Bumpkin Chelsea Summer Party

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One of my favourite parties of the summer was the first birthday of Bumpkin Chelsea, hosted by Matt Hermer and his wife, hostess with the mostess, Marissa Hermer (above, and left). 

Marissa’s ‘Ladies of London’ cast mates and a bevy of other Bumpkin-loving beauties spent the balmy evening playing giant garden games (turns out, I’m ACE at Giant Connect Four… who knew?!), sipping endless bubbles and enjoying a delicious BBQ, all amidst the luscious palms and colorful blooms at the Chelsea Gardener. 

also discovered a new, delicious drink called ‘Pedrino,’ - keep a look out for this orange-tinted alcoholic tonic that is faaar too easy to quaff…!  A truly gorgeous and summery evening!
Thank you M & M xx

Above:  Wearing a tropical print Zara jumpsuit with Topshop heels and handbag. 

Above L-R (Clockwise):  Karim Khelil and Malika Dalamal, Julia Neel and Kelly Eastwood, with Amy Williams and Louisa Preskett, Fred Kooij and Stephanie Phair. 

Above:  The London Chatter appearing in Tatler's Bystander with Lady Julie Montagu. 

Drink Me Chai

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I do not usually have an addictive personality, but recently I have become obsessed with soya/almond milk Chai Tea Lattes.  OBSESSED.  Based on the original ‘latte’ invented in India more than 5000 years ago, this aromatic blend of tea and spices is ultra calming and deliciously sweet.  I currently wake up each morning thinking about Starbucks and then later I find myself planning my daily travel routes via Costa!  This HAS to stop.  Or does it?...  When ordering some weekly groceries on Ocado last month (HERE), I came across a beaming, bright pink pot of ‘Drink Me Chai’ Spiced Chai Latte (RRP. £1.99) and obviously bought it immediately.  It’s DELICIOUS.  Starbucks and Costa?... See you latte.

Astley Clarke Jewellery Lunch at Marcus

I was recently invited, alongside a bevy of London beauties, to an exclusive VIP jewellery lunch to toast Astley Clarke’s new Fine Jewellery collection.   Hosted by Bec Astely Clarke (above with Poppy Delevingne) and chef Marcus Wareing (above with Bec) we dined in The Salon Private Dining Room at the sparkly new ‘Marcus’ restaurant at The Berkeley.  

Above Clockwise (R-L):  Bec Astley Clarke hosting Chloe Delevingne, Zoe Jordan, PoppyDelevingne and Tori Cook,  Jemma Powell and Beatrice Savoretti, Tori Cook and Poppy Delevingne, Marissa Montgomery.  Below:  Smooches with my school pal Sienna Miller.

Not only were we spoiled with lots of bubbles and a delicious lunch (quail with a raddichio and pine nut salad, followed by salmon with buttermilk and faaaar too many chocolate truffles!) we were sent home with Marcus’ cook book and a beautiful rose gold Astley Clarke locket which had been personally engraved for all us girlies whilst we dined.

Above Right:  I decided (after much anxious deliberation!) to get the title of DG and my favourite song ('Just One Look' by Doris Troy) engraved on the back of my locket (cheesy?!) and I love it so much I haven’t taken it off since!  Thank you Bec and Marcus for such a wonderfully gorgeous afternoon!  Astley Clarke lockets available HERE.

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Above:  With my great friend Jemma Powell.  I accessorised my Topshop shirt and bold print Zara trousers with Wilbur and Gussie's Orange Bee Edith Clutch (RRP. £180.00).

Above:  Featuring in Grazia magazine alongside Poppy Delevingne, Chloe Delevingne,Sienna Miller and Jemma Powell. #TheChainGang

 

'Alice in her Palace' at Fortnum and Mason

Last week, society sweetheart Alice Naylor-Leyland launched her lifestyle and fashion blog, Alice in her Palace (named after the song her ‘hubbie’ wrote for her when she was just 18!) Fortnum and Mason’s elegant Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon was jam-packed with the blonde and the beautiful of London, including Poppy Delevingne, Princess Beatrice,Laura Bailey and artist Sophia Rogge.  The exquisite cakes and pastel macaroons were just as pretty as Alice’s guests, who amongst the sweet smelling Nikki Tibbles' Wild At Heart roses and anemones, topped up on pink bubbles and Flamingo Sours to an old school DJ set spun by Lady Mary Charteris.  Poppy teamed a J Brand leather jacket with a floral skirt and Bella Freud jumper, and Alice, well known for her ‘high street buys with runway style,’looked divine in a white lace dress. Truuuuuly scrumptious. 

Above:  With designer Kalita Swaidi wearing a Topshop floral jumpsuit and clutch, with Zara heels. I'm LOVING Kalita's Meli Melo initialed Bon Bon Bag (RRP. £390.00).

