Packing...

Today I'm packing instead of running around in costume because tomorrow I'm going to Barcelona! Wihoo, so excited! I'm going with James + my whole family, it's gonna be so fun!

See you in a few days!

Images found via weheartit.com

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

On Sunday I'm going to... where?

Pic from here

Ladies Who Lunch

Today I had a lunch meeting with my friend Lauren. We went to a place called Ottolenghi in Angel. The food was really good but we had to move on to a café because it was too noisy to discuss ideas for our new exciting design project. It is top secret though so I can't tell you anything... ok I can tell you something - it has to do with the iPhone, very excited!

Finally!

The spindle for my cake stand has arrived! I bought this lovely cake stand at a flea market in France in July. But the spindle in the middle who holds the plate together was broken, so I have been looking for a new one ever since. Finally I found one a couple of weeks ago on ebay, hurray!

Now I just need to make some cakes!

Isn't it pretty?

The Fat Duck Report

Ok, here comes a MEGA blog post about our awesome Fat Duck experience. Get ready for an orgy in food!

So we went to this little village Bray, which is about an hour from London. It was lovely, very quaint, and funnily enough the home of two out of four restaurants in the UK who has got three Michelin stars. One of them being The Fat Duck! Behind the restaurant, and the creator of the menu, is the crazy genius Heston Blumenthal.

I think the logo/sign is very good!

James filled with anticipation!

Here's one of our brilliant waiters preparing the first course; "Lime Grove"- Nitro Poached Green Tea and Lime Mousse!

He put the mousse in liquid nitrogen which made it freeze on the outside, but it still wasn't cold when you picked it up!

And when we ate it, it kind of disappeared but left a really refreshing feeling in your mouth!

The second course was Red Cabbage Gazpacho with Mustard Ice Cream, it was delicious!

Then it was time for the third course, first they brought this out and told us to open the little box and place the film on our tongues...

The waiter then poured hot water over the moss and this happened!

It smelled like forest, really lovely.

The actual dish was this Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream and Chicken Liver Parfait...

with a Truffle Toast. It was very good, especially when you ate everything together.

Then it was time for the only dish I was a bit scared of beforehand... The Snail Porridge!

But the funny thing was, it was absolutely delicious! It was seriously so good, both James and I wolfed it down. It came with shaved fennel on top and Jabugo ham.

The fifth course was Roast Fois Gras with Gooseberry Sauce and Crab Bisquit. The presentation was so beautiful, it's like art!

James eagerly awaiting the next course!

This was one of my favourites! The "Mad Hatter Tea", inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The plate came out like this..

We were given a cup of hot water, and then a gold watch on a string. It looked just like a chocolate coin in gold foil. But you were meant to dip it in your teacup and then stir. The whole thing dissolved and made the soup broth.

Then you poured it over your plate, the gold was edible!

It was amazingly good!

The seventh course was called "Sound of the Sea", it was kind of crazy!

You were meant to listen to sound of waves and ocean (it was actually lovely) while you were eating. The sound and taste were supposed to make you feel like you were actually at the seaside. James really liked it, and felt it worked. I enjoyed the experience a lot, but didn't really like the taste of the "sand".

But it was fun!

This was another one of my favourites; Salmon Poached in Liquorice. It came with artichoke, vanilla mayonnaise and golden trout roe. It tasted incredible!

The ninth course was Powdered Anjou Pigeon with Blood Pudding Sauce, Potted Umbles, Spelt and Pickles. Also amazing! The pigeon was great, and the little side dish of spelt and potted umbles was unbelievable. The only thing we weren't crazy about was the sauce.

After that it was time for something really amazing! Hot and Iced Tea. It was literally both hot and cold at the same time, you could feel your mouth being warm on the left side and cold on the right. We had to ask how they did it, but I'm not gonna reveal that secret here!

The first dessert was Taffety Tart. It was so beautiful and very good. But not as good as...

The "BFG" - Black Forest Gateau. This is probably the best dessert I have ever had!

After that we got Whiskey Wine Gums. They came in a frame with instructions of which order to eat them in and where the Whisky came from.

The last course was "Like a Kid In a Sweet Shop".

It was a bag with different kinds of chocolates and sweets, all of them beautifully presented!

This was the best sweet; it was called "The Queen of Hearts".

When you opened the envelope this beautiful card was inside...

and then we realised it was white chocolate! And inside was strawberry jam! Even the wax that sealed the envelope was edible!

I had Chinese-style rosebud tea and James had a coffee.

It was an absolutely amazing experience! Theatrical, delicious and fun! It was like every course was a little show, definitely worth the money (and the effort it took to get a table).

James got a birthday card signed by Heston Blumenthal!

We left the house at 12.30 and came back at 6pm. Like James' dad said: "that's what I call a good lunch!"