Her Little Place

Home London 2012

2012-01-20T17:40:00.000Z

I spent the day at Home on Monday, where I was eyeing up new trends for 2012 for the Guardian. It was an amazing show - they have obviously worked really hard to only get quality designers and brands in. While you can't buy what you like at a trade show (it's not open to the public), it is great for eye candy and you don't have that market traderish crowd selling you stupid kitchen gadgets like some so-called 'interiors' shows do. Anyway my write-up about it all is here, but here's some more pics of things that caught my eye...

Ferm Living

Muted warm wintery things from Verso Design

Marimekko's new Helsinki range, based on an original 1950s design out the archive

Donna Wilson's lovely throws

Swedish ceramics at Sagaform

Handprinted, homemade bags and cards by Alexandra Snowdon

Ace biscuit cushions by Nikki McWilliams

Searching for squashy comfy cushions

2012-01-13T13:17:00.002Z

On our grey sofa, we have these cushions, which I haven't had time to take a picture of so I shall describe instead. Hand embroidered flowers, in red and cream silk threads dotted with little mirrors in the threadwork at the centre of each one, they were passed down to me by my mum, who in turn had them from her mum. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. They weren't so much passed down to me as I spied something (a bit of mirror) in the airing cupboard, thought "Ooh, there's something shiny", stood on the edge of a shelf to reach for it, nearly broke the shelf, pulled the cushions out, made a mess of all the other linen in there, thought, yes, they looked nice and stuffed them in a bag to take them with me to London. Great tactic for stealing stuff from your mum's house, works every time.

Anyway. The cushions are lovely, but they are old. Some of the small bits of mirror are falling out which as well as leaving gaps in the embroidery is also a potential health and safety issue for, er, small nephews and er, grown ups too. Every now and then, R will be sitting on the sofa, struggling to get comfy because a small shard of glass may or may not have inadvertently cut through his jeans. It makes me feel bad and so this lengthy preamble explains why I am currently spending my hard earned money and valued time doing something very important called cushion shopping.

Today I ordered this one from Roddy & Ginger although really it's not to replace the existing cushions, but more to join the owl on the green snuggler armchair. Which wasn't what I was looking for, but anyway.

but a pair of these would go very nicely, thank you, with our charcoal grey sofa...

I don't have a bolster cushion but if I did, I'd love this print from ThirtyFive Flowers

This is awesome (and on sale!), but I know R will probably hate - one owl cushion is pushing it; an elephant called Elle would probably push him over the edge.

Although check out the rest in the range: Mr Franck the Fox! Aristo Katt! - I would gladly share the sofa with this lot

On a more grown up note (tis a living room, not a nursery. Not that we need a nursery. Just to make that clear), I do very much like Ferm Living's geometric designs...

But perhaps not enough to spend nearly £56 on. Luckily, that same Etsy seller, ThirtyFive Flowers, has something similar for a lot, lot less, although she only has one of them and I suspect that now I've blogged it, it'll sell out by the time I figure out which ones I want to buy.

I have long loved these (we have the bolster ones in the bedroom) but it'd be pretty boring if we had the same ones in one room as in the other too so that these rules out

While these are pretty gorgeous too

So anyway. That's my shopping round up. Basically, to recap, I was meant to buy a pair of cushions for the grey sofa but ended up buying one cushion for the green one instead, which means I've failed miserably in my shopping task. Never mind! There's always Franck the Fox!

Perfect Victoria Sponge Wedding Cake

2012-01-10T19:22:00.000Z

Victoria sponge, raspberry and cream, big and squishy and ever so slightly wonky: my wedding cake, just as I'd imagined it to be. Photos by our wedding photographer Anna, and cake by Nicola.

(I promise not to go all wedding blogger on you)

Calling all interiors journalists and editors...

2012-01-09T12:28:00.002Z

(Magazine pics from here)

I've lost count of how many "How the fashion editors dress"/"What our fashion team wears to work" features ever since the likes of The Devil Wears Prada came along and made working on a magazine seem glamorous. But as someone who is always peeping through windows to see how other people live, I'd rather sneak a peek at what someone's entire house looks like, not just what the contents of their wardrobe are.

So with that in mind, I'm collating a little feature project for a newspaper, asking interiors magazine writers, journalists and editors, the people behind the magazines we all buy and devour, if they wouldn't mind sharing how they live for once... so if you're someone who works for an interiors magazine, and lives in an interiors dream, then please do get in touch - tweet me @huma_qureshi and I'll fill you in with more. Thanks!

Hand stamped thank you cards

2012-01-07T16:35:00.006Z

An afternoon of easy crafting a whole bunch of post-wedding thank you cards with my much-loved, much-smudged Cox & Cox stamping kit. Simple and sweet.

New house updates

2012-01-06T10:56:00.016Z

It's only been less than three months since I moved into my new home with R after our wedding but I'm quietly quite chuffed at how much we've managed to get done in that time to set up home. It's always been really important to me to make a home that puts a smile on the face of whoever walks in the door (mostly that would be the two of us), somewhere that reflects our personalities and is just a place you really, really want to come back to. A while back, I interviewed Zoe from Conversation Pieces, for this Independent piece about setting up home as a couple, and she said she simply wanted to make a "happy home" - no style-conscious point, no being over precious. That's how I feel about it too.

Anyway, regardless, in the real world there's still a fair amount that needs to be done (The spare room is The Room That We Don't Talk About, and there's still a major curtain purchase we're waiting on) but I am more than pleased with what we've done so far...

The first thing we did was put up shelves on either side of the window for my book collection which, yes, are organised by colour (ahem). The snuggler armchair was a total impulse purchase and totally unplanned (and unbudgeted for - ouch) but it's turned out to be a favourite buy... the perfect home for my beloved owl (more owls coming: watch this space). The print above the snuggler only arrived today, but I fell in love with it when I found it on Bodie and Fou.

Next up is our feature wall (with the wallpaper we all know and love); the beautiful small oak dining table a generous wedding gift from one of my brothers. Another gift, this time from one of R's brothers, is the vintage wooden railway waiting room sign hanging above our dining hatch. Both gifts were, er, tactfully suggested by me.

The hallway is our little gallery space - and I can't live anywhere without a chalkboard door so here it is behind our front door. Since I work from home (my writer's bureau is in the lounge, next to the snuggler armchair, but it's messy and I don't know what to put above it yet so no photos for now), I need all sorts of motivation so currently scribbled on the blackboard is this quote found on the Pinterest board of a lady called Judy who I happened to interview for this piece in the Independent today about working from home in style.

In the kitchen (oh to finally have a proper kitchen - my last one was basically a glorified cupboard) we have open shelves for bits and pieces we've collected along the way...

I'm terrified they'll fall down if I put all my cookery books on them (um, they already have done so once), so those are lined up neatly against the work surface now.

The main bedroom walls are pretty bare for now, as I continue my quest for prints to hang above the bed and wait for our wedding photos to arrive, but we do have a feature wall with the Miss Print wallpaper (remember? In the end, we opted for duck egg blue).

I adore the slightly mismatched lampshades from Sasha And Elisabeth - we deliberately didn't want anything too catalogue-perfect (a "look" I detest with a passion) so the bedside table lamps aren't identical. I love the random red bird on this one (which happens to be on his side).

Our bathroom is done in shades of white, dark wood and duck egg blue - mostly because I loved the colours in Lisa Stickley's bath range - and this is what greets you when you step out the shower.

So, so far, that's it. I've ordered a few more prints, one from Etsy, one from Roddy & Ginger for the hallway "gallery" but am still musing for more - any suggestions?

Um, hello, I'm back

2011-11-29T17:35:00.007Z

(image above from Paper Michelle)

I don't really know where to start this post, seeing as I haven't blogged since August 21st, which was nearly three months ago. For this I feel terrible, because there's nothing worse than those blog posts that start "Gosh! Hello readers! Sorry I haven't blogged for ages - been busy!" but in my case, I hope that at least my excuses (packing, getting married, moving flats, going on honeymoon, getting back into work) at least seem vaguely valid.

And so here it is: in the last three months, my life has changed on basically every level. It's not been so much a whirlwind, but more a very ready change of direction. Her Little Place is now Someone Else's Place, and my new home is Ours, so it's out with the floral rugs and Eastenders and in with living a new life which isn't just about me, but where someone special is always in it. It's taking in the big three-0, growing up, growing together and enjoying it all. People ask me what it's like: I tell them it's calming, peaceful; our new life is quietly content. Being married is a good influence on me.

There's a ton I could blog about over everything that has happened - the wedding eye-candy of invites, cakes (plural: try a ten-tier victoria sponge), flowers; the colour; the photos; the videos...but I can't quite whittle this huge, mammoth day into just the details (sorry). Somehow, talking or blogging about my wedding cake doesn't really give this turning point justice. Then again, I could always blog about the honeymoon, Rome-in-the-autumn, driving with the top down, our creamy, dreamy little boutique hideaway in Puglia, the pomegranate trees, the olive groves, the burnt orange sunsets... now that really was something.

And now there is real life, of what to make for dinner and settling into routines, and the bringing of families together round Sunday roasts, and work, trying always to write, battling with ideas that might make a sale vs ideas I'd simply like to write, hoping for 'another' big break and that next year will be as fruitful as this one.

So as the year really does come to a close - there's not even that long to go, jeez, it's December on Thursday - my thought for the day is this:

This time last year, nothing I had done this year - whether it was getting married or suddenly, totally randomly being pulled out of the blue to be on national radio every week - was expected, or predicted, or at least not by me. This year has proved to me that at every turn there is an opportunity, a new beginning, a promise that waits for you, and that when things are crappy, there's always bound to be something better round the corner. That you must have faith, and faith brings everything to you. Face it; the cliches are true - beyond all the cheesiness, every cloud does have a silver lining, when life brings you lemons, you might as well make lemonades and everything really does happen for a reason. I'll be blogging more in the new year (promise), maybe not always about what you're normally used to finding here, but in the meantime, I leave you with this:

2011. Best. Year. Ever.

Big fat eBay clear out

2011-08-22T22:59:00.005+01:00

Yikes, there are exactly two months until the wedding, two months and two days until the honeymoon and 54 days until I have to have my flat packed up and all empty ready for some nice tenant to move in (please be nice and look after the chalkboard). In the midst of this all, we are both starting to slowly plan a few choice things to let go of before we set up our new home together. A lot of things will no doubt end up on Freecycle or donated to charity shops, but there's a few we'll be trying to sell...

These are what I will be clearing my flat of - if you are interested, hop along to eBay and place a bid!

A Graham & Green vintage style butterfly print...(H41cm x W31cm)

A pretty Japanese Washi shade made from Japanese rice paper, from the lovely Family Tree in Farringdon with purple and white stripes with a blossom effect pattern. (H28cm x W12.5cm). The pattern looks like this:

and when you switch it on, it glows like this:

This completely brand new Urban Outfitters rug which we bought thinking it would be right for our space but sadly doesn't work in the room. It would look fab in the right place though.

A comfy squashy black leather sofa

A bright, bright floral rug from Next Home

Bright pink hand woven cotton cushion covers

Olive green and brown and orange cushions covers (hand woven cotton)...

Purple and gold brocade silk cushion covers with zip back

Navy blue and gold brocade silk cushion covers with embroidered elephants worked into the silk with zip back

If you like any of what you see, you can head to our page on eBay, where more details like dimensions and costs are listed, and place a bid! Click here, and you'll see all our stuff for sale. Any questions, just drop me a line!

Feature walls

2011-08-21T14:55:00.004+01:00

The wallpaper samples have arrived...

and despite saying I liked the black and white... I actually don't. Duck-egg was always in the back of my mind, and we both decided, when the samples arrived, that the black and white just looked a little too dull for an entire wall. Although the colour of the paper is called duck-egg, it's a little brighter and I love the pop of colour and am so certain it will bring our new bedroom to life. It's funny as it's almost exactly the same colour as the bright feature wall I have in my flat already (albeit that's plain not wallpapered) - so there's clearly a colour scheme in me somewhere, despite protesting it.

I'm looking for lovely light grey linens and have a bedroom moodboard I'm putting together at Pinterest. I am also massively inspired by this gorgeous post by Will at Bright Bazaar on turquoise, yellow and orange.

