The Stove on Sunday: French Food in Chamonix

Cheese features highly in my food posts, most recently seen in my The Stove on Sunday post on Goat Cheese Tarts.  So, if like me, you are dairy obsessed then read on because this promises to be the ultimate cheese post!

We stopped over in Chamonix for one night, on the way to Tuscany, as seen earlier in the week in Chamonix in Pictures.

Upon arrival we headed straight out for our evening meal and ended up making quite a brisk but impeccable choice to dine at Le Carlina.  The outside tables, although a little chilly, despite the patio heaters, was incredibly atmospheric and it felt very French to watch the passers by and look out to the snow covered mountains whilst drinking red wine.

All of us had quietly decided that cheese would be our order of choice and after much deliberation and debate we decided to get the fondue and the raclette to share, as none of us could decide which we would prefer.

The raclette looked something like this...

I love the simplicity of this meal, after all it is just raclette cheese heated to be eaten with side dishes such as potatoes and bread.  There is no skill required and yet it is potentially one of the most delicious meals going. I have had this before in Switzerland but we all agreed that the cheese was particularly creamy and good at Le Carlina and it was hands down the best we have tried.

Both this and the fondue came with accompaniment dishes of different hams, including bresaola and chorizo, mini gherkins, mini pickled onions, bread and potatoes.  The fondue had a slight twist to it and was expertly chosen by my sister @holly_mcnally.  With the promise of mushrooms accompanying the fondue we were shocked to discover that instead of a side dish they were in fact incorporated into the actual cheese dish.  We were further shocked to see that instead of whole pieces it had been added as a kind of liquid form.  You could distinguish the mushroom flavour but on the same hand it was not too overpowering as, mushroom hater @hannah_mcnally happily appreciated.

Fondue has been sampled by myself on many occasion and although a frequent orderer of it I am usually hugely disappointed upon eating.  Perhaps it's the gruyere, perhaps it's the kirsch but either which way, after several mouthfuls the waves of sickness set in and I am utterly horrified at the site of any more cheese.  This, as you can imagine, due to my declaration of love for cheese, leaves me distressed.  Surprise, surprise though I could have kept on going with this version from Le Carlina.  I have no idea if they used a different cheese, or a different alcohol or a different ingredient in general but this was more than tolerable and I ate way too much of it.  This and my dad's version made with cheddar and beer are the only fondue's I can honestly say I love.  Hopefully I'll get the chance to post my dad's version some time.

We topped the meal off with a coffee that makes me realise that no matter how much I love Starbucks it will never be as awesome as this...

None of us could manage dessert, except this girl...

She had two scoops, one Ferrero Roche and the other Kinder.  The choice was insane and highlighted once again how rubbish ice cream parlours in the UK are.

The following morning we stopped by the local Boulangerie to pick out something for lunch for the second part of our journey to Tuscany.

This extraordinary brioche caught our eyes and although we didn't buy it that time around, when my parents came home via Chamonix they kindly picked it up for our breakfast back in England the following morning.

The pink clusters, we initially assumed, were some kind of dried fruit, perhaps strawberries but on further investigation we discovered they were praline.  I have no idea why or how they were pink but it tasted like sweet popcorn and is apparently made with sugar syrup.  It was a different twist to your standard brioche and was perfect adorned with butter and eaten with a fresh pot of the most stunning hazelnut coffee my parents had bought me in Italy.

The lunch we chose from the boulangerie was actually croque monsieur's for most of us and although I don't have any pictures of the best croque monsieur I've ever eaten we did try and re-create them upon my parents return.

You Will Need:
White Bread
Beschamel Sauce
Cheddar Cheese
Ham
Mustard
Pepper to season

1.  Layer one slice of bread with mustard and then the beschamel sauce
2.  Place ham over the sauce and follow by grating a thick layer of cheese onto the ham
3.  Season with pepper
4. Place the second piece of bread on top to create a sandwich
5.  Layer the top of the sandwich with mustard and beschamel sauce
6.  Grate another layer of cheese on top of the sandwich
7.  Season with pepper
8.  Place in a preheated oven of 180 degrees
9.  Cook for around 20 minutes or until golden brown

Hopefully they should turn out something like this...

