And as I type this, there are four more cakes baking in my oven. Three chocolate cakes (for a friend’s birthday), and an iteration of a sponge cake laced with lemon zest and elderflower, that I’ve been working on the recipe for, for a while now. As much as I like to cook, I love to bake more. Do you like to bake?

I’ve put together a list of baking tips and tricks, a 101 of sorts: lessons I’ve learned over the years (through much trial and error). A list of things I find useful and thought you might too. So, here we go:

1. These pre-cut parchment paper circles to line your cake tins are a great hack. Obviously if you only ever bake a cake once in a blue moon, you might as well just cut your own circle out of your roll of paper to line the bottom of the tin; but if you’re baking cakes regularly then these will save you a whole heap of time and hassle.

2. Ideally, keep a pat or two of butter in the fridge and a pat of two at room temperature as well; then you’re ready for all baking scenarios (pastry! buttercream! cake!) at the drop of a hat.

3. Once you’ve mixed your dry ingredients together with your wet ingredients, you want to get that cake into the oven as quickly as possible - or it won’t rise properly. When you combine baking powder (or soda) with wet ingredients, a chemical reaction occurs and little carbon dioxide bubble form: these are what give your cake that lovely fluffy, airy texture. So, if the batter sits around for too long before it goes into the oven, then the bubbles will go flat and the cake will taste stodgy. Don’t panic, but do move with speed.

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4. When you scale up (or down) a recipe, take a moment to re-write the ingredients list with your new quantities. I do this either in the notes app on my phone; or, better still, on a post-it note which I stick in the cookbook (quite useful for later reference). You’ll feel like you want to skip this step and just rely on a little mental arithmetic as you go, but then you run the very real risk of getting yourself in a muddle. Trust me: write it all down now.

   

5. Also, set an alarm on your phone as soon as you put that cake in the oven. I typically set this for 5-10 minutes sooner than the recipe advises, just to allow for erratic oven temperatures and because you can pop the cake back in for a bit longer, but you can’t turn back time if it burns.

6. The secret to getting a nice crisp bottom on a tart or pie is to set an upturned baking tray in the middle of the oven then crank the oven up as high as the temperature will go, for about 10 minutes or so; then, turn the heat down to where you need it to be, and pop your tart/pie/whatever it is on top of the hot tray to bake. Not even a hint of a soggy bottom.

7. No one will tell you this, but you don’t need to store buttercream in the fridge; it’s just fine at room temperature (just keep it covered, and ideally somewhere cool and on the darker side). If you do keep it in the fridge, you can bring it back down to room temperature, but it’s a bit of a faff and somehow the texture is never quite the same.

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8. Rub half a lemon over all over the inside of your bowl before you make meringue: this will cut through any grease and make sure that your eggs froth and fluff nicely.

9. Also: separate your eggs into two small bowls, tipping each white into the larger mixing bowl individually. This way, if you do get a little yolk in there, all is not ruined and lost - just the one egg white.

10. If you don’t want to separate your eggs, then you can buy just the whites in a bottle like this. This saves on time, effort and waste; but does comes with the caveat that the bottled eggs don’t froth and fluff quite so well as whole eggs. It’s something to do with the whites being pasteurised that affects their consistency: the bottled egg whites work great for a meringue buttercream or a burnished meringue topping, but if you’re making actual meringues you won’t get those nice glossy stiff peaks which - to my mind - is what meringues are really about. And so, I refer you back to points 8 and 9.

11. If you’re whipping cream in a freestanding mixer, hover over that bowl like a hawk. Don’t look away for even a second, because you can be pretty much guaranteed that the cream will choose that very moment to curdle.

12. Talking about freestanding mixers, my best kitchen investment of all time has been my Kitchen Aid. I bought it as a housewarming present to myself, when I moved into my first flat, aged 22. I still have it and use it almost daily. I’ve also since invested in a second larger one too, for when I’m making lots of cakes all in one go. No regrets there, either.

13. Pre-sifted flour is a gift from the baking gods. Make good use of it.

14. Ready-rolled pastry (puff and shortcrust) is another welcome gift from the baking gods.

15. If you are, however, making your own pastry from scratch, the only recipe you’ll ever need is this one from Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion: 270g plain flour; 200g cold butter; 60ml ice cold water. Blitz the flour and the butter together in a food processor; add the water and keep blitzing until a dough forms; shape into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 mins, before rolling out to use.

16. If you’re looking for good gluten free pudding options, then meringue is your friend. Everyone loves meringue, and it doesn’t feel or taste like a lesser gluten-free substitute: it just is generally fabulous. See above (points 9, 10 and 11) for tips to guarantee you perfect meringue every single time; and it you want to make a pudding that is still gluten-free but feels more cake-like then bake three flat tiers of meringue (roughly the shape and size of a cake tin) and layer them up with whipped cream and fruit (or chocolate or whatever you fancy), a bit like this.

    

17. Digital scales really are the way forward. I know the old-fashioned scales are much prettier (I’ve been there), but these are nice and small, pack away easily, and are always precise to the very gram.

18. If you’re looking for a way to zhuzh up more humble baked goods, such as cookies or brownies or the like, then add a little shimmer with a spot of edible gold leaf (which you can buy easily here). So easy to do, so very effective looking

19. And if you’re looking to zhuzh up a cake, then dress it up with fresh flowers and/or sprinkles.

    

20. Treat cookbooks like notebooks: scribble away in there; then next time you turn to that recipe you’ll have all your tweaks/twists/revised quantities right there for your reference.

21. Drape a slightly damp tea towel over your freestanding mixer to stop icing sugar from flying everywhere when you’re making frosting. Start on a low-ish speed to allow the powdered sugar to incorporate nicely with the butter, then power up the speed for super light and fluffy icing.

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22. If in doubt, there’s always Nigella Lawson’t Chocolate Guinness Cake. This is the perfect cake for all occasions.

23. If you’re in hurry then bake cupcakes instead of a single, larger cake: these are ready to come out of the oven within 10-15 minutes.

    

24. And if you’re in a real mad hurry, then buy ready-made fairy cakes (like these), and add your own icing (shop-bought icing is dire, sorry, there’s no wiggle room there). Then decorate each one with an edible flower, the aforementioned sprinkles or a Marashino cherry. I’ve done this before when I’ve been in a pinch - for school bake sales and the like - and it works a treat.

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25. Pop your cake tin onto a baking tray before you put it in the oven: this helps catch any spillage as it bakes, and saves you having to clean THE WHOLE OVEN.

26. Use garden secateurs to cut cake dowels. This works so very much better than using scissors.

27. If you’re baking in a temperamental oven and/or an oven that is new to you, then it’s well worth investing in an oven thermometer - just so you know where you actually stand.

28. Take comfort in knowledge of the fact that most baking sins and mishaps can be well masked with a healthy does of icing sugar or patched over with more buttercream.

29. You can use a dried strand of spaghetti in place of a knife to test if your cake is done: the recipe will tell you to use a knife (I will always tell you to use a knife), but a spaghetti strand is much better because it’s super fine and will leave almost no trace on the cake’s surface when you pull it out. You could also use a toothpick, although I find that fiddlier. To be fair, if you’re going to slather the cake in frosting, none of this matters all too much; but if the cake is going naked, then it’s nice for it not to be pockmarked from where you’ve stabbed at it repeatedly with a knife.

30. If you’re going to bake regularly, it’s worth investing in more than one rubber spatula and at least two bowls for your freestanding mixer (so you can do egg whites in one and yolks in the other). This means that you’re not constantly washing up. And if you make a lot of cakes, you might want to think about multiple cake tins and baking trays.

I’m not one for gadgets generally, I’ll be honest: we don’t tend to get on. Photo above is just about as gadget-y as I like to get. Hello hair net; hello glossy (non-digital) magazine.

That said! I do have a few (six to be precise) beauty gadgets that I absolutely swear by for the glowier, glossier and generally healthier version of me, and all of which I wouldn’t - at this point - live without.

