Bluff Oysters

Oysters are one of my favourite foods and of all the varieties available, I think Bluff oysters from the Foveaux Strait in New Zealand are the best. Bluff oysters (aka Bluffies) are harvested from March to August, so I am in luck this year as I happen to be in New Zealand.

 
Soul Bar kicks off the season with an all-you-can-eat Bluff oyster bonanza. Unfortunately both days of this event sold out almost as soon as the offer was publicised. Not to worry, there are a few other offers around and I think we will try to get a booking at Euro where they offer a dozen bluff oysters for $19 at lunchtime bookings in March.

Everyone has their own preferred accompaniments for raw oysters. My ideal is just icy cold oysters served with lemon wedges and black pepper. I was lucky enough to have some farmed Bluff oysters at a friend's place the other day, served exactly like this, but unfortunately I didn't take a photo of her 'pin-worthy' presentation. If you are interested in any ideas for serving oysters, be sure to check out our Bamboo and Blue Oyster Board on Pinterest.

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Desert Island Beauty Pick - Hair Ties

This week it's a kind of boring but absolutely essential Desert Island Beauty Pick for me and that would be hair ties. I'm going to be even more boring and say I always use black ones (as my hair is black) but trawling the web I found some that I definitely would like to try.

The following two images are from a cute shop on Etsy called Tied Up Loose Ends. There are many different styles to choose from.

 
And these ones are from Anthropologie.

MP

Holiday Rental Essentials - Outdoor Furniture

 
Today's recommendation for holiday rentals is outdoor furniture - chairs, a dining table and loungers. Preferably with umbrellas or another form of shade provided as well.

I will say from past experience of rental villas if you don't have enough outdoor furniture people will drag all of your indoor furniture outside!

While the dream might be to have furniture by Gandia Blasco - as seen at luxury hotels and beach clubs, including Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Eagles Nest in New Zealand, or by Dedon - as seen at their own Dedon Island Resort in the Phillipines (Swingrest Hanging Lounger pictured above) - outdoor furniture doesn't need to be expensive.

Ikea, Habitat, Emu and Kartell all sell great hard-wearing ranges of outdoor furniture.

 
I have a collection from Fermob - it is expensive - but if it can withstand use in restaurants and the gardens in Paris it is a pretty good sign of quality (Luxembourg Bar Cart pictured above).

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Images: 1, 2

12 Hours in Switzerland

Today's post is on how to fill 12 hours of your day, Swiss style! We had some friends visiting this weekend and on Saturday we had an action packed day showcasing some of Switzerland's best activities.

We live in a town which is about an hour's drive to some of the best ski resorts in Europe. During winter, most of the towns and roads are really quiet as everyone decamps to the mountains. That's what everyone does here in winter, ski. And with so many easily accessible resorts it's easy to see why.

We left our house around 7:30am and got up to the Villars ski resort within an hour. You park your car in front of the main telecabine and away you go!

 
After a few runs, we stopped for a much needed caffeine fix at the Cookie Cafe which is quite trendy by Swiss standards. Tom's Burger Bar which has the same owners as the Cookie Cafe is situated at the bottom of the lifts and is a perfect quick lunch stop.

My ideal skiing involves only a few hours in the morning, generally when it's quieter and the snow is best. And then stopping for lunch. If we had more time I would have liked to stop for lunch at Auberge du Col de Soud which serves up traditional Swiss dishes like rosti and fondue in an amazing mountain setting. However we ended up driving down to Ollons and chose the Hotel de Ville restaurant where we managed to sit outside in the sun. As I mentioned in my Steak Frites post I don't get much beyond this dish on the menu and it was a round of four perfectly cooked entrecotes topped with Cafe de Paris butter and served with crispy frites.

 
With full stomachs, we drove on to the Saillon thermal baths. Thermal baths are big in Switzerland and I would take a guess at saying you could drive to at least one within an hour of wherever you are in the country. There are six in the Valais area alone and people love to come here for a soak after a day on the slopes. The baths usually have a hamman / sauna area that you can relax in as well.

 
After that it was time to drive back home and enjoy a fondue. The perfect way to end a busy but really fun day!

MP

Images: 2, 3 & 4

Swings and Slides

 
At least three times a day my little girl asks "Swings [and] Slides?"

There is a nice shaded playground about two minutes walk down the road from my mum's place here in Auckland so she usually gets to go when she asks. The closest playground to my house in London is usually in a state of disrepair and frequented by drunks and stray dogs, so I am making the most of the clean, shaded playground that I can go to via a stop for coffee.

