Samuel Plummer mixes the flour
It has never come to my mind to bake bread since there are so many bakeries still open in Paris but two of you have sent me bread recipes from London and California, so I figure this should be of interest to you. The no-knead bred takes a little time but no expertise… It is a child’s play.Read More
Morning reflections on the Azalea Bowl and Middle Pond, Exbury gardens, photo Marie Louise Agius
The first and only time I went to Exbury Gardens, Hampshire, was when I was 13. I had met Kate de Rothschild at a hunt in Compiègne and after a short conversation over breakfast, she mentioned her younger sister, who was the same age as I. “Why don’t you do a language exchange” she offered ” come and spend a fortnight at Exbury”. This was the most generous invitation which would be followed by many other generous gestures since. Kate is a drawing expert and collector and we meet every year at Salon du Dessin in Paris. These beautiful grardens which extend to 200 acres, are still run by the Rothschild family including Kate’s daughter Marie Louise Agius who, in our times of confinement, runs around the park with a drone and stands alone to enjoy the most beautiful season on this property planted by her great grand father Lionel Rothschild in 1919.Read More
Carrots, onions, a little bi tof garlic and a shoulder of lamb
Denise Dubois was born in Brittany just under the nose, in Crozon. Her grand mother taught her how to cook and how to live in this wild part of France where the wind reigns. Fish is of course the great specialty in this fishing community near Camaret, but for Easter, lamb prevails, and this recipe of stewed shoulder of lamb is delicious, especially when eaten by the fireplace in a delightful fisherman’s cottage… Not quite Cornwall but as magical as you can get.Read More
The first peonies in Hontanares, Spain, photo Anne Laure Gillet
The greatest event of the week has been the delivery of flowers from a friend who is happily doing her garden in Arcangues, near Biarritz and decided to share her joy of Spring with her Parisian friends. She had bouquets delivered to all of them around the city… what a brilliant gesture! The saddest news is to see that Le Figaro’s obituary page on Fridays, has grown from two to three pages… A real shock. Of course, most people were very old but it is a concrete sign of the increase of deaths in France which now amount to over 15 000. Read More
Lukas Michel on the 13 th hole at Morfontaine on May 28, 2018
When I first met Lukas Michel at Morfontaine in 2018, I was impressed by his unpretentious attitude and excellent golf, his politeness and a sort of shyness mixed with a strong determination. After graduating from Engineering school in Melbourne, he had spent some time studying at St Andrews. This is where he was coming from, on his way from Melbourne where he lives, to the US where he was playing a number of amateur tournaments. Last September he was the first non US National to win the Mid amateur for players over 25. As a result, he is qualified to play the US Open at Winged Foot and the Masters, which have both been postponed. Read More
Monique d’Agay in her provençal kitchen in Agay, on the Riviera
It is rare nowadays to live in a town which carries your last name, especially on the Riviera. Monique d’Agay, has lived all her life near St Raphael and is a Provençale cook by excellence. She gave us two recipes one of a quiche provençale with red and green peppers and one of a lemon mousse. Read More
Happy Easter to all of you around the world
Chocolate Easter eggs will be rare this year but you can still celebrate with real eggs, which you paint and have the children run around looking for them in the garden!
Easter is next Sunday.
The Seine seen from the Pont Royal, at the Louvre, photo Véronique Goupy
Normally, the week was going to be intense, much too intense: it should have started with the opening of the new Chanel wing at Palais Galliera which was under construction for the last two years. It is publicized online as the first Museum of Fashion in France? Olivier Saillard turned the museum into a trendy fashion space, let’s see what happens now? But I remember the opening of the fashion museum at MAD when Pierre Provoyeur was running it, in 1986… So there are now two museums of fashion in France.Read More