We ate these and the brioche out the front of our house looking out to this, which just made them picture perfect moments...

And then, as most of us British know, the rain came.

On a final note, those on the East Coast of the States, friends, readers, family etc I hope you have not been too affected by Hurricane Irene and have/are keeping safe.xxx

Chamonix in Pictures

I visited Tuscany a few weeks back and it was B-Utiful!  The food, the weather, the scenery, the men.  Instead of flying we drove which was an adventure in itself and took just two days from my village in Kent, England.  Isn't that amazing?  We stayed in Chamonix, in France, as our nights stop over and it was simply fantastic.  Chamonix is primarily known for it's ski season but even in July it was pretty and had a lovely atmosphere.  As promised, as soon as I got my camera back I wanted to share my holiday photo's with you and some of the lovely things I tried, different beauty products, activities and a review of Tuscan Tennis Holidays.  These will all be spanned over a couple of posts and to start them off here is Chamonix in Pictures...

We stayed in Hotel Faucigny, which was very central.  Quite a basic hotel but still homely and had my favourite wood burning stove smell that reminds me of Christmas.  I loved the wooden carved Christmas Tree artwork outside the hotel too, although was quite odd to be looking at it in July.  The old fashioned ski poster was one of the off beat pieces in the breakfast room.  The service in the hotel was fantastic too.  As you all know I left my camera there.  That's right Ladies and Gentleman, I lost my camera on the second day.  We only realised as we were going through the Mont Blanc tunnel.  I wasn't heading back there as I was only staying a week in Tuscany but my parents would be staying there again on the way back and after notifying them that we had left a camera there, they not only made sure it was kept safe but they also had it waiting in my parents room on their return.

Looking at this picture now, I still can't get over the view.  I love the idea of being able to see snow on the mountains in the middle of summer.

These were some shop signs.  I was blown away by the attention to detail, the fact that they were hand painted and all round delicate beauty of these.  I can't imagine seeing anything like this anywhere else other than France, Switzerland or Austria.

Presentation is so important here and it really showed in every store.  My local bakers wouldn't look anything like this, although some London ones would make this kind of effort I suppose.

Local produce was abundant at the market.  I lingered at this stall for quite some time.  The honey and lavender soap caught my eye and I found the thought of buying French soap from your local market quite romantic.

This was a store dedicated to fragrance.  The presentation of the candles on the right was outstanding.  I would have loved some of these for our house but unfortunately the shop was closed.  I think the yellow sun one was my favourite.  The picture on the right I think is an odd and far more attractive type of pot pourri but don't quote me on that!

Every time you looked up you would spot these paragliders.

Sundays food post will be focusing on all the food we sampled whilst in Chamonix, including a few bits we've tried to make ourselves since.  Considering we were only there one night we got through a awful lot of cheese, I can tell you that much!

The Smart Girl's Guide to Travelling Light...

The Metro did an awesome double page spread a few weeks back on travel sets by many a different beauty brand.  The majority were pretty reasonable too.  The fact that most were affordable but didn't compromise on style and cool factor was also a huge plus in my eyes.  All being around the £15 mark it was tempting not to blow £60 on about four different sets for my holidays BUT no matter how fun they were, none catered specifically to all my needs.  In true Carrie Bradshaw form "Suddenly I realised..." a simple solution was staring me in the face.  DIY and no I don't mean you should head on out to B&Q, this is me we're talking about.  I'm the first to go out and buy numerous products on a whim but I also love being able to save some money and discover an alternative route to the same outcome.  Some of you may be familiar with my DIY Facial, if not scoot on over here.  I applied that same mentality to transporting my beauty products and here's how you can to.

Glance across your dressing table.  Every product is in a different type of packaging.  Light, heavy, plastic, glass, big, small, square, round...Now focus on the smaller products.  That eye cream, those little bottles of shower gel you stole *cough* were given to you at the hotel, from your last weekend away.  A lot of the packaging we use can be re-used in some manner.  Some of my lotion and potion bottles I keep and use for decoration in my room, or vases but that's a whole other post entirely.  Basically I discovered that whilst I was chucking away  these pots, I could be saving them for the very time I don't feel like transporting that heavy glass Neals Yard bottle across the World.  

