Happy Birthday to Makeda! My wonderful assistant who is unspeakably brilliant in so many ways (on top of working fabulously, she bakes brilliantly and rocks a hat/headpiece nearly every day) – A suitable birthday honour then to be featured on the Vogue Blog. Modeling a sneak peek selection of headpieces for Vogue Fashion’s Night Out at the Louis Vuitton store. We can’t wait for Fashion’s Night Out. Lots of fun planned!
Slice of lime with that ?
A little tardiness on the blog front as I took myself to Ibiza (again) for the last of the summer wine. Or last of the summer hierbas as the case may be.
Sunning ourselves at El Chiringuito a vision approached our cluster of loungers. A mirage of sorts. Well for me anyway, beach mirages for other people are probably the man/woman of their fantasies wearing very little. For me a beach mirage goes a little something like this…I am hungry, a ruggedly handsome man in a Breton top accessorised by a beautiful leather holster comes toward me holding a pail of oysters on ice. Think more Hermes holster than tequila shot holster and you get the idea. Freshly shucked bliss…
Love the chainmail shucking glove with his silver bracelet. How gorgeous is the leather holster? Ah the details…
Would madam like the shallot vinaigrette? The green or red tabasco, the lemon juice? Everything?
Nasturtiums. Love the appeal of eating beautiful flowers. Raw food canapes from Zenses Ibiza.
I used to be a fan of the radical detox holiday. It was like a prescription of drastic correction that I enforced anually for having too much of a good thing (a convent school upbringing can do that to you). Detoxing in Thailand, fasting in India, bootcamp in Mexico. A masochistic set of healthy holidays. The last time I went on a fast in Thailand I persevered through two weeks of “nothing broth” while fellow holiday makers filed past me with plates of lobster further cementing my misery. Mission accomplished and bursting with rude health we finally went off to a neighbouring island where our exquiste teak villa awaited…complete with a mini bar stocked with my favourite red wine. Oh dear.
I woke up the next day and instead of glowing with post detox gorgeousness. My face was covered. IN. RED. WELTS. The shock of the alcohol on my impeccably clean bloodstream. The rest of my holiday was spent hiding behind a penguin classic, large sunglasses and a giant hat. A distinctly post op Look that in retrospect was pretty hilarious. That experience taught me the lesson of trying to achieve balance and not living in such extremes.
Now Instead of going on extreme health kick holidays I try and temper my everyday life to incorporate the positive aspects that I learned on all those holidays and I save my holidays for doing, well Holiday things. I like a trip where I wake up and can sip a Spirulina smoothie and at sunset have a glass of good red wine. Balance.
Delicious healthy lunch that Ibiza Retreats arranged at our villa.
On a recent trip to Ibiza (an island that can knock you off or put you on balance like no other) I met the lovely Larah from Ibiza Retreats. Larah runs retreats in Ibiza which run from a day to a few weeks. They serve delicious raw food, have life-coaching, yoga, massages…all the good mind, body and soul stuff. On this trip Larah was our holiday “wellness concierge,” now this is a concierge service worth having both away and in everyday life. She booked us reflexology, massages, vibrational healing (this is amazing) and liberally sprinkled healthy fairy dust on our holiday. You’ve got to love someone who adds cucumber and strawberries to your daily pitchers of water. Vitamin Water indeed, this is the original and yet another trick I took back home.
Phone Detox. We placed our mobiles on trays of cleansing Ibizan sea salt. Mine is now switched onto another vibration (and devoid of inappropriate texts)
Larah took us on a one day multi sensory retreat which was just extraordinary. Set in a private villa we had an unforgettable afternoon of eating raw superfoods (a shot of raw cocoa we downed contains the same nutritional value as a large steak) having treatments, listening to music and engaging in wellness rituals. I loved the Multi Sensory Ritual where we were blindfolded and had scents placed under our noses, different tastes planted in our mouths. This took me out of my comfort zone and is not something I would usually do but I found it strangely liberating and left with a heightened senses of awareness. Always a good thing.