Here goes…

LED Red Light Therapy Face Mask

I know I’m late to the party with the whole red light therapy extravaganza, but I’ve been using my LED mask daily (just 8-10 minutes) since the start of the new year and I’ve genuinely seen such a tangible difference in my skin. My ongoing greatest skin bugbear is rosacea and, I swear, using the mask has eased the inflammation significantly to the point now where my cheeks now feel rosy pink rather than the angry, splodgy red they once upon a time were. I also feel that my skin tone is more even and has a natural healthy glow to it, which it never did before. Key to it all is actually doing the mask consistently and every day, so it’s important to find a way of making the process an easy (and ideally enjoyable) part of your daily routine. I do mine as soon as I wake up. I set my alarm for 10 minutes before I actually need to get up and then I lie in bed, pop my mask on and enjoy those 8-10 minutes of relaxing limbo where I’m neither sleeping nor quite awake; it almost feels like a spa treatment. When the red lights switch off, I get up, brush my teeth and set about my morning routine. Recently, I’ve also started using the mask while lying on my yoga mat with a yoga brick between my shoulder blades and my arms wide open: a nice back/shoulder stretch (mine are so tight) and a face mask all at the same time. On the days when I do that, I really do feel like I’ve over-achieved before breakfast and it’s such a nice feeling.

Such a convert am I to the red mask light therapy that I’m now the proud owner of two masks (!): I have this one which my mother gave me for Christmas and which started me off on the whole journey. I like it because it comes with three simple settings: there’s the short one (more of a top up and all of 4 minutes), the medium one (6 minutes targeted at fine lines and general skin glow) and the longest one (8 minutes for general glow and to ease redness and skin irritation). It also comes with cooling patches to de-puff your under-eye area, which feel wonderfully relaxing, as well as giving visible de-puffing results. On the downside, however, it’s a rigid mask which can sometimes feel uncomfortable to wear (most especially when I’m doing the yoga stretch/mask combo) and has a tendency to leave red marks on my face (they do fade, but still); the motor makes quite a loud noise when you have the eye-cooling setting on, which doesn’t feel overly ‘spa-like’; and crucially it’s big and bulky to travel with.

All of which is why I’ve ended up investing in this mask too: The Current Body Red Light Therapy Mask is super comfy on the face; it’s made out of a bendy silicone and packs down to practically nothing, so great for travel; it’s silent (hooray!); has the one 10 minute red light setting; and after much research into the matter (I really have gone down a deep LED light therapy rabbit hole), I’m comforted that it emits a very high quality and high power light (Current Body use this technology where they test each tiny lightbulb individually to check that it works to maximum efficiency).

ZIIP HALO 2.0

I was influenced into buying a ZIIP by Farrah Storr, whose newsletter I read religiously and whose advice I follow to the letter. It’s a funny-looking little machine (looks a little like an oversized kidney bean) that emits a microcurrent which performs all sorts of miracles on your skin from tightening to improving texture, lifting, plumping and even magicking away spots. I’ll admit that where I have been especially diligent using my light mask, I’ve been somewhat more erratic with the ZIIP. I tend to dip in and dip out; but I will say that when I do use it, I see an immediate improvement in the look of my face (everything just looks a little tighter and more ‘snatched’) and my goal for the summer is to get back into using my ZIIP with the regularity that it deserves. The machine comes with an app which gives you tutorials and programmes so you can do all sorts of things with the machine from working to make your cheekbones seem more pronounced to giving your skin a more even texture - and while it all sounds a bit hocus pocus and, depending on the programme/treatment you’re focused on some of the results are rather more subtle than others, overwhelmingly it works. My favourite trick (for shoots and days when I’m feeling especially vain) is the lip plumping programme which is a few minutes of hovering your ZIIP over your lips and leaves you looking model pouty. I’ve always had quite thin lips, so this particular setting feels nothing short of miraculous.

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Fm150 Physio Line Leg Massager

I bought these circulation stimulating booties for my husband years ago and have ended up monopolising them entirely for myself: I’m a woman obsessed. I LOVE THEM. You strap the booties round your feet and calves (they actually do ones that go all the way up the legs too, if you want to fully commit), plug them in and the air pressure firmly massages your feet and legs. It’s so relaxing; but beyond that it also really helps ease puffy ankles/feet/calves after a long flight or after a day on your feet or on hot days, like now, when I find that my feet and ankles swell up horribly. The great hack I discovered with these, however, is to use them after a night out (or day out) in heels; you know, when you get home and your feet are literally just killing you, to the point where you swear you’ll only ever wearing orthopedic shoes ever again. I promise you: if that’s what you’re feeling, this is the miracle cure you’re looking for.

Dyson Airwrap Multi-styler and Dryer

If like me, you can’t blow dry your hair to save your life, then this is a real game changer. It’s a sort of hair-dryer and curling iron all in one, but also idiot-proof to use (hello!) and very kind to your hair (something about the way the hot air flows that significantly reduces damage versus more traditional heat tools). There are all sorts of tutorials online that will give you sophisticated guidance on how to get the very most out of your device (like these ones here) and there are all sorts of clever things that you can do with the various attachments, but I basically use it as a regular hairdryer and then as a curling iron. I use the larger head to rough blow dry my hair until it’s 90-95% dry (I do this by tipping my head upside down and just going at it with the dryer - this is quick and easy to do and gives me a decent amount of volume); then I style my hair in curls using the barrel attachment. The barrel attachment works (quite literally) like magic: you hold out a section of hair, then wave the barrel wand near it, and the hair just loops itself around the device. That’s it. Like I said: magic. I then hold the Airwrap on the hot setting for a few second until my hair too feels hot, then blast it with cold hair for 10 seconds or so until my hair feels cool (this helps set the curl so it holds well). Once I’ve done my whole head, I use a hair spray (I like this one) for extra hold; and, while I’ve not quite yet mastered a full salon worthy blow-dry I would genuinely say that I’m a good 80-90% of the way there.

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Oura Ring

I know the world divides on Oura Rings and their kind, and I genuinely do appreciate the argument that all that data tracking doesn’t actually make you healthier, except that for me, it sort of does. I’m obsessive about my step count, for example, and keeping track of my steps does prompt me to walk more. It shouldn’t but it does. Another thing I love about my Oura Ring is the sleep tracking: I do find that I make more of an effort to prioritise sleep now that I think about it as a tangible metric; unsurprisingly perhaps, and as a direct consequence, I feel all-round better for it. The Oura Ring can also do all sorts of clever things around tracking your cycle and so forth which, I’ll admit, I haven’t yet got into - not because it wouldn’t be a good thing to do, but because, like I said, I’m a luddite and just haven’t got my head around it yet. One day, I will. There are of course other alternatives for tracking your steps, heart rate and general wellbeing bits and bobs (not least a Whoop bracelet or an Apple watch) but I like the Oura Ring because it’s comparatively discreet looking - and if you squint you can almost convince yourself it’s a plain gold band.

Higherdose Red Light Hat

I’m completely and utterly obsessed with this red light hat. My friend Ashley recommended it a while back, and given that she’s my ultimate authority on all latest wellness and beauty trends and it had been bothering me for a while that my hair just doesn’t feel as thick and generally healthy as it used to, I obviously went straight out and bought myself one. I’ve not looked back. I’ve worn the hat every day religiously for the past three months (just 10 minutes - though the temptation is to keep on wearing it long beyond the recommended time is strong); and I swear that my hair is so much happier than it ever has been. It feels softer; it’s growing longer; and I have a flurry of baby hairs at my hairline (a telltale sign of new growth). I went for a blow dry a couple of weeks ago; I hadn’t been into the salon in a while (see aforementioned Dyson Airwrap) and even my hairdresser commented on how much thicker my hair feels - and that was without any prompting from me (!). The trick, as with so many of these gadgets, is that you do need to use the cap consistently; but I find that’s easy enough to do. I usually pop the hat on first thing in the morning while I’m making myself a cup of tea and getting the boys their breakfast. The nice thing about this particular gadget is that it looks like a hat (versus other red light devices that look like you’re wearing a space helmet, like this one): once the cap is on, you can’t see the red light, so it just looks like you’re wearing a regular navy cap, and you could plausibly wear it out and about should you need to (I’ve been known, for example, to wear my hat while milling around at Heathrow airport at the crack of dawn, on my way to catch a criminally early flight). The battery lasts for what feels like forever and it’s easily portable to travel with - which is another plus. If you would like glossier, stronger hair, than I genuinely can’t recommend this strongly enough.

Anyway, having never been to Vienna before(ish), I was lucky enough to visit two weekends in a row: first, for a trip with girlfriends (we went to see Dita Von Teese perform on her latest European tour - fabulous); and then again for work, as a guest of the Sacher Hotel to celebrate their 150 year anniversary. That old mantra about buses never coming along until three pop up in one go comes to mind; but my goodness, I’ve fallen head over heels for Vienna. What a city! The architecture is insanely grand: think glorious wide boulevards, ornate cornicing and extravagantly tall ceilings EVERYWHERE; the food is just the kind of food I love to eat: schnitzel and white asparagus and buttery crepes laced with apricot compote; and the shopping is to die for. As city-break destinations go, I can’t help feel that it’s everything that’s good about Paris (great architecture, great food), but with fewer tourists; and obviously in Austria not France, but you get the general gist of what I mean. I long to go back: I’m already planning another visit for next year.

