by | November 7, 2012

Sweet Things & Sew Much Fun

Sweet Things, Regents Park Road

A Saturday afternoon free from our male housemates, Mini and I needed a plan.  Her brief was a tough one – she wanted to try something she had never done before.  Suggestions such as painting pottery, market shopping and making brownies were immediately dismissed.

Scratching my head, I wondered where we could go to make something – rather than just experience or buy.  Sew Much Fun, the sewing studio and shop, popped into my mind.  I had walked past it a year or so ago when waiting to pick one of the Smalls from a party at the Primrose Hill Community Centre.

so many colours at Sew Much Fun

A quick phone call later, we were booked into the 2pm session.  And this gave us enough time to walk over the hill and  treat ourselves to a quick pre-sew cupcake at Sweet Things, Regents Park Road.

Sweet Things, Regents Park Road

Natalie Allen, founder of Sweet Things, gave up her job in the City to dedicate her life to home baking the finest cakes. How noble she is.  But, this is not a business to be scoffed at.  Since 2005, Natalie has gone on to win numerous awards proving her cakes and cafe to be a fine addition to the existing selection in Primrose Hill.   Mini chose the Oreo Mini cupcake(£1.25).

Sew Much Fun, Chalcot Road

Eager to get needle-threading, we arrived a little in advance of our 2pm session at Sew Much Fun.  Roz didn’t mind though.  In fact, I shouldn’t think much ruffles Roz Davies’ feathers.  She founded the sew studio 4 years ago and is clearly delighted by each of her customers and students.  The premises, on Chalcot Road, are colourful, light and unbelievably inspiring.  Mini was around the right age (just 8) to be able to pick up on the hang of casting off, choosing colours and waiting for some assistance when hitting a tangle.

Tweetie made by Mini at Sew Much Fun

I admired the sense of calm, the creative suggestions and the general enthusiasm from Roz and her team of helpers.  Mini had started off saying that she didn’t know how to sew (eek! I have failed) and left with ideas of what she would like to make next time.

Sew Much Fun not only brings out the sewing passion in young and old but also sells a wonderful selection of beautiful fabrics, trims, buttons, ribbons and Roz’s very own sewing patterns.

Do book for your sessions though to avoid disappointment.

Sew Much Fun 46 Chalcot Road, NW1  020 7722 9889 email:sewmuchfun@btinternet.com

Sweet Things 138 Regent’s Park Road, NW1  020 7722210

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

Filed under food, kids, life

by | November 5, 2012

BRCA: Sharon Osbourne says: I can’t live with the fear

in the BBC studio talking about BRCA

Sharon Osbourne says: I can’t live with the fear

And I agree.  

A double mastectomy removes the fear for BRCA gene carriers.

Victoria Derbyshire interviewed me this morning on Radio 5 Live: interview begins at 1 hour 15 mins.

 

 

 

1 Comment

Filed under BRCA

by | November 4, 2012

Cosy Country Bumpkin

Bumpkin Westbourne Park Road

I’ve always felt that the Bumpkin restaurants get an unjustly rough ride from the restaurant critics.   I have read a fair few which have had a dig at its country-living, shabby chic interior design, while others lay claim to the fact that their mothers make a far superior apple crumble. But, seeing as I’ve always had a good meal there, I agreed to review the Notting Hill branch of Bumpkin (which first opened exactly six years ago) with Blonde last Friday night.

I think it’s correct to say that one goes to a Bumpkin restaurant looking for comfort.  The group of – now three – restaurants doesn’t promise to deliver culinary firsts, food drama nor stark, cutting edge interiors.  No, it promises cosy, comfort food.

cocktails at Bumpkin

And the weather was perfect for our promised cosiness.  Freezing cold and pouring rain saw us crawl inside the inviting dining room at 209 Westbourne Park Road.  From flowery wallpaper, linen tea towels as napkins and brilliantly elegant mismatched china, you immediately feel as though you have been transported to some kooky great aunt’s farmhouse kitchen in Somerset.

Durham venison & Loch Duart Salmon @BumpkinLondon

Anyway, British comfort food is in itself underrated.  I mean, why would you choose to eat fussy, minimalist food when you can have a hearty cauliflower cheese or chicken and leek pie on a cold autumnal evening?