'Honestly Healthy For Life' Book Launch

Last week I attended the launch of vegetarian chef Natasha Corrett and nutritionist Vicki Edgson’s second alkaline cookbook, ‘Honestly Healthy for Life,’ at Notting Hill’s Bumpkin. With over 100 new and anticipated easy-to-make recipes to choose from, this book promises a diet that will boost your energy and immune system, improve your mood and aid digestion. Fear not sweet teeth, HH also offers some healthier versions of your naughty favourites, including sticky toffee pudding and doughnuts! (*cue my face lighting up!)

The alkaline diet has become one of the biggest eating trends of recent years, with Victoria Beckham naming Honestly Healthy as her favourite cookbook.  To summise, our blood is 7.35/7.45 on the pH scale, making it slightly alkaline, so staying clear of acid forming foods, and eating more alkaline meals, keeps us at our optimum health.  

Above:  Guests, including Laura Whitmore, Sienna Miller (in an elegant nude Chloé shirt and sparkly Jimmy Choo brogues which hadmy inner magpie squawking with envy) and Jo Wood all enjoyed bite-size quinoa beetroot and spinach burgers, mini-slices of orange and almond cake, crunchy toffee popcorn (yum!) and vodka coconut mojitos.  

Above:  Natasha’s proud-as-punch mummy interior designer Kelly Hoppen.
Below:  On yer Honestly Healthy Bike!  With Natasha Corrett and Katy Wickremesinghe.

Below:  The London Chatter wearing a dusky pink jacket from H&M (RRP. £39.99), Black Ripped Jeans from Zara (RRP. £39.99), Senso Qimat Boots in concrete (RRP. £152.00), Mulberry Lily (RRP. £750.00) and a leopard print coat similar here from Topshop).

Raw Green Curry with Courgette Noodles. 

A quick, fool-proof recipe packed full of flavour from ‘Honestly Healthy For Life.'

Ingredients:
 
For the Sauce:
1/3 cup dried or fresh curry leaves
1 cup raw cashew nuts, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
½ cup water
Juice ½ a lime
½ cup coriander, chopped
Generous ¾ cup coconut milk
1 tsp each of ground cumin, ground ginger, dried lemongrass, fresh chilli (chopped), ginger root (grated) and ground coriander

For the Courgette Noodles:
5 courgettes
1 cup bean sprouts
1 ½ cup snow/sugar snap peas
200g baby corn, sliced
raw cashews to garnish

Instructions:

Put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and whiz until smooth. Set aside. Spiralize the courgettes, and mix through the sauce. Next, add in the chopped vegetables and pack everything into containers and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you prefer you can make the sauce a day or so ahead and mix with the spiralized noodles just before serving.Garnish with a sprinkle of cashews and coriander leaves just before eating.

Below:  The London Chatter featured in Grazia Magazine.

‘Honestly Healthy for Life’ is available HERE from Amazon (RRP. £̶2̶5̶.̶0̶0̶ £12.41)

Pancake Pops

Shrove Tuesday – my FAVOURITE day of the year!  Today is the ONE day every year where eating huge stacks of pancakes is not only encouraged, but religiously and historically justified.  This year in celebration, I recommend all fellow maple syrup enthusiasts to makePancake Pops! Yes, Pancake Pops!  Even saying the words bring me some sweet joy. I came across this recipe on the blog ‘What Olivia Did’ and they look flippppping good...

Ingredients:
3 eggs
115g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
140ml milk
A pinch of salt

1. Separate the eggs, and put the egg whites and yolks into two separate bowls. Add the flour, baking powder and milk and mix to make a thick batter.
 
2. Whisk the whites and pinch of salt until it forms stiff peaks, like a meringue mix.
 
3. Fold the whites into the yolk batter gently, this is what makes it all very fluffy.
 
4. Using a teaspoon, create small circle shaped pancakes in your heated pan and leave to brown for a couple of minutes. 
 
5. Whilst the bottom side is cooking sprinkle your filling/blueberries on the top side, before flipping them over, and leaving for another couple of minutes.
 
6. Leave to cool for a few seconds and pop the sticks through the centre (these are definitely best warm) and lather with golden syrup, honey or lemon and sugar... Enjoy!!

Culture Vulture: London 2014

London in 2014 looks set to be brim-full of excellent restaurant openings, exhibitions, theatre, and of course, fashion, making this a VERY Happy New Year indeed!  

RESTAURANTS

A big year lies ahead for restaurateurs Russell Norman and Richard Beatty as firstly, they re-open Polpetto after their 2-year residency above the legendary French House ended.  We can now once more enjoy the romantic, characterful restaurant from January when Chef Florence Knight and her team move to their new home at 11 Berwick Street.  The restaurant will seat a hungry 70 (opposed to only 23 like before!) and it will feature an aperitivo bar and open kitchen serving Venetian tapas.  The group will also be opening a second Polpo restaurant in Notting Hill early in the year, with the 100-cover restaurant set to be the largest of their portfolio.  All Norman and Beaty’s restaurants operate a strict no-booking policy but they are certainly worth the wait!  

