The Isle of Mull

You take the high road, and I'll take the low road...

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in the bonny Isle of Mull. For those of you unfamiliar with the Hebrides, Mull is the second largest island on the Inner Hebredies and is breathtakingly beautiful. It takes a little commitment to get there if you're a Londoner: a plane to Glasgow, a two hour drive to Oban and an hour long ferry but the romance starts on route when you arrive at the old Ferry port and set off to these kind of views!

The wedding took place at Carsaig House - beautiful old manor house on the coast with its own cottages close by and a rose and herb garden which rambled down to the sea. It could not have been a more perfect venue for the intimate family affair, as with the help of a team of private caterers it fast became a temporary family home for the bride and groom.

Dress, Zara, White (similar here), boots Blitz Vintage, Socks Topshop (similar here)

I don't want to focus on the wedding, as I'd rather give our lovely couple their privacy so I'll only mention it fleetingly. Unpredictable Scottish weather meant the rose garden was more appropriate than the beach for the ceremony. The fortress-like walls kept us sheltered from the wind for the short and sweet ceremony which had everyone in floods of happy tears. The bride was lead in by a local bagpipe player and the entire party, lead out again afterwards. It was a perfection brought together by relaxed people, stunning scenery and deep love. I will always remember it.

Mull is bursting with life - the perfect place for locally, seaonally and sustainably sourced ingredients of the highest quality. We ate like kings in the accommodating dining room: beef wellington, every kind of cheese, smoked salmon, scallops, lobster and even fresh sushi were laid on for over a week for some. People rolled out of three courses groaning, only to come back for more when the kitchen spontaneously produced fresh eclairs, assorted cakes, cookies and more.

Making friends with the food... kidding

During the days, we headed down to the lawn and then the beach to play frisbee or hide and seek and blow bubbles for the kids before brisk blustery walks on the beach.

One of the wonderful things about Mull is the 'glowmin': this Scottish word describes the way the sky stays light well into the night, casting an effervescent light over the sea. This made it easy to find the marquee where we sang songs and danced into the night two nights in a row.

It also makes you lose track of time for hours on end. After the braver amongst us braved the freezing cold sea one afternoon, we lit the fire. The evening blurred into the night as we sat around the fire on makeshift benches from stones and driftwood. We sang song, set lanterns off into the Sky and told stories for hours.

So sad to go home and leave what felt like a proper little community by the end, but one of the most magical weekends ever. Scotland, I'll be back soon.

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Operatic Picnic at Glyndebourne

Last Wednesday I organised for myself and 8 friends to go to Glyndebourne to see Figaro. The opera was wonderful but the event can be almost just as much about picnicking, dressing up and catching up with old friends as it is about music. Over the day there are three hours of picnicking and three hours of opera so it really is fifty fifty, the perfect mix of entertainment and relaxation.

This also means that there is an amusingly high degree of picnic competitiveness going on with seasoned Glyndebourne-goers bringing out garden furniture, white table cloths and complete dinner services. There were a good deal of Fortnum's hampers oneupmanship too. I have to say (though I am biased) that our humble, homemade collective effort undoubtedly trumped the majority of others, even though I have a deep and obsessive love for Fortnum's condiments and chocolates!

Here is what we had:

Delicate finger sandwiches:

Cucumber and mint butter sandwiches on standard packaged white bread

Whizz up mint leaves - destalked - with butter (a small handful to 50g butter) In a food processor / magimix. Taste to see how strong you want it. Spread, then cover with a layer of sliced and blotted cucumber pieces (the blotting is essential in avoiding sogginess). Trim of the crusts  if desired.

Smoked salmon with dill and lemon butter

Again whizz up 50g butter with a small handful of fresh dill or a table spoon of dried with a good amount of black pepper (to taste) and the juice of a quarter of a lemon. Put together with sliced and blotted  cucumber.

Chicken and tarragon mayonnaise

Roast your own chicken for extra-succulent meat. I made my own tarragon mayonnaise, recipe below:

Tarragon Mayonnaise

2 Eggs yolks

Groundnut oil/other tasteless oil (270ml)

Extra virgin olive oil (I put around 100ml)

Salt (to taste but a lot, 3 big pinches, Maldon is tastier)

The leaves of 6 stalks of tarragon finely chopped (taste as you add it see how strong you like it - it intensifies after a few hours when the tarragon begins to infuse the rest of the mayonnaise)

2 tbsp Juiced lemon

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp or so of water to thin to your desired consistency

Pop an empty big glass or plastic bowl in the microwave for a minute to warm it. Or if you don't have a microwave to hand, place your bowl above boiling water for a few minutes. Don't let any water get into the bowl.