Blonde and I were well overdue a life-catch-up.  Cocktails ordered, menu choices made and we were well on the road to fixing that.  There was no jostling for our table (how that winds me up) and because we didn’t feel at all rushed through our courses, we were a little surprised to find that three hours had passed since we sat down.

hillie-billies up in the attic @BumpkinLondon

We had shared the West Coast crayfish (£8.95) and Cornish crab (£9.95) to start.  And then for mains, I had adored the Durham venison special with mash and tons of rich gravy (£18.95) while Blonde had opted for the Loch Duart Salmon with cider cream sauce (£16.95).  But the best bit of the whole meal was the pudding we shared:  cherry bakewell tart served with clotted Cornish cream (£5.95).

a properly posh bakewell

A true Downton Abbey addict, I’m delighted to notice that Lady Grantham is partial to a little bakewell tart when she finds herself peckish mid-afternoon. With flaky pastry and toasted almonds, Bumpkin’s version is so delicious it might have even saved Lady Sybil…

Andrew McAttee’s pop art

Before we braved the almost freezing temperatures outside, Blonde and I took a quick peak upstairs (always hunting a party room for future good times) and found a few hillie-billies enjoying some early in-door fireworks, cocktails, DJ Nicholas Feel and Andrew McAttee’s latest pop-up artwork as part of Bumpkin’s regular Something in the Attic.

www.bumpkinuk.com

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under food, friends

by | November 3, 2012

Kristaps snips at Mowgli St John’s Wood

I glanced in the mirror. Big sigh.  My hair, suddenly too long, had entered a lank-shapeless-overgrown-mop state.  And my long-term divine hairdresser (who, by the way, comes to my home to cut not just my hair but any friends who have dropped by, the Smalls etc) is in hospital.  With four interviews scheduled for next week, the mop hair could be an issue.

shampoo & condition at Mowgli St John’s Wood

A glam friend (one only needs a couple of these) recommended a Latvian named Kristaps who works at Mowgli, otherwise known as Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Spa (mouthful?) on St John’s Wood High St, NW8.   Glam friend couldn’t wait to tell me about Kristaps’ passion for hair, styling, cutting, colouring and … well, I was pretty intrigued.  Hairdressers don’t ever seem to love hair.  They’re either good at it  – or simply terrible.

Now, we’ve all had those awful cuts, the shocking colours and the downright waste-of-time blow dries.  They’re not even worth writing about except to mention that, after once particular salon incident aged 16, I wore a hat continuously until it had grown out.

Kristaps bounced over to greet me.  He’s handsome.  That shouldn’t matter but somehow it does.  He is smiley, friendly and… well, buff.  He wanted to know what I hated/loved about my mop-like tresses.  He examined my hair type (fine, very fine) and talked through some ideas he had off the top of his head.  I challenged him but mostly agreed with his plan of action.

Mowgli Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa, St John’s Wood

Aveda concept salons are popular in NYC where those lovely ladies want more than just a regular cut and ‘blow out’.  The idea is that you leave feeling as wonderful as you look, thanks to the salon’s holistic touches.  So, I was offered a neck and shoulder massage before a long, relaxing hair wash with a full-on head massage … in a, wait for it, massage chair.  I think Kristaps could have done anything to my hair after all that massage and I would have nodded approvingly in my new, relaxed state.

Snipping away faster than I could chat (and that’s saying something), Kristaps entered his world of hair.  It’s no lie to say that hair positively excites him.  He jumps from foot to foot, angle to angle and, just when you think he has finished, he starts all over again.  He multi-tasks too.  And – no, there wasn’t any talk of my last holiday nor of plans for Christmas!  He focused on teaching me how my hair should be washed and conditioned and, when I quizzed him, he elaborated on his extensive client base in Moscow.  With a mere 60 client appointments scheduled on each of his five annual trips to the Russian city, it’s no surprise that he is undaunted by any St John’s Wood madam as well as the London work ethic.

Kristaps works his passion for hair at Mowgli St John’s Wood

Time was flying and I was still very relaxed.  Mowgli isn’t like the other hair salons in St John’s Wood.  Firstly, it’s calm on a Friday and secondly, it has a full-on spa downstairs.  Mowgli’s manager must have noticed my embarrassingly chipped nail polish (the full extent of my Halloween dressing-up effort) as he floated over to offer me a file and polish downstairs after Kristaps had fixed my barnet.

I left with utterly fabulous ‘Kristaps hair’ (although I always think we can blow dry our own hair better with our own hair products), adequate nails (this clearly isn’t Mowgli’s strong point) and a calm head.  The heavens opened and I was without a brollie.  But I can’t blame Kristaps for that.

A hair cut & blow dry with Kristaps Akmenkalns at Mowgli costs £69.

Mowgli Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa  70 St John’s Wood High Street, NW8  020 7449 2351

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under beauty