Here's what it should look like...

• Use your eye cream pots for your daily moisturiser.  You'll be surprised how it carries just the right amount for a week or two away.
• Any mini sample pots, from places like Kiehls, to carry your eye cream, conditioner or even foundation!
• Was there ever a better time to sign up to a sample service like Glossybox.  I re-used the Abahna shower gel bottle.
• If visiting a hotel there honestly is no shame in leaving again with their mini Molton Brown products they've supplied to you and again, once used, RE-USE!

The best news, is they're all 100mls or under so not only are they light on your hand luggage, they're also adhering to air travel rules.

If this is all a little too sensible for you though, then you can still decanter in style with this Mister Mascara set from ASOS for £7.15.  It even comes with stickers, which was the wow factor for me.  Smitten.

*Mister Mascara images taken from www.asos.com

Things to come on To Elle and Back...

The above picture is me Friday night, my last night on holiday.  I look burnt, I assure you I am not.  I also look startled and as if I have had cheek implants whilst away, again both untrue.  Some of my pictures have been a little, well...crap, of late due to a loss of camera totalling in three months, hence many a camera phone image.  Camera was retrieved from behind sister's cushions on her chair in her room the day before departure, she still persists it was hiding from my messy room.  Camera takes further sabbatical on day 2 of holiday in Chamonix, our stopover, on way to Tuscany.  Camera has lots of pictures for blog.  Camera will not return from it's vacation until next Sunday night.  Parent's camera worked as replacement and has even more pictures for blog.  Parent's camera will also not return until next Sunday night.  So you see my dilemma. 

I had taken cables and everything with me to blog my way through France and Tuscany so you can imagine my annoyance at such a quick departure of the actual camera.  It was more than annoyance actually, it was full on sobs and child fit in the back of the car as we sat in awful traffic to get through tunnel to Italy.  Father says traffic was worse than last year and made increasingly more aggravating by my "wobbly" BUT that it also made the time go super fast. 

Anyway, lots of posts to come as had most fantastic week and want to share every detail with you.  Expect posts on, most notably, food.  Food from restaurants, food I've never tried before, food I've had a million times before but was more fantastic whilst away, food we made ourselves.  Most exciting and unusual post will be on stuffed courgette flowers.  See, exciting.

Expect posts on unusual beauty treatments, local beauty products and due to line of thinking whilst away have found new interest in trying to create some kind of homemade skincare product with Olive Oil, all recipes on a comment below please!

Finally, expect a full and glowing review of Tuscan Tennis Holidays, who were so super duper that me, girl who has not played tennis in 10 years, wants to play again and I didn't even partake in the coaching.  I'd also like you to note it isn't just because I saw no.73 in the World train on the next court with his shirt off either.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda...My Summer Holiday Must Haves (but didn't)

Following on from my previous blog post, re the I Don't Know How She Does It trailer, I expressed that I'm always run a little ragged and forever juggling a million and one things.  This was very true of the weeks leading up to my much mentioned trip to Marbella.  I had it all planned, how I was going to update my summer wardrobe, which beauty products of both the budget and luxe variety I was going to shell out on and what I was going to blog about, to schedule for whilst I was away.  As most of you know the last didn't happen, so you'll probably not be overly surprised to read that neither of the first two points did either.  You may even recall a pre Marbella post about the very fashionably organised, travel shopping website, Style Passport, that I didn't even get the chance to utilise, despite the fact it would have simplified and relaxed the entire holiday prep experience.  It became apparent that the expression "if only I'd had time" was escaping my mouth quite regularly and so I bring to you Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, everything I wish I'd known about/had time to purchase before my trip.

I've dreamed about being uber sophsticated and whipping out my facial mist, mid land, whilst adjusting my pashmina.  I'm more likely to be seen trying to de-static my hair and downing a G and T in fear that we'll crash.  As you can imagine I'm never the most refreshed looking, post plane, so Aesop's Facial Hydrating Mist wouldn't have gone a-miss...



Style Passport £16



I'm also not a "make-up to the beach" kinda gal, which I'm not too sure was the right attitude in Marbella.   I spotted Becca's Beach Tint in Fig on Style Passport, however, which would have been spot on to add some relaxed glamour, after beginning to feel and look a little squiffy at Ocean Club's Champagne Spray Party...