What do you think? Bright duck-egg blue or black and white?

Ideal wedding cake

2011-08-17T19:31:00.004+01:00

It's my favourite cake. The first cake I ever learnt to bake and the cake I still turn to on rainy days and Sundays. All the more reason for the humble Victoria Sponge to be my wedding cake.

From RosieParsons.com

From The Natural Wedding Company

Perfect.

Bedroom feature wall

2011-08-16T12:30:00.005+01:00

There are just over two months left until the wedding and as if planning a wedding wasn't enough, we're also trying to get the flat that I'll be moving into post-wedding and calling our new home ready too. Maybe I'm being too much of a perfectionist, but the idea of going from the wedding into a flat that looks like a bombshell because we've not unpacked or cleaned cupboards properly stresses me out. I'd like to have some, not all, of it ready to feel like we can relax in; the rest we can do up in our own time. The kitchen is being redone and I can't wait to have more counter space for baking and cooking; the Orla Kiely multi-stem wallpaper has been ordered for the hallway (!) and the lounge needs new lights, new sofa, new rug, new shelves and new curtains. That's a lot of news.

I am partly resigning myself to living in dust and mess as trademen come in and out after the wedding to do bits and pieces here and there that we can't get done in the next two months. But I'd like at least some of it to feel right - take the bedroom for instance. There's one long wall which the bed will be set against; I'd like it to be a feature wall. I love the idea of soothing duck eggs and warming greys, but while I love those shades, I also hate the idea of being limited to a colour scheme (whereby bed linen and light fittings etc all have to match a certain shade of grey) just because of a pattern I might have picked for the wallpaper. I like too many colours, and this is not to say that I mismatch everything (I don't) I just prefer to be able to look at something and buy it and not worry about it not "going" with the rest of the room. I hate the idea of a cataloguey bedroom matched to perfection.

So... I've been looking at feature walls, and ordering samples. And this is my favourite so far: 'Little Trees' by Miss Print. I love the slightly quirky, Scandinavian vibe. I've ordered a sample in every shade - moss, duck egg, grey and monochrome and to my surprise, the monochrome paper (below) is the one I like best.

Picture an Ercol side table set against the paper above; a wall of our framed typography prints; my chalkboard-turned-gold mirror and bold bright bed linen to liven up dull days, while softer colours would work just as well too. I want a room that makes us happy to wake up in and reflects our vaguely laid back way of throwing things together, not looking like we've tried too hard to get it all to, well, match.

I'm waiting for the samples, but I think I might be sold. Now it's time to convince my fiance... In the meantime, here are the other colour shades. Which do you prefer?

Etsy package

2011-08-01T20:39:00.004+01:00

Who doesn't love a nice delivery? Thank you, The Lonely Heart

Kitchen inspiration

2011-07-27T18:15:00.007+01:00

Much as I love my pint-sized kitchen (which is not so much a kitchen as a little box which you can step in and out of, as in hey presto, step in, you're in the kitchen, step out and you're in the lounge), with its huge big chalkboard (the only thing that's huge or big in there), I've always wanted slightly more kitchen space. And after the wedding I shall have one. The new kitchen is going to be done up soon which means it'll be ready for post-October. I've taken inspiration from.... er, my mum's kitchen. White units, dark wood work tops and silver handles. Although it will be slightly different with a Her Little Place stamp on it.

This, in fact, is the kitchen picture (below) that clinched "the look" for us: again, dark wood, white units and silver handles and splashes of colour. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, this isn't my mum's kitchen, incidentally. I can't remember where I screengrabbed it from (sorry, goes against the blogger code), but the work units and the worktops are very much like the kitchen in the family home.

Anyway, I'm suddenly loving red - and at one point thought red tiles might look great, but now having mulled it over, I think it might over do it. So we're going for white "metro" tiles (ie the ones that look like bricks, as in the very first picture above) and splashes of colour - have bought a mix of Orla Kiely kitchenware for open shelves, and a red metal retro cafe-style light (from Notonthehighstreet.com).

Oh, and I am completely coveting this set of crockery from Pedlars; two-colour colour schemes just don't suit me, and I am a complete rainbow when it comes to having colours around me, so the fact that this is all perfectly mishmashed is just, well, perfect. If we had a wedding list, this would certainly be on it.

More new home ideas and inspiration coming soon or so I hope...

Feature walls

2011-07-26T19:52:00.003+01:00

Just got sent a link to these great wallpapers at Turner Pocock; I've always had my heart set on Orla Kiely's multi stem wallpaper if ever I'd paper a wall, but now I think I might seriously change my mind! My favourites are the teal cricket bats and the ostrich paper - though the tennis wallpaper is seriously cute too. What do you think?

An autumn wedding

2011-07-13T15:36:00.006+01:00

The venue is booked, the date is in the diary: we're having an autumn wedding. Love it! Inspiration is flowing...

Images from (Easy Living, Avenia Bridal, I take you, Heather Kitchen Images, Little Bit Creations)

Wedding bells and invites

2011-07-04T17:26:00.000+01:00

As usual, this blog post is preceded by an explanation as to why I've not blogged particularly of late. Many reasons, work, work, work but also small matter of an ahem engagement on the cards. (Cue card below from We heart Paper)

This is all very big news indeed and it is also now the perfect excuse to perouse one of my favourite things: typography on nice stationery. Yes, with not very long to go (less than four months until the big day), it is time to pick our wedding invites. Perhaps it is testament to my paper-design-stationery obsession that I started to look at invites before I contemplated dresses. Sadly, being on a budget and a big wedding at that too means all dreams of letterpressed bespoke designs are out the window (sigh) so I'm wasting my time wistfully browsing through the cards at Mika 78 or even Hello Lucky.

Still, before I give up on all dreams of simple, understated and pretty designs , I've been searching endlessly on Etsy and Invitation Crush for ideas, inspiration and statement monograms (having a bit of a thing for initials, now wearing both mine and his around my neck on my necklace). Loving these kind of invites that show a bit of character and aren't just same old, same old; playful, casual with pretty fonts, the odd cute (but not sickly) little heart and vintagey playground styles... here's some of my inspiration:

Invites from B Wise Papers, We Heart Paper, Invitation Crush, Hello Ten Fold

Contemporary quilting with Cassandra

2011-05-18T11:02:00.007+01:00

Cassandra Ellis is quite the crafter. She makes contemporary quilts, beautiful handmade pieces patching individual segments of fabric together, like in the old days. Cassandra says the point of a quilt is to represent something that is 'practical, precious and personal - an heirloom that would be passed down for generations.'

Plus, every quilt is completely individual and bespoke. Cassandra teaches at the Papered Parlour, where I had a sewing class, but she also holds her own quilting sessions which you can read up about on her website too.

I love the idea of making something with your own hands that will last not just your lifetime, but your future family's too. Cassandra's photos (above) show that patchwork quilts work wonderfully in a contemporary home, without looking too predictably shabby chic (a look I'm tiring of) - and they remind me of this photo of Hoxton Hotel. See, quilting got cool.

Undecorate

2011-05-09T18:16:00.004+01:00

Readers in the US will already know all about the new trend for 'undecorating' but for those of us in the UK, the term at least is relatively new although the idea behind it, not so much. Undecorating is something interiors bloggers have been doing for years; namely, breaking all the rules and stepping away from the matchy-matchy cataloguey look to basically do whatever takes your fancy that looks good, without a stylist telling you what that might be. It's not rocket science, but the term to it is kinda nifty.

Christiane Lemieux, of DwellStudio, has written a book celebrating Undecorating (it's called, er Undecorate), and I interviewed her all about it for a piece in the Independent. My piece appeared last week (you can read it here), and a sneak of some of the photos from the book below.

Go forth and undecorate, bloggers.

Competition: Mirror, mirror on the wall

2011-04-28T14:08:00.007+01:00

In the spirit of bank holidays and Royal Weddings, here's a competition for all my blog readers; a chance to win this amazing mirror (worth (£449) from luxury furniture online store Juliette's Interiors.

It's a pretty spectacular piece, in bevelled glass with a silver leaf finish. The mirror's been named Camilla's Hat (here's the royal connection, see?), because it looks like the feathered hat that Phillip Treacy designed for Camilla Parker-Bowles on her wedding day.

To be in with a chance of winning, leave a comment with your contact details (either an email or a Twitter name that you use regularly) so that I can contact you and let you know if you've won. One winner (from the UK only, please) will be picked at random on 28th May - so there's a whole month to win. And just so you can plan where abouts you'll put this pretty piece, it's 97cm in diameter (check out all the details here). It's a stunning (and expensive!) piece, so I'm thrilled to be able to offer this competition as a result of being part of the Handpicked Media collective.

I'm not being vain...

2011-04-26T19:29:00.003+01:00

... but I just had to buy this today from the Keep Calm Gallery:

I'm a big fan of Lucas & Hayley at the KCG - I've got a couple of prints from them already, and I've interviewed them for a piece in the Independent as well. Yonks ago, they had this print as gift cards but they'd sold out by the time I'd got to them - so this was a quick buy today to get it before it goes.

By the way, you look lovely today too.

More mid-century design style

2011-04-04T13:53:00.004+01:00

A little encounter at the Mid-Century Modern Fair a few weeks ago has led to me writing a piece for a soon-to-be launched magazine all about mid-century design and style. This, I'm sure, will have a fair few similarly geeky-mid-century fiends all excited. The magazine will be pretty gorgeous and full of good, understated style and you can watch out for it coming next month.

I've been busy this morning writing up my piece for this new mid-century gem of a publication, and stumbled upon this here website while doing so: Bolaget Inspiration. The website is run by a Swedish real estate company, and the "inspiration" part of their site is a collection of the interiors of all the homes and properties they've had for over 20 years - it's very inspiring indeed and quite addictive too. You can search by decade - here's what I picked out from the 30s, 40s and 50s properties.

Weekend of inspiration

2011-03-20T19:09:00.007Z

So, turns out I can sew. Sort of. Yesterday was my first visit of (hopefully a few more) trips to the Papered Parlour for my introduction into dressmaking. I'll be writing about my attempts over on the Guardian's Life & Style soon, but in the meantime, here's a little sneak of what we had and did: cups of tea, cake, sewing machines, mad fabrics and the godforsaken bias binding which was a total bloody nightmare, but more of that later. I came home covered in threads carrying my scraps of fabric and unfinished hemming in a holdall feeling, well, a bit bag-lady-meets-Shoreditch-make-do-and-mendish-type.

After that, it was the Mid-Century Modern fair at Dulwich College. Mad Men, eat your heart out. Some beautiful, heavy printed vintage fabrics and a few handsome monograms too - I only wish my name began with a 'B'. A fine wooden tapered leg here or there had me at hello, and I ended up coming home with a Marimekko-esque reupholstered 70s footstool and going halves on these rather hot 1968 sidetables. One for me, one for my best friend. That's a cracking weekend.

The Papered Parlour

2011-03-05T15:45:00.003Z

Much as I'd love to be, I'm not really very crafty. I can make *some* things, sure, I can bake and stuff, and like to turn food into pretty wrapped presents but that's... about it. I can't exactly turn my hand to making curtains, or even cushion covers, or screen-print or anything like that. I trimmed a coat in velvet (which I love) and that made me feel accomplished but it's not really the same as making a dress or anything like that. That I don't think I'll ever achieve.

Which is why I'm so pleased to be going to the Papered Parlour in Clapham in a few weeks time. The Papered Parlour, like the Make Lounge, is all about encouraging you to be crafty, even if you're a complete novice who would rather admire someone else's work. It's been done up in retro, vintage style, with monogrammed wallpaper (we know how I love a monogram). I'm going to be taking their sewing classes - I figure, after writing so much about this whole make-do-and-mend creative movement, I should probably give it a whirl myself. I'll be sure to take photos; in the meantime, check out the photos they sent me:

And there's more on their Flickr page.

Victoria sponge, a good old classic

2011-02-28T20:32:00.003Z

I've just had a piece published on what the next big cake trend (seeing as now even cake goes through trends) will be for this year, and how lovely to hear that some bakers are insisting that we'll be harking back to good old Great British classics.

"British is the new American", Lily Vanilli told me. "Instead of the cupcake, it will all be about the scone, the bakewell tart, the Victoria sponge... tearooms are already becoming the new cafes, the scone will be the new cupcake."