I’ve put together a list of my favourite spots from my recent trips. This is by no means a comprehensive guide to Vienna, but hot tips on where to eat, where to shop, what to see, and (crucially) where to go for glamorous evening cocktails.

The Spanish Riding School

There is so much by way of culture and museums to visit in Vienna (The MAK! The Klimts at the Belvedere Palace! The Sisi Museum! Seccession!), that I didn’t even manage to touch the sides. One thing that I enjoyed hugely, though, was a visit to the Spanish Riding School, which was built in the early 18th century for the emperor and still operates now as a classical dressage school for the training of Lipizzaner horses (I don’t know much about horses, but these are very special ones with the very fine grey/white coats). I didn’t manage to see the horses perform as I wasn’t organised enough to book tickets (you can do that here), but you can still visit the riding school as you would a museum, and it is utterly spectacular: sky-high high ceilings with dangling crystal chandeliers, on a scale that feels straight out of the pages of a fairy-tale. The best bit, though, is seeing the horses in their impossibly chic stables. Something very special indeed.

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The Flea Market at Am Hof

We stumbled upon this charming little flea market while ambling around the city centre. Flea markets are always a little hit and miss, so it’s hard to make a recommendation, most especially after only the one visit. That said, this was packed with quirky antiques, ceramics, glassware, vintage jewellery and other bits and bobs. I found a vintage (60s, I think) black leather handbag which was giving me Prada vibes, that I snapped up for 40 euros, and have worn countless times since. So, I would definitely go back. Plus the market setting, in a pretty square at the foot of the Marian Column (erected in 1647), is utterly charming; and well worth a visit for that alone. The market is open all day Friday and Saturday, in March through November.

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The Sacher Hotel

So often famous grand old hotels disappoint; but the Sacher really doesn’t. The interiors are magnificent: old-world opulence and grandeur, with a joyful dash of the Wes Anderson. The hotel is family run (a precious rarity in a world where most luxury hotels are now part of corporate chains) and you can feel that personal touch in every last little detail, from the warm and friendly service to the bubble bath in the bathrooms. Even the beds are made up with two individual large single duvets rather than the one double duvet, so that each bedfellow can regulate how much by way of blanket they would like to sleep with. I always feel that the mark of a good hotel is the quality of its breakfast, and breakfast at the Sacher is the stuff of dreams: think chocolate and salted caramel loaf cake, Sacher torte (of course) and an array of exquisite pastries in addition to your traditional staples. Best of all is the miniature children’s buffet cart which serves miniature yogurt pots and teddy bear shaped brioche buns.

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Speaking of summer and because I have a soft spot for all things fruity, here is a little tutti frutti inspiration for you, including my dream sandals, the jazziest vintage-inspired ice bucket, and a zesty Chloe clutch that will go with everything…

As a starting point, these sunglasses for instant glamour and fabulousness on a bright summer’s day.

And also, potentially, these shoes with the cute little cherries and the watermelon detail. LOVE.

How sweet is this little lemon candle? It looks so convincing and so very much like an actual lemon. Quite fun to do a long table setting, where you mix in real lemons with a handful of the lemon candles, and scatter them all down the middle of the table. Low effort and very high visual impact.

I’m in love with this fruit salad necklace: it’s so fun and joyful. Think: an airy slip dress (like this lime green one), accessorised with nothing but a pair of capri style sandals and the necklace.

For the oenophiles out there, let’s take a moment for these grape heels.

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And there’s a grape clutch to match. Just saying.

I’ve been obsessing over these glass cocktail stirrers for a while now. They’re hand blown glass, and each one is a thing of beauty. Instant up-chic for your summer Negroni.

My favourite lemony-jug, ideal for your lemonade (because who doesn’t love playing with a theme); but also great for simply serving iced water and making it feel like a special drink. Here’s a bold idea: you could even throw a few slices of lemon in there too.

And while we’re talking cocktail moments, I’ve been collecting vintage fruit-shaped ice buckets (largely from the 60s, 70s and early 80s) for a while now. I have a strawberry, a pineapple, an apple and a peach, but don’t yet have a pear. This vintage-inspired one from Matilda Goad might just be what I need.

Ice cream served in these super cute apple & pear coupes = instantly fabulous (and very low effort) dessert. If you wanted to zhuzh things up a little more, you could drizzle a dash of warm chocolate and caramel sauce and top a maraschino cherry. To make the sauce, melt 1 Mars bar, chopped up in smallish pieces, with 4 tbsp double cream in a small saucepan over a gentle heat. Who doesn’t love an ice cream sundae?!

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How cute are these cherry earrings?!

Or for a more affordable alternative, these ones are very sweet also.

This orange keepsake box looks so convincingly like a real orange, you could happily hide precious things inside it and no one would ever know.

There is something innately chic about presenting matchsticks in their own little holder. Also, as a side-note, a great way of zhuzhing up matches that don’t come in a fancy box.

Hand cream, but make it tutti frutti! This is such a sweet little present for anyone with a sense of humour. It’s practical too: each of the hand creams is highly portable so you can pop it into your handbag and carry around with you.

Never met a cherry something I didn’t love. These summer denim shorts are no exception. Pair with a classic white t-shirt for a simple chic summer look that is still a little bit on the playful side. If you really wanted to push the boat out, you could add an Audrey Hepburn-esque straw hat (like this one) into the mix too.

My feet, sadly, are so gnarly and bunioned these days that I don’t think I can quite carry off a thong sandal, but otherwise I would buy these ones in a heartbeat.

Going bananas with the cushions here.

This tutti frutti saucière will forever have my heart: it’s always a nice little pop of colour on the table, and I use mine for everything from serving gravy with a roast, to double cream with strawberries. Because yes, we’re entering strawberry season. Like I said, I’ve got a feeling that good things are really starting to happen now.

This silk ensemble is nothing if not tutti-frutti-tastic. Slip over a swimsuit for instant poolside glamour, but also dress with an elegant shoe for evening wear.

As much as I adore the novelty value of this lime clutch (I mean: it’s a clutch bag but it looks like a wedge of lime!!), what I really, really love is the colour: that perfect shade of green that goes with absolutely everything.

April was a whirlwind for me: Venice-London-Vienna-London-Vienna-London-Venice. As I type it out, I see there’s quite a nice visual symmetry to that itinerary.

Here are some highlights from the last month: books I loved reading, shows I loved watching; but also the concealer that has given me the gift of near-perfect looking skin, the summer sandals that are TOP of my wish list and my latest hack for not spending so much time on my phone. And other good things.

Wearing: A Maxi Skirt

Lately, a skirt (ideally maxi) plus a t-shirt, vest or nice little cardigan (or indeed a layered combination of all of the above) has been my go-to uniform. This skirt in particular, though, is a real winner: it’s made out of nylon so feels practical for all sorts of life scenarios, including travel and fearlessly facing down those Spring showers, but also has a very nice, somewhat glamorous swoosh to it, which makes you feel instantly put-together and dressed up. The drawstring waist and the nice zip detail down the front are also giving Prada/Miu Miu vibes for a fraction of the price - even more so, given that, I do believe, the skirt is currently on sale. Also comes in black. Woohoo!

Obsessed With: Merit’s Perfecting Complexion Stick

I’m completely obsessed with this concealer stick which I’ve happily been using in place of foundation. It glides on the skin so wonderfully smoothly; and gives a glowy, I’m not wearing makeup look while still offering enough coverage to cover up any blemishes, unevenness in texture and/or blotchy red patches (the bane of my very existence). I scribble it on my cheeks, chin and nose (literally as if I were drawing with a crayon), then use my fingers to smooth it out: it’s make-up for those of us who don’t know what to do with make-up (although I’m sure great for those who do know what to do with make-up too). It comes in a handy little lipstick-style stick so you can easily pop in your handbag for touch-ups throughout the day (though I’ll admit that I rarely need to actually touch-up), and even better it’s not a liquid so you can travel with it in your hand-luggage without worrying about your liquid count. All in all: a win-win.

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How Sweet Is This Bag?!

Smallest of puns intended; I just couldn’t resist. But seriously: so sweet. And a very lovely shade of pink. And the perfect size for your laptop and/or any other caboodle you might like to travel around with.

A Beautiful Little Thing: How To Look, Draw & Paint by Matthew Rice

I’m the biggest fan of Matthew Rice’s work, generally, not least his daily illustrations on Instagram, which are always so uplifting and such a source of joy; but also his witty and prettily illustrated guides to Venice, Rome and Oxford. His latest book teaches you how to draw just like him, and encourages you to pause and look at the world through a more thoughtful lens. It’s a real gem.

