Author: s.a.b

Europe

History meets turquoise sea in Puglia

by s.a.b1 Comment on History meets turquoise sea in Puglia

Summer holidays are something I always look forward to, it’s usually our longest vacation in the year, and it’s the opportunity to recharge the batteries after long months at work. Before our babies, we would often go on multiple destination holidays, with a complicated itinerary of culture, nature, R&R and usually a fabulous beach far from most amenities. Once you have babies, you want to try and avoid the flight hops and a good option during the first two to three years is to pick one place and hang there for a few weeks.

So, when Little Monsieur was just over one year old, we decided to go spend our summer break in Puglia. The heel of the Italian boot wasn’t too popular back then, but it was already well known for amazing cuisine, beaches that wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives, and incredible history and culture.

Where to stay?

There are a few hotels that are quite lovely, and a couple have even become the Summer offsite of choice of many Chelsea-ites, but with a little toddler and my parents joining us we wanted total freedom so we rented a renovated trulli house near Ostuni, with enough room for everyone, a beautiful traditional olive grove, a brand new swimming pool with a garden kitchen, and a lovely herb garden out back. We asked for a few additional baby-friendly amenities to be added, such as a high chair and a cot, and sent a box of baby essentials from London, with swimming pool toys, loads of nappies, and Little Monsieur’s favourite compotes and snacks.

The upside of the countryside around Ostuni is that it feels totally remote and quiet, but you are quite far from the sea on both sides of the heel, but with a couple of rental cars that was not an issue. The pool was plenty for us most days, especially as it allowed us to manage Little Monsieur’s nap times really nicely, as we could put him down in one of the cool rooms and hear him from the garden… I loved having a kitchen, it made going to the market at Ostuni an extra pleasure as I got to play with quite a few ingredients during our stay.

Worth visiting?

You can decide to enjoy the garden and pool, the weather during Summer here is truly gorgeous and you could absolutely spend days on end enjoying the beauty of R&R. However, Puglia is incredible for its mixed history, spanning from the Romans via the Saracens (with the white-washed architecture of the hilltowns) and the Normans to wonderful Baroque and Renaissance gems (Lecce will leave you speechless), with the distinctly Puglian trulli sprinkled amongst ageless groves of olive trees; these were storage huts with cone roofs, and many have now been renovated into beautiful boltholes, like the one we stayed in.

We spent quite a bit of time in nearby Ostuni, with its wonderful market, close-packed whitewashed houses, the beautiful Aragonese cathedral and its very own Puglian ‘bridge of sighs’. The food is delicious everywhere you go here, it’s worth exploring just for the food, and there are fragrant pastry shops and gelaterie pretty much in each town you drive through… And the light, simply magical, makes everyone look good. Though very touristy, Alberobello is worth a visit, it is a Unesco site with hundreds of trulli houses (now mainly tourist shops and cafes) dating back to medieval times. Lecce, also called the Florence of the South is a baroque beauty with dozens of palazzi built between the 17th and 18th century. Polignano A Mare is a gorgeous sea-side town built on cliffs, with a gorgeous little beach underneath a bridge and full of tiny shops and delicious seafood restaurants. It goes on and on. You could spend months in Puglia and not be done.

What about the food?

Food is amazing here, in the most humble cafes you’ll drink delicious coffee with amazing pastries, in the smallest deli you’ll find the softest burrata (burrata was invented in Puglia actually), and of course as Italy’s main producer of olive oil, you won’t find anything better anywhere else. Whilst we’re here, have you heard of taralli? Also Pugliese, delicious as antipasto with an Aperol Spritz and some fresh olives. During our holiday, we cooked most days in our holiday rental, sea bass with herbs, octopus salad, courgette flower fritters, fig and almond tart, lemon biscuits. We drank mainly local wine, which is delicious, sparkling water, lemonade, and the best refresher I know: watermelon and mint juice with a dash of lemon.

Wait, this is a Summer vacation, how is the sea?

The sea is very clear, very much like Sardinia and Corsica, and the sand is very white, making some beaches look like they belong somewhere in the Indian Ocean… Most days when we craved the beach we drove out to Torre Guaceto, a 7-km stretch of sandy shores by a 16th-century watchtower, which is also a WWF protected area making it a beautiful beach with clear water. Other places in Salento are truly beautiful, but with a temperamental toddler around we didn’t go to that many beaches in the end.. We will simply have to come back.

