and warmer and everywhere you look are trees laden with pink and white blossom. The bluebells are carpeting the woods, buds are bursting and the air is sweet with drifting scents. Traditionally I cook the paschal lamb for family and friends, complete with an Easter egg hunt for the littlies; there's wine that sparkles, fun, laughter and of course chocolate! This year will be slightly different however, as a friend is hosting instead, but I'm still pouring over recipes and planning an imaginary table setting - see these for more inspiration.
For me, mains just has to be lamb and this Nigella recipe of warm lamb salad with pomegranate hits the mark for me, especially if you don't want the heaviness of a roast
Haven't we all wanted to own our own piece of the French dream? The house by the river? the chic apartment in town? Or how about your very own chateau? Well that's exactly what an Australian couple have done with Chateau de Gudanes. They had intended to buy a small rural house, renovate it and move in and instead they bought a derelict chateau in the South of France...You can read all about their journey here and to whet your appetite take a look at these and carry on dreaming...
Everywhere I look at the moment there are beautiful doe-eyed giraffes. From Pinterest to Harpers Bazaar and Louis Vuitton's Art of Travel campaign, giraffe love is here to stay. I mean what's not to love about these beautiful, graceful and velvety animals. Here are some of my favourite shots to get the weekend off to a great start...
It's no secret that I love nuts - peanuts, almonds, monkey nuts, pistachios, walnuts, pinenuts....so when I came across a recipe recently that souped up the humble almond it was a given that I would give it a go. There are other recipes for elevating the humble nut into something special, including this recipe from Nigella that is a nod to the spicy nuts served in the Union Square Bar in New York. This one uses just a few ingredients:
2 cups raw whole almonds 2 1/2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon sea salt:
To Make:
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Mix all the ingredients together before placing on greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Cook for 8-10 mins, stirring from time to time and keeping an eye on them so that they don't burn. Allow to cool and a crisp glaze has formed over the nuts.
Natalie Portman is beautiful. She is even more beautiful than I remember in the new Dior ad for the new Miss Dior fragrance Blooming Bouquet. Embodying the grace and elegance of Parisian chic, she sells this perfume like no other could. Everything about the ad screams romance, couture, style; it teases the viewer promising a lifestyle of opulence and luxury, if only you were to wear Miss Dior. Miss Portman wears an exquisite haute couture gown from Dior, designed by Raf Simons and is surrounded by gorgeous pastel hued flowers. I'm sold. The ad is Shot by Sofia Copola and photographs taken on the grand staircase by the wonderful Tim Walker...I'm in love...
If these magical photographs have captured your heart, you can watch the ad and her interview here...
I had a myriad of very boring and potentially stressful admin jobs to get through this weekend and wasn't looking forward to them at all; but guess what? I didn't do any of them. What a rebel I am! I didn't do them because this past weekend saw London basking in glorious sunshine and after weeks and weeks of grey skies and torrential rain, there was no way I was going to miss out. I fitted in some quick gym trips and then a wonderfully gentle walk in Claremont Landscape Garden. I love this garden for it's soft landscaping and dotted white benches strewn around the lawns. All the spring flowers were there in abundance and the views from the Camelia garden down over the rest of the park were a soothing vista for tired and weary psyches! Then it was a quick trip to the newly opened Daylesford Organic Farmshop in Esher for a hearty bowl of soup and tangy rarebit. In fact Saturday was a bit of a gourmet tryathon all round, as in the evening we made it to a place that I've been dying to try for some time, Ben's Canteen. I'd heard fantastic things about their burgers and it didn't disappoint. The BC burger is a beef pattie topped with salt beef, homemade bbq sauce and cheese and I was torn between that and the crispy chicken burger made with spicy buttermilk. I went for the chicken, and oh my word, it was heaven. The chicken coating was spicy and crunchy and the streaky bacon was crunchy not soggy; the celeriac slaw was finely chopped and totally delicious. Really a fantastic tasting meal and great value too. If you want to go for a pud you can do 2 courses and a glass of wine for £15 between 5-7pm which is exceptionally good value.
Sunday saw another glorious day, so I packed a bag, windbreak, towel and rug and it was off to West Wittering beach, one of my favourite places ever. For some reason, despite the wonderful sunny day, apart from dog walkers and horse riders, the beach was pretty deserted. I read, watched the tide come in, slept and let the worries of the past week slide to one side for a while, letting the positive ions do their thing. Bliss. It's good to have some time like this, like putting money in the bank, something to draw on when emotional resources are weak.