Style Passport £20

There was the Nars Laguna Beach powder bronzer in Sephora, Puerto Banus, on my last day and I loved, loved, loved!  It emphasised my tan, adding just enough sparkle to create a glow, without looking like I'd sprinkled glitter all over my cheeks...



Nars £24





These are some pretty magnificently loud towels by Sex and the City costume designer, Patricia Field, that would have been a risky shipping purchase just days before my trip...damn it...

Patricia Field $25

Patricia Field $25

Patricia Field $25

Hmm, which to purchase for my next holiday though?  All suggestions welcome.

I've also been coveting these jewels for some time now, designed by quirky creator of Maggie Angus, Anna Evans.  Her latest range, as usual, adds a playful twist to trends of the moment.  From Miami to Ibiza promises to complete your look as you sip cocktails by the harbour....I'd prefer my own yacht...



Maggie Angus £15



Maggie Angus £23.99

Maggie Angus £15

Maggie Angus £19.99

Whilst grabbing the info for my much dreamed of beach towels, earlier in the week, I also stumbled across a pair of flip-flops I am entitling, The Wild Card.  They won't be for everybody but my God do I think they're cool...

Sorry, had to show you them in all three colours.  Just. Had. To.  All available at Patricia Field for $18.

What's on your Summer Holiday must have list?

*Images taken from http://www.style-passport.com/, http://www.patriciafield.com/ and http://www.maggieangus.com/

Something for the Weekend...

I'm back!  For those that follow me on twitter you'll know that actually I was back on Tuesday *Louisa shifts eyes sheepishly and makes an apologetic face*.  I had so many plans pre-Marbella for scheduled blog posts for whilst I was away and then for my return but being the last minute merch I am, neither of these things have happened and we are now sitting here on this glorious Friday 3rd June a whole four days post Marbella.  Woops!

Firstly please note that the weather has been pretty sweet in the UK since my return, which means religious statues need to be made in my honour as this can only mean that I brought the Spanish temperatures home with me.  This also means that this weekend we are all going to be manically sunbathing and wacking out those barbecues for fear that this is the only sun we will ever see in England until next year (quite feasible).

In honour of this nice weather I thought I'd do a bit of a Marbella inspired Something for the Weekend post.  So prepare for take off to our pseudo Puerto Banus...

Make sure you've packed sunscreen...

I sported this little treat available at Style Passport.  Not overly keen on the scent but it made my skin feel silky smooth and produced for the Australian sun means it's not only long lasting but also super effective for our half hearted weather. 

Invisible Zinc Face and Body Sunscreen £26

I also used this inexpensive beauty...not entirely sure that we can really call this a sunscreen but I love Palmer's Cocoa Butter and feel it's a body must have, especially for the summer months and this one does contain spf 15 so technically you are protected right???

Available at Boots for £5.10

Drag out your sunnies from the deep depths of your handbag...

I wore these Elton-esque glasses from Urban Outfitters. 

£16

They've got some seriously cool shades currently, other's I'm loving are...

£16

and these Olsen-twin-esque ones especially.



£16



When sunbathing it's basically a requirement that you read a good book, my recommendation, The Beach House by Jane Green.  I actually read this in the South of France last year so not quite a reflection of my Marbs trip but lets not split hairs.

From £6.89 at Amazon (please note from my image you cannot click to look inside-soz)

The description taken from Amazon...

"Nan, a widow whose family has flown the nest, is an independent, free-spirited woman who couldn't care less what people think about her living alone in her beloved beach house. But when she discovers that money is running out and she might lose her home, she knows it's time for a drastic change. Nan decides to rent out rooms for the summer and people start moving into the house, filling it with noise, laughter and tears. Among them is Daniel, a recently divorced father, who's struggling to find out who he really is, and Daff, the single mother of a truculent teenager who blames her mother unreservedly for her parents' divorce. As the house comes to life again, Nan finds her family growing. Her son comes home for the summer and an unexpected visitor turns up, turning all their lives upside down; Compelling, absorbing and poignant, The Beach House is a story of friendship, love and those moments that can change your life."

