When you hear the word “Burberry”, the famous trench springs to mind. This collection serves up a twist on that great British classic whilst introducing some other traditional styles including herringbone tweeds and baker caps. With emphasise on the luxury country living, this grown-up collection further proves that Burberry is the epitome of British chic.

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A few days before bidding farewell to Paris, a dear friend and I dined at the Palais Garnier’s new restaurant. Having looked at the heavenly dessert list, we skipped starters and went straight to the mains: smoked trout for me and the dish of day – chicken with pak choi – for Jessica. My fish was cooked to perfection as were the raviolis and mushrooms accompanying the dish. This was a dish I could easily eat weekly. Presented as works of art, the desserts stole the show in terms of visuals. They were nice but lacking in something.

When the venue wows you more than the food, something is wrong. That’s not to say that food was bad because that would be a lie. However, given the location, one expects great things from this restaurant and it just didn’t deliver as well as it should have. The service was fine though our waitress was dressed inappropriately with a very short sleeveless dress and her bra straps showing. Very minor details which I usually wouldn’t mention, but unfitting of such a venue.

As for prices, we went at lunch time so enjoyed the lunch deal: two courses for 36€ so with a glass of champagne and bottled water, we paid just over 55€ each. For the experience of dining in such beautiful surroundings, the price is fine but I’d like to see some improvements before I return.

L’Opéra restaurant
Palais Garnier
Place Jacques Rouché
75009 Paris
+33 1 42 68 86 80‎

Living abroad is a great thing, and I wouldn’t change those experiences for anything. On the downside, it can be hard to maintain friendships when you’ve been away for long periods of time, particularly with different time zones and so on, as I discovered during my time in the US and Japan. Moving home to London is like starting over, and I welcome that challenge.

On Saturday, I went to coffee meet-up near to South Bank where I met such an interesting array of people from India, Poland, the US, Romania and good ole East London. It’s so nice to swap stories and get a peek into everybody else’s world. Talking to people who’ve travelled the world only to come and call London home is wonderful. For all the hardships of living in a major city, everybody agreed that here in London, the diversity is the heart of city: everybody has a chance. I love this place!

Afterwards, I strolled along the river en route to meet a friend for lunch – a truly glorious day!

How was your weekend?

This best part of this little ole blog of mine is the interaction with readers. Canadian Sarah contacted me 8 months ago as she planned her amazing trip to London and Paris with her super cool mum Sheila. Imagine my delight when they invited me to join them for Afternoon Tea at Knightsbridge’s très chic hotel, The Berkeley. My London life just keeps getting better.

Many a night has been spent sipping champagne in the Blue Bar at The Berkeley hotel but this very unique afternoon tea in the cosy Caramel Room was a new experience. I’m not going to lie, the idea of afternoon tea without scones and clotted cream didn’t exactly tickle my fancy but what a pleasant surprise. Not only was the service welcoming, complete with a wee table name keepsake for Sarah, and the champagne flowing, lovely Sarah was surprised with a birthday dessert, candles et al! Perfection!

The attention to detail was there from the beginning with our little cakes served on crockery by famed British designer Paul Smith for Thomas Goode (add it to your wedding lists ladies!). The Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea features biscuits and cakes from the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection from some of the world’s top brands including Valentino, Miu Miu, Jill Sander, Lanvin and my personal favourite Bottega Veneta. They’re so pretty; the idea of destroying them almost kills you, but your taste buds will thank you! Have you ever seen anything so pretty?  The sherbet coloured goodies screamed sugar but much to my surprise, the sugar levels balanced well. It goes without saying that I’m going to have to return each season just to check out the latest fashion (desserts). I tell you, the things I do for this blog…

Since returning home to London, I’ve been juicing twice a day. After my morning cup of warm water with grated ginger (I live on this stuff – delish) or a slice of lemon, I make a juice. Here I have apple, celery and lemon, and carrot and ginger. A great thing is that because the juices are quite sweet, they really keep my wild sugar tooth at bay. Despite my nails and I hating the clean up with a passion, I haven’t given in yet. Later in the morning around 1030, I throw some fruit in a bowl – blueberries, bananas, apples, grapes – whatever I have at home and add some raisins, nuts and (pumpkin, sunflower and sesame) seeds. Gluten free, vegan, nutritionally dense and oh so tasty.

Not only is this a filling and tasty breakfast but between the juices and fruit salad, I’m getting a high dose of vitamin C, betacarotene, potassium and zinc to name just a few vitamins and minerals. I can really feel the difference: I have more energy and just feel more positive about everything. You see, you really are what you eat!

With temperatures at -3°C here in London, all I want is a bowl of steaming soup but the idea of chopping vegetables doesn’t really appeal to my freezing fingers. Time for some more warm grated ginger water I think…

A trip to ultra sleek Un Dimanche à Paris in the fabulous Saint Germain district further cements my view that people who dislike chocolate are complete weirdos. Hidden in a little courtyard, it would be easy to miss this shop-bar-resto combination, which would be a major failing on your part. As soon as you walk into the shop, the aromas from different type of chocolate engulf you. A friend and I ordered chocolat gourmand, which you can substitute with tea or coffee, but when in chocolate heaven, that would be silly. The hot chocolate, which was whisked in front of us, was sublime. Very er… chocolatey, thick and not particularly sweet – perfect! It pains me to say, but the beautiful presented desserts were all a little too sweet for me, particularly the macaron.

Chocolate addicts, this is the place for you. I probably wouldn’t order dessert there again, but I’d be back for the hot chocolate on a cold day, and maybe even definitely a box of chocolates.

Un Dimanche à Paris
4-6-8 Cour du Commerce Saint André
Paris 75006
+33 (0)1 56 81 18 18 

You can find more of my Afternoon Tea recommendations here.

