London Part 2

Mummy's Birthday had arrived on a glorious morning in London. After celebrations last night we took it easy at the hotel; present opening, a light breakfast, and a swim and steam in the spa. Before we knew it, it was time to check out and make our way out to the main event of the weekend, Lunch at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant Dinner.  

We started with some tasty cocktails to toast the birthday girl.

Whilst reading the menu to make the crucial decision of what to go for, and how adventurous we were willing to be.

We made a rule that we all had to order something different, and we all had to share... 

For starters we went for the: Meat Fruit, Roast Marrowbone, Salamugundy and Nettle Porridge.

Each dish was as delicious as the last, so many fantastic flavours that continued to develop even after you had swallowed, just amazing.

We continued to lick our plates clean of our main courses too...

Powdered Duck Breast, Spiced Pigeon, Black foot pork chop, and Fillet of Aberdeen Angus with mushroom ketchup.

And for desert: Tipsy Cake, Taffety Tart, Brown Bread Ice Cream, and a Summer fruits pudding i cannot remember the name of. With the sharing rule in place, we all got to try a bit of everything, and they were all fantastic!!  

This is the tipsy cake, you could see the pineapples being spit roasted through the kitchen windows. 

Daddy eyeing up the cognac cart...

and sweet tasting birthday wishes from the chef.

and that marks the end of our whirlwind weekend in London for Mummy's Birthday. 

A feast for our eyes and our belly's.

Just a gentle stroll back through the park on this sunny summers day.

Le Bistrot Pierre

We have finished our second year of university, and a celebration is definitely in order. Me and my best friends from university decided to get dressed up and head down to The Royal William Yard for dinner and drinks to celebrate our hard work, before the chaos and craziness of a night out on North Hill. 

The weather was glorious, so I took my big camera to take some shots at my favourite spot in the yard...

Striking some model poses...

What can I say, Sarah has missed her calling...

I would just like to take a moment to admire my beautiful friend... 

seriously... WOWSA!!!

We trotted around the corner to Le Bistrot Pierre for their student two course saver special. This includes a starter and a main for £13... one of the mains is a steak, which had got my tastebuds going. 

Time for some much needed celebratory wine... *Clink*

We laughed, chatted and gossiped. For the first time in months we didn't talk about University work, it was beautifully refreshing - as was the wine. 

Some food may be a good idea too... Heart shaped bread snaps.

I had the calamari with tasty garlic mayonnaise to start...

And for the main event, a succulent steak with a peppercorn butter... I could barely control my saliva.

It was fantastic, a real bargain for such delicious food.

The company was pretty great too.

Now to party and celebrate on the town, needless to say the rest of the evening wasn't quite so civilised!!

Skiing The Alps

Just over a month ago now my Mum, Dad, Sister and I took to the slopes. A fresh dump of snow, the sun was shining, and we had a list of great restaurants to visit - all the ingredients for a fantastic week away. 

We stayed in Vallandry which is one of the lower villages in Les Arcs, not only is the village traditional looking, with beautiful chalets (no concrete tower blocks here). It is also perfectly situated for ambitious skiers who want to explore both Les Arcs and La Plagne, as the Cable Car joining the two areas is just 200meters up the road or one ski run away. 

My personal mission for the week was to ski every run... although too much Vin Chaud (hot wine) permitted me from doing so. I gave it my best shot though, and broke in my new ski boots. (now discounted... grrr)

The ski area is vast and varied and probably one of my favourite for skiing, obviously fresh snow makes it all the more enjoyable. 

While I love to ski, another one of my favourite things about coming to France is the food. Wether it's the mountain air, the rustic surroundings, or the fact that you work up quite the appetite skiing all day long... mountain food is the BEST food.

Here are some of my favourite bits from throughout the week;

One of our favourite spots on the mountain is Chalet Sud Verdons; right on the slopes (La Plagne Side) with spectacular views of the mountains, this large rustic chalet serves up all the traditional dishes, and everything tastes fantastic.

I went for the Tartiflette, it's a must do when in the mountains - potatoes, onions, bacon, cream and cheese. Whats not to like? 

 Tartiflette is a traditional alpine dish that changes as you move round the Alps, each restaurants uses local cheeses and meats so you should try them all!! When in Rome... 

I then had the selection of deserts - that's right, i had one of everything as i couldn't decide between them. Creme Brûlée, Chocolate mousse, tiramisu, macaroon, meringue, and apple tart... 

My Sister went for the Larger chocolate mousse.

Another day, another ski area, and another lunch time came: we arrived at the Les Chalets de l'Arc. Otherwise known as the 'Altitude Bakery', as it is the highest bakery in the Alps. Now, I'm not sure if it is scientifically proven that altitude can assist in the quality of bread, but it tastes pretty darn good to me.

leschaletsdelarc.com

We got one of their speciality stuffed breads, this one had mushrooms and local cheese's... delicious and moist, there is just something about bread straight from the oven; 

For main course, I had spiced mince meat wrapped in puff pastry, it was kind of like the French version of a Cornish pasty: a better and tastier version (and I am prone to a cornish pasty).

My sister went for a pasta dish, she is after all the queen of pasta!!

and then we shared a Creme Caramel for desert... just scrummy!!

Definitely worth a visit if your ever in the Alps.

One evening we decided we wanted something nice and simple, of course this meant fondue and other traditional french dishes.

French Onion Soup

Escargots (aka snails in garlic butter... nom nom)

Now for the main event... What is it about cheese that is just sooo good??

Happy families start with happy tummies... 

It is very rare for just the four of us to spend time together, so to have a whole week together was fantastic, I am very lucky to have such a loving family. 

We stayed Here if you are planning a holiday to Les Arc.