Top tips for a Summer vacation in Puglia? First bring an appetite… you’ll be eating delicious food for weeks, second be prepared for crowded beaches, these are the most beautiful ones on the Italian mainland so don’t be surprised if you can barely fit space for your towel after lunch, and third, do spend some time driving around and enjoying the region, we did it a little randomly, when Little Monsieur was in the mood for a drive, and each time we discovered wonderful towns…

With love, S.

Outfits

All dressed up and nowhere to go

by s.a.b1 Comment on All dressed up and nowhere to go

In today’s news, it seems I have become that woman in Johannesburg who visits her wardrobe to pull up an outfit, only to walk up to the garage door and coax Hubby Dearest into taking modelling pictures. Am I a model? No. Am I selling any of the pieces I’m wearing? No. I am just another bored fashionista in lockdown, dying to wear some beautiful things and go out… Oh well. For today the garage door will do.

I’ve been scrolling a lot of fashion news feeds recently (another side effect of 2020, the year of isolation), and it seems shackets are the piece of the season. It’s hilarious because I’ve owned plenty of shackets for years, like this camo one from Pull & Bear, but apparently they seem to be having a moment.

What is a shacket? A shacket is quite simply, a shirt and a jacket in one. Think of it as having a classic shirt silhouette with buttoned pockets (usually at the chest but not necessarily, god knows I for one don’t need more attention drawn to that part of my anatomy…) and a buttoned front. The material is usually wool, felt, or strong twill so you can quite easily wear it as a jacket. Needless to say, whilst we’re well into Autumn here, there is still no need for the wool ones. Maybe in July, when we hit week 14 of the lockdown and I’m posing by the treehouse… I may even try a lumberjack look for some fun, watch this space. 

You can wear shackets over dresses, jeans, on safari, out and about for brunch, or, like me, working from home over my most comfortable pair of khaki culottes (basically these culottes are a somewhat elegant way of wearing elasticated-waist trousers with absolutely no tug anywhere around the leg seeing as they are super roomy…) I accessorized for the photo with my Zara kitten heels and my Chanel small classic bag from the Paris Cuba collection, which I promise myself I will wear more when they let me out.

There you have it, another isolation outfit… still not wearing the PJs but perhaps next week as I ordered two beautiful ones in Liberty prints from my lovely seamstress, and they would look amazing with pink sandals…

With love, S.

London

London: Afternoon tea favourites

by s.a.b2 Comments on London: Afternoon tea favourites

I lived in London for 13 years, enough to get quite keen on a few British traditions, and there is one in particular that I love: afternoon tea. It is the perfect excuse to indulge in eating sweet little pastries in the middle of the day, and whilst I don’t have much of a sweet tooth I do enjoy sitting around a pristine table laden with delicate china and elegant pastry trays, between a steaming pot of delicious tea and a cup of champagne, to enjoy an utterly civilised moment with friends or family.

Over the years I have fine-tuned my list of London favourites for afternoon tea, but, before we start, a little piece of trivia: some people confuse afternoon tea with high tea (in South Africa the chic-est places that offer tea call it high tea), when they are two very different meals. Afternoon tea is a light meal of bite sized tea sandwiches and savories, followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and ending with sweet pastries, which you eat with fingers, usually around 4PM. The tradition was started in England in the 1840s when The Duchess of Bedford wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner, and it became a thing amongst the high society. High tea on the other hand was a working class family evening meal or supper, made of of meat dishes, potatoes, baked beans, basically a nourishing meal at the end of a long day at work. It’s called high tea because it is eaten on a high kitchen table.

My all-time favourite: Jean-Georges at The Connaught 

This is my favourite, probably because this is the place we came to for my birthday right after the birth of Little Madame, it was our first outing as a family of four. Things could have gone horribly wrong had she needed a feed half-way through, but both she and her brother behaved absolutely perfectly (much to the relief of the other guests who had openly gawked when they saw us arrive with a pram and toddler in tow), thanks to the colouring book and little cars we brought for Little Monsieur and the fact we had fed the baby just before leaving the house, but overall I’m a big believer in taking small children to all types of places to ensure they get used to behaving accordingly from an early age.