Perhaps it's the piece that's got me back in the mood for baking. Victoria sponge, the perfect, homebaked version with a thick helping of raspberry jam (seeded for me) and dusted with icing sugar, just never fails to hit the spot. I've been known to make my own one-portion serving in a ramekin when I'm particularly craving it in a way that it just can't wait.

I make mine based on eggs weight (however much the three eggs weigh is however much sugar, butter and flour I use) and it never fails. Simple classics; you just can't go wrong with them.

Classics on the Wall

2011-02-24T12:48:00.004Z

Most people know I have a soft spot for "word-art" (almost every framed print in my flat says something or the other; I wrote a whole piece about it for The Independent here) - so I loved finding about Spineless Classics. The prints combine two of my favourite things - silhouettes and words.

Each print takes a classic (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Romeo and Juliet, What Katy Did...) and makes an image of the lead character's silhouette, formed by the entire text of the story. Beautiful - look at Elizabeth and Darcy below.

If I could pick one, I'd go for Alice in Wonderland - when I was a teenager, I painted some passages from Alice in Wonderland onto the tiny side door that led out of my bedroom and into the side loft. It since got painted over (the tiny door was like the rabbit hole; and doesn't exist anymore!) so this poster would be a nod to those days!

At home with Lisa Stickley

2011-02-13T15:29:00.005Z

On Thursday, I headed down the Northern Line to Clapham, to interview textile and homeware designer Lisa Stickley at her one-bed home just above her shop "headquarters". Lisa was great to talk to, her home was lovely; lived-in without being perfect and full of keepsakes she'd collected. You can read (and see) more about her home and find out what we talked about in my piece appearing soon, but in the meantime, here are some snaps I took while rummaging around her store downstairs, under the flat.

Wisdom in words

2011-01-30T13:20:00.005Z

It's been a long time since I've sat down on a Sunday and not had to rush to put a blog post together. There's a cake in the oven, friends coming over shortly, and I don't have to work this weekend (well, not until later in the afternoon), so today vaguely feels restful.

This week, I received two parcels from John at Advice To Sink In Slowly. If you haven't already checked out the site, do. I interviewed John for a piece on posters and slogans in the Independent and he was very very kind to send me a few things to spread the wisdom of word art.

I'm planning maybe on framing some postcards together and hanging above my bureau; the "Eat Breakfast" is especially apt as I rarely do, and who doesn't love that typography?

Silhouettes

2011-01-13T18:33:00.007Z

I have no photos of myself up in my own flat (why would I?). But it narcissistic to have my own silhouette in my room? I'm loving silhouettes. Doing a spot of research to convince an editor he should let me write about them. And came across so many gorgeous ideas. I have a gap above my television, a space that's marked on the "to fill" list, and I'm wondering whether a series of little silhouettes of family and friends might do the job - a picture wall of jumbled up frames and pretty side-poses.

I might give my own one a miss though. My nose is too big.

In the meantime, delight on this:

Nostalgic romance via Country Living

A modern twist via California Home Design

Would love to paper my bathroom in this (via Anthropologie)

Also, a big thank you to all readers - Her Little Place has been ranked number five in the UK's top 10 design blogs. Thank you, especially since my posting has been irregular and lame of late with all the changes going on - but do come back for more, you're always welcome.

Wallpaper that's just like art

2011-01-05T21:00:00.004Z

I recently did a piece on 2011 interior design trends for The Independent which you can vaguely see above and read in full here. One of the trends that emerged was or rather is our ongoing love affair with wallpaper - only I've got my eye on something a little more detailed than just some floral flock feature wall.

Vanessa Barneby is an ex-Vogue editor who co-runs wallpaper design company Barneby Gates. I spoke to her for the piece, and she talked about the flamboyancy for prints that we're embracing more than ever for our walls. Their designs are handpainted, making them real art creations. You can read what Vanessa said in my feature, but in the meantime, here are some truly lovely photos that she sent over to me of BG designs. Enjoy.

Farewell to 2010

2010-12-31T10:44:00.003Z

Blogging's been taking a back seat of late, with the last three months being a bit of a whirlwind, but as the dust settles, with more exciting opportunities in the pipeline for 2011, I'm back for one last post of the year. Inspiration's been lacking of late, but in this year I've managed to turn negativity into positivity, and for want of any better cliche, turned my flat into a home that I can be happy in and would, if I could, which is nearly always, spend as much time in as possible. This is my home, and I'm happy in it. It doesn't need to be temporary just because it's small. So I'm hoping to start 2011 with that feeling of permanence that will only lead to bigger and better things.

This year saw me leave one newspaper, and end up writing for another three. My byline's appeared in papers I'd only ever read with distant ambition, wishing I could write for them too, and slowly but surely I'm making progress. Next week I start a weekly radio slot, and in the New Year, I'll be hearing back from a publishers about a certain book. There was a blip in between, but that's all been sorted now, and any experience is good experience. With a new professional website on the way, things are looking up as I master the art/dream of being my own boss.

My last piece of 2010 appears in the Independent today - and you can read it here.

Finally, I'm going to end this last-post-of-2010 with the words that have been up on my 6 foot chalkboard door for most of the year: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.

So go fill a glass for 2011, keep the juicer handy, and have a good one.

The writing's on the wall

2010-12-15T22:22:00.006Z

Long time no blog; busy working on a piece for The Independent, a link to which will hopefully be up soon. In the meantime, this may not be new, but it's only just come my way, thanks to John from Advice To Sink In Slowly who was kind enough to email it to me. A sure way to put a smile on your way if you happened to chance upon these on your way to work. Why talk to a brick wall when you can write on it?

From A Love Letter For You

Paper snow birds

2010-12-01T11:50:00.002Z

This picture reminds me of the snowy wonderland outside, everything white and silhouettey. Very pretty on a wintery day.
(Picture via Treehugger.com)

Winter warmers

2010-11-28T12:30:00.003Z

December is but days away and the chill has set in already. We've spent the weekend indoors, with warm fires and hot steaming teas - but later, a venture outdoors is required which means layers, layers, layers. Sure, it's cold - but there's a charm in the air from frosty breath and pink cheeks and fingers cold as icicles. A charm made all the more endearing by coming home to warm cosiness that's bright, soft and subtle.

Sadly, the same charm doesn't extend to the working day - the offices are so freezing, we're meant to resort to using hot water bottles... still, there's inspiration yet.

Enjoy a wrapped up Sunday, everyone. (All images via Toast.co.uk)

A bear lives here

2010-11-10T21:37:00.004Z

This literally made my day. Less about the house, though that's pretty spectacular, but more about the inhabitant. He looks a little lonely but cuts a comedy figure. You'll see what I mean.

Pictures from CoolBoom, brought to my attention by a kind colleague.

Monsieur, Madamoiselle

2010-10-26T19:56:00.004+01:00

Loving these fun prints by Spanish designer Blanca Gomez. They've all got a French theme; she names her characters Monsieur and Madamoiselle. Check out her website, Cosas Minimas (Tiny Things) - meanwhile, I've earmarked these prints for my wall (available at Hannah Zakari)

Bedroom details

2010-10-17T20:16:00.006+01:00

Finally had the bedroom whitewashed. Bare walls drive me crazy; I'm filling up with splashes of colour in the form of 'London' and 'Paris' and a little sparkle with some window lighting. The mirror used to be a chalkboard which I replaced with glass and painted antique gold. A new dressing table dressed with a glass embroidered cover and a vintage silverware dish for my jewellery, little finds in my parents' home which I asked if I could keep. The 'Sac en papier Merci' is from the Merci store in Paris, a small gift from a friend. City-living rocks.

Inside Rob Ryan's studio

2010-10-03T20:12:00.005+01:00

About a month ago, I arranged to meet with the maestro that is Rob Ryan. I'm interviewing him for the Guardian, and was very excited to meet someone whose work I've admired (and graces my walls) for so long.

You can read my interview with Rob in the Guardian very soon, but in the meantime, here's a little sneak peek into his studio.

Hidden away behind a big crumbling black gate next to a row of cute mews-like workshops in east London, it's as quirky, fun and wistful as you'd imagine, with bits of his art work filling every corner.

Tiles on top of the radiator...

And a bag hanging off the wall...

Rob's wife made these cushions, featuring his prints...

Rob offered me tea in one of his own-designed mugs...

While I admired the paper strewn artfully over the lamp...

And how pretty to see his papercuts filtering the light through the windows..

I'll let you know when you can read my piece at the Guardian with Rob - it was a lot of fun, and there's a cute little art project in there for you to try out too. But hope this inspired you in the meantime!

Scandinavian reading list

2010-09-20T19:06:00.011+01:00

I've spent the day looking at some seriously stylish (yet not overly styled) Scandinavian homes (all in a day's work) and my eyes have well and truly been opened to the wonders of Scandinavian blogs around. In my year or so of blogging, I'd mainly stuck to a lot of the US design sites - but now I'm definitely broadening my reading list, and I'd definitely recommend these two blogs to anyone that's similarly interested.

First up is My Scandinavian Retreat, blogged by Vilde. The homes on this blog are flawless, or if they have little flaws, it's all part of their beauty. Just take a glimpse at Vilde's Norwegian apartment (all images from My Scandinavian Retreat) :

And her log cabin...

(note the "Every Day I Love You" wood sign in the bedroom above that's available in the UK at Not on the High Street)

And second up is Emma's Design Blogg, which I've been hooked on and flicking back to frequently. Emma is working as a stylist's assistant, although I bet it won't be long before we see her styling in her own right. Her eye for good design and bold shapes is so strong; I love everything she's picked out, heavy on black and white (all images from Emma's blog):

I love the way every thing looks effortless and so un-catalogue, so uncontrived. Just thrown together. Now that's what I call good style. Hope you've enjoyed being inspired as much as I have by our Scandinavian blog friends - and no doubt there'll be a lot more of where that came from.

Teeny tiny: a life in miniature

2010-09-19T21:42:00.004+01:00

It's been a hectic few days, and Her Little Place hasn't had the love and care it usually does (sorry, blog) as I've been readjusting to the work world and taking on board the challenges and excitement of being the new homes editor at Ikea Family Live magazine. The new role is demanding, but it also means I get to source and look at beautiful magazine-worthy homes and interview their owners, which is sort of an interiors-home-blogger's dream come true. I'll be blogging about the magazine (it isn't just purely about Ikea products, for those of you who may think so) and all the gorgeous homes we feature in it soon, but in the meantime, lets get back to blogging!

So from my new employer, lets head back for a minute to my old one, the dear old trusted Guardian, where I found this piece on a miniature dolls house with a modern twist. The dolls house, made by a graphic designer based in Brighton, is all about "real-life" living and is basically a student house built to a teeny, tiny scale. There's a tiny iMac, overflowing laundry basket and fairy lights; each room is just over 20cm high...

Reading the dolls house piece reminded me that Shoreditch's Caravan is about to do something brilliant in miniature too, as part of London Design Week. This week, you'll be able to enter into a magical mini-world as the delightful Caravan people play with scale to create something truly enchanting...featuring mini-retro pieces like these - charmingly half-pint-sized!

Plum chutney

2010-09-13T20:05:00.006+01:00

This weekend I celebrated Eid with my family and friends - and seeing as everyone crafts at Christmas, I thought it would be lovely to indulge in some homemade gifts for Eid too.

After a month of fasting, it seemed appropriate to offer something foodie - and with a garden full of ripe, fat plums, a homemade chutney seemed ideal.

The Victoria plum tree was planted in our garden by my father, years ago when we first moved in. It's only been in recent years however that the plums have been coming out so luscious - earlier this summer I made plum and apple crumble picking the plums off the tree.

The chutney was quite sweet - I'd never made chutney before and was quite surprised by the 1.5kg of brown sugar the recipe called for (for 2.5kg of plums) - but as the sugar caramelised into a dark golden syrup over the chunky chopped plums, I began to have faith that the recipe was working!

I threw in a teaspoon each of dry roasted and roughly ground cumin and coriander seeds, plus four dry red chillis and lots of chopped almonds. We spooned the mix into the bottles I'd picked up at a hardware store.