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A Nice Dash of Chintz: This Duvet Cover

Never met a bit of chintz I didn’t like; but this duvet and pillowcase set, with the dark green stripe contrasting detail and the charming florals, is a particularly good one. An instant bedroom uplift. I also wondered if quite nice to double duvet and fold a second single duvet dressed in this cover over the bottom of the bed like an eiderdown.

On My Wish List: Summer Sandals

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I’m doing a big spring clean/clear-out at the moment which involves going through everything in the house and deciding whether it sparks joy in me - or not so much. Let’s say, it’s a slow process.

As I was ploughing through piles of unpaid (or possibly paid, who knows at this point?) invoices and other distinctly un-joyful paperwork, I unearthed a big old box full of photos from many chapters of my life - including all the photos from my 40th birthday party in Venice a couple of years ago. So I pressed pause on the administrative sorting and indulged in a little jaunt down memory lane.

I wrote about the birthday weekend a while back here, but thought it could be fun to look at the party again in a little more detail and share a few practical how-to-ish sorts of details. We had the dinner catered but didn’t work with an events organiser or a florist: I decorated the tables and set everything up myself (with the help of a couple of very good friends) - which ended up being so much fun and significant less costly than outsourcing.

The theme was ‘Black and White’ and the dress code was ‘Black Tie(ish)’. Here are my top tips.

Create a mood board

You don’t strictly need a mood board but it helps set the tone and feel for your event, and I find that it really helps to focus your mind creatively: the idea of the mood board is not that you slavishly replicate what’s on it, more that you take ideas and loose inspiration.

My inspiration was, in large part, Truman Capote’s infamous Black and White Ball at The Plaza in NYC in 1966 - testament to the fact that everyone instantly looks glamorous when dressed in black and/or white.

But I also loved the black and white images, captured by Cecil Beaton, of Le Grand Bal du Siècle (the party of the century) at Palazzo Labia in Venice in 1951: I wasn’t so much trying to replicate the theme as evoke an extravagant mood for the tables.

Choose an ‘easy’ theme

I love a theme for a party, but I’m also conscious that not everyone else does: as much as I love to dress up in costume, for many the very idea of it is tantamount to Dante’s ninth circle of hell. Above all, you want your guests to feel comfortable: this is crucial. ‘Black and White’, however, is a great catch-all theme: it sets a visual tone for the event, and guests can take it literally and go out and buy a full black and white ensemble just for the occasion - or worst case, most people will have a little black dress hiding in their wardrobe somewhere that they’re more than happy to wear. If you wanted to go a little extra, you could take a page from Capote’s book and add masks into the mix.

Think creatively about the table decorations

Taking inspiration from the opulence of Le Grand Bal, I used fruits instead of flowers to decorate the table. There are practical considerations for this also: fruit (from our local supermarket) is considerably less costly than flowers and, in the heat of the summer, it lasts longer - so we were able to set the table up the day before and not be rushed doing it all at the last minute on the actual day of the party. I spray painted all the fruit with white paint, in keeping with the theme and it gave the table a really lovely, picturesque tone. This trick works best with fruits that have graphic shapes (think: bananas, pineapples, lemons, apples and so forth) and hard skins so they don’t bruise (or rot) so easily: I wouldn’t try it with strawberries or blackberries for example, though they might well be fine. It goes without saying that you can apply the same technique to any colour you like, depending on the mood and theme of the evening: gold for New Year’s Eve or a golden anniversary for example, silver, you name it and you can spray paint it…

Once you’ve got your fruit just pile it down the table: I used a few glass cake stands here and there to create a little extra height and drama, and simply filled the space down the centre of the long table.

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Candles = Instant Glamour

One of my favourite life hacks is candlelight: it creates instant drama and adds a decorative twinkle to the table; but also everyone and everything looks more glamorous by candlelight. You simply cannot have too many candles. We went for a mix of heights along the table to create a greater sense of interest and movement: We used a mix of clear glass candlesticks like these which just melt away into the table scene and vintage silver candlesticks (something like these), which while not strictly either black or white also sort of just morph into the background. Alongside the taller, more elegant taper candles it’s nice to mix in some clear hurricane lamps, like these, as well.

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Be playful with the place cards

You could of course just write guests’ names on little white cards and dot them down the table, but it’s fun to do something a little special. I bought white paper fans (like these but you could also go with something like these, if you prefer) and my friend Alice hand wrote each guest’s name on it in swirly black calligraphy. We then tied a black grosgrain bow on to each fan just to make a it a little fancier. It ended up being super hot on the night, so the fans doubled as air conditioning.

Make a keepsake menu

I love to keep all my menus: I frame them and then hang them on the wall, little mementos of happiest memories. My brilliant friend, Alice, designed these menus, which she wrote out in a heart shape.

It’s a super simple trick, if you’re handy with these sorts of things that is (which - incidentally - I’m not, but for those of you who are): draw a heart in light pencil on white card, then use that as the guide for your text. Once you’ve written the text out, then you just rub out the pencil. Et voilà!

For the actual menu itself we chose our favourite foods: vitello tonnato to start, followed by saffron risotto and tiramisù. Pretty much what I would chose to eat for my last supper.

And if in doubt, remember that everything looks fabulous on a silver tray

After dinner, we served mimi Magnums on silver trays. It’s one of the great laws of the universe that everything looks good on a silver tray (like this one or this slightly larger one). Such a simple trick, and yet so effective. Everyone went wild for the little ice creams and it ended up being one of the more memorable moments of the night.

To be fair, it’s not quite as bad as it sounds: it’s not like I had been lounging in bed all morning eating bonbons (I mean: how nice?!); I had been up and about, cooking. And I do like to cook in my pyjamas: they’re comfy, not so precious that I mind getting a splash of oil here or a bit of flour there.

The real problem, though, was that the kitchen was in a state: this may not really come as a surprise to you now that I’ve confessed to being the sort of person who actually enjoys cooking in her pyjamas, but I do think that it did come somewhat as a surprise to Milli when she walked in, armed with her bucketloads of daffodils and and wildflowers, and ready to go. I think there was a bit of a ‘crikey, how is this one going to pan out?!’ moment. Milli is a trooper though; and she held her nerve.

You see, between you and I (and now, Milli too), I’m a really messy cook. As in: really messy. I do go through phases of trying to be better, to be the sort of person who washes up as they go; but inevitably after the initial novelty wears off, I gravitate back to my wayward ways, to my natural state of being which is pretty much: make all the mess now and then do all the tidying after. It’s an imperfect system, but it does sort of work: it suits my all-or-nothing personality where I focus best when I’m focusing on a single task at any one time. It does, however - and I’ll happily admit this - look bad when you walk in halfway through. How does the saying go? You need to break a few eggs to make an omelette?

Many (metaphorical) eggs were shattered in the making of lunch for Milli and the twenty odd other guests.

Anyhoo - spoiler alert - it all worked out ok and ended up looking something like this:

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Everyone (I think) had a lovely time.

I greeted guests dressed like this and not in my pyjamas (hoorah):

By-the-by, a hot tip for emergency I-haven’t-had-time to wash my hair: put it up in braids like this.

All in all and pyjama-gate aside, it was the loveliest lunch, though; and it was genuinely such a privilege to celebrate Milli and this latest great achievement of hers.

Here are a few notes on what we did with the table and what I cooked for lunch…

The Table

We do have a big dining table in our kitchen, but it’s not quite big enough to seat 22, so I added a trestle table alongside our actual kitchen table to stretch out the length. Then, I just covered the whole thing with a big tablecloth so it looks like the one big table. I gotta say: I do love a trestle table.

I used a length of green stripe-y linen instead of an actual proper tablecloth. This is quite a good life hack for changing things up, and is significantly less costly than investing in many different tablecloths: you don’t even need to hem the fabric if you don’t want to (I never bother), just cut it to the right length and drape. If needed, you can also use two pieces of fabric and layer them up to get the right width and/or length - this is what caterers often do with their white tablecloths to get them the right size and shape for larger and/or oddly shaped tables.

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Hello, you! Here’s what I’ve been loving lately…

On My Wishlist: A Red Raffia Bag

I always have a soft spot for a good bucket bag: it’s just such a pleasing shape of bag. Surprisingly capacious, and yet still feels elegant enough to double as an evening bag. So useful and versatile as well as pretty: let’s think of it as the every-occasion bag. This one from Sézane has my heart with the crocheted floral detail (feminine without being overly chintzy) and I especially love it in red - which is just that little dash of colour that makes even the simplest and most causal of outfits pop. Though, that said, they also seem to make the same bag in a neutral shade of raffia too, which does have its own understated charm...