The setting is a winter garden style gallery overlooking Carlos Place, with stained glass panels and beautiful art work. The room is sophisticated but not stuffy, and very light: tea is served on the beautiful marble tables, whilst you sit in the plushest soft grey sofas. We came on a Spring afternoon and there were gorgeous floral arrangements everywhere. Service at the Connaught is always impeccable: think “make clients feel like uber VIPs” and dial it up a notch. The meal itself is delicious and quite unique compared with other teas in London: a classic tea menu with a twist, with South-Asian and Mediterranean inspirations and a nice addition of spices to what can sometimes be quite bland recipes. The scones come with the traditional clotted cream and jam, as well as delicious lemon curd. The cakes are very elaborate, with a lot of mousse textures and beautiful colours.

A classic London grande dame: The Wolseley

The Wolseley is the quintessential Mayfair eatery, and I would happily eat here for breakfast, lunch, tea and supper any day. I always try to come when I’m in London, and my favourite time of the year to eat here is late Autumn to Winter: I absolutely love coming at the end of a shopping spree in Mayfair on a cold and dark afternoon, it’s the perfect hang-out from which to look out onto busy Piccadilly. There are three options for tea, including a very affordable “Cream Tea” if you just want to sample a little bit of London luxury without breaking the bank, and if you’re coming with anyone who is not too keen on the full tea experience there is a broad menu of sweets and savouries to pick from. I love the Champagne Tea, and usually ask for a table on one of the balconies at the back of the room to enjoy it with a little less noise, whilst still enjoying the view of the restaurant’s bustling floor.

The menu is quite classic, but totally delicious, with warm scones at the top of the three-tier tray, under a little cloche, six cakes on the middle tier, made each morning by the restaurant’s pastry chefs, and five sandwiches at the base, washed down with a tea from the special Wolseley selection, as well as a glass or two of champagne. Remember, this place is super popular, so it’s key to book in advance, as the Wolseley will rarely have tables for walk-ins…

Perfect for tea with the girls: The Gallery at Sketch

Tea at the much-hyped Sketch in Mayfair is served in the millennial-pink Gallery from 11:30AM, and this is where I like to come with my girlfriends for an afternoon of edulcorated fun in what looks and feels like the inside of a fluffy pink cake. This place is the epitome of English eccentricity, with the egg-shaped toilets (google it, they are world famous, but the first time is a little interesting, I’m not going to lie…), the interesting prints all over the walls and the funny quotes on the crockery. The string quartet in the corner plays the Beatles rather than Beethoven, a bit of a contrast to the elevator music of most hotel lobbies.

First course is a spoonful of caviar on a perfectly poached quail’s egg yolk on top of silky béchamel sauce (my favourite course of the whole meal!), then you move on to the usual dainty sandwiches, cakes, more cakes, some shot glasses of white-peach and verbena cheesecake, as well as a giant pink marshmallow. Warm scones arrive later (by now I’m stuffed), and then a huge slice of Victoria Sponge from the trolley is the finale, if you have space left. I always come here with loads of time, as tea at Sketch is a drawn-out affair, there is the need to pace oneself seeing as there is so much food…

Best to lose track of time: The Dorchester

I have been coming to Dorchester for tea for quite a while, in fact I had my mini baby shower for Little Monsieur here, and we all had such an amazing time chatting about babies, style, and life that we totally lost track and didn’t realise we had been sitting around our teas and cakes for hours.

Tea is served in the Promenade, behind the lobby, a ballroom-sized space filled with oversized bouquets and the largest brocade sofas I ever sat on, and inhabited by the most delightful staff who all treat you like their favourite guest (even more so if you are an heavily pregnant mama fond of the Christmas stuffing sandwiches…). Everything here is classic luxury, don’t expect modern or contemporary but it’s just perfect as it is. The food is divine, especially the scrumptious scones, and the tea selection is very good. I usually opt for Lapsang, and theirs is extra flavoursome. The afternoon easily rolls into the evening, and when not pregnant this is a perfect time to move to cocktails.

Fashionista favourite: The Berkeley

The Berkeley’s Prêt-à-Portea in Knightsbridge is where you go to mix afternoon tea with fashion, and over the years the chefs have taken some of the most memorable looks from the catwalk and beyond (recently the V&A Christian Dior exhibition) and transformed them into a tasty assortment of cakes and biscuits. This is the most instagrammable of all afternoon teas in London, if you’re into fashion. The tea is served in the the Collins Room, which is decorated in Dior grey, making for a beautiful background to the whole experience.