After her shock departure from Michelin starred Petersham Nursaries Café last year, chef Skye Gyngell is set to open her own London restaurant early in 2014, in partnership withHeckfield Place in Hampshire.   Excitingly for South Londoners, Gordon Ramsey’s London House opens in a former coal warehouse in Battersea Square this February.
 
With Head Chef Anna Kelly promising a modern European menu using local British and artisan ingredients, there will be separate bar serving bespoke cocktails, London brewed beers and a lengthy wine list.  No Kitchen Nightmares expected here!

If this all sounds a little too fancy pants, and you’re looking for more of a quick fix, the first UK branch of the American shrimp chain Bubba Gump opens in Piccadilly Circus this year.  The restaurant is based on the characters in the epic film Forrest Gump and you can expect (in the words of Bubba…) “pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. with garlic… shrimps with mayonnaise… shrimps with…” 

EXHIBITIONS

There are two particular exhibitions I am looking forward to in 2014 and they couldn’t be more different. The history geek in me is so excited to visit the British Museum in March to explore the ‘Vikings: Life and Legend’ exhibition (BOOK HERE), the first of its kind in London for more than 30 years.  Expect artifacts dating between the late 8th Century - early 11th Century, including a life-size replica of a Viking Ship, using some original timbers. Alternatively, the V&A will be hosting ‘The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014’ (BOOK HERE) sponsored by Bulgari.  A beautifully detailed insight into the history of Italian fashion will have every London fashionista rushing to buy tickets, desperate to see the stupendo contributions from Georgio Armani, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Missoni, Prada, Valentino and Versace…. Swoon! 

THEATRE

There will be a series of exciting theatrical offerings in London this year, with Fame and Miss Saigon both returning to the West End.  Simon Callow and Felicity Kendal (LOVE them!) will star in Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Butterfly Lion’ and the wonderful Stephen Fry is to play Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (one of my all time favourite plays!)  I hear (stage) whispers that 2014 will also see Will Young starring in 'Cabaret' with musical adaptations of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Bridget Jones’, and ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ soon to be announced... My jazz hands can barely contain their excitement (*sits on hands).  

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse will also open in early January at the Shakespeares Globe after much anticipation.  The totally unique, Jacobean theatre will provide both indoor and outdoor playing space and as such will host a wide variety of events throughout the year.  With a handmade oak structure, pit seating and performances lit by hundreds of candles, this venue is going to be magical.

FASHION

Get ready to feel utterly spoilt with some WOW new store openings in the capital in 2014.
Karl Lagerfeld is to open a flagship store on Regent Street this March for his self-titled Karl Lagerfeld label.  The shop will be his largest European to date (2700 sq ft!!) filled with (probably all monochrome) ready-to-wear collections and accessories.  iPads will be integrated into the display racks so you can watch digital footage showcasing the collections, and the fitting rooms will come equipped with photo booths… Just YES.  
Mayfair’s Mount Street will also be welcoming two new shops this January; Scottish designer Christopher Kane, adored by Alexa Chung and her merry band of cool cats, will be opening a flagship store as will dreamy dress creator Roksanda Ilincic.

Credit Buy: Alice by Temperley's Celia Dress

Oh Zut Alorrrrrs, I am suffering from THE worst case of Le FOMO... I am daydreaming of being in Paris for Paris Fashion Week.   Yesterday, attempting to make up for the intense lack of croissants and couture in my life, I headed to Megan’s café in Chelsea (above) for brunch and  pretended I was at Café de Flore... This helped un petit peu.  Today however, I am wishing I was floating nonchalantly down the Champ Elysees in this beautiful polka-dot tulle Alice by Temperley Celia Maxidress (below, RRP. £445.00 at net-a-porter.com).  Cool, alluring, flirty and with just the right amount of je ne sais quoi.  
Je voudrais this beauty and a Eurostar ticket s'il vous plait.

Bruce Paltrow's World Famous Pancakes

Pancake Day... My favourite Day!

Bruce Paltrow's World-Famous Pancakes

Recipe from 'My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness' by Gwyneth Paltrow

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs (preferably organic)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus 1/2 tsp per batch to grease pan
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
About 1/2 cup whole milk
Maple syrup

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk eggs, 3 tbsp butter and buttermilk in another bowl. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Cover batter and let rest overnight in the refrigerator. Heat a large greased griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add milk to batter until it reaches desired consistency; the more milk, the thinner and more delicate the pancakes. Working in batches of three pancakes, spoon batter onto griddle or skillet. Cook until surface of pancake is covered with bubbles, for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle warmed maple syrup over pancakes; serve. Yum!

Valentines Day Gift Guide 2013 - For Him

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”  Dr. Seuss