Cheesy dreams

I hardly had time to sleep last night. Climbing trees with Jude Law, necking cocktails with Jessie Pinkman and dancing til dawn with… Tony BLAIR* (?!)  were all part of my mad, crazy, hilarious dreams.  And why?  Quite simply because I overdosed on cheese last night.

Chaource - pre baking

Chaource – pre baking

The cheese in question was Chaource from the Bourgogne region in France.  I was sent it from a lovely PR who has the tricky job of trying to promote a fromagerie…  Anyway, I gladly stepped in – offering to make it the focus of my dinner.  For Him.

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and here it is after 20 minutes of baking

The lack of my dinners are a bone of contention.  I’ve tried to explain before but it’s honestly the LAST thing I feel like doing come 7pm each evening.  He’s much more understanding than he used to be but also tickled pink when I manage to throw something hot on a plate.

I dressed my Chaource with fresh rosemary and poked some garlic into its skin before baking it, alongside some olive-oiled sourdough.

roast cauliflower, peppers and chilli

roast cauliflower, peppers and chilli

Roast cauliflower, cold meats and some hot and sweet cooked peppers also joined our mini cheese fondue.  The cheese was completely delicious – creamy and rich and mushroomy.  In fact, if you’re a Camembert fan, there’s no doubt you’ll love this little cheese.

cheesy dinner for 2

cheesy dinner for 2

He added the wine (Joseph Drouhin, Rully) which complemented the cheese perfectly.

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But, despite my asking, He won’t tell me His mad dreams.

* if anyone is at all interested, Tony Blair is not a bad dancer….

 Tesco Finest stocks Chaource (250g £3) which is produced by Lincet, a family-owned french dairy fromagerie.

 

 

 

 

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face cream. How much would you pay?

Can a new cream honestly change your life?  A face cream, I should specify.  I mean, bad skin can definitely change your day.  And a blow dry can MAKE your evening.  However, I’m not sure of the finite value of a face cream…

Let me explain my dilemma.  I came home from holiday last week and started clearing out my beauty sample cupboard.  Like a mad woman.  Flinging out-of-date bottles out and giving unopened beauty treats to anyone who happened to pass by.  And then I came across this little pot which promised me Cell Repair.  Feeling a little in the dark as to which cells really need repairing, I started on the small print.

the face cream in question, Baume 27

the face cream in question, Baume 27

27 ingredients, built around the patented MA2 complex, reconstructs, hydrates, bio-energising. 

Glancing in the mirror, my beach wind weather beaten face (followed by a long haul dehydrating flight) looked keen for ALL of the above.   So I broke it open and started to review.

For a week I have used it religiously on a clean face – at night and in the morning (my poor Environ team of creams feel very out of sorts).

Cosmetics 27 manufacture the Baume 27 range which is centred around the restorative virtues of the plant, Centella Asiatica. The pharmacist trained founder, Michèle Evrard, worked for more than 18 years in the cosmetics industry before she realised (and proved) that extracts from this medicinal plant could heal and reconstruct the skin to achieve a smooth and youthful glow.

centella-asiatica

Am I convinced?  Well, my skin definitely looks more hydrated (it’s a thick old cream) but is it worth £112?  I’m afraid the jury is out.  And, anyway, I don’t think I could EVER spend that amount of money on a face cream… whatever it promised.

Do you agree?

 

 

 

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Growing Gourmets at Divertimenti

The importance of children learning to cook never seems to outweigh the enormously hideous mess left in my kitchen.  Mini can make a mean scrambled egg on toast and Small is quite a dab hand at his colourful bolognaise but… well, let’s face it when I can whip it up in less time with minimal clearing up, it seems like an obvious division of labour…

the Little Italy class at Divertimenti

the Little Italy class at Divertimenti

Divertiment and its Growing Gourmets cooking classes– however – will do ALL the preparing, teaching, directing and clearing up.  So I sent Mini and her mate along to the Marybelone High Street branch to review on behalf of Life of Yablon.

Last Monday, they joined the 9-11 year old session entitled Growing Gourmets:  Little Italy.

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Parents aren’t usually allowed past the kitchen threshold but Mini had hired me as her photographer.  So I stayed behind to snap and observe.  In awe.

They cooked (I mean, really cooked!) cheesy focaccia, fresh pasta dough, basil pesto, meatballs, tiramisu, almond biscotti and cherry & chocolate tortini.

out comes the tagliatelle

out comes the tagliatelle

I witnessed tagliatelle being made in the wind-up pasta machine, meat being rolled into 5cm balls, cream whisked, Amaretti biscuits crushed, biscotti dough mixed and some wild Funky Monkey tiramisu assembled.

mouthwatering meatballs

mouthwatering meatballs

Sam Harvey, their teacher, was firm (with the 11 yr old boys) while kind, helpful and encouraging to all her chefs.

Mini's cherry and chocolate tort ini

Mini’s cherry and chocolate tortini (priceless)

Expecting utter chaos and flying Oreos, I was disappointed.  Sam has the team of 12 completely under control.

balls of dough could have been flying

balls of dough could have been flying

And finally, after slaving away in the kitchen for the best part of 1.5 hours, they sat down to enjoy their results – meatballs and pasta followed by their very unique looking desserts!

supper is served!

supper is served!

Mini and her mate were in heaven.  Not only did they adore every aspect of the cooking, they were full of pride as they carried their remaining take-away Italian dinner home.

their rather wild looking Funky Monkey tiramisu

their rather wild looking Funky Monkey tiramisu

The 2 hour class at Divertimenti Marylebone costs £50 per child.  Click here for details of forthcoming Growing Gourmet classes.

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Up pops The Juicery @108maryleboneln

In the cupboard under the stairs, along with my live-in hairdresser and those minions who pick the lego off the floor, lives my very own dedicated juice man.  He rises before dawn to cold-press a non-sugary* green juice for me to gulp down before hitting the school run.  In. My. Dreams.

Wouldn’t that be just ideal?  None of the faff and ALL of that goodness.

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Instead the closest I can get to this dream is to drop by 108 Marylebone Lane‘s pop up Juicery en route to Mini and mate’s cooking (review) lesson at Divertimenti.

Mini and Mate sniff at lime, mint and spinach

Mini and Mate sniff at lime, mint and spinach

The underage juicers sniffed at the menu before requesting their very own HIGH sugar blend:  pineapple/mango/orange/apple (£5)

their juice blend with…. BISCUITS!

their juice blend with…. BISCUITS!

I plumped for all the greenness I could get:  Amelia Freer’s Glowing Green Smoothie. (£7)

my greenness contains:

my greenness contains: cucumber, avocado, apple, chia seeds, kale, super greens powder and Jax Coco Water

Freer, Boy George’s dietician, has been enlisted to create drinks for the menu of this pop-up juice bar at restaurant 108 Marylebone Lane.  All ingredients are seasonal and sourced locally.

The pop-up juice bar will be open until January 31.  Meanwhile I’m clearing out that cupboard under the stairs.  Just in case…

* I’m currently in a battle against sugar.  Keep posted to see who wins.  Me or IT.

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