For some refreshing sophistication you should most definitely be sipping a Watermelon Martini as per this one I devoured at Nikki Beach on Monday.

Recipe taken from MartiniRecipe.net

60ml (or approx 2 oz) Vodka

You will need:

7.5ml sugar syrup

1 slice watermelon

Ice

How to:

Chop the flesh of the water melon.

Pour the Vodka and the sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker.

Add watermelon flesh.

Add ice.

Shake vigorously for a minute or two.

Pour and strain into a frosted martini glass.

Finish by garnishing the rim of the martini glass with a thin slice of watermelon.

And finally, if you're heading out for an ever cool night on the town then why not hit up one of the Sintillate parties in London, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Nottingham or Leeds.  Their parties were epic last weekend in Marbs, especially the Champagne Spray on Sunday but more to come on this in a later post.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

*Images taken from http://www.style-passport.com/, http://www.boots.com/, http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/, 

Style Passport

If it had escaped your attention I go on holiday this week. So of course chaos ensues. It's human nature to purchase a whole new set of beauty products despite the fact you may very well own pretty much everything you need already. Of course there's also the new swimwear, sandals, day dresses, evening dresses, sunglasses...the list is, quite frankly, endless. In fact I am currently composing a still need/to do list in my head as I place these words on this screen. FYI it's a very jumbled list.  I spent a good deal of my Saturday afternoon wandering around Boots aimlessly trying to figure out if spf 15 cocoa butter was technically the same as sunscreen and "which aisle is the travel toothpaste for heavens sake."

In truth, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I still have a burlesque outfit to organise (don't ask)...oh dear, too late to order a corset on line now...I do have those gold sequin knickers though...what on top...hmm...I really don't want to dress up...maybe I'll be able to fashion something out of...something, tonight?  Too late?...I digress but you get the picture.

Fear not though my friends, Style Passport to the rescue. Not my rescue unfortunately.  I'm so disorganised with my disorganisation that I couldn't even get my last minute self, to get my act together enough, to take advantage of this glorious website but there's still hope for the rest of you.

I first came across Style Passport in Stylist Magazine a few weeks back when the CEO, Sarah Walter (who has a wealth of fashion experience ranging from Vogue to New Look) was featured in an article. The site has only been live for a month or two but is an absolute maven for what every disorganised diva needs for her holidays. The handpicked products range from high street to designer prices, most being at the higher end of the spectrum but a lot of the products are their "favourite and most trusted pieces", which means you're not taking a gamble on trying something new!

 

 It's not just the carefully selected products that makes it a travel go-to though, it's the hassle-free and fool-proof way you can shop for these products.  Forget compiling neverending lists and creating outlandish "what if" scenario's in your head.  Style Passport figures all this nonsense out for you with one simple tab. Shop. By. Destination. 

City.  Staycation.  Spa.  Festival.  Beach.

So I saunter over to Beach, in which I am greeted with the following...

I don't own any of these products and most likely need all of them, only highlighting I shouldn't be left to my own travel shopping devices.  Flick through the pages and you'll find everything from the most stunning bikini's to the most appropriate shade nail polish for a tan.  My favourite page was Hippie Chic.

No beach pebble is left unturned on this site, even down to the journey itself.  I never think about the journey.

I found some really cool pieces that I would have loved to have ordered in time that will definitely be re-visited for my trip to Tuscany.  They will also probably be featured on my "things I wish I'd known about/purchased in time" blog post, some time after my return.  Check out Style Passport here to relieve all your travel woes and check them out on twitter @style_passport for helpful hints, as well as being able to chat to the team live on Skype re any of your holiday/product questions.  There's no hope left for me but with one click of a mouse you can be packed and ready way in advance!

*Images taken from http://www.style-passport.com/

Something for the Weekend...

With the holiday looming the Bank of Louisa is looking a little sad.  I've had to book champagne parties, airport hotels, purchase bikini's and travel essentials, amongst other extravagances.  With pay day so rudely positioned at the end of my holiday I really have to make sure that my fun in the sun won't be compromised with any pre-vacation activity.  Therefore this weekend the Bank of Louisa is closed.