Also On My Wishlist: Another Raffia Bag

Yes, Sézane are really winning with the raffia bags right now. And yes, I am a woman obsessed. But, seriously: how cute is this one?! With the little embroidered pink roses. I feel like it will be a dream beach bag for when the time comes for beach-going (please, Lord, let that be soon); but also it’s a very nice size for ferrying my laptop and other caboodle around town in the meantime. Let’s call it a beach bag and a city bag. Again, so versatile. I’m all about the multi-use purchase, as it does wonders for my cost-per-wear tally.

Wearing: The Perfect Green Jumper

I became obsessed with finding the perfect green jumper after falling in love with something almost identical to this (Uniqlo) one on the Prada A/W 2026 runway. It’s the perfect shade of green for inter-season dressing: reads summery when paired with the right bits (e.g. a crisp white t-shirt, cotton skirt, and aforementioned green jumper tied casually over the shoulders); but can also feel winter-y (see aforementioned Prada runway reference and think tights + black pencil skirt + forest green jumper and a nice coat or jacket on top) so really ideal all-round. And as a side-note, a special word of thanks to my friend Jenny, who pointed me in the direction of the Uniqlo merino wool jumper situation which really is a goldmine of light, nicely-fitting jumpers in pretty much all the colours you could possibly wish for. Thank you, Jenny.

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Travelling To: Loch Ness

I had never been to Loch Ness before and, my goodness, I was blown away by how magnificent the landscape is there. I was staying with friends at Aldourie Castle, which is like something out of a fairy tale: spectacular interiors (the perfect blend of spoiling and grand, but also wonderfully cosy) designed by Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle (the duo behind Jamb London); majestic views; a lovely sauna hut in the surrounding woodland; prettiest gardens; and unbelievably good food, which I’ll admit took me by surprise but - seriously - we ate so well while we were there (the pancakes at breakfast and the barbecued local lobster were particular highlights). The castle is available to rent by the night for larger groups (it’s 15 odd rooms) or they have smaller cottages for anything from 4 to 8 guests on the same estate. I long to go back.

Obsessed With: The New Gucci Westman Hydrobalm

I’m not one to typically get excited about a lip balm, but the new Westman Atelier one is something pretty special. So here we are and, I’ll admit, I’m excited. It sits somewhere between a very nice, highly moisturising lip balm and pretty much the perfect lipstick. My complete obsession is the shade ‘Ballerine’ (love the name and the colour), which is just a half shade darker than my natural lip colour, so it looks like I’m not wearing any make up at all but gives me more pronounced, fuller and generally glossier lips. And for the cherry on top of the cake: because, while it might look like a lipstick but in fact is actually a moisturiser, you can wear it to bed which somehow feels all very sophisticated and like the sort of thing Marilyn Monroe might do (I have no idea, by the way, whether this is the sort of thing that Marilyn Monroe did do, but I like to think that she did). When you wake up in the morning, your lips will be looking better (and feeling happier) than ever.

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This little fellow from Birley Bakery, one of my all-time most favourite chocolate shops, is PDC (pretty damn cute) and - I do not doubt - tastes pretty damn good too

Also, this little clutch of chocolate chicks, resting on a delectable-sounding slab of milk chocolate peppered with salted roasted corn kernels. Too more-ish for words.

Chocolate and honeycomb is pretty much a match made in heaven. Plus this golden egg comes in a very elegant box, which is always a win. I’m not going to lie: I do love a good gift box.

When Prada does eggs. The pink one (white chocolate and raspberry) at the end has my heart…

I love how realistic this little nest of sugar coated eggs looks and feels

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And how beautiful are these? Exquisitely hand-painted confections: if Fabergé made chocolate eggs…

I’ve never been one to say no to pistachio and white chocolate - in any incarnation. This particular combination, with the whole nuts and the dried rose petals from Fortnum and Mason, looks especially good.

And while we’re running with a white chocolate theme, how sweet is this little guy? Albeit, possibly too sweet to actually eat.

For all the Peter Rabbit fans out there…

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Because sometimes classic is best: a dark chocolate egg filled with dark chocolate truffles from British chocolatier, Charbonnel and Walker

These are cute. And filled with a creamy vanilla ganache to boot. Sort of like a Cadbury’s Creme Egg, but fancier.

This ‘boiled’ chocolate egg even comes with its own cup and spoon.

Ok, so it’s a chocolate egg but it’s also tiramisù. So many very good things all at once. My mind is blown (in the very best way possible).

For all of you out there who (like me) would choose croissants over eggs for breakfast every single time…

SO. VERY. PRETTY. I’m obsessed with the little sugar flowers adorning this deliciously old-fashioned chocolate egg.

Mini chocolate eggs, but make them champagne truffles.

If you love a Bounty Bar, then you’re going to go wild for this coconut-y chocolate egg

And for all the strawberry lovers (and vegans) out there…

Otherwise, if chocolate really isn’t your thing, there are always biscuits…

So, folks, the big question is: what do we do with all this fabulous rhubarb that’s flying around right now? It’s a tricky one because we do love rhubarb, and ‘tis the season, so we want to make hay while the sun shines and all that; but you can’t just pick rhubarb up and eat it as you would an apple or a punnet of strawberries, say; you need to cook it. There’s a modicum of effort involved. A modicum, I hasten to insist; but - strictly speaking - effort nonetheless.

I like to roast my rhubarb, in part because it’s such a simple way of doing things: bang your rhubarb in the oven with a little sugar for 10 minutes or so and you’re done. Then then when it comes out it’s just so perfect: the stems hold their shape so nicely, all glossy and pink, tender enough to melt in your mouth but with a lovely firm texture to them; there’s that lovely rose pink syrup in the bottom of the roasting tray, an ambrosial mix of the fuchsia rhubarb juices and dissolved sugar. It’s moments like these, the hello-there-rhubarb-moment, when you feel like you haven’t really done much at all, but somehow you’ve made something that looks and tastes so very, very good, that are why I love to cook, and why I love how cooking makes me feel.

To roast your rhubarb this is what you do: chop the stems up into pieces (typically I go for 2.5-4cm long pieces, though it doesn’t matter all too much how big they are) and arrange snugly in a roasting tray; sprinkle over some caster sugar (as much or as little as you like, depending on how sweet or sour you want your rhubarb to be - but as a guide I use 3 heaped tbsp caster sugar to 200g rhubarb); cover with tin foil and set in a 200˚C oven for 10-15 minutes. Now, this is the trick: you want to catch your rhubarb at that point when it’s so tender you can slip a knife in to little or no resistance, and when all the sugar has dissolved into a rose pink syrup but before the rhubarb starts to turn mushy (unless you like it mushy, of course, in which case you can ignore me and relax significantly on the timings). I typically check in on it at 10 minutes and then keep checking: the timing will always vary a little depending on the actual heat of your oven (all ovens vary anyway), the thickness and size of the stems, and how tightly the chunks packed into the dish, the direction of the wind, the mood of the gods, and so on and so forth. It’s not something to stress about but worth just keeping an eye on.

Once you’ve got your roasted rhubarb you can eat it warm from the oven or chilled from the fridge; have it as is, or dress it up; go savoury with it, or go sweet. The world is very much your oyster. It’s the sort of cooking that doesn’t really call for a recipe and that you just can’t go wrong with. This, incidentally, is my favourite kind of cooking. Another reason why I love rhubarb.

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Here are a few ideas for you:

1. Warm roasted rhubarb served simply and as is with thick double cream, whipped cream, clotted cream, sour cream (or indeed pretty much any kind of cream you like) or yogurt. If you wanted to jazz things up further, you could add a little orange zest to the pan with the rhubarb as it cooks, or a vanilla pod, or some grated ginger root or even a grinding of black pepper for an extra bit of fire. SUCH a simple pudding, but also so genuinely very hard to improve upon.
   

2. In a similar vein, Ottolenghi has a very nice recipe for roasted rhubarb with labneh, which you could sprinkle, as he does, with a few chopped pistachios; but would also be very nice with toasted almonds, or - better still - with some coarsely chopped caramelised honey almonds (which you can buy here, for example).
   

