Scenes From Provence

Our trip to Provence, Nice and Cinque Terre was nothing short of spectacular and I’m still feeling (slightly) relaxed despite being back at work. I fell in love with Provence even more than I thought I would – the rolling hills, beautiful fields of flowers, wineries and decadent food – everything is just so perfectly French and refined. We made a little village called Bonnieux our home for three nights and it was a great hideaway nestled in the hills above the Luberon valley. The drive from Marseilles was easy and scenic as you drive on these little narrow roads sprawling with greenery and yellow and purple flowers. Our bed and breakfast, Les Terrasses du Luberon proved to be a great base and the owners were lovely and gave great recommendations for restaurants and nearby villages to visit during our stay. One was L'Arome, a great (but pricey) French restaurant where we went our first night. The seared scallops were delish!

The Luberon valley, and all of Provence for that matter, is a place I’d love to go back to…maybe rent a house with the rest of my family and stay for three weeks, spending lazy days walking through villages and markets and tasting wine. Here are a few scenes from our trip…

This was taken when we first arrived to our B&B in Bonnieux. Although it was a bit overcast, it was still warm and the valley had this beautiful haze of lush greenery.

We passed this field on our drive from Bonnieux to a nearby market for lunch. I love the vibrant yellow colour and I would've gotten knee deep in it if it weren't a swamp underneath! The matching pants weren't planned, I swear. 

Later that day, we browsed fresh produce, lavender and handmade goods at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue market on Sunday morning, our first full day of adventures. Lavender is all over Provence but unfortunately doesn't fully bloom until June.

Here we are on the top of Les Baux de Provence, a beautiful village about an hour from Bonnieax that's built in the stones. There's an old castle called Château des Baux that you can tour on the top of the mountain, but the best part are these scenic views. 

We visited the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on our first day and it was absolutely beautiful - a surprising find as I really wasn't it expecting it to be that cool. But the water was a pretty turquoise colour, and as you can see, the surroundings and little village were picturesque.

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine region where we tasted some incredible red wines and enjoyed the sunshine with fresh baguette sandwiches. Highly recommend visiting this area!

Sampling away local wines for free, a nice perk in a pricey place. We picked up a few bottles to take home....we're saving one for our last weekend in London but we ended up breaking in to the other one in Italy.  

I found this beautiful painting on a wooden driveway door in Roussillon, a little village in the Luberon valley that's known for it's red pigmented architecture.I love the romantic feeling of the artwork.

This was our local wine tasting spot near our B&B in Bonnieax. We'd stop by after our daily adventures for an afternoon taste before watching the sunset.

Here are the rustic buildings in Roussillon. You can see how the pigment has dyed the buildings, very cool. 

Vineyards and fields of purple flowers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape - simply gorgeous! We stopped to take in the view and a few photos on our way home.

Next up I’ll be sharing scenes from our time in Aix-en-Provence and St. Tropez which were our stops on the way to Cannes. More on our tour de Provence to come soon!

Mustard Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas

I'm just getting back into the swing of things since returning from our French/Italian holiday (which was looovely...more to come soon!), so I'm a little behind on posts, but I wanted to share this gem of a recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good cookbook. I've already made it twice since getting it in the mail a few weeks ago! It's just the perfect mix of healthy, filling and flavorful. I know these cauliflower and chickpeas don't sound that amazing, but the combination of the mustard dressing and parsley really makes it pop. Here's what you'll need to make it:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried with a dishtowel
1 head of cauliflower, broken in florets
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt & black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then toss the chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast, stirring once for 45 minutes or until everything is dark brown and the cauliflower is soft.

Meanwhile, whisk together the mustards, vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil with a big pinch of salt and some black pepper. While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and parsley. Serve warm and ENJOY!

Tour de South of France

Our final European trip is upon us! I have SO loved all this travelling we've done and I feel so lucky we've had all of these wonderful chances to see the world. For our last trip, we're going to soak up the culture and sun in the South of France and then in Cinque Terre. It all starts tomorrow in Marseilles where we'll fly in, rent a car and then end up in a tiny village at a tiny bed and breakfast in Bonnieux in the heart of Provence. We spend three days exploring Provence, from Avignon to Aix en Provence, and then on Wednesday we'll drive along the French coast to Nice. I've been to Nice once before with my sister so I know it'll be lovely and full of croissants and sunny beaches. We'll stay for four days, taking day trips to St. Tropez, Eze, Cannes and a little island off Cannes called Isla Santa Margarita. And then we'll go via train to Monterrosso in Cinque Terre where we'll relax for a few days before coming back to London. My bags are almost packed with my sunniest attire and I simply cannot wait for this last farewell trip. I'll share photos when we're back!

[Image via Deliciously Organized]

Mediterranean Salmon

I recently discovered a new way to cook salmon and I'm so excited to share it with you. It might look simple but the flavour combination is so good and I think it’s slightly different to the recipe I'm used to  – the typical lemon, garlic and butter. The chili gives it the perfect amount of spice while the tomato and basil give you the flavours of Italy.

Step one is preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Chop one pint of cherry tomatoes and one pint of teardrop tomatoes in half and place in a bowl along with the julienned basil. Pour two tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir around. 

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish and place salmon fillets in the dish. Drizzle very lightly with more olive oil. Squeeze half a lemon over four good sized salmon fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chop one red chili finely and sprinkle evenly over the salmon fillets. 

Then scoop the tomato and basil mixture over and around the salmon fillets. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and set aside for a few minutes before serving. 

If you’re thinking of making a side dish, try an avocado, arugula and toasted almond salad with an lemon & olive oil vinaigrette and a side of garlic and herb cous cous. It's a lovely light complement to the salmon dish. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Scenes From Brighton

I'd been wanting to check out Brighton since we moved here and just never found the right time to go - it was either snowing or raining every time we tried. And then our friends Tici and Felipe asked if we wanted to go this past Saturday, so we jumped at the chance. Brighton was just a quick 1-hour ride from London and we arrived around noon to mildly overcast weather with bits of sunshine. The first stop was the famous Brighton Pier which includes everything from amusement park rides overlooking the water to arcades and stands selling 'Brighton Rock' candy (unfortunately didn't look that appetizing!). Everything is a bit run down and rusted in Brighton, which seems natural because it's a beach town. It's like a city that was once the posh place for Brits to go during the summer but is now left a little unloved since air travel has become so much cheaper and people can make their way to other warmer climates.

Nevertheless, there's something very unique and beautiful about it - from the pebbled beach to 'the lanes' which are winding curvy little streets with cute shops. I loved this one flower shop we passed by, they had the most beautiful tropical flowers pictured above. We didn't really have an agenda besides walking around town, so we spent a few hours having lunch at Donatelli's Pizzeria where we indulged in a three-course meal complete with that amazing tiramisu hot fudge sundae. Our final stop was the Royal Pavilion, a seaside palace built for George, Prince of Wales, and designed with Hindu/Indian/Chinese influences (as it was built around the era of British colonialism). We took a quick tour of the inside which was lavish and ornate, and then made our way back home on the train. It's hard to believe this was our last visit to another UK city, time is just flying! Only three more weeks to enjoy beautiful London...