The best bit of course is always the finishing touches - a simple cut of kraft brown packaging paper and pretty pink ribbon. Everyone seemed to love the idea of it as a gift; sometimes, the simplest little things seem so special.

Cake in the City: a success

2010-09-05T13:56:00.008+01:00

Thank you so much for everyone who came to Cake in the City, our charity cake sale for flood-hit Pakistan which I organised with the help of some very kind and generous people. The sale was a phenomenal success, raising over £900 in cash in cake sales and £1,795 (and counting) in online donations at our Just Giving site. Thanks to a corporate offering to double our cash donation, that's £3,607 in total to help those that need it the most.

We got press mentions in Here is the City and India Knight even blogged about us too. It was lovely to have friends, colleagues, Twitter followers and blog readers come along -some couldn't' find us, but you were with us in spirit!

(Above: Mitty's Cakes - her spread included chocolate fudge cake, nutella cake, New York cheesecake and blueberry and apple crumble muffins)

I also want to say a great big thank you to all the lovely bakeries who donated cakes - I can't recommend them highly enough. The lavender shortbread from Alexia at the Underground Tea Party was simply delightful (I bought a bag myself to have with tea). For brownies, you've simply got to try Lisa's at Le Dolci (she also runs a cake club for offices - now that's something); Maria at Bake Me Happy made us the most delightful rose and lavender cupcakes; and Irum at Mitty's Cakes stole the show with her amazing spread of huge cakes, cupcakes and cheesecake.

(Above: cupcakes donated by The Hummingbird Bakery)

Of course, the cupcakes by The Hummingbird Bakery and Bea's of Bloomsbury were big sellers and drew in the crowds!

Our stall was made extra pretty by the bunting kindly loaned by Patchwork Harmony and the doilies from PaperMash - and last but by no means least, the amazing bouquets of sunflowers and lilies so generously made bespoke for Cake in the City by M&S. We made the labels using gift tags I'd picked up from Kate's Paperie when I was in New York.

Thanks again to everyone who donated and found us at Spitalfields - here's to Cake in the City 2!

Cake in the City

2010-08-25T10:32:00.005+01:00

Cake can make everything better, right?

In my bid to make a small difference to the world, I've organised Cake in the City, a charity cake sale in London's Spitalfields Market to raise money for flood-stricken Pakistan.

I've called upon all my contacts, from bakeries that I've interviewed for the food pages of the papers, who are so kindly donating their cakes, and friends, old and new, to help make Cake in the City a success - and I'd love it if my blog readers could join in too.

We'll be at Spitalfields, on Friday, 3 September, from 11am to 4pm, selling buttercream-frosted cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery, gorgeous cakes from Bea's of Bloomsbury, meltingly rich chocolate brownies from Le Dolci and the most magnificent selection of sponge cakes and cheesecake from Mitty's Cakes. We'll also be selling some pretty flowers from Marks and Spencers too, who will be donating me some of my favourite flowers to sell - the most beautiful stocks and hydrangeas.

I'm also hugely grateful to Papermash and Patchwork Harmony, who have donated decorations to make the stall pretty.

We aim to feed city workers, market goers and shoppers cake all day long, with all money going to Islamic Relief's Pakistan Floods Emergency Appeal - and if anyone reading this wants to come along and show their support, then please do - and let me know you read the blog and I might just give you a bigger slice!

If you don't live in London, and you can't make it, then please do show your support and donate to Cake in City via JustGiving: www.justgiving.com/cakeinthecity or by clicking on the banner to the left of my Her Little Place homepage.

And also, click on our Facebook event page and share it with all your friends so they can see it too.

Hopefully, we'll raise a great amount; cake makes the world go round!

Wish list: bird

2010-08-22T19:43:00.001+01:00

I want this (spotted, at Spitalfields today)

Russian Dolls

2010-08-19T13:05:00.002+01:00

or, Les Poupees Russes, which happens to be the title of one of my (many) favourite French films.

How darling are these cards? By Gooseberry Moon.

Fatless courgette cake - the better version

2010-08-10T12:57:00.012+01:00

You Her Little Place readers are a funny lot, aren't you? Forget reading about my New York trip, or anything else; turns out that what you all are reading and searching for more than anything is my weird butter-less courgette cake recipe (Google Analytics is a wonderful thing for such insights).

This at once bemuses and shames me; yes courgette cake is great, but also I'm woefully embarrassed by my hideous pictures accompanying the original piece which were snapped on my iPhone. So, when I was asked last week to make courgette cake for my mum's friend and colleague, I took it as an opportunity to take better photos and expand upon the method which you all seem to be wanting to know more about.

The joy of this cake is, of course, that it contains no butter, except for a small amount in the icing (which you could always skip if you really wanted it to be virtuous). Instead of butter, it's combined together using courgette, which is moist enough to hold the batter together. Since there's no butter, there's logically fewer calories (419 per slice, if you cut it into 12 slices) so while it's not quite guilt free, it is at least half way there. I've baked this cake as gifts for a few people now and never tell them what the secret non-fat green-flecked ingredient that they can see in the sponge is until after they've devoured it - they either don't believe me or come begging for the recipe, so it's definitely a winner.

Please note this recipe is adapted from Harry Eastwood's Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache but I've added to it and modified it to my own preference with my little tricks learnt at Cookery School.

Courgette Cake
Ingredients

4 medium eggs (at room temperature)
200g caster sugar
400g grated courgette
220g plain flour
140g ground almonds
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
finely grated zest of 3 unwaxed lemons

Icing
50g unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
200g icing sugar, sieved

For the filling
Good quality strawberry jam (I like Bonne Maman)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180c and prepare your cake tin with baking parchment. Next whisk the eggs and sugar together for 10 minutes until the mix is liquidy, white and full of bubbles, before adding in the courgette. Once the courgette is in, it should look something like this:

(Above: bubbly baking mix of eggs and sugar)

This first step is really important - since there's no fat, you need to get the volume of the ingredients to double and get lots of air into the sponge so that it stays as moist as it would with butter. So don't stop whisking the eggs and sugar until the batter bubbles up and increases in volume before adding the courgette.

Then very gently fold in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and lemon zest, folding each dry ingredient one by one. Don't stir furiously because then the sponge's airiness will collapse, so take your time to fold in carefully, as below:

(Above: folding in the flour)

Then, spoon the mixture into your cake tin. Again, as I learnt at Cookery School, it's better to spoon in a mix than to pour (pouring flattens the air out of the mix). In Harry Eastwood's book, she divides the mix into three tins and baked them for 30 minutes to make three sponges to layer together; I don't know about you, but I don't have three tins of an equal size to do that, so I just stick it all in the one, and then slice it into two layers when baked. If, like me, you bake it all in one tin, it's going to take at least 1 hour 20 minutes for the cake to be cooked throughout - keep a careful eye on it once it passes the 1 hour mark, and use a skewer to test it's cooked through.

(Above: the cake cooled, un-iced but sliced in layers)

Let the cake cool, then carefully slice to make the layers. While the cake cools, whip up the icing by whisking the butter until paste-like, then adding small quantities of lemon juice followed by icing sugar, alternating until both are used up. Then, simply sandwich the cake together with jam, and spread the icing on top.

(Above: courgette cake)

There you have it: almost, but not quite, guilt-free cake.

First home in Brooklyn

2010-08-03T14:40:00.004+01:00

Riding high off my Brooklyn dream (see my post on the street that I've already picked out to live in, if I ever had the chance to live in NYC), I've just discovered this beautiful first-pad in Brooklyn Heights.

This home belongs to Lauren, a recent graduate who has just started her first job as a beauty writer - and despite the meagre salary, she's managed to do it up in style thanks to the help of her mum who worked with Martha Stewart for ten years. Lauren's mother, Suzanne, helped Lauren do up her place in modern yet classic style, combining a little Ikea with little heirlooms; simple and unfussy and just the way I like it.

Lauren and Suzanne have a mother-daughter design blog, Good Bones Great Pieces, and you can read their full interview in Traditional Home magazine, and see more images over at Apartment Therapy.

(Above: Lauren's lounge, via Apartment Therapy)

The loveseat is really classic, while the two little coffee tables, in that shade of grey we all covet, were apparently junk store finds - as was the yellow lamp base.

(Above: Lauren's dressing table, via Apartment Therapy)

Another treasured find was this wooden table which Lauren uses as a dressing table - made a little more modern with the clear perspex seat. Apparently the table was found by Suzanne 20 years ago discarded on the street - she kept it for years as a writing table before handing it over to her daughter.

(Above: Lauren's lounge, via Apartment Therapy)

Reading through the interview earlier, I couldn't help but feel that we all first-home-lovers probably have a lot in common with Lauren; I love spending weekends browsing for bargain homeware with my mum too (we hit Homesense this Saturday and she helped me pick my vintage dresser as well as letting me occasionally pilfer silverware - thanks!) so clearly, mums are a good help with interiors in addition to everything else they do for us!

New York bakery tour: Ladybird Bakery and Baked

2010-08-02T16:47:00.009+01:00

I never thought I'd say it but after the cake trip, writing up the cake features and working on a certain book proposal, I'm thoroughly all caked-out (for now at least) so this is the last installment of the New York bakery tour (I think we've had more than enough buttercream for now).

So, I'll keep this short and simple: Brooklyn is brilliant. If there was one place in New York I could choose to live, other than coveting my friend's apartment over Chelsea way, it would be in a brownstone, on Brooklyn's 7th Avenue. This is where I live in my New York dreams. See, even the brick walls are cool:

Oh, and Brooklyn's bakeries rock too.

First stop - after navigating our way over to Brooklyn on the subway and somehow managing to find a cab on the other side (after being told, when we asked for directions that "Hell I don't know this place, I'm from THE BRONX") - was The Ladybird Bakery, which is actually on 8th avenue, a teeny tiny little quirky gem of a place).

(Above: The Ladybird Bakery and its famous Brooklyn Blackout Cake)

It was here that Brooklyn Blackout Cake was invented (apparently) and so no surprises what we ordered. I don't normally like chocolate cake - but this was AMAZING; moist, bouncy, melting.

Second stop: Baked. I love Baked. If I lived on 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, I'd always somehow find a way to get to Baked (it's quite a walk away from my dream home). The thing I love most about Baked is - aside from the amazing olive breads and the sweet and salty chocolate brownies and cake - is that it's not twee, not vintage, not girly (well, it's the brainchild of two guys after all), and the cakes aren't ooh-aah pretty. Instead it's all just very retro-cool - just look at the interiors.

(Above: inside Baked)

This is my kind of place. I interviewed the manager, another cool type called Alex, and he even gifted me a wall plate (the blue bird one) which most definitely made my day.

(Above: Baked wall plates. Very cool.)

Baked is by far my favourite bakery out of all the ones we went to in all of New York. The flavours are spot on; there's no girly faffy cupcakes; and almost every recipe is a real old-fashioned home-baking one, but brought up to date with a twist. My interviews with the manager and one of the founders feature heavily in my magazine feature on baking trends for British Baker magazine because they impressed me so much. So, if you find yourself in New York, please find Baked. And tell Alex I said hi. And then eat a big slice of sweet and salty caramel cake (as below), sit back and enjoy the lazy day Brooklyn vibe.

A night in for my walls

2010-07-27T10:54:00.004+01:00

I'm bookmarking this print as something to hang above my vintage writing bureau. By AshleyG on Etsy.

Scandinavian style: a way of life

2010-07-26T16:46:00.005+01:00

There is something about clean lines, shades of wood, white walls and pops of colour that gets me everytime. It's not rocket science; it's that Scandinavian style that we've absorbed all over the world. I stumbled across Kit Ka Design, a blog run by the owners of Mjolk, a Scandinavian interiors and design store in Toronto.

They say they love Scandinavia because "it enthralls us. Soft, quiet snowy forests and streets in the winter. Glittery, blinding sunlight on colourful buildings during the summer. Swedish style. Grass roofs. Hot dog streetside snacks. These are a few of our favourite things."

The shop already has everything you need for summer meals al fresco; Swedish blankets, Norwegian water carafe; bits of blue, and lots and lots of white...

... and naturally, the owners practice what they preach. You can read more about the couple's house at their blog, Kit Ka, but meanwhile, take a peek at their blue-white-grey bedroom that they've just finished doing up.