3. Roasted rhubarb (ideally served chilled and swimming in its hot pink syrupy juices) with vanilla ice cream. Here, incidentally, is a trusty recipe for no-churn vanilla ice cream, should you want to make your own; but otherwise shop-bought is just dandy. And should you want to take things one step further, then you could do an ice cream sundae: scoops of vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet and/or pistachio ice cream in a tall coupe (or glass), topped with roasted rhubarb (all the pink syrup dripping down into the ice cream) and whipped cream. A maraschino cherry (or two) to finish things off, perhaps a smattering of toasted flaked almonds (or aforementioned caramelised almonds, coarsely chopped) - and should you want to poke either a chocolate flake or a wafer in there too, it would by no means go amiss.
   

4. Roasted rhubarb semifreddo. Try making this recipe here and swap the raspberries for roasted rhubarb (or use a mix of both rhubarb and raspberries). Or try this strawberry and rhubarb ice cream cake (I’m not going to lie: I do love a good ice cream cake).
   

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5. Rhubarb with saffron and white chocolate sauce. This is the same recipe for hot white chocolate sauce infused with a dash of saffron from A Table For Friends, which I often make to pour over frozen mixed berries. It was by happy accident that I tried the sauce with a little leftover roasted rhubarb I had kicking around in my fridge, only to find that the two work exceptionally well together: the warmth and velvety sweetness of the white chocolate balances very nicely indeed with the earthy sharpness of the rhubarb; and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I find there also to be something especially pleasing about the sugary pink of the rhubarb with the buttercup yellow of the saffron infused sauce. It’s the pretty much the perfect pairing.
   
   To make the sauce (enough for 4), you’ll need: 1 scant tsp saffron strands, 100ml double cream and 130g white chocolate (finely chopped). Warm the cream in a small saucepan to the point just before it comes to the boil; when you see the tiniest bubbles begin to come to the surface at the edge of the pan, then take it off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir vigorously until completely melted, then add the saffron and stir well to combine. Either serve immediately with your rhubarb, or set to one side and gently reheat before serving.

   

6. Mackerel fillets with roasted rhubarb. This is one of my favourite recipes from A Table Full of Love and one of the most gloriously unexpected flavour combinations. I always think of rhubarb as a fruit, because most often we eat it for pudding; but in fact it’s a vegetable. Once you’ve processed that, it somehow feels less mad to be eating it with fish. I make this with those smoked mackerel fillets which you buy pre-cooked and vacuum packed, then I just wrap the fillets in tin foil with a lump of butter and a squeeze of lemon (for extra flavour) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or so, just long enough to warm the fish through and melt the butter; then serve with the rhubarb, while (ideally) still warm. And there you have it: a 15 minute meal. But even better because: pink!! If you wanted to, you could work the same flavour combination into some kind of salad, a zhuzhed up Niçoise, as it were: crumble the mackerel fillets (as is, no need to heat them up) into a big bowl with some crisp leaves and the rhubarb, then dress with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt flakes. If you wanted to make even more of it, you could add in some toasted croutons and/or chunks of cooked beetroot (again vacuum packed is fine) and/or a handful of nuts. If adhering strictly to the Niçoise theme, you could toss in some boiled new potatoes and/or a few green beans.
   

7. Pork chops with roasted rhubarb. Season your chops generously on both sides; then sear in a hot, oiled pan for 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly golden all over. If cooking (or rather the prospect of under-cooking) pork makes you anxious, then use a meat thermometer to check it’s cooked through: when the chops reach an internal temperature of 63˚C you’re good to go. Serve with the (ideally warm) rhubarb. Same principle applies of course to roast pork, porchetta, pork ribs, tenderloin or belly - all are absolutely excellent with rhubarb, which you can serve as a side vegetable or as a little extra, like you might an apple sauce, for example.
   

8. Rhubarb cheesecake. You could make this burnt basque cheesecake here or this classic cheesecake (love how simple this recipe is) or, frankly, whatever kind of cheesecake you like, and then top with your rhubarb for an extra bit of pizzaz. Again if you want to do something jazzy with the flavours: you could add a little orange zest to either the cheese-y, creamy part of your cheesecake or to your rhubarb.
   

9. A no-bake rhubarb and mascarpone cheesecake, with a crumbly biscuit-y base and a creamy mascarpone filling. Looks something like this and tastes so good.

   

   Here’s the recipe in full for you and serves 8-10:

   FOR THE BASE
   220g salted butter
   370g digestive biscuits
   70g caster sugar
   

   FOR THE FILLING
   1 egg, separated
   80g caster sugar
   500g mascarpone, at room temperature
   500g roasted rhubarb
   

   Start by making the base: gently melt the butter in a small saucepan; then blitz the biscuits in a food processor until you have something that resembles the consistency of sand. Add the melted butter and the sugar and blitz again to combine. Press the biscuit crumble into a 23cm tart tin (with a removable bottom), covering the bottom of the tin as evenly as you can and bringing the biscuit base up the sides. Set in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden, then remove the tart from its tin, set on its serving dish and pop in the fridge while you make your filling. For the filling: whisk the egg white until stiff, adding half the sugar, one spoonful at a time and whisking all the while. In a second bowl, beat the yolk with the remaining sugar until it becomes airy and pale. Now beat the mascarpone in the with the yolk, until creamy and smooth; and lastly fold in the egg white. Spoon the mascarpone cream into the tart case and top with the roasted rhubarb. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

10. Rhubarb Pavlova. Simplest, most scrumptious thing ever. Make a meringue base: heat the oven to 140˚C and line a baking tray. Whisk 3 egg whites and 1 tsp cream of tartar until frothy, then add 150g caster sugar, one spoonful at a time, whisking all the while, until stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue on to the lined tray and spread it out evenly into a disc (roughly 9-10 inch in diameter). Bake in the oven for 1 hour, then switch off the oven (without opening the door) and leave the meringue in the ere for a further hour. Top your meringue base with 450ml softly whipped double cream and 500g roasted rhubarb. Et voilà: heaven on a plate. You can also easily make a version of this as something that sits somewhere between a pavlova and cake, what I affectionately like to call a Cloud Cake, because it’s so airy and ambrosially light. To make this, double the ingredient quantities above and bake three circular meringue discs instead of just the one; then tower the discs up, layering them with whipped cream and roasted rhubarb. You could jazz things up further by adding some syrupy sour Amarena cherries in there, or even a handful of jammy raspberries which, while not quite strictly speaking in season yet (sometimes in life we need to fudge things), do work very nicely with rhubarb.

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11. Rhubarb Eton Mess. Same principle as the pavlova: meringue, whipped cream and sherbet-y sweet rhubarb, but all crumbled together in one glorious mess. You’ll want a nice trifle dish or glass bowl for this - the mess tastes just as good in a regular bowl but just looks so very nice in a glass vessel where you can see the fabulous pink swirls of rhubarb syrup and the textured whites of the cream and meringue. The bonus of a mess versus a Pavolva is that it works well even when your meringues don’t turn out of the oven quite as you had hoped they might (happens to us all sometimes) and you can also make it with those pre-made meringues you can buy at the supermarket (quite a good life hack, that one). You can also do Eton Mess in smaller quantities by making individual portions, assembled in single tall glasses. So, win win really. As to quantities, I make it up as I go based on the size of my dish and/or glass and how many people I’m feeding: but you actually just can’t go wrong. More cream, more meringue, pretty much whichever way you look at it, it’s going to be good.
    

12. Rhubarb, Beetroot and Lentil Salad. This is another one I kind of make up as I go along, but broadly you want a bag (or two, depends how many you’re feeding) of those pre-cooked Puy lentils (it goes without saying that you can cook your own lentils, but for ease I love the pre-cooked ones); season generously with olive oil and a little salt; then toss with chunks of cooked beetroot (the kind that comes vacuum packed, or better still those little salad beetroots that have a nice, slightly vinegar-y hint about them) and chunks of cooked rhubarb. Et voilà: you’re done! You could toss some crumbled walnuts in there too; a few pomegranate seeds; some crumbled blue cheese or feta; even a few green baby spinach leaves and/or some crisp red chicory leaves, if you like. You might want some fresh herbs in there: parsley or mint or what have you. Really, you can make it whatever you want it to be, but I will say the sharpness of the rhubarb goes very nicely with the earthy texture and flavour of both the lentils and the beetroot.

I was in Milan for a day and a night, and it was a whirlwind. I had forgotten how fabulously buzzy Milan is. How chic everyone looks there - even (especially, in fact) while going about the most mundane of tasks. How incredibly good the food is. While I was there I had what I can genuinely only describe as the best hot chocolate of all time - seriously the best; I ate an excellent risotto al salto (you know, when you fry risotto like a pancake and it goes all scrumptious and crisp at the edges); and I devoured more than my fair share of pasticcini. I did more in Milan than eat, of course: I was in town to give a talk at the British School of Milan, I squeezed in some shopping (more details below) and a spot of culture too (also more details below). But I’m not going to lie: the food was a highlight.