There are lots of nicer playgrounds that are a bit further away from us in London - but wouldn't it be great to have a really nice one close by. Or even better, how about some swings and slides at home...

The Rainbow House by Ab Rogers Design in collaboration with DA Studio is a colour-filled house situated on Portobello Road in London. Watch the vimeo video to see more detail.

 
I love indoor slides and they seem to be getting more popular. This example by Alex Michaelis of Michaelis Boyd  is ideal.

 
How about an indoor swing?

 
Or a trapeze?!

 
For outdoor swings - it is hard to go past the work of designer Patricia Urquiola. A couple of stand-out pieces from one of my favourite designers are below.

 
I'm planning a post featuring Dedon on Wednesday - here is their take on an outdoor swing.

 
I am thinking that incorporating a slide and/or a swing into our future bach design is going to be something not just for the kids!

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Images: 1-3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Steak Frites

This has to be one of my favourite dishes. Whenever we eat out here or in France (actually in any country!), it's hard for me to look beyond this on the menu.

 
With my Paris trip coming up I am determined to find the best Steak Frites! One place that comes up quite a lot and I'm kind of curious to try is Les Relais de l'Entrecote. It does look quite touristy though but generally reviews are good. The only thing on the menu seems to be a green salad followed by steak frites with their "special sauce".

 
Steak frites is often served in Switzerland and France with a Cafe de Paris butter. Upon further reading I discovered this herby butter was created in the 1940's and served in the Restaurant Café de Paris in Geneva. Today the sauce ingredients and method of preparation are still a company secret with only a handful of restaurants serving up the original recipe, Le Relais de l'Entrecote in Paris being one of them. This butter contains a long list of ingredients including mustard, marjoram, dill, rosemary, tarragon, paprika, capers, chives, curry powder, parsley, shallot, Worcestershire sauce and anchovies. 

Do you have any restaurant recommendations in Paris? Have a great weekend! MP

Links: 1, 2, 3

Desert Island Beauty Pick - Tweezers

If the eyes are the window to our soul, then our eyebrows are the window frame...

I had never really paid much attention to my eyebrows until the first time I decided to try threading when the Blink brow bar opened up at Fenwick in London. I had so many comments on how good my eyebrows looked that I became a quick convert to the threading process. These days I go to places local to where I live that charge £3-4 rather than Blink's rate of £17.

The only problem with threading is that you need to let your eyebrows grow a little before you deal with them. A good pair of tweezers is for me an essential desert island beauty pick to help keep eyebrows under control.

Not all tweezers are created equal. For the price, my favourite ones are the Tweezerman Slanted Tweezers. 

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Holiday Rental Essentials - Knives

You can always count on never finding a sharp knife in a holiday rental. I guess good knives are associated with a high price tag. Having said that, I have haven't had much luck with my Global 20 cm Cook's Knife that retails for £80. It's been sharpened many times but still gets blunt after a few uses. I prefer a Henckel's knife that was part of a set bought nearly 10 years ago. I hardly ever sharpen this one and it still has a good edge. I am sure everyone has their favourite knife. When I was living at home I used a mini Chinese cleaver for nearly everything and I know that's the only knife my mum uses.

When I was looking up knives, the general consensus is that you only need 3 different types. An 8 inch chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread one.

  Living in Switzerland, I own quite a few Victorinox knives and peelers. This little one has to be my most used kitchen gadget.

  They are amazingly sharp and cost about £3. For a few years now I have used this about six times a day, every day and it's still not blunt!

One of the things I'll miss most about Switzerland when we move is the bread. Every village no matter how small always has a boulangerie (and a hairdresser!) that sells delicious fresh bread so I understand how important a bread knife is. 

After a quick scan on Amazon, I found a few knives that are not expensive that would be a great addition to the holiday rental.

This Victorinox chef's knife retails for around £22.

This bread knife has glowing customer reviews and is only £13.

MP

Images: 3, 4

Holiday Reading

I don't really consider myself to be a person who has hobbies. Perhaps the only true hobby I have is reading. I read every night before going to sleep and always get through a couple of books while on holiday.

I bought a Kindle about 3 years ago and have been a convert to the device ever since. It is loaded with books as I check Amazon most days and tend to buy lots of the Amazon Daily Deals.

I'm always on the lookout for new authors and recommended holiday reading. Some of the books that I have enjoyed over the past few months and would recommend to anyone looking for some holiday reading include:

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
1Q84 (books 1 and 2) by Haruki Murakami
A Game of Thrones (and the rest of the series) by George R.R. Martin
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Sea Sisters (published in the US as Swimming at Night) by Lucy Clarke
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I would love to hear about what books you have enjoyed recently and especially any must-reads!