It's nothing fancy, nothing over the top - but simple, clean, fluid, unfussy and informal. The way, surely, a home should be...

...with space for him...

...and space for her...

Plus, on the theme of clean blue and white, there's a whole spread on the scheme in the August issue of Elle Decoration. See, it's a way of life.

Trailer Trash

2010-07-22T11:00:00.002+01:00

I love a little stylish packaging; even more so when it makes me laugh out loud. See the box below that I saw at the New York Summer Fancy Food Show by the Mississippi Cheese Straw Factory. They should sell these in Selfridges, for irony alone.

Grateful

2010-07-21T16:05:00.004+01:00

My friend has this postcard by Vol 25 up on her fridge and she put it on her blog too. Because sometimes you just need to take a little bit of time to remember the positive things even if it feels like a bumpy ride. Fingers crossed for good things a-coming. x

New York bakery tour: Babycakes and Momofuku Milk Bar

2010-07-19T14:06:00.006+01:00

Those of you following my New York bakery diaries will know that it was really only after the obligatory Magnolia Bakery visit that the real cake fun started. From Greenwich, we cabbed over to the Lower East Side to make a trip to Babycakes, the acclaimed "healthy" bakery that, according to its cookbook's sub-title, is the "Most Talked About Bakery in New York."

(Above: Babycakes, NY)

Everything in Babycakes is free from dairy, eggs, soy and gluten, with sugar replaced by agave syrup and fat substituted with coconut oil. But what I loved about Babycakes is that while everything was (relatively) healthy, with the focus being on cleaner, lighter cake, the bakery itself still exuded this old school, messy, cakey vibe that was effortless - cool without trying to be cool, much in the same way that some of its favourite clientele (Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman) are. It's a complete contrast to in the UK, where it feels that everything is contrived to look a certain style, rather than just evolving that way.

(Above: Babycakes interior, NYC)

There's a wall of scribbled post-stick notes by customers and random postcards on the wall, while hanging in the window were beachballs and bunting (but not in a chintzy way)...

(Above: Babycakes staff putting the finishing touches to cupcakes)

...and the staff were all a little kooky-cool.

I met the equally-cool founder and owner, Erin McKenna, who talked at length about the bakery's healthy-allergen free focus to contribute for my latest baking feature (soon to appear in British Baker magazine). In typically casual Babycakes style (which I loved), we sat outside on the pavement, Erin talking, me scribbling notes, and then we ate gluten-free strawberry cupcakes and doughnuts, (and this time, we really did eat them).

(Above: Babycakes gluten-free cakes)

From there, we jumped in another cab and headed to Momofuku. We were in the restaurant for lunch and then nipped into the bakery next door, Milk Bar, for a spot of infamous crack pie. I really wanted to love this place. Just about everyone I spoke to said Momofuku was not only cool but that the food was great. They must have all been heavy, heavy meateaters; the place was more than a little abrupt when it came to asking if they did any non-meat options. I settled for a plate of pickled veg, zingy and refreshing, and killer prawns with some sort of amazing avocado concoction, but atmosphere wise it was more cold than cool.

(Above: Momofuku Milk Bar's neon sign)

(Above: Milk Bar's chalkboard dessert menu)

As we moved into Milk Bar, the idea of insanely sugary crack pie on an insanely hot day was enough to turn even the cake buyer nauseous, so we cancelled that crazy idea and asked for a slice to take back to the hotel instead.

(Above: boxed up slice of crack pie)

I'd like to tell you it was amazing, but it got left in the bottom of the press officer's bag; the next day when she discovered it, the crack pie vanilla-butter-sugar filling had oozed into curdled nothingness. Not good. So a few days later, I went back myself to pick up a slice - trying just a little before my sugar-quota had definitely been filled. I can see how it drives people to obsession (they're on to something with the gooey-but-crunchy oaty combo) but maybe not so much on a hot, hot summer's day.

On Satuday, my friend Sarah made a version of the crack pie oat crust inverted as the topping on a tropical fruit crumble, full of slushy stewed mangos and pineapples and maple syrup. Now that's what I call seriously clever, without the Milk Bar hype - and just about perfect as a summer sweet should be.

Writer's block: the vintage solution

2010-07-14T11:22:00.005+01:00

(Above: Vintage writing bureau, from Peeling Paint. Restored with Farrow & Ball paint)

My writer's block has been solved with this vintage oak writing bureau that dates back to the 1930s. Now if that won't inspire me, don't know what will. Found and snapped up on eBay (my first eBay purchase) from Peeling Paint.

(Above: the bureau opens up to create a little writing space)

(Above: the crystal handles)

(Above: the original antique key)

I was a little concerned that it might look out of place in my relatively modern-interiored apartment, but I also think every home should have a fine antique or two. And, it works - doesn't look out of place at all. As Wendy, who runs Peeling Paint, emailed: "How lovely to imagine you working away on your little vintage bureau. Imagine how many people have done the same over the years."

It must have worked some magic - I've had three commissions from editors in the last fortnight, so it's working. Say hello to the Magic Bureau That Brings Good Luck.

New York Bakery tour: Magnolia Bakery

2010-07-09T10:39:00.009+01:00

Some of you who follow Her Little Place regularly will know that I have just returned from a whirlwind trip of sugary delights exploring New York's bakeries for a few baking-cooking-writing projects that I'm working on. Come back every Friday to get the next installment, but for now, here's part of day one...

What better way to start off my first day in New York than chez Balthazar in SoHo. Ok, so it's not exactly your New Yorker breakfast of pancakes or waffles, but we were there to explore the baked stuff after all and so we were presented with a warm, buttery basket of soft fresh breads - fruit foccacia, pecan and cranberry bread with a nutty crust, chocolate bread and cinammon buns...

(Above: Breakfast at Balthazar)

Well-fuelled for the day, we walked up Spring St to Broadway to pop into Dean & Deluca; no cameras allowed but it was a food shopper's delight. Baskets piled high with artichokes and asparagus; rustic breads; iced cakes, sponged cakes, little cakes, big cakes; jars of cookies, shortbread and bars. The packaging on everything was retro, simple, colourful; the sort of produce you wouldn't want to hide away behind cupboard doors.

(Above: Dean & Deluca shop front, Broadway)

Whisked away from Dean & Deluca, we walked through SoHo and down into Greenwich Village; me, trailing slightly behind snapping at everything from shop fronts to street signs. It's true what they say about New York. It is magical, warm; not haughty nor aloof. It gets under your skin. I noticed this, from day one.

As we meandered through the tree lined, slightly wider streets of Greenwich, all brownstones and Vespas, I saw signs I recognised all too clearly from Colette Rossant's Madeleines in Manhattan. We passed Sullivan St (where Sullivan St Bakery is no longer situated but once was) and Bleecker St, home to Magnolia Bakery.

(Above: Bleecker St - spot the Empire State Building peeping out the trees...)

Everyone already knows all about how the Magnolia Bakery got big for cupcakes through Sex and the City, Prime and The Devil Wears Prada.

(Above: Magnolia Bakery chalkboard)

The location is indeed very pretty for film sets. And it's certainly clear that Magnolia's 1950s vibe is what set the tone for pretty much all of London's (and the UK's) entire cupcake craze and love of nostalgia. I'll admit I'm more than a little over that now, so (forgive me for saying it) the floral aprons and cake tins were a little lost on me...

(Above: Magnolia Bakery gets ready for 4 July celebrations)

But I'll hand it to them - it's certainly pretty, and the whole place was still packed (albeit with British tourists enamoured with Carrie Bradshaw; "her" brownstone building is a few minutes walk away), despite the air con having broken and it being like a sauna in there.

(Above: chocolate, red velvet and vanilla cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery)

We bought chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cupcakes to taste. At this point, I might just make it clear that I wasn't eating everything. Being accompanied by cake buyers, I learnt that "bake"-testing is no different to any other way of food or drink testing; you simply take a teeny tiny scoop, as below...

(Above: tasting Magnolia Bakery cupcakes)

...swirl it around and, well, there's no eloquent way of putting it, then simply spit it out into little paper cups (we carried the cups around). You might think this was a terrible waste, but believe me, it is entirely possible to have too much cake. And this was just half of day one.

(Above: tasting Magnolia Bakery cupcakes)

At the risk of disappointing, the cakes at Magnolia were certainly not the best on the trip (the best ones, we really did eat) - these were more than a little dry and a bit too crumby. Perhaps it was something to do with the broken air con and the cakes left on the counter. We simply went to check out the hype - it's arguably one of the best known bakeries in town, thanks to its TV appearances. But there's better yet to come.

After Magnolia, we headed on to Babycakes and Momofuku's Milk Bar for yet more cakes and pies - and yes, this was all in the same day (now can you see why we didn't eat everything?) but for that, you'll have to wait until next Friday!

Happy cakes
x

Ruth's Birthday Present

2010-07-08T22:26:00.007+01:00

Pecan rounds, made for Ruth's birthday. Morish and nutty; crunchy and crumbly. Available soon to customers on Her Little Place

New York food treats

2010-07-05T17:51:00.006+01:00

(Manhattan skyline, as snapped through a fence in Brooklyn)

Let's hear it for New York! I'm back from the bakery trip, sated and inspired, with a notepad full of tastes and bakers' tips and a memory card chocka-block with photos to tempt your tastebuds. I have so much to write about, but come back Friday for the first of a series of blog posts on each bakery I visited in turn, kicking off with Magnolia Bakery up first. And of course, many thanks to M&S for hosting the trip.

Most people come back from New York with a suitcase full of new clothes, but much as I'd have loved to, since the trip was a food trip, it figures the little bit of shopping I did manage to squeeze into four days was foodie-related. I simply couldn't resist buying presents at Dean & Deluca and William Sonoma - and here's a little sample...

Dean & Delcua Papabubble candy sticks and William Sonoma spices to liven up my brother's hunt for the perfect burger on the barbeque...

Bouchon Bakery's pecan and cinammon waffle mix, Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate dessert and cinammon sugar - bought purely because I was smitten by the packaging (I'm an easy sale). I once wrote a piece for the Guardian which mentioned my horror at things like boxed pancake mixes and the like, but I couldn't resist the Bouchon Bakery box - and besides, it might inspire us to actually open the waffle maker which has been lying in its box untouched for about two years already!

And finally, some very cute little animal cupcake toppers for a certain little toddler who turns two in a few months' time.

So that's what's in my basket - a rather random but pleasant enough selection - and come back Friday for the first bakery tour installment!
x

The Big Apple

2010-06-28T09:43:00.004+01:00

Tomorrow I'm heading off to New York, where I won't be eating an apple a day - more like a cake a day. I'm touring some of the city's loveliest, tastiest little bakeries for a spot of research (yes, this actually is work!) for a few projects I'm working on and can't wait. It's my first time in New York and I'm unbelievably excited - I'll be staying in the ubercool Hudson Hotel overlooking Central Park, and visiting (to name but a few) the Ladybird Bakery, Billy's, Baked, Babycakes... the list goes on and on.

Having just finished reading Colette Rossant's food memoir, Madeleines in Manhattan (at EatLikeAGirl's recommendation to me), I'm also very excited to head to Sullivan Street (I believe she actually lived/lives on the street too), where we'll be popping into Sullivan St Bakery.

It's only a flying visit, but we'll be spending Thursday in Brooklyn, eating lunch at Vinegar Hill House which I read lovely reviews about. Before flying back Friday, I'll be catching up with my wonderful friend Sarah, who's promised we'll hang out in Chelsea, where she lives, and venture up possibly to SoHo if we've got time before my flight.

And of course, thanks to the other lovely Sarah, I'll be able to take some vaguely pretty photos at least too (all recent ones snapped with her on-loan Nikon D40 after her masterful supervision) - so you can read and see all about it when I'm back. To the Big Apple!

A banquet of cake fit for a queen

2010-06-27T23:16:00.003+01:00

Here's what we ate over the weekend, courtesy of some very talented ladies in the neighbourhood - you know who you are :)

Vanilla cheesecake topped with raspberries...

Marble cake and Bundt cake...

Mini chocolate tarts...

Yum. What more can I say? I'm still full.

Daisies, strawberries and cake

2010-06-25T13:24:00.007+01:00

Yesterday, I took along some Her Little Place lemon and lavender cake to Hyde Park for a picnic in the evening sun. The cake got eaten, but still, cute packaging, no?