I’ve put together a few of favourites from my trip. Not in any way a comprehensive guide to the city, but a couple of cafés, restaurants, shops and things to do, which you must not miss when you’re next headed that way.

Italian trains!

I arrived in Milan straight from Venice by train and before we get into the details onof where to find the best hot chocolate and my favourite under-the-radar shopping tips, can we please just take a moment to discuss how exceptionally good Italian trains are?! It’s such a nice way to travel; and affordable. For an extra £8 I upgraded my ticket to first class which meant they gave me a very comfortable seat (positively palatial, in fact), as well as a nice coffee and box of biscuits from the snack trolley (love a snack trolley). I think there was also free wifi, but I didn’t get into the nitty gritty of that. I mostly read my book and snoozed on the train. The journey from Venice to Milan is 2.5 hours door to door; the views from the train window are exquisite (most especially that bit when you drive out of Venice over the water); and when you do get to Milan, the station looks like this:

I mean: seriously?! What an introduction to the city! Well worth the trip just for the station alone.

not Milan specific, but all of this to say I cannot recommend travel by train as a way of getting around and across Italy strongly enough. It’s fab.

The vibe at the bar at Cucchi

You’ll find Pasticceria Cucchi on Corso Genova, just on the corner with Via Edmondo de Amicis. It’s been there since 1936 and - in that time - I really don’t think it’s changed all too much. If at all. Therein, of course, lies much the magic of Cucchi. Plus that feeling, when you stand at the bar, that you’re very much in Milan and couldn’t possibly be anywhere else in the world - do you know what I mean?! I love when I find somewhere that just feels so distinctly, uniquely, tangibly ‘of a place’. Incidentally, also pretty good at Cucchi are the pasticcini, which are tiny and perfectly bite-sized so you can try all the cakes rather than needing to commit to the one single variety of cake (which is the dream, frankly, if like me you’re of a greedier disposition). Go for breakfast, a quick bite (they do savoury as well as sweets), a coffee or aperitivo - you can grab a table, but I do just love the vibe at the bar. They also do an excellent hot chocolate, though not quite so exceptionally good as…

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Hello there!

A pinch and a punch and it’s the third of the month! My goodness, February came and went quick. I know I say that every year, but it’s a slippery month, isn’t it just?!

Here’s what I’ve been up to…

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I fell off the edge of the earth and it felt so good, just as it now feels so good to be back to life.

So, if you haven’t heard from me, that’s why. If I owe you an email/text/whatsapp/dm/hand-written-note-delivered-by-carrier-pigeon, I know, I know, I know! I’m sorry! I will get back to you, I promise. I’m just catching up now…

Anyway! One of the best things about the holiday was to be in summer clothes again, not to be thinking about putting on a thousand and one layers before braving the day. I do my best with the winter woolies and the tights and the thermals and all, but really I’m a creature of the sunshine.

Case in point, I’ve put together a little photo diary of what I wore.

It’s a 8-9 hour flight from London to Barbados so I opted for comfy. I packed all my little bits and bobs that I like to travel with on long haul flights from my compression stockings to my little foot rest (I’m a woman obsessed - more details on my non-negotiable long-haul travel essentials here). I also opted for warm, because somehow flights are always freezing and no matter how many layers you wear, it never quite feels like enough. Is that just a me-thing? Or is it a thing-thing? I always feel cold on planes.

I wore these Uniqlo tracksuit bottoms in a nice shade of chocolate brown. I (and the rest of the world) am having a chocolate brown moment right now, but it is - it’s got to be said - a very good colour. A nice dark neutral, but somehow wears dirt and travel and wear and tear better than black that feels like a magnet for lint and dust and other things you don’t really want to be a magnet for. I wore this comfy beige cashmere jumper from M&S, which is snuggly and cosy, but also feels a little bit chic, because: beige. My trainers are Maison Margiela which, no joke, I bought in the sale at Selfridges for £65. I went in there in a mad dash (I never normally go to Selfridges but was in a panic) looking for some trainers to take on holiday (for walks and hikes etc. and the sort of physical activity that I only ever do when on holiday, hence the not having a suitable pair of trainers) and found these in the bargain section. No idea what they were doing there, but didn’t want to ask too many questions; bought them and ran. And while technically perhaps rather more ‘fashion trainers’ than ‘proper trainers’, as my husband keeps insisting, I wore them on all my hikes and sporting endeavours and found them very practical and comfy indeed.

In fact, now that I have bought the shoes and have been wearing them, I will say that I love them so very much (they’re like wearing slippers and look oh-so elegant on the foot, I think), that I would in retrospect gladly pay full price and justify the purchase using my trusty cost-per-wear theorem. So that’s a happy ending for you; and here’s the link to the shoes, in case you’re tempted too. Otherwise, try the second floor in Selfridges; good things, it seems, happen there.

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The travel bag is this weekend bag from Metier which I bought last year at the Women for Women International Charity Car Boot Sale. The bargain gods were again smiling down upon me. INCIDENTALLY, if you’re in London and looking for a fabulous bargain or two, then the Car Boot Sale is back again this year on Saturday 16th May. SAVE THE DATE. And sign up here for early access to tickets. I’ll be doing a boot again with my friend Charlotte and have already started collecting lots of good things to sell (albeit, full disclosure: not the Metier bag because I love it possibly more than life itself); but other good things and lots of them. And there will be lots other car-boots that will selling so many wonderful things at brilliant prices (see aforementioned Metier bag). Plus, every penny goes to the charity so you can actually feel good about shopping. I digress. But do save that date: it’s going to be fab.

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Hello! Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day!!

I was reading about how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Finland: it’s called Ystävänpäivä and you celebrate with friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and lovers - basically, all the people in your life you love rather than just the one person with whom you’re in love. And I thought what a lovely way to do things, to spread the love that bit wider - and how nice to have that excuse (not that we should need an excuse) to remind the people who make our lives better, how much it is that we care about them. Ystävänpäivä (and I really hope I’ve got the spelling on that right) made me think about the whole Valentine’s thing quite differently - and rather more fondly.

Anyway, in that spirit, and ahead of the big day itself - here is a little Valentine’s inspiration for you - not a gift guide as such, but nice things that feel Valentines-y in character - whether that’s for you, your partner, your bff, your daughter or for that person you just love having in your life.

The Cute Tote

I do love a good tote bag and no matter how many I own somehow there’s always space in my wardrobe (and heart) for another one. This one comes in pretty much all the colours of the rainbow, but given it’s Valentine’s, red feels like the right choice.

The Sexy Evening Bag

An evening clutch, but make it extra sexy and sparkly: make it red lips!!! I’ve also, incidentally, had my eye on these red suede ballet flats with hot lips tips for a while now - though, they’re currently all sold out so might just have to go for the very chic lime green version instead.

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The Box of Utterly Scrumptious Chocolates

My obsession with Audrey’s Chocolates continues. This house selection of the very best choccies, the so-called ‘loved selection’ which you cannot but love, is a mix of everything from rose and violet creams (my favourites) to chocolate dipped toffees (also in my top 5). Also comes in a sweet box, rather appropriately embellished with hand illustrated red and pink bows.

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The Cutest Way to Say ‘I Love You’

You can’t go wrong with a Valentine’s Card, but these sweet Scratch-a-Sketch Scratch Off cards are just too cute for words. Scribble your message on the card, then cover over with a scratch-y sticker so the recipient can then scratch off to reveal what it says. Super cute idea. Even cuter to give as a card with an actual prize scratchcard. Who knows? They might just win the lottery…

The Sparkly Ring

Here it is, the ring of dreams: a heart-shaped mega stone set with colourful enamel edging. The pink sapphire has my own heart, but I wouldn’t say no to the emerald or the yellow citrine either. And if you want to say ‘be my Valentine’ then the red ruby is your one. One for the wishlist.

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Ok, so the longest month of the year is officially behind us now. So long, January, it’s been a blast.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m looking forward to the next chapter. I’ve heard rumours about daffodils coming soon (woohoo); plus there’s Pancake Day. But I’d also be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that there have been some good times this January too: in there, amongst the grey and the drizzle and the bitter seemingly never-ending cold, there were some very happy afternoons spent curled up on my sofa with my book and a mug of tea (guilt-free because the weather really was too dire to even contemplate going outside); there were lots of deliciously early nights (because January = very few plans indeed); and there’s been an ongoing campaign (very much still running) to get our house into shape, which while not strictly speaking fun, has however been very rewarding. I also hosted a meeting of my book club which was truly a highlight of the month - such a mood-lifter - and involved a dark chocolate mousse with pistachio cream that I’m very happy with (will be sharing the recipe as soon as I get around to writing it up properly).