I never quite understood the allure of Charlize until I saw what is quite frankly the best fashion ad ever, and now this editorial in Elle France makes me weak at the knees. Yes, major girl crush going on here. Polished, strong and totally hot! 

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As a certified Afternoon Tea addict, the idea of getting to grips with the real deal in a professional kitchen sounded like a dream. When said professional kitchen happens to be in London’s 5-star Claridge’s Hotel, well, passing up such a chance would be foolish. That said, at a whooping £170 per Master Class, I was a little hesitant but justified the spend as a welcome home treat for myself and as you can see from the images, I was not disappointed. Needless to say, this was pre-detox.

The day started in the stunning Art-Deco Foyer getting to know my fellow scone-lovers over tea before moving down to the kitchen where Executive Chef Martyn Nail introduced us to the delightful Kim Lin-McCartney, sous pastry chef at the hotel. I was rather disappointed to see that we would be making the French classic mille feuille as I have never liked it much. Watching Kim mix the cream and vanilla had me salivating. What is it about vanilla that has such an effect on me? Back in Paris, I received some fresh vanilla pods straight from Madagascar and to this day, I still consider that bunch of soft, fragrant pods one of the best presents ever received but I digress… Did you know that the crunchy bits on the side are from crêpes? You can caramelise the pastry sheets before adding the cream for a nice crunch. Insider tips galore! As for the taste, let’s just say that mille feuille is on my dinner party list. Yes, Kim converted me!

It is no secret that I’m a bona fide macaron aficionado and get this, not only did we make macarons, we made my favourite flavour: rose. Did you know there are three types of meringue? I knew about French and Italian, but there is also a Swiss type. Who knew egg whites could be so complicated!? Kim made macarons filled with rose-scented vanilla cream and raspberries, and to add a touch of romance and drama, a vibrant red rose petal completed the stunning dessert. Almost too good to eat. Almost… I swear, I took around 40 images of this one dessert. The session came to a close with the ultimate tea lover’s treat: scones with Marco Polo jelly!  Mariage Frères lovers eat your heart out! They seem remarkably easy to make, but watch this space. I have a feeling trying to make them at home may have a different outcome…

Kim was so lovely, down-to-earth and as she showed us around the pastry kitchen where her colleagues were perfecting some of the most amazing desserts I’ve ever seen, you can see a serious level of enthusiasm and dedication. This is one of the world’s top hotels; there is no room for error and watching those talented chefs hard at work was really inspirational.

The day ended on a perfect note: a decadent champagne Afternoon Tea in The Foyer all to live music but that’s a different blog post for a different day. Whilst the Afternoon Tea Master Classes aren’t available year-round, Afternoon Tea is. I had such a memorable time and highly recommend it to those who enjoy beautiful surroundings, good food and great service. I’ll certainly be back! The perfect way to get back into my London life. 

Claridge’s Hotel
Brook Street
Mayfair
W1K 4HR
+44 (0)20 7629 8860

Post-France AKA the land of delicious dessert, I really need to get back to my normal figure so those yoga classes have come in handy. After a week of no dairy, I feel lighter having lost just over 3 kilos and my skin was looking good. On Saturday, I enjoyed the most delightful afternoon tea and then my skin erupted after all the cream and butter. On Wednesday, I have an appointment with a specialist to check for allergies and I am so afraid that she’ll confirm what I already know: I have a dairy intolerance. I’d be so sad. A drastic lifestyle change may just be on the cards.  Anyway…

I woke up this morning and decided to cut all processed food from my diet including sugar and dairy. Gillian McKeith, eat your heart out! I started with my favourite breakfast: two bowls of rice, umeboshi (pickled plum), natto (fermented soya beans) and nori and a pot of Gyokuro tea (high-grade Japanese green tea) et voilà, I’m well on my way to detoxing. As the afternoon progressed, I consumed a lot of herbal tea and water with lemon. I had a large salad for lunch: cherry tomatoes, grated carrot, baby spinach, avocado and cucumber with an extra olive oil, one crushed garlic and apple cider vinegar dressing. If there was only one thing I could eat, it would be salad. So fresh, healthy and tasty.

Come early evening, my head was killing me and Jelly Tots, sticky toffee pudding and well, pretty much anything with sugar filled my mind. Instead, I juiced beetroot, carrot, lemon and ginger, which is ridiculously sweet and kills those sugar cravings instantly. Have you ever juiced fresh beetroot? Not only is it nutritionally dense, it is so full of flavour. The perfect dinner/dessert to end detox day #1. I still have a killer headache so a hot shower and bed for this wee detoxer. 

Have you ever detoxed?  What did you experience? Best and worse parts?

British Harper’s Bazaar have done it again. Every month, they offer a sign as to why the magazine is the best fashion mag and this month is no different as Madame Roitfeld is interviewed by Justine Picardie. “If Anna Wintour remains the most dominant editor in fashion today, the Carine Roitfeld is its prevailing muse…” says it all. 

Justine writes about Carine’s career as an editor, stylist, muse and mother. Carine goes on to share the joy of her daughter’s pregnancy, her professional relationships with the likes of Mario Testino and the fashion God himself, Mr Ford and her love of the Upper East Side. Well, we all knew she had impeccable taste. If you’ve ever read an interview with Carine, it is obvious that her childhood was very happy and extremely influential on not only who she is, but how she raised her family. Carine’s sense of humour cracks me up when she says “… I am terrorised by blood…” – she may be the fashion editor, but she’s just like most of us girls: scared stiff of blood!

A very nice interview indeed. Excuse the dodgy images. Life would be much better if someone would scan everything from HB. Yes, that’s my official request.