Foodlab, Essex Road
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Chamonix Travel Diary: Part 6
It’s been just over two weeks since we returned from Chamonix, and already I’m craving French food and long walks in the mountains. My nostalgia got me thinking; what better way to remedy my withdrawal symptoms than with a blog post? I have yet to publish the photo diaries from my last few days in France, so now seemed as good a time as any.
A walk alongside the river to La Praz is perfect for a mild day in Chamonix. We headed back via train and wound up in our favourite omelette restaurant…yes an entire restaurant dedicated to omelettes. Afterwards we went for another walk around the outskirts of town, and to the mountainerring/crystal museum. Unfortunately it seemed as though we chose the worst time to leave as we were greeted with torrential rain. So we ran through town, ducking and hiding under canopies before deciding that cake and hot chocolate were in store. After only a few minutes of nibbling on a Mont Blanc we had already forgotten about our wet clothes and the impending walk back to the apartment.
A London Life… in Shoreditch
Yellow Stripe Bag by Hanelca, at Luna and Curious
Coffee break (Fika) at Fika, on Brick Lane
Tote bag by Wonderound
A London Life is a new photo diary series I have decided to start on the blog. I often get friends from outside of London, be it from Norfolk or as far away as Tokyo, asking me for more of an insight (read: less touristy) into the city. So I’ve decided to upload a series of photo diaries of my adventures/life in London. I won’t be including massively long descriptions in these posts, unless needed. Instead, I’ll be adding short and sweet tag lines and links to the photos e.g. “Coffee Break at Fika, on Brick Lane”.
If you have any questions always feel free to comment or tweet me.
As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see, let me know.
Baking Beautiful with Eric Lanlard and Cake Boy
Thanks to the popularity of TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off I’m sure that most of us would love to have a top patisserie chef on-hand to bake sweet treats whenever it takes our fancy. Unfortunately that isn’t a reality for most people (and if it is for you…can I borrow him/her for the day?), but last week I was invited to a private event at Cake Boy for a masterclass in baking with Eric Lanlard.
Joking aside I’d much rather learn how to bake than have someone do it for me, so I was over the moon when I received my invite. After a champagne reception we were sat down in the Cake Boy kitchen, where owner Eric Lanlard walked us through how to make his Red Velvet Cheesecake and West Indies Chocolate Tart. Along the way he gave us some handy tips for baking, and more than a few laughs. He told us how a red velvet cake should never be bright red, and if it is then it’s probably just a regular sponge with food dye in it (a sneaky trick used by a lot of supermarkets) – a top tip for those who like to source their cakes outside of their own kitchen. As for those who prefer to bake at home, Eric dispelled the age old myth of not opening your oven door whilst baking – good to know. Although my favourite tip of the night was when Eric explained that when baking with chocolate it should always be served at room temperature, “like a red wine it needs time to breathe.” Afterwards we were given our own mini (read: adorable) red velvet cakes to decorate with white chocolate butter cream. After a bit of a kerfuffle with my piping bag, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be leaving blogging for a career in baking anytime soon.
We left the event with a signed copy of Eric’s latest cookbook Totally Chocolate and a 9-Speed Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer so we could create our own beautiful bakes at home. I had a lovely evening and it has really inspired me to get back into baking, in fact I already have some cookies in the oven.
For more of Eric’s tips on baking head over to the Curry’s blog.
Chamonix Travel Diary: The Foodie Factor
One day in particular I found myself taking more than my usual share of food photos, so I thought I’d round them all up in one post. Whether it’s a sweet snack, or a regional speciality I always have time for French food.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day (although I beg to differ) but it’s not always easy to choose what to eat. The typical French breakfast is simple; croissant, maybe a pain au chocolate, bread, butter and jam. It’s a carb overload, but boy is it satisfying. Fresh French bread can not be beaten, and even though I’m not a convert to croissants, I don’t mind this particular offering.
Bread does leave me slightly full though, so instead of a ‘proper’ lunch I opted for an English take on a French favourite – macarons with tea. The French supermarkets may carry a wide selection of teas, but I can never find a particularly decent one, usually having to settle for imported British tea. How English is that? I can’t even last a week without a cup of tea. Anyway, I do enjoy pairing teas with sweet snacks such as cake or chocolate, but macarons have to be one of my all time favourites. Can you believe I originally discovered this amazing treat in Japan, not France? I don’t know how I’d managed to miss them for all those years, but it was the Japanese who wowed me with their own unique versions. True, matcha and sakura are not your typical flavours in France, but I can always go for pistache, cafe, or chocolat.