This is a wonderful mindful experience to have with friends and I highly recommend it. Of course you can also run off to Aura afterwards for more wonderful experiences. Mojitos on the terrace, Dinner in the garden, Disco indoors…it’s my favourite place to escape to this Summer. Ah The Joy of Balance…Happy Holidays!
Lunch at Cas Gasi. Incredible food that comes from…
…their garden.
Ibizan hens. We ate their eggs for breakfast every morning.
Silk blindfolds for the multi Zensory experience. Delightful.
At the Retreat. This cat has the ultimate water/fountain bowl
The Goddess like girls from Zenses who do the Multi Zensory day retreats with Ibiza Retreats.
After a night at Aura. A smoothie at the organic juice bar on Benirras beach works wonders.
I love Jelly. I particularly love the spectacular jellies that are the signature of Bompas and Parr. An inspirational pair that I have had the joy to work with on many fun filled projects. When I first came across Bompas and Parr a few years ago I had to pinch myself. I walked into their architectual Jelly Banquet at UCL and what lay before me was my personal version of heaven. A long wobbling fluorescing stretch of illuminated pink architectural jellies. The perfect merging of food, architecture and art. Delightful.
They are a genius double act. Well spoken, incredibly knowledgeable and often exquisitly dressed. Sam at one of our first meetings arrived dressed in a smart suit with a bow tie, pink socks and wielding a giant spoon. Most importantly they have the most infectious enthusiasm, they believe anything is possible and with them it truly is…Breathable alcohol, scratch and sniff cinema, architectural punchbowls and the recent phenomenally sucessful parliamentary waffle house. They really are revolutionising our perception of food in a dizzying fashion.
Last night we went to their book and studio launch. Their studio is somewhere I want to loiter in…occult jams in one corner, levitating strawberries in another and fridges full of delicious quivering jellies.
The book is wonderful and I urge you all to buy one. It’s beautifully shot, informative and dare I say it the perfect antidote to the growing legion of ”serious” cookery books. Food is fun, this is fun and this coming weekend I’m inspired to make the rosé and rhubarb jelly. Maybe I can persuade the boys to show me how to make it levitate. A levitating rosé jelly in my garden…Pure Joy.
It’s worth mentioning their next adventure happening in July. The Complete History of Food . Go boys!
Mark Ronson’s birthday party. We got Bompas and Parr to do an architectural jelly table which ended up in a decadent jelly fight (the best parties do!)
Aphrodisiac jellies
Levitating Strawberries. What could be better than levitating food?
Some of the infamous jellies.
Laura and Phoebe get heavily involved in the breathable architecture. And inhale……..
Beautiful concrete figurines by Kathy Dalwood
I have a fascination with the colour Black. I am told it is not really a colour so I have a fascination with a non colour…just to be difficult. My Interest in Black food was first realised when a few years ago I went on a Valentines date to my favourite Italian restaurant.
I devoured an inky black pool of squid ink risotto accompanied by copious amounts of red wine. Divine. At the end of a very romantic evening I looked into the bathroom mirror to find my mouth transformed into a liquorice smile…My mouth was black, my teeth were black. Valentines night and my seductive pool of black risotto had morphed me into a black toothed Mary Queen of Scotts. We cried with laughter at the Valentines chefs revenge. I am sure my tears of laughter were black too (and we did go out for four years after that so it wasn’t really a disaster)
Since that moment I have had a black food obsession. Caviar, Black truffles, Black rice, Cuttlefish, squid ink…all delicious and all very very black. There is something dark and slightly unsettling about eating black food. Perhaps it is the association with darkness and thereby death? I love the idea of a monochromatic dinner with all of the dishes and drinks being black. So much so that when I went to a supperclub thrown by a A razor, a shiny knife and we realised or mutual interest in black food we decided to throw a dinner with precisely that. Bompas & Parr who we collaborated with researched and found that Black banquets were not a new thing and did in fact have a glorious history. Of course! One of the most remarkable was hosted by Grimod de la Reyniere in 1783.