I first came here with Little Monsieur when he wasn’t even one, and our friends had a toddler daughter, and yet both babies had an amazing time with the atmosphere remaining lively and totally un-stuffy. We did laugh at how the waiter described every cake and confection and the fashion inspiration behind it in minute detail, though he did seem to have absolutely no interest in fashion whatsoever… I come here more for the style than the food, altough it is perfectly lovely as well…

Afternoon tea makes no sense as a daily meal, but as an occasional indulgence, nothing gets quite close, and each time I am back in my beloved London I make a point of having tea in one of the beautiful restaurants and hotels of the city. One last tip before I leave you: it’s usually a good idea to skip tea in the museums and galleries, as the food is usually bought in and far from fresh…

With love, S.

beauty

Barely there make-up in a flash

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Barely there make-up in a flash

One of the good things about keeping a solid skincare routine and watching your sugar intake (I do, I do… most times… when not in lockdown…) is that your skin clears out and needs relatively minimal make-up. That being said, I also sleep very little, thank you anxiety and insomnia, and, whilst I’m all for a no make-up day or two on the week-end or on holiday, usually I believe in wearing a little bit of make-up just to make sure I look pert and fully awake, and I love the no make-up make-up look.

Seeing as I am an impatient in all things, I can’t see the point in long-winded make-up routines like the ones I see on my Insta feed. Contouring, baking, re-contouring, highlighting, drawing eyebrows, re-drawing the nose in a totally new shape… What a complete waste of time. On any given day I have at most 15 minutes to get my face on, and then I run down to my kitchen to pack my thermos of coffee and my smoothie for breakfast to drink on the way to work. I have this funny story from when I first moved to South Africa: I used to go to a gym for personal training; one day I was running late for a meeting so my trainer volunteered to order me a smoothie from the gym kitchen, and asked if he should have it ready in about one hour (based on what he was used to seeing from other clients), I said no, 25 minutes is plenty. He didn’t believe I would shower, get ready, hair, face and all in so little time… and in fact he stayed put to see if I would make it on time, and of course I did. So yes, at most, 15 minutes for make-up, that’s it.

Now, what do I do during those 15 minutes, you ask? For me it’s primarily about the skin: making it look as perfect as possible, in a way that’s difficult to notice where there is make-up vs where it’s only me.

Step One – Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

I tend to avoid using a primer before make-up, especially the ones with silicone as silicone can make even the best foundations curdle… Instead I spend most of my morning skincare routine (which I’ve written about a few weeks ago) layering essence, serum, and treatment to ensure a well moisturized base. If my skin still feels a little parched or I have a long day ahead and I really need the make-up to last, then I reach out for a silicone-free primer for a smooth base, at the moment I’m liking the Perfecting Pure Canvas Primer by Laura Mercier (it uses water, algae and glycerin instead of silicone, and for some reason that doesn’t curdle), it has the light texture of a creamy gel and leaves my skin feeling just plumped and dewy enough for make-up, a bit like that of people who just “drink a lot of water” (sure, we all believe that).

Step Two – Bring on the concealer salad

On any given day, I use at least three different concealer products: over the years, I’ve decided that the areas of my face that need help don’t all need the same shade or texture. There’s the pigmentation spots from my pregnancies, the slightly blue-ish under-eye from lack of sleep and thinning skin (I’ll translate: I’m getting old) and even, if I’m really lucky, the odd little stress or hormone spot for fun… Under my eyes and to smooth out any lines that seem to be particularly visible, I opt for an illuminating formula; I always have a Touche Eclat in my handbag (who doesn’t) for travel and touch-ups but for everyday nothing gets close to It Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Under-Eye Illumination concealer in terms of result and stay power, and it doesn’t ever migrate into the fine lines (not that I have any, of course). For pigmentation and little imperfections I tend to mix a couple more creamy Ilia concealers for the perfect shade, and if I want a perfectly smooth eyelid I use the Eye Base by Laura Mercier. Application is by fingers first, then pushing into the little corners and creases with a small brush.

