DESIGNER - Quirky Designs by David Olschewski

I love it when you see see a piece of furniture that uses such a simple idea to great effect. David Olschewski's designs use everyday objects from the garden and turn them into something entirely new. My favourite has to be the pitchfork coat stand. Don't worry, the edges are rounded off to avoid putting holes in all of your outerwear and it's novel while still being useful.

Again with the spade version, the shape really lends itself to the task at hand. The designer has really put a lot of thought and effort into getting it just right. And lastly the lamp that at first would appear to be made out of some kind of wicker weave is actually made of garden pegs. Love it!

Although you can buy these pieces on the Design Spray website, many of the designers are also looking for a manufacturer to produce their work in larger quantities. It's a great way for them to get noticed and I've seen so many amazing ideas from various designers on the website, it's worth having a browse.

FOOD - Today's Lunch

Today I almost reached for a ready meal for lunch then thought better of it. An omelette would use up some ingredients in the fridge and be much healthier and lord knows I need to be healthier. Is anyone else trying and failing at the healthy-eating thing?

2 eggs, a splash of water, salt and pepper, 1 rasher of bacon, 1/2 a red pepper, 25g cheese and some Italian herbs and a sprinkle of parsley to garnish.

EXHIBITION - Playmobil in Paris

Back in early February when I was in Paris, I visited a Playmobil Exhibition which transported me right back to my childhood. As a family we used to holiday in Spain every year when I was growing up and my sister nearly always celebrated her birthday there. Playmobil is a massive deal for kids in Europe and each year she'd get something as a gift to add to her collection. It really encourages the imagination in little boys and girls.

It was fascinating wandering round the displays all set up in specific themes from circus to fairytale, pirates to Noah's Ark. The curation was spot on and adult visitors were as enthralled as the kids. The exhibition runs until 16 May in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs situated near The Louvre. If you're in Paris, check it out. There are some pics below...

FOOD - Marmite XO Has Arrived

You may remember I went to a special tasting session to help the Marmite team come up with their brand new, Extra-strong variety. Well it's finally available for the masses.

Marmite XO is now available in Selfridges, Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons. I seem to recall it being priced close to a fiver when I passed Selfridges Food Hall recently so not cheap but I've been trying it and it's stronger, thicker and richer than your average Marmite so bound to last longer.

Let me know what you think if you've tried it. I'm a lover so naturally I love it.

EVENT - Discovering the Beer and Chocolate Combo

Beer and chocolate as a combination isn't what you'd immediately think of, but an event last week aimed to change our minds. I like beer but it wouldn't be my choice when out drinking so I was intrigued and excited to try some new types. Kirsty Derry, Managing Director of the BitterSweet Partnership gave a short intro on the idea behind her venture, essentially she works to give women a voice in the beer industry and also to promote beer to women who haven't been encouraged to try and find something they like. If beer advertising wasn't so heavily aimed at men, more women would probably drink it.

The event was held at L'atelier des Chefs on London's Wigmore Street - who knew they had such a massive basement cooking area! It's a sleek space that offers cookery classes, even lunchtime ones for hard workers like me :) You can be taught to make a fabulous new meal then eat it too.

The start of the event was a bit of an education with a top expert telling us exactly what goes in to beers, what makes them light or dark or distinctive. We then discovered what sort of chocolate to team with different beers. Light ales like the Kasteel Cru went perfectly with strawberry and white chocolate. The orange accents in the Blue Moon went hand-in-hand with a beautiful orange cake covered in white chocolate icing.

The darker the beers got the the darker the chocolate until we tried a cherry beer, Bacchus Kriek, with Green & Blacks dark chocolate. That was my perfect combination! Here were my favourite of the beers...

First place: Bacchus Kriek
Second place: Blue Moon
Third place: Casteel Cru Rose



After the beer tasting session it was on to the truffle-making master-class (I'm at the back on the right in the pic above). We were set out in groups of 6 and although our group took a while to get started we most definitely ended up with the best set of chocs in the room. I'm sure my expert chopping had something to do with it... maybe. Each of the recipes we worked from contained one of the beers we had tried. Some beers were infused with cream, others were mixed with gelatine to make a jelly. It just goes to show that beer isn't such an unlikely baking ingredient for sweet treats after all.

My favourite Choc recipe: White truffle with Kasteel Cru Rose ganache rolled in crisp strawberry

It definitely did have an affect on me, the event that is not the beer. On my next girly meal at a friend's I took along some raspberry beer... yummy. The three favourites I mentioned above I'll probably buy again whereas before I very rarely have beer out of choice.

What about you? Are you a beer drinker? Which is your favourite?

REVIEW - The Wallace Restaurant Review

I love The Wallace Collection and first visited when on my lunch break as I work nearby. It's a private collection and is free to wander around. This weekend I took my mum out for afternoon tea to the Wallace restaurant in the courtyard at the centre of the property. It's a fabulously bright and airy space.

I had booked ahead for the four of us and even so there was a bit of a confusion about where to seat us although they got there in the end. 2 of us went for the full afternoon tea which at £17.50 is probably at the lower end of the scale when it comes to London afternoon teas.

We had finger sandwiches with egg and cress, or cucumber along with smoked salmon open sandwiches and crab on Melba toast. This was followed by a huge scone with a generous helping of clotted cream and a choice of strawberry or blackcurrant jam. Delicious.

We also had a selection of cakes to finish off the meal but we couldn't manage those too, we had to share with my sisters who had gone for salad or soup. I couldn't fault the food or drink at all. Everything was delicious, almost perfect in fact and the fresh mint tea was the best I've had in ages.

The only downside was the less than enthusiastic service. I felt that things were a bit slow, and it wasn't really 'with a smile'. I'd definitely recommend it though as a centrally located and reasonably-priced treat. Here are some pics to make you hungry.

STYLE - Making things pretty

I love it when you're walking around and spot something that makes you smile. I had that experience the other day while strolling through Soho in London. There were a couple of bicycles stood against a wall and they'd had their baskets decorated, one with coloured straws and the other with artificial flowers. It's those little things that help make the world look more beautiful.

DESIGNER - Jimmie Martin

I stumbled across Jimmie Martin Ltd when viewing another blogger's site and I was really impressed with their work which includes fabulous furniture and home accessories. Some pieces are given an edgy update with graffiti-like scrawls and others have quirky character prints. The company also takes on special projects, one of which was The Burlington Club, Mayfair, where you'll be able to see their inspired decor and furniture. It's great to see such classic furniture shapes given a thouroughly modern makeover to great effect.

As with all beautifully original things this stuff doesn't come cheap - candles start at £30 - but if you had some cash to burn then it would be a great place to begin.

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