Dinner party

On Sunday night we had a teeny dinner party at Mikey's because the house was ours for the weekend. I was too busy absolutely stuffing my face to even consider taking photos of the insanely good looking shepherd's pie, or the chocolate fondant pudding, but what I do have the pleasure of photographing from Sunday night...is all thanks to a little Miss Penny.

So, here is my photographic answer to "Reason's Why I Love Rachel Penny".:

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Answer: Because she brings macarons to a dinner party.....and then leaves them there for me to scoff in the morning. Bringing that little touch of Paris home, making my Monday mornings just that little bit brighter and concluding my first reason on the list of Rachel Penny love.

Wedding bells!


I had a date today. An official date. An official date as a wedding photographer. An official date as a wedding photographer with the most lovely couple ever who want me to shoot their wedding. Eeeeeeeey!! And from what they've told me about their wedding plans, it's going to be quite possibly the most beautiful little wedding I ever did see (if I say that the bride-to-be is about as obsessed with Pinterest as I am, I think that quite comfortably covers why I'm so excited...). WHYYYY oh WHYYY is September so far away?!

On an unrelated note, my garden looks beautiful now the summer sun is shining away:



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Red Fruit Brunch

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After a full weekend of seriously trying to eat my body weight in chocolate (and largely succeeding), I'm actually quite excited - if I can even use that word about 'healthy food' - to tempt my taste-buds back to yoghurt, fruit and granola for lunch.

Who am I trying to kid?! If I could eat chocolate all day every day I wholeheartedly promise you that I would, but unfortunately my thighs would have something to say about that. Something serious to say about that, as would my stomach. So to keep my unforgiving limbs at bay, this lunch is really ticking the boxes. And what's that saying anyway? 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctors cute - screw the fruit'? Well, upsettingly, my doctor is a 50 year old rounding man. I mean, he's lovely and all, but I'll think I'll keep aiming for that 5-a-day for now.

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Wednesday morning blues

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Ooh. I was okay for a solid week or so, but now I can't deny that I'm having an I-wish-I-was-back-in-Paris wobble. This has mainly been brought on by fondly looking back at photos of our apartment and then subsequently flicking through all photos taken throughout the entire time there. A very rooky mistake for so early on a Wednesday morning. But alas, the sun outside in England is shining, I have an entire bag of Easter eggs left in my cupboard and there is a very excited little dog awaiting me downstairs. It all evens out I guess (although the things I would do right now to be sitting down in La Duree in front of this are admittedly unlawful):

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Joyeuses Pâques!

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Easter could quite possibly be the best day of the year. Why?

Because how the hell can anyone not enjoy a day when eating mounds and mounds and mounds of chocolate is totally socially acceptable? Encouraged even. Anyway, I heard on the grapevine that Chocolate Eggs on Easter Sunday have no calories. Yep. So who had chocolate eggs for breakfast? Yes, me. Who had chocolate eggs for brunch? C'est moi. Who ate a huge roast and still had space for easter eggs? Still me. Amen to Easter Sunday and may you come around again very very quickly please.


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If I ever become president, I'm going to make it illegal to eat anything other than Cadbury's Creme Eggs for breakfast. Every day should start as fabulously as today.

Hello porridge

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11.30am is very quickly becoming my favourite part of the day.

Because 11.30 am means brunchtime.

And brunchtime means food.

And food is just glorious.

And glorious is always a lovely way to be.

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I've been getting up at around 7am every day recently to walk the little furry bundle of happiness, and I have been surprised at how amazing it feels so be up and about so early in the early morning sunshine. Despite years of believing that absolutely anything before 10am was dangerous territory and should be avoided at all costs, I am now officially an early morning person and oooooooh IT FEELS GOOD.

Furry black bundle...

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AUDHSUIFHSIUFHKJDFHIEJFIOWEUFQOWPOWEUKLDNVLKDNVAFUOIFIFHOAIFHSAIOSCHFAOSIFH!!!
Is all I have to say about my new little best friend. Completely and utterly, totally and irreproachably in love with this little fur ball of excitement.
Meet MILLIE.

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I simply cannot understand how anybody can say no to those big beautiful eyes.
Want me to throw your ball again? Oh, go on then.
Another biscuit? Of course.
Tummy rubs and schmoooozles? Thought you'd never ask.
Sitting on my hands so I can't use the computer anymore? Please, be my guest.

I can now, finally for the first time in my life, understand why people obsess so much over dogs. Fangirling big time.