Step Three – Foundation with a twist

I don’t use foundation per se, most days that’s too much coverage for me. I only ever use foundation for special occasions (so basically I don’t). Most days, I’m happy with a CC cream, so long as it has a strong SPF (50+ is my norm) and my favourite for the past year has been the It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination Cream; it comes in 12 shades which helps find the perfect one, and I usually have two: one for tanned days one for very pale ones. I use the smallest amount: one pump is enough, and I mix it with a drop of face oil (the Farsali Rose Gold one works well for this), that’s the secret for super easy application. I do this with all liquid and cream foundations and it helps the product just glide into place. I pat it in with my fingers then use super soft feathery brushes with my foundation brush to blend it all in. Most days, that’s enough.

There are days when my skin feels like it will turn on the shine before I’ve even driven into the office parking… But I want glow, not shine… So to avoid any mishaps I use a very light powder to set my face in. I like the RMS Beauty “Un” Powder, and puff it on super lightly for a slightly matt but not too matt (it’s a thing, trust me, the perfect amount of matt vs glow) finish that isn’t really noticeable.

Step Four – Nobody likes to walk around with a flat face 

What makes faces interesting is cheeks, cheekbones, the arch of a brow, etc. In French we call it “le relief”. For that I bring in a tiny bit of contour by using a Match Stix by Fenty : it’s actually a matt foundation stick, matt is best for contour, and I buy a shade a good 4 to 5 tones up from my skin tone to create those shadows, by drawing a line by the jaw line, another just under the cheek bone (I go very lightly, the idea is shadow, not a Picasso sketch) and blending in with a soft brush. I use RMS‘ Lip2Cheek product for a little colour where I would normally blush and finish up with three dabs of Lumene‘s Instant Luminizer on my cheekbones, and again tap to blend… This step should really not be too scientific or take too long, it’s just about highlighting what is already there.

Step Five – Finishing touches

For everyday I go for very light definition. By that I mean if I use a liner it’s a smudged one in a shade of graphite, taupe, khaki or plum, never black. Most days I don’t and just give my lashes the star treatment with the best mascara ever created, Too Faced “Better Than Sex” (from personal experience I can confirm it is better than some sex), and finish off with a coat of a moisturizing lipstick or colour lip balm, seeing as I suffer from permanently dry lips. If I want an extra dewy look before I go I spray on a little E.L.F. setting mist and off I go.

By now you’ve realised that barely there make-up doesn’t translate into a one product does all approach. But I promise you if you use your fingers to warm the product into your skin and use the right brushes super lightly to blend everything in, it needn’t take hours. You’ll also notice that whilst some of the products I use claim to be all or mainly natural not all do, because whilst I value the natural approach to skincare and beauty I also do want results, and sometimes chemicals give you slightly better results than the natural ingredients that are meant to replace them… It’s ok, I also do not eat organic every day.

With love, S.

Africa

Morukuru, our borrowed home in the bush

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Morukuru, our borrowed home in the bush

Moving continents like we did a couple of years ago is a big adventure, and I wanted to celebrate our arrival by going on safari as soon as we arrived, showing our little travellers just how wonderful our new home country was. One of the first things I did when we moved to Johannesburg was research safari options that would accommodate our littles, not just at the lodge, but also on the game drives. Not many places are flexible about it, with most only allowing children on game drives after the age of 12, some after the age of 6, and a lot of lodges will tell you to bring your children and leave them with the lodge babysitter whilst you go on safari… I’m still not quite sure what the point of that would be (come all the way to the bush, then leave your child with a stranger in a closed room with videos about animals whilst you go enjoy a game drive?) but thankfully I soon found out about Morukury Family and their houses in the private section of the Madikwe game reserve.

Where is it?

The Madikwe Game Reserve is about 4 hours drive away from Johannesburg, although many tourists fly here from ORT with the small planes, as there is a landing strip. It’s a “Big Five” reserve and is malaria free, so quite popular with families, but not many of the 20-odd lodges in the public reserve side can welcome children as little as two.

Being entirely private, Morukuru allows babies on game drives, and the ranger then exercises their discretion on how close to get to animals or how long to stay at a sighting, depending on how the littles in the car are behaving. It also means everything is adapted to you and your family, so if baby needs a later start or if your son doesn’t eat tomatoes, then things will be arranged exactly to suit you. And bring a baby we did: on our first visit, Little Madame had a baby seat and drank her bottle on the sunrise drives, although she did express a strong preference for sitting on her dad’s lap and really got quite interested when she saw her first cheetahs, inquiring if she could go play with the kitties…

Which Morukuru house is best?

