Summer Scarves, Coasting, Knockout Nordic Stoneware, Helping Hospitality & Spread A Little Happiness!

 

Summer Scarves, Coasting, Knockout Nordic Stoneware, Helping Hospitality & Spread A Little Happiness! Good Morning! I hope that you have had a lovely last week of lock-down? It feels so strange preparing to re-open - I'm actually quite nervous! I certainly spoke too soon about the weather! I was gazing out of the window on Monday morning and thinking 'doesn't the blossom look pretty blowing across the sky' and then realised that it was not, in fact, blossom but snow! In April! How rude! And the temperatures! Shockingly bitter - I have had the heating on for obscene amounts of time, it has been like January. This season can be the most treacherous I find, one year April can be warm and sunny and the next, arctic! Oddly, I did pre-empt this way back in November when I discovered a young Parisienne and her sensational summer-scarf collection. Cotton and linen scarves are de rigueur in Europe during the summer months - they are practical for keeping one warm in the early mornings and evenings and, of course, are a sensational accessory in terms of style as one can be much more adventurous in terms of print and colour! The lovely designer, Hélène, is a mistress of colour and pattern and this is the most exciting collection that I have seen this year. Unisex in terms of style - there is a singular floral but I am sure that we are all sophisticated enough to wear what pleases us without being slaves to convention! Most of the scarves are made from organic cotton, which is more expensive, but better for the planet and one must do one's bit!

Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Organic Cotton - Fleur-de-lys - £55.00 I covet them all, but thus far have managed to keep my mitts off them....apart from the blue fleur-de-lys, which is magnifique! I have worn it already this week and felt like a young D'Artagnan. It is very smart indeed, with the little, stylised, white lilies floating on a background of French navy and looks fantastic with a simple blue sweater and jacket  - it will look equally chic with a T-Shirt when temperatures finally rise! Great for men or women, it is a classic and I am thrilled to have it in my wardrobe. Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Organic Cotton - Brittany - £55.00 My next acquisition will be this glorious, geometric in aqua and green, inspired by the beaches of Brittany. The design is sophisticated, the colours divine and the wide, green border, perfection! Imagine with a white tea-shirt or shirt - Ooh la la!  Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Linen - St Tropez - £55.00 There is a similar style in fresh sky and red and the aforementioned floral,  a delicious combination of pink and navy, printed onto 100% linen. This was inspired by Pampelonne Beach in St Tropez, where 'And God Created Woman' was filmed, so you can channel your inner Brigitte Bardot - although she would probably have worn just the scarf! Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Organic Cotton - Piha - £55.00 Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Wool - Spots - £65.00 The orange and olive spot in lightweight wool was an indulgence. I love the colour combination and I feel justified by this cold snap, as a British summer inevitably throws up cool days and this is so exuberant and joyful that I had to have it. Shop Now - Parisian Summer Scarf - Organic Cotton - Namibia - £55.00 Finally, for those that like to make a big fashion statement, there is a large geometric print inspired by the Namibian desert, with beige, white, navy. khaki and black, so it is very easy to wear as it goes with pretty much everything!  This is an exceptionally polished label and adds a measure of insouciant, gallic-chic to one's summer wardrobe! Shop Now - Recycled P.E.T - Placemat (Made From Plastic Bottles!) - £10.00 Shop Now - Recycled P.E.T - Round Coaster (Made From Recycled Bottles!!) - £2.00 I was very happy to receive a fresh delivery of our eco-placemats and coasters yesterday. These are made from recycled plastic bottles and, though they look like wool felt and feel like wool felt, they are not only very good news for the planet but also indestructible. I have them in Grey and use them for pretty much everything; as a mat beneath my laptop on the desk and for both formal dinners in the dining room and casual suppers in the kitchen. They look very smart and are impossible to stain. Best of all, when I inevitably spill red wine on them, I just throw them in the washing machine on 30 degrees and they emerge as good as new - no ironing! Miraculous! I adore the orange, which sold out very quickly last year, and have added a new Mediterranean blue which is very on-trend. Good furniture needs protection, and this is the perfect design - the placemats are big enough for cutlery and your glass, although it you are serving water & wine, I would add the coasters as otherwise it starts to look a little cramped. Shop Now - Vivid Porcelain Collection The handmade, colourful,  Nordic stoneware finally arrived (thank you for your patience those that have already indulged!) and I am absolutely thrilled with it. Robust and substantial, the collection looks (I hope you agree) absolutely gorgeous on our dresser in the store. I think this will disappear once we re-open our doors, so I am determined to get myself some plates, at the very least, before they are spirited away. But which to choose? I think that I have decided and then imagine them in different rooms and change my mind again. I have 48 hrs to make a decision.... the pressure! Shop Now - Recipe Book - Chefs At Home By Hospitality Action - £26.00 Shop Now - Recipe Book - The Happy Pear: Recipes For Happiness - £18.99 Finally, if you want to do something nice for the Hospitality industry which has been so badly hit by the p-word (I refuse to say it again!), then we have just taken delivery of a lovely book called 'Chefs At Home', which collates the lockdown recipes of 54 of our brightest gastronomic talents, including the lovely Angela Hartnett (who is charming and a very calm chef to watch in her kitchen - I caught her reading a book!) and the charming Michel Roux Jnr, with whom I have worked and who treated me to lunch at Le Gavroche - I chose 3 soufflé's (starter, entree & pudding! ) so I will be devoted to him forever! This book is fun, eclectic and 100% of royalties go to 'Hospitality Action', which offers vital support to those that work in the hospitality industry in the UK. Another new, top tome is 'Recipes For Happiness', a vegetarian cookbook by the Flynn brothers. I bought the GD their Baking Course for Christmas and it has been a huge hit, plus I love the premise of this - we can all do with as much 'happy' as we can get our hands on! I shall be working this w/e as we prepare to open our doors once more. The shelves are freshly painted, the new collections prominently displayed, and I just need to re-arrange a few things and we are all set. I am hoping for a busy week, but one never knows....it may be that we have to get used to the freedoms slowly? Lots of customers and warmer temperatures is the mantra that I send into the Universe this week - at least then we can enjoy seeing our friends in the garden! I hope that you enjoy a little shopping and a haircut next week - let's keep our fingers crossed that this is the beginning of the end and that normalcy is within our sights! If you are local, do stop by and say hello - it will be so lovely to see you! Very best wishes, Michaelx