The cure for writer's block...

2010-06-17T14:05:00.007+01:00

...must be a writer's desk. I'm lacking one, and if any of you read my interview on OndoLady's site, you'll know that I work in the worst possible places in the worst possible posture. So a new writing desk is in order. Since I can't afford a retro Ercol or this beautiful one from Made (which is too big in anycase), I've been in Islington this morning on a desk-mission. Consequently, I'm caught in schizo-design mode.

Should I go vintage with this 1950s oak desk at After Noah?

Or modern cool at Twenty Twenty One?

Or mix and match, with a vintage desk and modern chair? Votes please? I'm leaning to vintage myself...

Lavender and Lemon Cake

2010-06-13T21:28:00.013+01:00

A warm, June Sunday equals one thing: barbecue weather. But for a sweet treat after all that meat, you need something light and fresh - and this lavender and lemon cake certainly hits the spot. (Believe me. The plate was cleaned of cake within minutes). I absolutely love baking with lavender (I have lavender cookies at the shop), and while the fragrance it added to this cake was but light, it's just so pretty to bite into the flowers.

I got a little carried away, and decided to plant the cake with tiny summer flowers...

... which I then scattered around the plate prior to serving, just to let you feel like you really are taking a bite of summer-time.

The addition of lemon curd makes this far more citrusy than a drizzle cake that depends on zest alone. We made our own lemon curd at Cookery School a fortnight back, but it takes a good 45 minutes, time I didn't have today - so you can just use good quality shop-bought lemon curd as I did. I had planned on using Harry Eastwood's lavender and lemon cake recipe (no surprises, she uses vegetables to replace the fat - this time a swede) but I'd left her book back in London. So thank you to CoconutRaita for sharing her recipe online (you can view the original recipe here; the one below is every so slightly tweaked, so it's up to you which you use) - I shall definitely be making this again (and again).

Ingredients
175g butter
175 caster sugar
1 tbsp lavender flowers (I used fresh)
3 beaten eggs
175g self-raising flour (sieved)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Grated zest of three lemons
2 tbsp lemon curd

For the drizzle
Juice of 2 lemons
100g-150g icing sugar (to taste)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a loaf tin with parchment paper. Cream the butter, sugar and lavender until light and fluffy. Add the egg gradually, beating well after each addition. Then, fold in the flour and baking powder, followed by the lemon zest and lemon curd. Spoon carefully into the loaf tin, and bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes (check that a skewer comes out clean) - the top will look browner than a normal cake, but don't be alarmed (it's not burnt!). While the cake bakes, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice to make the glaze - simply add more sugar to taste. Once removed from the oven, let the loaf cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove. Skewer the cake gently numerous times, and then slowly spoon the drizzle over the cake, to add extra moist zingyness.

Enjoy.

Fairy Cake Friday

2010-06-11T23:58:00.006+01:00

I got sent a lovely little gift on Friday courtesy of Food For Think: a box of two fairycakes. In all this cupcake frenzy, we've forgotten the younger cousin; the smaller, daintier, pretty little fairycake that's not too sickly and isn't covered in mounds of frosting, but is simply a couple of perfectly manageable, easy bites' worth of satisfaction.

The fairy cakes were oh so terribly cute, decorated with a little ladybird by Mich Turner, cake decorator to the stars at the Little Venice Cake Company.

I was so smitten that I got slightly snap happy, trying my hand at for once taking somewhat nicer photos. Pretty, no?

Food For Think and her pals are on a mission to bring back fairycakes, our very English baking treats, and so have from this moment forth decided that every Friday should be Fairy Cake Friday. Hear, hear!

Window Dressing

2010-06-11T11:16:00.005+01:00

My mum's getting new curtains at home in the front room; the front room being "the formal room". My parents' generation have this thing about formal lounges and informal lounges, and dinner parties and what nots, so the "formal" room rarely gets used unless there's an occasion for it. What luxury, says the daughter (that would be me) whose entire apartment is about a quarter of the size of my parents' first floor. Anyway, my parents have a pretty cool house. It's modern, largely open plan (apart from this front room), has exposed brick (exposed brick!) and lots of style features like slate floors and a glossy white kitchen. No wonder I wanted last week's photo shoot there.

So, back to the curtains. We're finally getting rid of the only un-modern drapes in the entire house (swags and tails, throwback to the early 90s - like the equivalent of floppy curtain hairdos on teen boys). We looked online for a little clean line inspiration, and here's what caught my eye at Living Etc.

Now mother dear wants a pelmet, although I did insist that if she gets pelmets, there will be no swags and certainly no tails. However, I see her point: a pelmet at least creates some structure and focus - how about this one, I suggested (still no reply though):

Then I quickly got distracted and started looking through for stuff for me and my windows instead. When we first moved into the big family home we have now, I was about 11; I had forever wanted down-to-the-floor-curtains in white (what good taste) but I wasn't allowed (white would catch the dust, she said). I have no idea where I must have seen these drapes, but I always thought they looked like ball gowns skirting the floors. So these down-to-the-floor curtains certainly aren't white but mega cool on style with the bright colours next to each other...

I also, when about 13, went through this vaguely hippy phase when we'd all listen to indie music about heartache while doing our homework. I hung up fairy lights above my bed, and a chunari dupatta up on one of the smaller windows in my room (see, clearly this interior design obsession thing was growing even then). Chunari is crushed, tye-dye silk - pretty (my sister-in-law designs dresses made from them) - but this picture below is a far more grown-up version of using Asian fabric, by using a sari border to trim the curtains, a really workable way to bring in pretty patterns without overdoing it on the "ethnic" front.

One of the biggest design mistakes in my own apartment was my curtains. They simply don't stand out the way I thought they would, and the flecks of lime and orange running through the silk that I thought would "pop" just don't. Maybe I can just start cutting up old saris if I can get my hands on any... I'm sure my mum has some somewhere...

Courgette cake

2010-06-07T08:30:00.003+01:00

As you can probably tell, I'm going through a bit of a phase at the moment over these vegetable cakes. With several courgettes left over yesterday I was dying to use them up and having made courgette cupcakes before (no one could tell the difference) I thought I'd sneak some leftover veg into cake to take with me to a friend's kid's birthday party.

Harry Eastwood, who shares my vegetable-healthy-baking obsession in her book Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache, appears to sneak a courgette into most cakes more often than not; it seems to be the most inoffensive of legumes you can use.

Since you can't go wrong with what looks like a simple sponge, I thought I'd give her "birthday cake" (basically a lemon tinted Victoria sponge) a whirl. It sure ended up looking good, but sadly, the friends I gave it to thought so too. They snuck it away to keep for afters, so I have no idea what it tasted like - but I'm hoping good!

Birthday Cake
Serves 12, 419 calories per slice

Ingredients
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
400g grated courgette
220g plain flour
140g ground almonds
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
finely grated zest of 3 lemons

For the icing
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
200g icing sugar, sieved

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Measure out all your ingredients first because you need to work super quick once the courgette is incorporated. Whisk eggs and sugar for a good 5 minutes until the mix becomes very pale, bubbly and full of air. Add grated courgette and whisk until incorporated. Finally add flour, ground almonds, baking powder, lemon zest and salt and beat well, but be careful not to knock out too much air out of the mix. Divide the mix between 2 tins and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Then, let the cakes cool while you make the icing by whisking the butter to a smooth paste and alternately adding drops of lemon juice and icing sugar until all is combined resulting in a pale white ice mix - just enough to cover the top of the cake. Sandwich the cake together with a big dollop of jam, and spread icing on top. Cover with sprinkles for a birthday effect; enjoy!

I feel like every post should now have a disclaimer that I'm working on my photos, but I hope these give you an indication of what it looks like (pretty). Also in a couple of days I'll be blogging about fatless cake I made last week at Cookery School so watch out as my health-cake-obsession (can such a thing as a healthy cake exist?) continues!

It may be closed on a Sunday...

2010-06-06T12:34:00.003+01:00

...but do try and get there during the week, because the Rebecca Hossack Gallery on Charlotte St will soon be transformed into Kate's Come Dine With Me Cafe. Intrigued? Do be. I stumbled upon the gallery on my way to the Charlotte St Hotel a fortnight ago; running late, in heels, on my way to the Sex and the City 2 press night screening, I simply had to stop and take a photo (a skill I'm working on) of this chalkboard door. Chalkboard clearly means one thing: supreme creativity hiding behind it, the only sort of sparkling imagination that could turn Come Dine With Me into an artform!

The Come Dine With Kate exhibition is running from 2 July to 24 July, so a while to wait yet, but what fun to whet your appetite. The clever and witty Kate has crocheted dinner menus, creating marvelous little trinkets to play with.

Canapes, madam? But of course...

Or how about a cocktail?

For mains, you could try a sequined salmon...

Or some sparkly fish fingers?

And to top it off for pudding, how about a little fruit patisserie?

(All photos from Rebecca Hossack Gallery)

If you were left hungry for the Moschino hotel's cushions, these could perfectly fill the void. Oh, and while we're on the subject, speaking of Come Dine With Me, do check out CDWM winner Sabrina's blog. We recently met at a stiff networking event, but both bonded over instant bemusement at what on earth we were doing there. Her blog, Sabrina's Passions, is fantastic.

Meanwhile, mark the dates in your diary and go check it out next month: Kate Jenkins, Come Dine With Kate exhibition, at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, Charlotte St, London 2 July-24 July.

Cute. x

If a picture tells a thousand words, I'm way off...

2010-06-03T23:21:00.012+01:00

"You have a way with words" is quite possibly the highest compliment a professional writer can ever receive, and yesterday's Times piece (which you can read here) resulted in quite a few of those reassuring comments that remind me why it is I chose to do the precarious job that I do.

However, while I don't have to worry so much about my words, it's a completely different story when it comes to taking pictures.

I used to love taking pictures. I used to take them all the time. My university photos are full of the most random, mundane photos taken on "nothing" days on which there wasn't even a reason to pose. Even when we weren't going anywhere, the camera would still get pulled out. I swear I have a picture of an old housemate brushing her teeth. Exactly. No need.

I couldn't stop taking photos in those days, and as a result have ended up with massive box files of pictures ("....and here we are again.... this time in the garden..."), only one of which I've managed to go through and compact into a memory book of sorts.

And so then there was Paris...

...Oh Paris. And again, I took my camera everywhere. It was in my bag as if it were just as important as my lipbalm, water, book and phone (the contents of my handbag, prioritised). I took photos like the one above - which I distinctly remember took me ages, because I specifically wanted to capture the mannequin in the mirror, without me being in the mirror too. See how I at least tried to be creative?

But then I came back to London, and life became, well, normal and flat; nothing moved me enough to want to capture it. Work sent me abroad to amazing places across Europe, sometimes further; gorgeous glossy-magazine hotels in fabulous cities. Friends and family would want to see, and when they'd ask to see pictures, I'd say I didn't have anyway: "Why would I take pictures when I'm there on work, alone?" Who was there, what was there, to remember?

It's now got to the point that I can't remember where my camera is, let alone when the last time I used it was. My blog food pics are embarassingly poor (I know, I know) and never mind my yield over words - if a picture paints a thousand words, then I've got a huge wordcount to make up.

People say "I love your blog!" (which is nice) but followed closely by "But, seriously, who takes your pictures?" with a slightly worried look on their faces when I admit that, yes, sometimes, sometimes I might just resort to taking crappy photos on my iPhone. Sacrilege, I know. (In case you're confused, the pictures that accompanied the blog post below were taken by a professional photographer for The Times, hence the shiny clarity!) I know, I know, my photo taking skills are rubbish!

I am very aware that a blogger doesn't just blog words, they blog photos too, so I am going to learn how to recapture that love for constantly wanting to remember every detail of even the most mundane of days via a photograph. They say practice makes perfect, after all.

Lynne at Tea for Joy has done a very good thing, which is to take a photography course. Luckily, my friend Sarah, who took all the gorgeous food photos for the Her Little Place cookie shop, has offered to spend a few days teaching me, both with my point and shoot (when I ever find it) and also one of her own old cameras which she swears I'll be able to handle. Sarah's photos are so understatedly simple and lovely (she's also taking the photos for my sister-in-law's new clothing line - for which you'll have to watch this space until the website is launched) that I can't think of a better teacher. And now, you need not be offended by my really, really rubbish pictures. Thank you, Sarah (and happy birthday).

