Festive nostalgia

Here are a few images of our beautifully perfect Christmas tree. I'm writing under it's warm glow feeling nostalgic for Christmases gone by but also looking forward to spending the big day with just the husband, Matilda and me. I spent this afternoon making Christmas Chutney for friends so the whole place was consumed by the Festive odeur of cloves and cinnamon. The husband is now warming up some Mulled wine, the mince pies are warming up in the oven whilst our Christmas candle has just been lit just to add to those reassuring scents. Perfection.

Friday night is steak frites night!

Friday nights have always been quick easy suppers, when I worked full time as a Theatrical Agent it was because I was generally on my knees by Friday with all the late nights at the theatre and early breakfast meetings. Fridays are about breathing a sigh of relief and settling down on the sofa with a large glass of wine so recipes tend to be simple.

So this morning, I pulled open the freezer drawers to find a couple of rump steaks left from our extremely impressive delivery of Organic beef a while back from the Royal Warrant Holders Donald Russell ... gorgeous meat so tender and succulent. They have been supplying meat the world over for 37 years, including a number of Michelin starred restaurants. Definitely worth the extra expense to know you're eating good quality meat, I'm of the opinion that less is more when it comes to food.

My steaks are really very simple, preparation time is no more than 5 minutes:

2 large shallots
1 glove of garlic
1 bay leave
a pinch of oregano
2 rump steaks or any other cut of steak
5 tablespoons of olive oil
a couple of splashes of white wine
Salt and Pepper

Thinly slice the shallots and garlic, then place in a non stick pan with 5 tablespoons of olive oil (the French traditionally use butter so up to you). Let them sweat for about 5 minutes or until the shallots are translucent, chuck in the steaks, a couple of splashes of white wine, the oregano and the paprika. Cook for about 10-15 minutes depending on how well done you like your meat and until the wine has had a chance to infuse the meat and shallots. I'll leave those timings to your very capable eye. Season to taste and serve with plenty of chips (I was feeling lazy tonight so we just had Waitrose oven ready Chunky chips) and some green beans and/or peas. I love a bit of Bearnaise on the side but actually it's not necessary when the meat is this juicy and tasty. Enjoy cooking!

http://www.donaldrussell.com/

Jo Malone, my all time favourite Parfumier...

In my book you can never go wrong with Jo Malone. My all time favourite perfume is the Lime, Basil and Mandarin, I love it's fresh and unique composition. Like Chanel, Tiffanys and Laduree the Jo Malone packaging is simple, elegant and oh so very exciting. I actually get butterflies in my stomach whenever I am handed those recognisable cream and black paper bags tied with thick black ribbon. The thrill of receiving one of those bags never diminishes.

When I had Matilda and we were both stuck miserably in hospital (she was sadly jaundiced, poor little girl, a scary and frustrating fact of being on the cusp of being born too early), one morning my husband popped in to Westfield and treated me to the Pomegranate Noir shower gel. Nothing could have lifted my mood more and make me feel slightly human again. Think that was the most thoughtful present he's ever bought for me, made up for the uncomfortable bathrooms we have to endure on the ward. It even seemed to ease the aches and exhaustion that had invaded my being.

Jo Malone opened her first shop in the glamorous Walton Street in 1994, I remember it well. Her flagship store in Sloane Street opened in 1999 then in 2006 she sold the business to Estee Lauder whilst retaining her Chairwoman and Creative Director titles. Jo Malone began her career as a florist whilst also giving facials to clients. Her work with flowers would explain how in tune she is with how scents can work so well together, as well as knowing how creams can compliment the skin.

There are now a number of concessions in department stores such as Selfridges and Harrods (see photo below taken by Duncan Smith Photography) as well as in Westfield. However, I still love walking into the heavenly scented Emporium in Sloane Street. It is the epitome of sophistication and a place of divine worship to the untouchable Jo Malone. As you can tell I'm a big fan and I'll certainly be asking Santa for a new fragrance to add to my growing collection, this time I'm intrigued  by White Jasmine and Mint...

http://duncansmith.net/ 

http://www.jomalone.co.uk/

Christmas Cards, why do we do it?

