Sunday 6 December
We’re finally out of lockdown!
We celebrated this weekend by going out for lunch as a family at one of our favourite local restaurants called ‘At The Chapel’ in Bruton, which serves the best sourdough pizzas cooked in a wood fire oven.
Now we’re in December, we can legitimately start going full-on festive in our round ups of what we’ve enjoyed this week…
We’re cooking…
We are in alpine mode and tartiflette is one of our favourite winter recipes. It’s long been a staple, having once made a batch of at least six for an apres-ski themed birthday party. Friends dropped in throughout the day and it was the perfect pre-made dish as I could appear from the kitchen with another one as needed. They went down a storm. It is the ultimate party food - delicious melted cheese, bacon, lots of cream and stodgy potatoes to soak up all the booze. Serve with a salad to at least like you are attempting to balance out the carbs.
This recipe by Caroline Barty on House & Garden online uses a mix of normal and sweet potatoes and pancetta gives this dish a delicious sweetness: VIEW HERE.
On the Wishlist..
This brand popped up on our Instagram feeds this week for obvious reasons! For any lovers of our ‘Last Run’ jigsaw puzzle from our Alpine Collection, you may want to check out Powderhound (a homeware and tableware brand for mountain lovers). The ‘Ski Chain’ collection features their signature design of skiers in a dynamic chain on white porcelain dinner sets, tea towels and on scented candles.
We’re looking forward to..
On 10 December, chef, food writer and restauranteur, Mark Hix, will open The Fox Inn, near Beaminster in the Dorset countryside. Great news, when so many pubs are sadly having to close down this year. Mark is renowned for championing local South West produce and suppliers. We’ve had a peak at the new website and it looks like the daily-changing menus are packed full of seasonal dishes we want to order but the bar food really stands out. It lists a foxy chip butty, toad in the hole and Black Cow cauliflower cheese. Definitely a substantial meal in itself!
Spreading some good news..
Festive Good Wishes from The Savoy
A lovely idea from The Savoy, rewarding kindness and supporting charity at the same time. For £5, anyone can nominate a friend or family member who has been particularly kind or helpful in 2020 for the chance to gift them a unique Savoy experience of their choice. For the people chosen, they could enjoy an afternoon tea, have cocktails in The Beaufort Bar, learn how to cook with the chefs or how to pack the perfect suitcase with a Savoy butler. Proceeds will go towards Hospitality Action, a charity that supports hospitality workers suffering hardship and The Connection at St Martin in the Fields, who help the homeless community in and around the Strand. To nominate click here.
We want to read..
Under the Open Skies: A Practical Guide to Living Close to Nature
We aren’t known for going off-grid on camping trips and spending our free time chopping wood but it doesn’t mean we don’t find people who embrace this way of life interesting to read about!
This new release is described as part practical guide to how to live in the wild, part a meditation on the human need for a connection with the natural world. ‘Under the Open Skies’ is a timely book of how the desire for a simpler existence helped one man find contentment and connection with the world around him, and how we can all learn from his experience.
Author, lecturer and former ultra-runner Markus Torgeby abandoned his urban lifestyle to live on his own in a hut in the middle of the Jämtland forest in northern Sweden. He ended up living there for four years, with nothing but an axe and a sleeping bag. That was 20 years ago. Today, Marcus and his wife and three children live in a house they built themselves in the middle of the same woodland, where he once survived on foraged goods, oatmeal and river water.
Described as a hymn to the joys of solitude and the great outdoors, Under the Open Skies combines escapism and adventure with a love of nature and the desire for a simpler life, and chronicles the story of Markus’ journey from broken youth, to living alone in the forest, to a self-healed family man.
Listening to..
Wham! on repeat. Hands down the best Christmas song and music video. The perfect soundtrack to listen to while you do our 80s themed ‘Chasing Powder’ puzzle.
Thank you for reading and see you next week! We always love to hear your recommendations for the week ahead.