Cooking from the heart

2010-06-03T18:06:00.003+01:00

(Photos by Jas Lehal)

My piece on Pakistani cooking and learning to cook with my mum, appeared in The Times in the food section, The Table, this morning - and I'd love to share it with my blog readers too - click here to read it.

The piece was in part inspired by my reading Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's The Settler's Cookbook, which is a food memoir of her growing up, her relationships and her travels from East Africa to London. I met Yasmin at a book reading-discussion she took part in recently (by sheer coincidence, we discovered that my mother and Yasmin were pupils at the same school together in Uganda), and she spoke of how part of the need for her to write a food memoir about the food she grew up with was so that her children would have some sense of the place that their mother, and so in part, they too come from. It sort of got me thinking that I should know that too.

I'd recommend her book to anyone with a love of food and culture; and I hope you also enjoy my piece too. I've had some lovely praise and feedback from it via emails, Facebook and Twitter, and hope it touches in a nice way. My mum and I had a huge amount of fun doing the all-day photo shoot as we cooked "live", the result of which can be seen in the paper today if you managed to get a chance to see it.

There are also several recipes that go with the piece too, and with time, I'll post them up here as well (if you can't wait, then look for the "Related Links" section on The Times' website - although it's not very clear).

Enjoy the sun, maybe my piece will put you in the mood for a curry tonight!

SATC 2: sorry, not quite stylish enough...

2010-05-27T23:15:00.007+01:00

So, I've not posted for, like a week. It's been busy; three features, a birthday and travelling between two cities, on the go all at the same time. Among all that, last night I went to the press preview screening of Sex And The City 2 at the very nice Charlotte St Hotel in Soho. I assumed, wrongly, that while the rest of the movie is drivel, and the clothes awful, that there might have been some redemption in this Carrie-and-Big-Fifth-Avenue-apartment that was also talked up in the movie's hype.

Fifth avenue, blah. Too much big printed stuff, slightly gaudy, not much to say. Ditto the Abu Dhabi place they stayed in. If you do want to see the SATC stuff, head to Elle Decor. But if you want to get a real feel for New York style that isn't ditzy or faddy or designer simply for the sake of it, let me leave you with this: the Crosby Street Hotel, part of the very same Firmdale group that includes the Charlotte St hotel I went to. With a writing-research trip to NYC on the cards (watch this space), I'd love to experience some of this real New York style. Simple, clean, classic and crisp. Learn a thing or two from that, Carrie.

Big photo shoot for The Times tomorrow - the basis of a very tantalizing piece. So I'll be back soon - happy bank holidays.

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-05-19T21:20:00.004+01:00

Some of my regular readers may be forgiven for assuming that I don't actually eat anything other than cake, considering my last few posts and indeed published pieces have been on nothing but cake, but you'll be pleased to know that I do occasionally eat other stuff too.

Ever since her PR people sent me a copy of her new book, I've been dying to try out the very first recipe from Gizzi Erskine's Kitchen Magic - a recipe for Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup. I tried it out tonight and I have to say I'm smitten with this soup full of everything for supper: a spicy broth packed with chilli, shredded chicken, sweetcorn, tomatoes, onions and garlic, topped with avocado, coriander and crispy teared-up tortilla shreds. You essentially cook the chicken in stock, with softened fried onions, garlic, chilli, tomatoes and sweetcorn; let all the flavours swell, shred up the chicken, return it to the pan and top with the avocado and torn up tortillas.

Gizzi's book is such a delight (I have to say, the designaholic in me loves the circus font too) - and if you want to sample more of her recipes before you buy, you really must visit her website, here.
Simple with a twist, quick, easy, colourful - and tastes fabulously wholesome too.

Chocolate aubergine cake

2010-05-17T17:33:00.002+01:00

... yes, that really does say chocolate aubergine cake. And, as you shall see from the picture below, it doesn't look as insane as it sounds.

I've spent the last few days researching for my next Times piece (which will be appearing soon in the Saturday Weekend section) on whether or not such a thing as a healthy, tasty cake exists.

I discovered Harry Eastwood's book, Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache, which is all about cakes on this premise and baked my way through several recipes for the piece. You'll discover what I, and my band of willing tasters, thought of them when the piece (complete with recipes) is published soon. But for now, even though the idea of aubergine cake sounds wrong, think of this: the entire, well-risen and firm chocolate cake you see there above contains absolutely no butter at all (or sugar, for that matter) - and that is intriguing if not delicious in itself.

Straw poll: baking with vegetables?

2010-05-10T16:25:00.004+01:00

Can you help with a little research for a piece I'm working on?

Following on from my blog post on baking the natural way, I'm wondering if anyone has any really, truly bizarre but still scrumptious recipes using random vegetables that you'd never, ever think of putting in a cake. The oddest I have found so far has been aubergine in a chocolate cake - but any even more strange but still healthy and tasty? Please do let me know, along with your tips on how it tasted, how you incorporated it, or how to get family and friends to eat it (I'm assuming you just don't tell them what's in the cake)...

(Picture of vegetable knitted rattles, via All of the Fun of the Fair)

Thanks xx

For your coffee table: The Genius of Design

2010-05-09T12:40:00.004+01:00

A few months ago, I wrote a piece for the Guardian on iconic classic furniture, pointing out that what we now see as normal, unexceptional pieces (a regular glossy white chair, a glass table) was, at its time, considered a "product of the age in which it was designed."

The Genius of Design, a new book by professor Penny Sparke, takes that concept and dissects it detail by detail, to accompany the new show of the same name on BBC 2 (the first part of which aired on Friday). Like the show, this isn't a book that's just full of pretty pictures - it's got an intelligent commentary that anyone who works in design or writes about it will find brilliant as a resource to explain, say, how 1980s consumerism, say changed the experience of what people sought for in design in their homes - even if sub-consciously. If I had this book when I was researching the Arts and Crafts movement for a gallery on the origins of Heals, I could have probably saved an awful lot of time by simply reading the first chapter.

Of particular relevance to lots of design bloggers is how Sparke focuses on esteemed female designers - pages on Coco Chanel, and Zaha Hadid; not gushing, but factual and analytical on the designs that changed and shaped what we do, wear and surround ourselves with today.

For those who just want the pictures though, it doesn't disappoint either - there's that fabulous black and white shot of Monroe clutching her Chanel No.5 bottle; the gorgeous Cecil Beaton photo for Vogue of ball-gowned, couture-draped models in a neo-classical ballroom.

I wouldn't recommend this for anyone who has just a passing interest in design or interiors; it will probably seem to you too much detail, not enough imagery. But if you write about it and need to know how it's developed and what has shaped our choices, then yes, this should be on your bookshelf.

The Genius of Design, published by Quadrille, £19.99

Baking the natural way

2010-05-04T10:29:00.005+01:00

Another bank holiday, another family get-together, another baking frenzy - only this time I'm afraid it may have to be my last at least for the short-term, as all this baking is making us all turn into sponge cakes.

With this in mind, I've been spending time trying to find lower fat ways to bake, including using as little artificial additions as I can. I don't know about you, but much as I love flipping through my baking books, I'm always slightly aghast by the rainbow coloured icing made from bottles and bottles of e-numbered magic potions. My feature that appeared in the Metro this morning covered some of the natural alternatives for food colours, which I put to the test this weekend.

First up was a batch of white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes - made from Eat Me - went down a treat. A few things that are different about these; firstly, the white chocolate in the cupcakes isn't just in chips-form; instead, it's melted down, mixed with cream, and then layered into the middle of the cupcake. (Admittedly, this is not low fat. At all). Anyway, you remove some of the cupcake sponge (once baked of course) with an apple corer, then spoon in the creamy chocolate mix, and finally replace with the "lid" of sponge you've just removed. It means that when you bite through, you get the freshness of the berries and the moreish pin points of berry seeds mixed with a light vanilla sponge, and then in the centre you suddenly get a thick oozing of rich white chocolate. Use Green & Black's white chocolate for an added vanilla shot through the middle.

Secondly; the icing. This is the more natural bit. The buttercream icing was meant to be pink, so instead of cheating with a bottle of food colouring, I stewed down a healthy handful of raspberries with a tiny teaspoon of sugar and a little water until it became almost like a jam (almost; you still don't want it too thick), and added it, in three parts, to whipped-up butter and icing sugar. The colour was fantastic; the brightest pop of berry pink, while the bite of the berries through the icing sugar stopped it from being too sweet. We kept the left-over berry jam to smear on croissants the next day.

Second up was a batch of lime cupcakes. Except, they weren't really lime. Confession to any siblings who may be reading this: the flecks of green in the sponge weren't lime as I told you they were. They were courgettes. Could you taste the difference though?! Nope, thought not. To be fair, the icing was meant to be lime flavoured, but I skipped the icing as I wanted something less decadent. These were simple, light and low-fat (there's no butter, just a little vegetable oil instead to bind) and there's a vegetable in there to boot. They basically just tasted like light vanilla cupcakes - but with one of your five a day thrown in there for good measure too. Proof that you can have your slightly more calorie-less cake and eat it too!

I'm intrigued by these vegetable-cakes, particularly if it means you can have a healthier treat without compromising on the taste. I'm planning to try out a few from Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood (of the Cook Yourself Thin brigade) and shall let you know how I get on. Since these all incoporate vegetables in some form or the other, I figure they can do less harm on the waistline. Speaking of the CYT bunch, has anyone tried out Gizzi Erskine's new book, Gizzi's Kitchen Magic? It's on my wish list; would love to know what you make of it.

Happy brunchday

2010-04-29T14:42:00.010+01:00

(pic via New York Serious Eats)

Last weekend, I found myself lamenting over lost opportunities with two close friends, French bowls of tea and huge hot chocolates (in bowls so large we called it chocolate soup) in a pretty French rustic-type place in a well-heeled part of town with rather lovely battered wooden tables and exposed brick walls. It was late; but I was craving Belgian waffles.

The waffle got me thinking.

"In another life," I sighed, as I flipped over the breakfast menu of organic eggs. "We'd be meeting here tomorrow for Sunday brunch."

"Why on earth would we have to wait for another life to have Sunday brunch?" asked Close Friend Number One, who typically has no time for my drama.

"Because," I said, "Because getting together for Sunday brunch now has to be planned, arranged, organised. We couldn't just wake up and say 'Oh, let's go to that place for brunch with everyone today' because you know we'd never get anyone free. No one does spontaneity anymore!" I moaned "And besides, in another life, we wouldn't even have to say we were going for brunch, it would just be what. we. do. "

Because, of course, those lost opportunities I was lamenting at the time happened to include an entire other version of me; some amazing, glossy magazine existence of myself where I am highly paid, highly loved, and live a highly amazing life whereby I can go to brunch on Sunday at the drop of a hat because that's just what glossy magazine-type people do.

Amidst all this feeling sorry for myself and dreaming of my parallel me, attention was turned, or rather forced by the other two, onto my forthcoming birthday. For the record, I rarely celebrate my birthday - not in the way others enviably often do, with the mass group emails organising the shindig and the reserved spaces held for them in restaurants. This year in particular, there's not an awful lot to rave about birthday-wise. "So, what do you want to do this year?" asked Close Friend Number Two. "Nothing" (sometimes I am, like, five). But of course they won't let me do "nothing" at all and both have taken it upon themselves to do "something" on my behalf. I am not sure what this may mean.

Anyhow, a few days later, I found myself having lunch with another writer friend, in a very similar French-rustic type place but this time in the not so well-heeled part of town (the joys of no longer being tied to an office desk: I can lunch). These French-rustic type places are obviously very popular because writer friend said "Oh, this is just like the place my brother and sister took me to for my birthday breakfast."

Birthday Breakfast! But of course! If I really must celebrate my birthday what better way than with breakfast! Now this all sounds slightly surprising, seeing as I, er, don't really eat breakfast (a bowl of Special K with a candle on top?) in a big way; in fact, I don't even like fried eggs which mostly you would have if you ate out for breakfast - but it just sounds so like the right way to celebrate for a girl that's not a girl about town.