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Coat Hooks & Towel Racks

As you step into my apartment you will generally find a coat lying on the floor or on an Ikea chair that we placed there when I was pregnant so that I could sit on it and tie up my shoe laces! I have had a Vitra Eames "Hang It All" Wall Rack for a few years now but I'm not so keen to drill into the walls of our rented apartment.

In a beach house a row of coat hooks in the entrance would work really well as you could hang your beach bags, hats and towels on there as you came in, keeping them off the ground. Using a paddle below adds a nice beachy feel.

I like the size of these hooks allowing plenty of room for bulkier items.

A piece of driftwood makes an elegant simple base for some hooks.

A bench placed under a coat rack is handy and can be used for extra storage.

This is an easy DIY towel rack if you can find the right piece of driftwood!

Basic yet stylish solutions for poolside and the outdoor shower.

MP

Images: 1 & 2, 3, 4, 5  6, 7

Sweet Things

Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you had a good one! I started the day with one of these enormous old-fashioned doughnuts at Little and Friday.

I claim to be much more of a 'savoury' person than a 'sweet' one - but you wouldn't believe that if you saw some of the decidedly sugary things I have treated myself to in the past week.

At a picnic with friends I sampled a couple of the different cronuts on offer at the Takapuna Beach Cafe & Store. They were as delicious as I had feared they might be!

I also tried some beautiful cakes at a tiny French patisserie called Vaniye in Parnell, unfortunately I don't have any photos of those, but I will ensure I take some if I get over there again.

I haven't been keeping track of the marshmallow Easter eggs and various ice creams that I have had, but let's just say there have been a few!

I better get my running shoes on first thing tomorrow!

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Images via Bamboo & Blue on Instagram

Desert Island Beauty Pick - Concealer

Increasingly I find myself reaching for my concealer in the morning and it has now become part of my daily routine. I guess that's what happens with age! I picked up the Bobbi Brown Concealer Kit last summer and love it's creamy smooth texture and also how it comes with the powder to help set the concealer.

YSL's Touche Eclat needs no introduction! They say that one is sold every ten seconds around the world. The pen format makes it easy to carry around and apply on the go. One sweep provides instant luminosity and radiance. MP

Images: 1, 2

Holiday Rental Essentials - Clotheslines

When I am back home in New Zealand I am lucky enough to spend a few hours most days hanging out at my aunty and uncle's house. They have an open door policy, so friends and relatives are always popping in for a coffee or glass of wine and a catch up.

As they live on the water, lots of the people that come to visit also head down to the beach for a swim. Inevitably they then usually shower and stay on for a drink or an impromptu meal.

With all these visitors and a big family, lots of towels get used every day. This is like being at a holiday house all year around.

Rather than having piles of wet towels on the deck, draped over the furniture and all over the bathrooms our recommendation for holiday rentals this week is to find a spot at the back of the house that gets a good amount of sun and install a clothesline.

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Images: 1, 2

Paris

In a few months time my sister is coming over to Europe for a holiday and I'm going to meet her in London and travel back down to Switzerland via Paris with them. I can't wait! I was thinking about Paris today and thought it might be fun to look back at some past trip photos. Paris is so beautiful and am beyond excited that I'll be able to show my sister around. Here are a few of the Paris must sees and some favourite moments. MP

Lanterns

Next weekend I am really looking forward to going to the Auckland Lantern Festival. The festival was first celebrated at Albert Park in Auckland in 2000, and now takes place every year on the first full moon following Chinese New Year. I will be sure to take lots of photos and write a post about the night here soon.

I love lanterns. You often see them strung in the trees at restaurants and hotels lining the beaches in Thailand. I think lanterns make lovely decor both inside and out at beach houses. We will definitely be having a few at our future bach.

Petit Pan is a French Chinese company. The owner's father Pan is a famous master kite flyer in China and his influence is seen in the attention to detail of their beautiful (and often quirky) lanterns. A few of my favourites are below.

For something more simple, you can't go wrong with the classic round paper lantern that can be found in numerous stores. Paper lanterns now seem to be a design staple at many weddings. I used nylon ones at my wedding and thought they added great pops of colour. I sometimes pull them out to decorate the garden outside when we have parties.

Habitat in the UK stock some nice colour paper lanterns in a range of shapes. The Shiro lanterns pictured below come in a range of colours and are so inexpensive there is no excuse for bare light bulbs to be dangling from the ceiling! The blue/green shade on the right is currently on sale for just £3.60.

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Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7