This is me looking pissed off

I can think of plenty of things I can occupy myself with over the coming few days...mainly involving organising and packing (my mother is reading this right now and shaking her head in sheer disbelief before she utters the words "Louisa you won't though, you'll leave it to the last minute...").  I can also think of plenty of things I could be doing in order to procrastinate from doing said organising and packing.  This scenario is far more likely.  So with no further ado I hereby re-instate Something for the Weekend...the credit busting version...

Rumour has it there's a heat wave heading to England, supposedly arriving around abouts.....now.  So ultimately I'm aiming to boost my potential tannage, especially with my colleague Molly due back in the office next week, post Thailand.  As petty and immature as this may sound, as well as kind of a health risk (don't try this at home kids) I will only be in Marbella for 5 days and I do plan on beating Molly for most enviable tan when I get back, so some "tanning revision" is required.  My first recommendation therefore is to enjoy our beautiful weather, for free!  But remember, as Baz Luhrman says..."Wear Sunscreen".

If for whatever reason the British weather has lied to us, very plausible, then here's some freebies I'm vibing this weekend...

Sky Movies is showing some of my faves...

The Sound of Music.  A feel good classic.  If you haven't seen it, you must and if you have you'll want to again.  I still desperately wish I was Julie Andrews, I still fancy Christopher Plummer in this, even though he's meant to be a meany in real life, I sill think Gretel is the most adorable child and always want to squeeze her cheeks and I STILL know all the words to all the songs.  I have such an obsession with this motion picture that I am forcing the kids I teach singing to on Saturday mornings to perform So Long Farewell for their summer show.

Housesitter.  This is laugh out loud funny.  Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin have a one night stand only for her to seek out the house he built for his ex-girlfriend.  After breaking and entering, broke Hawn, decides she needs some essentials.  One thing leads to another and before you know it Hawn's passing herself off as Martin's wife, even to his parents.  The white lie spirals out of control and suddenly they're a con double act, duping friends and family!  Although nothing like The Sound of Music or Julie Andrews, I kind of want to be Goldie Hawn too.  I'm starting to sense a theme.  Basically I'm recommending films of which I wish I was the leading lady.  Her outfits in this are cute too and who doesn't love a little fashion throw back.
 

Love Story.  Personally I'm a bit of a seasonal movie watcher, aka if the films a wintry film, viewing is limited to the winter.  Technically this deals with all seasons but it's melancholy nature and it's high volume of snow covered scenes means I can't quite imagine watching it this time of year.  That said, this film is a beautiful story about Love (no kidding Louisa) with some of the most wonderful music, I even have the theme on my ipod, talk about depressing.  I think I'll probably do a Movie Monday with this later in the year but if for nothing else, watch it for Ali McGraw's adorable tartan skirts and matching scarfs, a good cry and that famous line "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

I found a trailer with French subtitles to add a little culture to the blog...or because I couldn't find one without them.  I'll let you decide.

Alternatively you can still catch The Romantics, full trailer (without French subtitles) and review on Movie Monday here!

Instead of credit busting you could do a little credit boosting.  For £10 a class or £100 for twelve, Staples are holding business start-up classes on Saturday mornings, beginning this weekend.  I'm working on a project currently and I have many more extreme plans that potentially could benefit from having a little know how before I jump into the entrepeneurial pool. These are really reasonably priced and only last an hour each week.  That way if you decide it's not for you then you've barely made a commitment time or money wise.  Or this could be the first step to making your millions!  For more information check out http://www.startupsaturday.co.uk/

Finally, neither credit busting nor credit boosting I have a little social recommendation.  This is very location based, as in if you don't live near Rochester in Kent then this is going to be utterly useless information.  If you plan to visit some day then keep reading.  One of my favourite haunts the Rochester Coffee Company are embarking on a new venture in the form of a wine and cocktail bar, Oliver's.  This is very me.  Unfortunately my household location makes me rather provincial and us provincials get rather excited when something a little bit cosmopolitan, read London, comes our way.  The members only bar has just launched but this Saturday are opening their doors to whomever, as long as you're 21 to sample the members only life.  If it's anything like their sister company then this should be a hit.  I'll report back on the findings but you can get more information over at their facebook page here.

To cheer us credit busting types up here's a picture of one of my best friends with a toy monkey round her neck, just because.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

*Image taken from Oliver's Facebook Page