Chancing on a copy of this week's Stylist that very same day, I felt like the fate was finally granting me my wishes. For there just so happened to be a stack of blueberry pancakes on the cover and a whole spread about the best places to brunch. Forget Birthday Breakfast! Birthday Brunch! Think of all the birthdays I could have saved!

Now, all of a sudden, I really do want to do something on my birthday (funny how food can swing me more than my friends; er, sorry girls...) and if only the rest of my non-writing friends didn't have to have proper jobs, then we could even do it on the same day (another joy of no longer being tied to an office desk: I could, theoretically, brunch afterall).

I'm talking eggs benedict with velvety hollandaise and spinach; delicate smoked salmon; vanilla-scented waffles (please, let there be waffles) dusted with icing sugar and topped with berries; pancakes and syrups and French toast and diner-style booths; and pots of coffee, even though I don't drink coffee, but just because, well, it's brunch. What a way to start a day I'd rather have let pass on by.

Readers. I tell you. Forget birthday drinks. This year, it's all about the Birthday Brunch.

H x

Colour on King's Road

2010-04-25T15:52:00.004+01:00

A beautiful balmy evening last night - and a pop of inspiration from the Designers Guild's window display. Proof that brights don't have to look childish or tacky - but actually look oh so grown up. I want an orange sofa too. Orange Crush effect wearing off on me, perhaps?

Election madness

2010-04-22T18:48:00.006+01:00

Even more exciting than the political debates we're being treated to on telly (let's see who comes out on top tonight) in the run up to the May 6 election is this: Ben and Jerry's have renamed their ice-creams.

Big Ben strike please: in the running we have Cheesecake Clegg, Gordon Fudge Brownie and Cameron Chew Chew.

Yes, dear American readers, we Brits have gone mad with our election-fever, and clearly need the ice cream to cool down (boom, boom).

I'm more tempted, however, by the very high-brow pop-up Parliamentary Waffle House. It is, in fact, no where near Parliament (which is sort of a shame), but off Carnaby St (where else would have such a bonkers but brilliant concept). Tonight, for instance, while the second round of the televised political debate is going on, the Parliamentary Waffle House is having an all-out eating competition, whereby every item on the menu corresponds to one of the three main political parties, with the orders linked up to a "live" swing-o-meter to "gauge the mood of the country" (...right)

Meanwhile, on election night itself, it's free food all around, which can only be a good thing for social harmony.

Talking of waffles, last week I dropped in to the Good Housekeeping Institute in Soho, where M&S were showcasing their soon-to-be launched new range of biccies. My favourite of them all was the Belgian Waffle sandwich - strictly speaking, not a biscuit at all - but boy, are these good. Forget your digestives and get your teeth into these. They're crunchy and every so slightly chewy (in a good way), and way too good to dunk into tea. Watch out for them on the shelves soon - I'd grab the chocolate waffle sandwiches before everyone else does.

Rainbow of books

2010-04-20T21:55:00.010+01:00

I have proof that I'm not the only one with an awful lot of time on my hands to rearrange my books... by colour.

When I once wrote in a Guardian interiors-style piece that one might potentially engage in this not-entirely-random process of organisation of books by colour, a reader wrote: "Like I've got time to organise my books by colour! They're not even in alphabetical order!"

Now, Guardian readers are prone to leaving the most scornful of comments, but I'd like that particular reader to come back and read this post and see who the loser is now. Because everyone else is doing it too. Ha.

My friend SK who lives in New York and runs her own art consultancy (very hip) alerted me to this fabulous group of like minded style-over-substance types on Flickr: rainbow books.

This guy's done it...

This girl's done it...

And this guy's done it....

And this girl's done it on an ironing board turned into a book shelf - now how's that for pretty cool.

Of course, one should never judge a book by it's cover - but I can't whole heartedly promise that I won't start buying them based on the colour of their spine (joke, joke). And that from a one-time literature student. Ahem. Beauty of books and all!

Have a lovely day
H xx

20% off Her Little Place orders this week

2010-04-20T14:55:00.003+01:00

Just a quick one everyone: to celebrate the sunshine out today I'm offering 20% off all Her Little Place cookie and card orders this week, from now until Friday - the shop is indeed open, it's just been a little quiet as I've been busy with the writing front, but to make up for it, you all get (well, those of you who are in the UK at least!) a little treat by way of thank you for reading, popping by, saying hi and the lovely emails and comments.

Enter YUMYUM at checkout for 20% off - the code will be valid on orders placed from today to Friday. My personal favourite cookie box from the whole range at the moment has to be the floral collection (above).

Also, watch out for new boxes coming soon: rose and almond, and orange blossom and almond. Light, delicate and scrumptious - enjoy!

H x

From blank to blue

2010-04-17T16:15:00.007+01:00

Have you ever been that frustrated that you've taken it all out on a wall?

Well, my never-ending annoyance at *still* being without a broadband connection in my flat (kinda defeats the point of "working from home" when you can't actually do anything) thanks to the god-awful uselessness of Sky led me to realising that since I couldn't do any of the research for my next piece.... I might as well paint a wall. So I did.

In the time it took for a hapless customer service rep to phone me back, I: emptied out box shelves, moved box shelves , painted a feature wall, replaced box shelves and cleared out two years worth of Elle Decorations and World of Interiors. Oh, and painted a feature wall. Did I say that already?

Inspired by a tear-out from Elle Deco that I've had stuck up by the door for months, (below)...

...my very plain, unattractive and boring hall wall went from this...

to this...

I'm not even sure if I did this because I was in love with the colour (so it's Tiffany blue; whatever) or because I simply wanted to prove a passive-aggressive point that some of us can actually do something when we put our minds to it. Unlike stupid broadband service providers. However, style lovers, may I just draw your attention to the colour co-ordinated book spines (clearly - far too much time on my hand, but that's what happened when you can't DO ANYTHING!!). Oh And did the customer service rep ever phone back in the time it took me to do all that? Don't be silly - of course not.

PS Just to catch up on the blog post below, my whoopie pie piece appeared on the front page of The Times food supplement on Thursday: worth a read, whoopie lovers.

Whoopie pies - all the rage, didn't you know?

2010-04-12T17:08:00.006+01:00

One of the fun parts of being a writer is that if enough of you say something's a craze, then it becomes one - and that, apparently, is what's going on with whoopie pies. My US readers (hello, hello) will probably read this and eye-roll, because, lets face it, you've been doing whoopie pies for years, but us mere Brits have been far too prim and proper for all that buttercream: until now that is.

It's taken, oh, maybe four of us to say whoopie pies are the next big thing, and now they are (watch out for my piece in The Times later this week)!

In the name of research for said piece, I spent the weekend with a bunch of willing friends and siblings, "tasting" aforementioned whoopie pies and we took it most seriously indeed, judging treats from The Hummingbird Bakery, M&S, Harrods and the Crazy Baker. I won't go into detail (it's in the piece), but something to whet your appetite indeed...

Looking at those pics makes me look/feel terribly greedy - but I can assure, we only "sampled" rather than "devoured" (the neighbours got given a lot). Although, reading back over my Cyprus "luxury bootcamp" trip, which appeared in City AM this morning, I can't help wonder what guilt-trip my personal trainer would have put me through if he knew that my last two weekends have been of sheer indulgence. That's it: no more cake for now!

Weekend of baking indulgence

2010-04-06T17:14:00.004+01:00

Every single person in my family has a super sweet-tooth, right down to the youngest 18-month-year-old, which is why when we all get together, as per this weekend, it is usually very very dangerous on the sugar front.

This weekend was full of treats. We started with the pecan balls below on Friday as tea-time munchies. Saturday involved a full on darker-than-dark chocolate version of the Rachel Allen birthday cake I'd made before (with cream cheese chocolate frosting) in the afternoon, topped off with the most tempting midnight feast of raspberry and white chocolate muffins:

These were not made by my hand, but my cousin and her 11-year old-not-so-little-anymore-boy who came down from Scotland for the weekend.... yes, while others may tuck into chocolate bars as late night nibbles, we get a freshly baked tray of 12 glorious muffins which tasted absolutely heavenly, with raspberries bursting at the brim, topped with flaked almonds to give it a little crunch and then, as you sink into the sponge, the odd oozingly melting drops of white chocolate chunks. To be honest, I was more interested in hmmming and ahhing over the batter as it was coming together than actually paying attention to the recipe, but if you don't have a lovely family to make these things for you, you can get the recipe on Nigella's site.

By Sunday, you'd have thought we'd have had enough, but with friends joining us for dinner, I tried out the wickedly intense Mississippi Mud Pie from The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook.

I was worried that this would be so sweet that it would verge on the sickly, so I made a very simple strawberry and low-fat creme fraiche filled pastry tart also, as a less intense dessert option. But, suffice to say, the chocolate cream pie got absolutely devoured.

My confession is that I didn't have the time to make the pastry from scratch - and as my 11-year-old nephew said, "everyone uses the shop bought stuff anyway" so all I had to do was the filling - so if you want to make it from start to finish, you'll have to find a recipe for a sweet pastry tart. If you're going shop-bought on the pie crust, then be warned that the filling recipe below is rather a lot for a 23cm pie - you will have some left over (we added flour to the leftovers and baked it into a brownie-like-loaf).

Anyway here's the deadly filling. Don't forget to leave room for dessert.

Mississippi Mud Pie
150g dark chocolate
50g unsalted butter
30ml golden syrup
6 eggs
300g soft light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extrace
1 sweet pastry crust
350ml whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 170C.
Put the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl, and either melt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, or melt on low in the microwave checking after a minute to see how many more seconds it needs. Then mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with a mixer. Let the chocolate cool down before beating into the egg mix (make sure the chocolate is cool as you really, really don't want to scramble the eggs). Then ladle the mix into the pie crust and bake for about 35 minutes. At this point the pie should have formed a firm chocolately skin on the top, but still be a little wobbly underneath - take it out at this point, because as it cools, the rest of the pie will slowly grown firmer. Let it cool completely.

Then, before serving, whip up the cream and pile up on high. I dusted with hot chocolate powder to serve.

Sit back and watch it disappear - but not before claiming your own slice first.

H x

Her Little Place

Home London 2012

Searching for squashy comfy cushions

Perfect Victoria Sponge Wedding Cake

Calling all interiors journalists and editors...

Hand stamped thank you cards

New house updates

Um, hello, I'm back

Big fat eBay clear out

Feature walls

Ideal wedding cake

Bedroom feature wall

Etsy package

Kitchen inspiration

Feature walls

An autumn wedding

Wedding bells and invites

Contemporary quilting with Cassandra

Undecorate

Competition: Mirror, mirror on the wall

I'm not being vain...

More mid-century design style

Weekend of inspiration

The Papered Parlour

Victoria sponge, a good old classic

Classics on the Wall

At home with Lisa Stickley

Wisdom in words

Silhouettes

Wallpaper that's just like art

Farewell to 2010

The writing's on the wall

Paper snow birds

Winter warmers

A bear lives here

Monsieur, Madamoiselle

Bedroom details

Inside Rob Ryan's studio

Scandinavian reading list

Teeny tiny: a life in miniature

Sponsored post: BBC Good Food Show - free tickets

Plum chutney

Cake in the City: a success

Cake in the City

Wish list: bird

Russian Dolls

Fatless courgette cake - the better version

First home in Brooklyn

New York bakery tour: Ladybird Bakery and Baked

A night in for my walls

Scandinavian style: a way of life

Trailer Trash

Grateful

New York bakery tour: Babycakes and Momofuku Milk Bar

Writer's block: the vintage solution

New York Bakery tour: Magnolia Bakery

Ruth's Birthday Present

New York food treats

The Big Apple

A banquet of cake fit for a queen

Daisies, strawberries and cake

The cure for writer's block...

Lavender and Lemon Cake

Fairy Cake Friday

Sponsored post: BBC Summer Good Food Show

Window Dressing

Courgette cake

It may be closed on a Sunday...

If a picture tells a thousand words, I'm way off...

Cooking from the heart

SATC 2: sorry, not quite stylish enough...

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chocolate aubergine cake

Straw poll: baking with vegetables?

For your coffee table: The Genius of Design

Baking the natural way

Happy brunchday

Colour on King's Road

Election madness

Rainbow of books