Now as for dinner…
The overuse of cheese to some, is complete heaven to me. I’ve always loved cheese and would gladly give up all other foods for it. So of course a fondue was on the cards whilst we were in Chamonix. In fact fondue is always on the cards in this particular region. It’s a speciality, and you’ll find it in almost every restaurant. Some do it better than others (I speak from experience), and it doesn’t just come with bread (I always recommend potatoes and ham). You’ll probably want to share with someone, although I’ve tackled one by myself and come out alive on the other side. Speaking of the other side… after all that cheese you may want something a bit sweeter, and my personal favourite is Coupe Mont Blanc – an almost sickeningly sweet ice cream dessert topped with pureed chestnut and cream. It’s safe to say I’ve been hunting it down in London since I first had it several years ago. Alas I have had no luck so I knew I had to have it during our trip. Our waiter winked at me as he place the dessert in front of me. It was as if he knew I’d waited a whole year for this…so he’d given me a whole years worth to eat. Everyone around me laughed (with me), but little did they know I’d easily demolish it…and demolish it I did.
Chamonix Travel Diary: Part 4
As a little girl holidaying with my parents meant museums, art galleries, trying food we’d never seen before, and learning the language basics (hello, please, thank you etc) of the country we were in. Naturally this has shaped the way I travel today. It also means I tend to dislike sitting on a beach for hours working on my tan…although that may also be down to the fact that my pasty white skin shrieks at even the thought of sun. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind relaxing on the beach or taking a dip in the pool if my companions want to, but when it comes to planning my own travels I take a different route.
After finally getting our guest cards from the Town Hall yesterday, we grabbed a coffee (the French do a good decafe) round the corner as we waited for the museums to open up again. Note: shops, pharmacies and museums etc close around 12 until about 2-3pm for a long lunch in the South of France. Several coffees later we went for a stroll around town, before we ended up at the Musée Alpin. The museum tells the story of Chamonix and Mont Blanc throughout the years – offering a great chance to test the ol’ French reading skills. I loved seeing the old Winter sport advertisements and reading about the women who had conquered Mont Blanc (girl power!). The museum also happens to have an amazing exhibition of Chinese paintings on right now, which was worth the visit alone.
We had intended to visit a couple of other museums too but the draw of Richard’s ice cream stand was too much in the insane heat. So we went for “deux boules” of salted caramel butter and macaron ice cream. Yes you did see and read that correctly, macaron ice cream. It was basically chocolate with a macaron on top, but that’s still pretty darn awesome. And yes, the salted caramel butter ice cream was as deliciously decadent as it sounds.
Chamonix Travel Diary: Part 3
Yesterday we decided to go on an adventure. We wanted to visit the George de la Diosaz in Servoz as we missed it last year. So we headed to the town hall to get our guest passes for the train. Unfortunately the town hall closed at 12 (for lunch) and we arrived at the office at 11:59. In a typically French fashion we were turned away. So we healed our wounds with a thick Italian hot chocolate at Green Soft Bar, where the charismatic waiter spoke to me completely in French. You may be thinking “What were you expecting Emma, you’re in France.” That’s very true, but it so often happens that when they catch even the slightest glimpse of an accent here, they reply in English. That’s actually really kind, but it’s also a little disheartening when you want to practise a language other than your own. So I laughed and chatted with the waiter as he asked me if I wanted a ‘proper hot chocolate – so thick you have to drink/eat it with a spoon’. My favourite kind!
We soon decided that instead we would hike to Glacier des Bossons – we have a thing for glaciers. Off we went walking through the woods, passing perfectly blue lakes with hidden caves and old ruins. It felt like we were in a fairytale. Once we arrived to Les Bossons Ben decided we would take the chair lift up to the glacier. I have a real phobia of chair lifts after being stuck at around 60 foot in the air above a lake when I was 12. I decided I would power through though and fight my phobia…guess what happened? Yep, half way up, it stopped. I have the worst luck! After a little cry and managing not to throw up (go me!) we were on our way again. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to have my feet on solid ground. It was all worth it though (at least I’m telling myself that now) as the view was beautiful. The small chalet offering food and coffee next to the glacier was perfectly placed, so we sat in the sun looking on at the slowly disappearing natural beauty.
Oh yeah we walked back down, and I rewarded myself with a gigantic burger at Monkey that evening.
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