Place 2 egg yolks in the bowl – whisk for at 1 minute (ideally with an electric whisk) until airy and beginning to thicken.

Then, slowly drip the groundnut oil in whilst whisking (add too much at once and it could curdle). It should start to get thick and glossy.

After you have added around all the groundnut oil you can extra virgin olive oil whilst whisking. Then add the tarragon, and salt. 

Drip in the lemon and vinegar, tasting as you go along to get an acidity that you like (you can add more or less than what I suggest).

Finally, thin it with water until it is your preferred consistency, remembering it firms up a bit more in the fridge.

Other things we ate were: 

Madeleine's and salt caramel brownies

Victoria sponge and oat and rasin cookies 

And the most delicious homemade velvety, chicken liver pâté 

To drink we ordered everything from Majestic and got a much better offer than your standard supermarket. I thought the £16 De Telmont Grande Réserve Champagne was particularly good value. 

Don't forget a cool box, plenty of ice, Pimms fruit, nice tableware, champagne glasses and, of course, your tickets!

the knobmobile in front of us!

Suits You Sir!

I know that good blogs are supposed to be one step ahead of the game, on top of new openings, trends, offers and so on... BUT we are all human, and some things are still worth noting late. 

One of these such things is the wonderful 'Savile Row inspired' collection and marks and Spencer. Introduced fifteen months ago under the expert guidance of previous BFC designer of the year, Richard James, my god is it good! 

When recently hunting out a good black tie tux for a certain rather tall friend, we were at our wits' end with only Hugo Boss's £550 traditional, non-slim fit and a.k.a box-y suit as a back up. Finally, following some much needed advice, we checked out Marks and Spencer's 'Savile Row inspired' and were relieved to find a tux that not only looked and felt great quality (think good, substantial, matt-textured wool with not-too-shiny lapels), but that was only £329. 

It is a well acknowledged fact that the key to looking good in a suit is all in the fit,a real challenge if buying off the high street and all the more difficult for tall men. These 'Savile Row inspired' suits come in long and short sizes from 38 to 48 (jacket) and 32,29 to 44, 33 (trousers). They have a free trouser alteration service too and the trousers can give and extra 1 to 1 1/2 inches. 

Whilst we only tried the tux, the other suits looked pretty great and the Marble Arch shop has an excellent range and expert fitting service. The next time you are in need, forget Moss or Boss and try the sartorial touch of Richard James instead. 

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Marrakech Part 3: Escape the city

A trip to Marrakech is a wonderful mini break but it can get a little exhausting after a few days. The Beldi Country Club is the perfect city escape and antidote to the smoky heat. Just half an hour's drive out into the countryside and you're there. The best bit is that you don't have to be a hotel guest to go. Just have book a table for food, don your bikini and your most glamorous poolside attire and turn up.

The gardens at The Beldi are beautifully kept and far more extensive than you might think if you sit by the pool for a few hours sipping Pims (it is tempting). You should try to drag yourself away to admire the herb garden by the Spa, the array of roses and the wilder meadow surrounding Moroccan stone architecture.

We arrived about an hour before our table reservation. By the time we sat down at our sunlight mottled table to order, we were blissed out. The menu changes daily, is three courses, includes your pool entry and costs approximately £20 not including drinks.

Don't forget to book your spa treatment when you arrive. When we went, they had availability on the day for our whole party (of 6) but it's worth getting in there early.

Our massages were blissful. There's something about the Arabic high ceilinged stone buildings that make massages that little bit more relaxing. The temperature was just right without any air conditioning, the rooms, naturally lit but dark enough to fully relax. Massages at The Beldi are a little more expensive than they are in your average Marrakech spa but bearing in mind that all of these are cheap by English standards, they're more than worth it.

When it came to the end of the day, we were sad to leave (definitely booking a room next time). The walk back out of the arches and through the meadow was the perfect end to the most relaxing day of our trip.

Flo and Elle Marrakech Beldi Country Club 

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