Inspired by the feasts of the past we devised an eight course menu of all black food. We found the perfect venue in the Quintessentially charitable pop up club in the House of St Barnabas. A beautiful Georgian house in Soho complete with a garden and it’s own chapel (from which we served black vodka and jellies)
I designed the tables to have contrasting black elements in a variety of materials. Black concrete figurines, shiny liquorice towers and Black matte ostrich eggs. Black object filled with the blackest flowers nature can provide…Black Dahlias, Black Calla lillies and clusters of blackberries, blackcurrants, Black grapes (grown in my very own garden)
Let them eat black! And we did.
Our Black banquet menu
Black Pyramid Jellies by Bompass and Parr
A tower of Black Jellies in the Chapel at the House of St Barnabus
Deliciousness
We raided all the local charity stores for object…then sprayed them black.
Liquorice and Black Jack towers and Black Waterford Crystal glasses make the table setting complete.
Liquorice strands as napkin rings. Nice to play with pre dinner
Paul Glossop our very talented in house Director of Balloon artistry…Aren’t we lucky?
Dita Von Teese came to show her support… we love Dita.
The fun bit is getting to take the balloons home. Taxi?!
Last weekend I pretty much had the perfect Saturday. I spent the morning in Petersham Nurseries, one of my favourite London haunts. Petersham is such a beautiful and inspiring place, it’s like stumbling upon a perfect secret world. I dream of getting married in the just perfectly bucolic rustic surroundings. Yes it’s that fabulous.
Anyway back to the sweets. We began with an insightful introduction into Genoa’s long tradition in sugar trading and the Romanengo family who have been conserving fruits and flowers since 1780 and whose confectionery we would be experiencing.
After this we were given a demonstration of icing candied fruits and sweets and making chocolate truffles. Mouth watering. We indulged ourselves with Marron Creams, Marron Glaces, Mostarda di frutta with Formaggio Capretta, Fondant Lingue & Torronetti amongst other delectable Romanengo products and then we had lunch…Yes after all that gorging we had lunch which was heralded with the arrival of Prosecco with Romanego Rose syrup. Made simply from roses, sugar and lemon. Now this is an elixir to have in your life.
Lunch was prepared by the nurseries Head Chef Skye Gyngell, being vegetarian I didn’t have the Quail which looked amazing but had a fabulous Robiola which is an Italian cheese made with Goats, Sheeps and cows milk. The lunch was an education in how these sweet-toothed delicacies can be used in savoury dishes, and to great effect. I have been smearing Rose Petal Preserve on pretty much everything ever since. Divine!
The sweetest Play-doh ever
A freshly made chocolate truffle. The Romanengo chocolate machine dates from 1860. Pretty impressive.
Hands down the best chocolate packaging ever.
The divine Rose Jam
This is a Nectar of the Gods…It tastes like Rose breath. Delicious in champagne for those like me who can’t drink it plain
Lunch for the Carnivores. Much finger licking.
Robiola. I now can’t live without this. Thanks Skye!
Pastillage table Markers for Dita Von Teese made by the talented cake designer Margaret Braun
Pastillage table Markers for Dasha Zhukova’s Kova & T dinner in London
The food historian Ivan Day is one of the most inspiring and informative people I have ever met. I am entranced with his recreations of historic tables and find his teachings on period food an endless fascination.
Last weekend I went on my second Historic food course. We were shown how to make syllabubs, trifles, a Tudor Marchpane, comfits and pippin knots in Ivan’s kitchen which is a culinary alladins cave complete with an incredible array of antique Utensils.