Anyway, here we go. Here are some of the bits and bobs that have brought me most joy lately:

I was given this LED mask for Christmas and am now completely obsessed. I’ve been doing 8 minutes, as instructed, every morning religiously (the mask gives you a little tally of how many consecutive sessions you’ve done which really helps maintain momentum) and I love it. I do it first thing when I wake up and before I get out of bed, typically while listening to a podcast or the morning news, but sometimes I like to just lie there in contemplative silence, wearing what my husband affectionately (I think) calls my psycho-killer mask and just taking a moment before getting into the day. I genuinely think that I’ve seen a difference to the texture and feel of my skin - and I also think that the LED light treatment has eased the underlying inflammation and red tone to my face (even on my cheeks where my rosacea is angriest). The mask also comes with a lovely under-eye cooling setting - so if nothing else I start the day with my eyes de-puffed and feeling very relaxed. That’s not nothing.

This is, genuinely, such a great life hack. My friend Lisa first got me on to it, and if you too suffer from Goldilocks syndrome and find your butter to be either fridge-cold and hard or too smushy soft (and slightly rancid tasting) from being left out, then this little butter dish is exactly what you need. It’s not the prettiest looking butter dish (I’ll give you that), but as far as gadgets go it’s also pretty discrete and inoffensive looking. And worth it’s weight in gold with the temperature control bit.

So, I now sleep with my hair tied up in a little silk bonnet that looks remarkably like the sort of silk turban you might imagine 1950s film star (or housewife, take your pick) wearing: I don’t do this because I like the look of it, although I’ll admit that it’s growing on me and as far as silk turbans/bonnets go this is a pretty flattering one, but because silk fibres are meant to be so much kinder to your hair than cotton or linen and prevent breakages and unwanted frizziness (I’m plagued by frizziness). I’ve got to say that I’ve really noticed an uptake in my good-hair-days since committing to this new headgear situation. I have flirted with silk pillowcases in the past, which is another good option, but the fact they don’t match the rest of my bedlinen always bothers me too much and I end up hiding them away before eventually and inevitably de-cluttering them off to the charity shop. So a bonnet it is. Plus it’s great for travel.

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We’re basically talking the holy grail here: a really good, classic cashmere cardigan that’s a nice, flattering fit and isn’t crazily priced. Moreover it comes in pretty much every colour you could wish for. Yep, the actual holy grail.

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I used to be lazy and laissez faire about my skincare, back in the day. And then I hit forty. Things changed. Somehow a wing and a prayer along with the hope that just-maybe-fingers-crossed my mother might have passed on her good-skin genes to me just doesn’t quite work like it used to. So I’ve since fallen down a skincare rabbit hole and come out on the other side, filled with the very best of intentions, a solid routine, and strong views about things like the virtues of balm cleanser vs gel cleanser. I never thought I would be that kind of person, but here we are. Things change. Sometimes even for the better.

Anyway this is what I’ve learned:

Sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen!

SPF is essential. Every single day. Religiously. I know you know all of this already but I’m going to say it again anyway: even when it’s raining and grey and dark outside and the very notion of a single ray of light, let alone enough by way of sunshine to cause actual skin damage, seems like an utter impossibility. Even then, STILL USE YOUR SUNSCREEN. And always a factor 50.

After trying out all sorts of kinds of SPF including this one that feels velvety smooth when you apply it and this lovely Augustinus Bader one, which I love but is just too woefully extravagant to use daily, my go-to is this Beauty of Joseon SPF which is packed with wonderful, nourishing ingredients for the skin, feels lovely and light when you apply it (think moisturiser) and - crucially - doesn’t leave any powdery white residue on your face. It’s genuinely a joy to use. When I’m in the actual sun (i.e. on holiday or during summertime) I also use this Ultraviolette Preen Screen Reapplication Mist to top up my SPF levels periodically during the day: you can just spray over make-up (genius) and it gives the skin an added glowy boost (added bonus).

And if all this talk of SPF has you worried about never again having a tan then I give you The Organic Pharmacy Self Tan which I’ve been using for years, smells like apricots and gives a very natural glow or these Charlotte Tilbury Glow Drops which you mix into your moisturiser.

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Be a water baby

Hydration is also essential. The best thing you can do for your skin (beyond wearing a good sunscreen) is drink lots and lots of water. Not so jazzy-sounding, I know, but an excellent strategy for pretty much the best-looking skin of your life. And whereas with the SPF you’re making more of an investment in your future self, protecting your skin from sun damage which will eventually give you sun spots and wrinkles and other things you don’t want, with good hydration you see instant results. You see good skin now.

If you’re looking for a little additional jiggery pokery, then use a good hyaluronic acid: I’m currently obsessed with the Innisfree Green Tea Hyaluronic Serum which feels light and zingy fresh on the skin and, crucially, doesn’t feel sticky (so many hyaluronic acids I’ve tried feel unpleasantly sticky on my face). I also love Sarah Chapman’s Intense Hydrating Booster, which smells deliciously of rosewater and is what I used to use before I discovered the zingy Green tea one; but it’s also significantly pricier and I’m not yet sold on it giving me significantly better results, though - of course - only time will tell. You just apply a couple of pumps to a clean face before your moisturiser. Gives your skin such a lovely glow. And the glow builds up over time with consistent use.

Always cleanse before bedtime

Like your life depends upon it. I know it’s tempting not to, when you’re bone tired and all you want to do is fall into a deep sleep, but you really must. And I say this as someone who never used to bother taking her make-up before bed (I know). My skin has dramatically improved (shock horror) since I’ve started to cleanse religiously at nighttime.

Two tricks that I’ve found make things easier with the whole cleansing business: 1. cleanse and take off your make-up as soon as you get home in the evening rather than waiting until you’re ready for bed because a) this helps with the very real temptation not to bother doing it at all and b) as an added bonus, doing your ‘nighttime routine’ in the early evening rather than at actual nighttime gives your skin longer to soak up all the goodness from your lotions and potions. So that’s good.

Another trick: find a really nice cleanser that you’re excited to use and that feels every bit as spoiling as a facial. I absolutely love The Ultimate Cleanse by Sarah Chapman: it leaves my skin feeling as soft as a baby’s bottom, gently moisturised and deeply nourished. When I want an extra boost or my skin is feeling especially run down, then I use Annie de Mamiel’s Restorative Cleaning Balm, which I also love, smells insanely good and feels deliciously nourishing.

After cleansing, I also spritz my face with the Clinisept Plus Cleansing Antimicrobial Hypochlorus Solution, then gently pat it all over my face. I cannot recommend this step enough: it takes seconds and really helps leave my skin feeling squeaky clean (but - crucially - not dry), as well as soothing any redness or irritation.

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This was the last in my little festive series as part of a virtual book tour for The Christmas Companion - I’ve really loved these chats and so hope that you’ve enjoyed them too. Should we keep the LIVEs going in the new year? What do you think? And perhaps talk about other nice things beyond Christmas? Please do let me know your thoughts in the comments if you have a chance…

Talking about Christmas, I still haven’t wrapped ANY of my presents for my family so making a mad dash to tackle that tonight. My annual wrapping ritual with tea, sweet biscuits and White Christmas playing in the background.

Back soon and definitely before Christmas - if only to wish you a very happy day!

In the meantime, please see below utter deliciousness from Mimi…

White Chocolate & Pistachio Cookies:

1⅓ cups / 190 g shelled, unsalted pistachios

½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar
⅔ cup / 70 g almond flour
1½ teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 large egg white
1 cup / 170 g white chocolate chips
½ cup / 40 g powdered sugar, sifted

MAKES 24 COOKIES

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 175°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios with ¼ cup / 50 g of the granulated sugar until coarsely ground. Be careful not to grind them too fine.
3. Transfer the pistachio mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining ¼ cup / 50 g granulated sugar, the almond flour, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Add the egg white and mix until the dough holds its shape when pressed together. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Form the dough into 1¼-inch / 3 cm balls in your palm, then roll in the powdered sugar. Place the dough balls about 2 inches / 5 cm apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Dip the bottom of a cup in the powdered sugar (to help prevent sticking), then use it to press down the ball until it’s about 2 inches / 5 cm wide.
5. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. You want the cookie to retain its green color and not toast the pistachios too much. You will get a lovely chewy cookie. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.