A few years ago, I attended an interview for a job at the Monocle Café . Helen was one of the company’s board members and interviewer at Monocle’s HQ. When leaving the office, I wasn’t sure whether I got this job but had a feeling that we may become friends.
Helen is such character. And her life could be a screenplay for a good movie. (I’m NOT kidding). As Executive Assistant to Monocle’s chairman, to watch her calmly coordinating an international brand and being supportive to the team was a great lesson to learn.
Helen and myself are no longer working for Monocle, but I have a pleasure of meeting her occasionally and have an epic time together. That’s what meeting friends are for, right?
Comfort food with a twist – Chicken sausages seasoned with fresh herbs then braised in a tomato and vegetable sauce. Sounds good? Tastes even better! (ask my friends if in doubt.) The preparation is obviously easy and you can enjoy this meal straight from the pan, or day after. #yum!
To prepare sausages you’ll need:
a pack of good chicken sausages, ideally from organic meat ( yes, you are what you eat, my dear!)
bunch of lemon thyme, pickled chilli peppers (great taste), lemon,
4 garlic cloves, table spoon of grated ginger, salt flakes, pepper,
and a small bowl of chopped kale
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and dress the sausages with herbs and spices. Put them on a tray in the oven with the kale for 7-10mins. This is to heat the meat but not to cook it thoroughly.
Sausages slightly roasted with chilli, ginger and kale
For the rich sauce:
2 medium carrots
1 large parsnip
5-6 similar size baby potatoes
1 large onion, 2 garlic cloves, a half of lemon
salt, pepper, pinch of herbs
a bottle of passata (one from Mutti is my favourite)
Chop the veggies into chunky pieces, and braise in a oven-proof dish with a glug of olive oil in the oven at 180C. When the vegetables start to get soft, pour in the tomato passata. Add the sausages and kale into the dish and leave covered in oven for about 15-20mins until all ingredients are perfectly cooked.
When ready, serve over boiled barley.
It’s a great alternative to white rice.
Straight from the oven – mouth watering!Barley is a great alternative to white rice.
A glamour girl. A chameleon. A character.
This Studio Assistant intrigues me every time we meet at London Spring Studios.
She’s also a freelance Production Assistant to name a couple of her many roles.
“Basically, I am a freelancer who is figuring out which route I want to take; but I also love learning new skills and the variety that comes with each job.” A professional multi-tasker with such a fun personality! Most desirable combo of traits indeed.
Perhaps that’s why I feel very comfortable in her company.
I remember very vividly when I saw this album for the first time.
It was during the Guy Bourdin’s exhibition at Somerset House, London 2015.
It was love from the very first sight. First edition, sold out everywhere else, available to purchase in the bookshop. Sadly, this Style Bible was out of my means during this visit. £350 cover price wasn’t an impulse buy option at all. However time passed by and one day at the office I heard through the grapevine that Phaidon was reprinting an album and was to be available soon.
Thank God I was at the Condé Nast towers that day! And thank God for my colleagues for their support in this matter!
This album is a chronicle of Grace’s significant input towards fashion, styling in particular. It is her who styled the famous grunge editorial, shot by Steven Meisel for American Vogue with model Kristen McMenamy in 1992.
There are far too many iconic editorials to present here, so don’t waste any time and secure your copy now!
We all know how desirable the recent collection of Gucci has been since Alessandro Michele took helm of the brand.
But 6 years ago, when Frida Giannini was presenting her menswear collection for the same house, I remember clearly those oh! ah! sighs of the editors after the fashion show, and the greatest gasps of all were directed towards the high black leather boots.
So, of course, I’ve got them.
I hope that Signor Michele will succeed for much longer than Ms Giannini, and his kangaroo slippers will become as iconic as Frida’s studded boots, which still provoke envious looks every time I put them on.
Like most of the food ideas presented here on my blog, this one is super easy and simple to prepare. And tastes oh-so-good!
It takes 20 mins to make this meal happen; perfect timing for a quick after-work dinner. Another bonus- it’s healthy as hell!
And this is how it goes…
3-4 long sweet red peppers
2 unwaxed lemons
1 bag of white buckwheat
1 red onion
1 can of tuna (an option for pescatarians)
Place the buckwheat into boiling water for 15 mins. In the meantime:
set the oven to 200C
Sauté chopped onion in olive oil on a low/medium heat until soft and season with salt,
coarse pepper and juice from 1 lemon and zest.
Add the cooked buckwheat to the pan with the softened onion mixture and stir on low heat for a couple of minutes.
If like myself, you eat fish, add tuna at this moment.
It will give a perfect flavour.
Stuff the peppers with the cooked mixture and tie them with thread. Sprinkle with lemon juice and place on tray with a glug of olive oil.
Bake for 15-17mins. Voilà!
It was Jane Birkin who made the Aran jumper famous worldwide. It looks to me like aviator sunglasses also owe her a credit!
Icon is not fashionista.
Of course it is not. An icon has their own style and approach to fashion.
An icon dresses up with confidence and this is where it all starts.
The trend. We owe to the icons these so-called trends. Yes, we do. Thanks to these idols we see their style re-imagined on the catwalk, reproduced in the glossy magazines, then later filtered to the high street as affordable items of desire.
Because of their timeless style pedigree we post via Instagram the photos of young Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Birkin, Anjelica Huston and many more. Why? Just look at the photos I’ve selected below and you’ll understand everything.
Does the concept of a chunky knit, oversized blazer, fisherman’s hat or a pair of flares sound a bit ‘deja vu’? What about ‘le smoking’? Well, God bless those who invented them and those icons who mastered it to an effortless statement.
And for that I do love fashion, or rather style to be frank.
Kate Bush in high boots. How very recent!
Mlle Deneuve wearing a fishermen’s hat and slouchy shirt. A perfect combo.
Farah Fawcett gave us a famous lesson on to how to make skateboarding look sexy and stylish.Anjelica Huston in flares and a shirt with rolled sleeves. An excellent example of what effortless style is.
Charlotte Rampling mastered to perfection the androgynous look of le smoking.
Anjelica Huston accessorised a suit perfectly by wearing it with a wide-brimmed hat.
Juicy, tasteful and very easy to make.
Roasted papaya is a super healthy snack and a great alternative to winter heavy meals = festive season in particular. Honestly, I frequently fall back on this recipe when having “no idea what to eat” syndrome.
Other benefits? It is also loved by the little ones!
You need:
2 medium ripe papayas
2 limes
2 spoons of soft cane sugar
Cut the fruits into halves, remove the stones.
Sprinkle each half of the papaya with squeezed lime juice and then with cane sugar.
Shave the lime skin on the parmigiano cheese shaver (the best tool ever!)
Place under the grill for 10mins.
On still-hot fruit, squeeze the remaining limes and grate the lime skin.
style dispenser 