Lots of fun to be had including making Ice cream in the garden with a Georgian ice cream maker. Truly the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
Period sugar work and confectionery is something that I adore. The only time I truly wish to travel back in time is when I see the incredible sugar confections that decorated the tables of Royalty in the Rococo age. The tables were works of art, the sugar sculptures were made with the definition and detail that only a gifted artist could create. I have borrowed some of these opulent edible ideas and used them on table dressing for my own events. Nothing as spectacular as Ivan’s recreations but I live in hope…someday I will get a spectacular commission and Ivan, in- between creating dazzling museum displays and educating us on the history of food will finally give in and create a table that truly fulfills all my nostalgic notions.
A selection of confectionery we made at the weekend
The sort of kitchen equipment I’d trade my Moulinex for
A Pippin knot made from nothing but apple and sugar
Printing the Pippin paste
And here it is!
The moulds are so beautiful
Making a sugar pheasant
Antique sugar craft tools made from Ivory
More gorgeous implements
A selection that includes comfits, a version of hundreds and thousands that literally takes hundreds and thousands of hours to make!
Sugar sculpture is a precise art. The Spirit level is an essential tool.
The making of a Tazza
Tazza in construction
And finally the finished Tazza. This is hours and hours of work
Lunch being cooked in front of an open fire. Magical
You can eat this… or you can keep it for about twenty years. Not exactly throwaway
A monogrammed waffle maker… when a plain waffle just won’t do
A Georgian Ice cream making device . Lot’s of stirring, lot’s of Ice and the MOST delicious ice cream ever!
Ginger Ice cream made with an Ice cream mould . Delicious and stunning to look at the way I like my food
One of Ivan’s curious books. This is secrets for young ladies. We all need to know how to order a silk -worm …
…and remove freckles!
http://www.historicfood.com/
http://margaretbraun.com/
I absolutely adore fancy moulds. I found this gorgeous cake mould last week which I discovered is modelled after Notre Dame Cathedral. Love the idea of eating some fine Gothic architecture for afternoon tea.
Luckily for all of us in the studio my assistant Makeda is a spectacular cake baker, I am a spectacular cake fancier…we have a pretty blissful working relationship.
Armed with fancy Cathedral Bundt Pan and her delicious banana bread recipe Makeda got to work and in no time we were all eating Flying Buttresses with our tea. Delightful!
The most beautifully adorned table
I recently spent the most delightful weekend on a Victorian jelly-making course hosted by the incredible food historian Ivan Day at his farmhouse in the Lake District. Ivan has been a tremendous inspiration for me, I love his passion for bringing back to life the forgotten food of the past in the most enthusiastic way imaginable. I have been obsessed by Victorian jellies ever since I saw images on Ivan’s website a few years ago. I couldn’t believe how visually exciting these decadent edible masterpieces were: worlds away from the lurid Chivers jelly rabbits that populated early birthday parties growing up in Ireland.
I use jellies at every opportunity for my events. They make the most beautiful centerpieces and an interesting alternative to flowers: stunning to look at, slightly quivering and delicious. I love that the Victorians had edible table decorations, beautiful and indulgent but still incredibly practical. Guests could eat as well as admire the centre pieces on the table.
The copper moulds that are used to make the jelly are in their own right the most beautiful objects. Ivan has a staggering collection and on the jelly-making weekend we used original moulds from the 1750s including the rare Belgrave, Brunswick Star and Alexandra Cross moulds. It was an unforgettable learning process and amazing to experience first hand the equipment and methods of a bygone time.
Our jellies setting in the lake district snow
I adore this jelly and would love to have a mould made with my own monogram.
Mixing gold leaf into the Gelatine
The gold and silver leaf “turrets’
The gold and silver leaf looks incredible in the clear gelatine. Like an edible snow globe.
There is something so Madonna / Gaultieresque conical bra about this pair of jellies. They were the wobbliest I have ever seen.
This one reminds me of a jelly medal
The Jelly medal mould
One of my favourites.A wedgwood jelly obelisk. The beautiful china is encased in a layer of translucent jelly.
A brunswick star jelly