Each year after spending a whole evening writing out Christmas cards I swear that the following I'll stop or just send virtual cards, but then I get to the beginning of December and, the sheer warmth of the Christmas spirit takes over and I just can't help myself. They are an expense that this year we should avoid, as the Husband has been made redundant from his 'job for life' at the BBC (so if anyone out there needs a media Credit Manager get in touch pronto), but I know how much I love to receive them in the post. They are a way of communicating with friends you don't often see, a way of sharing your news on a yearly basis and quite frankly some are a work of art. I've gone for quite a religious theme this year, though I'll admit I got them last January in a gorgeous little gift shop in Oxford during the sales.

Christmas cards are as much a part of the Festive period as Turkey or mince pies or brussel sprouts, I remember as a child counting meticulously how many I'd received as compared to the rest of my family. Now people do seem to be letting go of this tradition in favour of the online version, which saddens me. I am an advocate of tradition and will definitely be instilling this in Matilda. Christmas is a time for rituals and this is one that is so reassuring and exciting, each day bringing brightly coloured envelopes bearing good cheer.





Christmas Cards were first produced commercially and sent in the post in London in 1843, before that people wrote hand written notes delivered in person. The celebrated Innovator Sir Henry Cole who oversaw the building of the V & A as well as developing the postal system, commissioned a respected Illustrator John Calcott Horsley to design a card so he could send to friends and business associates to wish them a 'Merry Christmas'. 'Merry' in those days signified 'blessed'.1000 were printed at the time and sold for 1 schilling each, 12 are still in existence and remain in a private collections.



Queen Mary, amongst many others, was an avid collector of Christmas cards which are all now housed in the British Library. By 1880 Christmas card production was huge business, many believed it would be a passing fad but luckily for us that was not meant to be. Unbeknownst to me Religious images were introduced much later, images of whimsical children and fairies were much more popular during the Nineteenth Century. These days anything goes but I still like a traditional, vintage looking card with a good splattering of glitter spilling out of the envelope when its opened.

Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?

Brunch at the Majestic Wolseley...

For the husband's birthday I wanted to book somewhere special for the three of us to go, which in London is a little tricky with a nearly two year old in tow. I racked my brains and eventually had a brainwave - The Wolseley. I'd often seen families there in years gone by so off we toodled.

I love the understated grandeur of The Wolseley, its rather discreet entrance hides its impressive interior, a grand room with two smaller rooms on either side of the entrance. Sweeping stairs at the back of the main dining room lead up to two eating rooms, with a circular area in the centre of the room encased by a wooden wall. Marble topped tables laid with heavy silver cutlery, linen table cloths and napkins fill this vibrant Old school European style cafe-restaurant.  One is transported back to the 1930's where women dressed in their flapper dresses, draped in fur and diamonds flitted around from table to table smoking long cigarettes from their cigarette holders, their heels clicking against the marble floors.

The food is quite simply delicious, beautifully presented and well prepared using only the finest ingredients. Matilda had her favourite smoked salmon in a bagel with cream cheese on the side, I had the Eggs Benedict which were perfectly done with a scrumptious Hollandaise. The husband had a salt beef sandwich with a bowl of chips again utterly divine according to him, he wouldn't let me try it. We also treated ourselves to a slice of homemade bittersweet Battenburg cake, which I don't think I'd had since I was a child when it was all the rage.

The Wolseley never disappoints, the attention you receive from the Staff is perfectly pitched, always on hand if you need anything but also leaving you with the privacy you need. They were delightful with our little bundle of energy toddler, instantly providing her with crayons and colouring in pictures, they played with her whilst also treating her like a little princess. Unlike many restaurants and cafes The Wolseley staff ensure that you want to return, when I mentioned it was the husband's birthday, just in passing, as we were leaving they turned up with a little box filled with lemon cheesecake. How sweet is that, not sure where else in London you'd get that sort of care. I can't wait to indulge in some more Wolseley glamour so as it's also the perfect place to take young children, I'll be returning before not too long...

http://www.thewolseley.com/