Continental crazy

After the Patisserie Promenade and then the amazing meal last night in Notre Dame, the only way we were going to make the most of our final Monday morning was with food. Obviously. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of food because that's what we do best.

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Four different types of pastry, scrambled eggs, macarons, tea and orange juice, phewwwwwwww. Mornings should always be like this.

Brunch in Angleterre

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Although it has felt like a stab to the heart the past two mornings waking up and realising that Mikey won't be popping down the road to buy us both a pain aux raisin to eat in bed in Paris, apparently it's definitely possible to enjoy brunch in England. Who'd have thought it.

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Seeing as I'm not and never have been the biggest fan of breakfast despite its many apparent health perks, I have decided instead to make myself indulge in a daily spot of brunch. While now officially considering myself as a person who 'brunches' (very la de da), I actually have to make an effort to chop up fruit and spoon out yoghurt into a cute little bowl which, I'm assuming from now onwards, will very rarely escape the clutches of my camera. Beginning today when I couldn't resist snapping it as it waited peacefully on my bed ready to be devoured. Fruit is really pretty and colourful and that's my only argument. But it's valid, oh so valid.


In other news, we got a dog(!!!!!!!!!!!!) but I'll fill up an entire blog post with pictures of his cute little face another time when I've finished trying to spend every second of every hour of every day with him. He's a total babe.

In other other news, I just finished reading the book pictured and seriously seriously SERIOUSLY recommend it to anyone and everyone. I couldn't put it down for a solid five hours the other day, proper exciting stuff.

Le Bouteille D'Or

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Yesterday we decided to mark our last night in Paris until June with a little celebration. And the best way to celebrate in my books apart from Macarons and Champagne is food, wine, more food, more wine and maybe some desert and then some more wine. First things first though, we went out for cocktails in Saint Michel because what better way is there to start an evening?
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Because I was far too excited about the food, I totally forgot to take a photo of the outside of the restaurant - boohoo. But boy oh boy did I take enough photos of the inside and the food to make up for it...

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I'mmmmm gonna write a little run down of what we had, mainly to keep myself happy in the remembrance of such incredible food, but also for anyone who might be interested in cooking it themselves. No pressure or anything but, you really should. No really, you have to, so the first thing you're gonna make is Saint-Marcelin cheese roasted with honey and mesclun, kiwi sweetness. ^^ I love cheese, I love kiwi, I love trying new things and I love it when trying new things ends up being really quite ridiculously delicious, especially if cheese is involved. So it was a strong start by all accounts and we even mopped up all the tiny drops of left over cheese with bread. Just saving them the hassle of washing up really, don't mention it. All this while sipping through the bottle of Sauvignon that was sat chilling in an ice bucket stand next to our table for the duration of our culinary extravaganza.

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Mikey had roasted rack of lamb in honey and mint juice with grenaille potato confit and garlic and if you haven't guessed already yes I am copying straight from the menu. Unfortunately I don't have photographic or tastebad-graphic memory but I wanted to properly write down all the names of the meals because me saying lamb and potatoes' doesn't do the heaven that was on our plates justice. So allow me to continue being your new favourite menu.

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I had, wait for it, fillet of duck breast with honey juice and spices, and gratin dauphinois potatoes. I'm not even going to try and explain how MARVY it was, but just know that if pictures were a percentage of taste bud happiness, this picture makes up about 5% of the actual experience of eating it. I'm not even sure that makes sense, but you get my drift that it really was the most banging meal EV.

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For pudding, we wolfed down "Surprise" Caramel Tiramasu. Upsettingly, there was so big surprise to account for apart from how surprisingly tasty caramel tiramasu is.

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And after that because we were being all civilized and stuff we ordered deux cafe's and sat happily sipping them and feeling grown up and very, very very pleasantly full.

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And there was definitely nothing to complain about the view from the restaurant. We've been to the Notre Dame countless times over the past few months so it felt like a nice full circle to be spending our last night here enjoying food while gawking at it over a glass of wine. Heaven.

After letting our food settle and enjoying the parisian 'ambience' (hey hey hey) in the restaurant for a little while, we headed off on a short walk down to the Pont Des Arts and then back to the metro to take our food babies home.

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I simply couldn't describe a more perfect way to spend our last evening here. La belle vie, indeed.

And as a side note, if you're looking for somewhere seriously bonne to eat out in Paris, head over to 9 Quai de Montebello, you really won't be disapointed.