We are now Morukuru veterans, having visited the Madikwe houses four times and stayed in all three of them, although Owners House is my favourite. It’s by the river, with two beautiful suites and a number of decks and terraces overlooking the water and the tree canopy, and the swimming pool is laid on a nice open flat area on the side of the house, which is very reassuring when you come with tiny ones: we did spend quite a few afternoons here enjoying Pimm’s whilst our munchkins enjoyed a swim, even in the dead of South African winter (when the temperature around 2PM is a balmy 30 degres celsius, don’t worry).

River House is a little bigger, very close, but the swimming pool has a sharp infinity edge I’m not totally fond of especially when my children see that as a perfect jumping edge into the water… Farm House is set in a completely different part of the private reserve, meaning you don’t get the river landscape, but it’s bigger and has a wonderful lawn where nyalas come to graze and children can roam wild, and the lounge features a very cool bar and many comfortable sofas, making it the perfect house when we came with my parents and a couple of friends last year. All three houses are beautiful, and whenever we are back I always feel like the luckiest girl ever regardless of which one we stay in.

What’s so special about Morukuru?

This place is magical, it feels like having your own private house in the middle of the bush, complete with a full staff and a ranger and tracker team whose sole concern is that you have an amazing time. We rarely come for more than three days, usually long week-ends, and always ask the same ranger – hostess team as we love Evan and Ilse and they looked after us on our first stay, but each time the experience is truly unique. The animal sightings are of course fantastic, especially if you consider that Morukuru is set in a private area where at most three cars will be out at once, so we were the only ones around when we spotted that two-week old baby rhino on our second stay, and when we’re lucky we get a breakfast feast in their special viewing deck by the watering hole, meaning we get to enjoy the most special spectacle as we’re sampling 3-star worthy food.

When we first came, Hubby Dearest and I had a special anniversary to celebrate, and of course the team prepared a surprise dinner for the two of us, and Evan and Ilse had dinner with our two munchkins whilst we had a romantic meal outside on the deck. On the same stay, we saw some amazing sightings, including spotted dogs feasting on a kudu, but when our ranger heard that a pair of cheetah siblings were out having breakfast a good drive away, he postponed our breakfast to a brunch and we went to watch Little Madame’s “two kitties”. Had I wanted a bubble bath after an evening game drive on one of the decks, that is also possible, although as a mama I usually prefer to have dinner with my children than bathing for hours on end in the open, but know that is an option, as are massages, walking safaris, and much much more.

Nothing is too much to ask here, Morukuru offers 5-star worthy Relais & Chateaux service through and through: there are hot bottles on your seat as you jump in the car for the pre-sunrise drive, you can enjoy your favourite cocktail at sundowners whilst a herd of elephants pass on one side and a couple of rhinos are grazing on the other, the turn-down team thinks of every little luxury you may want before going to sleep, and the cooks’ food is truly to die for. Each meal is different, from the menu to the setting, from a boma dinner on top of a hill to a breakfast on the deck looking out to the river… You are sent off as you leave with homemade cookies and biltong for the drive home, and little cups with cocoa and marshmallows for when you get there. Nothing is too much, the house is pretty much yours for your stay, and when I commented on how delicious the mini muffins of the morning coffee were, I got to take the recipe with me to try and replicate them at home…

Why is it perfect for families?

Beyond everything I mentioned already, the staff at Morukuru, and in particular the ranger and tracker team, are truly keen to ensure children enjoy their time on safari. Evan is always looking for ways to entertain our little ones, and he keeps his eyes peeled for animals that could grab their interest, such as snakes for Little Monsieur (much to my despair…). We went fishing one afternoon, and enjoyed the fun of catching small fish as well as seeing an elephant swim by. It is truly magical. Being alone in a big part of the reserve, a private area that also happens to be the home of a beautiful lion pride, means you get to stay as long as you want to admire some fantastic animals, even if your children are talking in the back of the car or playing with Little Ponies, because yes, at some point children will get bored of seeing wildlife and will want to escape to their own little world… By the way, take it from me if you’re going on safari with children for the first time: take some toys along, and a little camera for the older ones, and make sure you have snacks, because the odds are, they won’t want to wait until sundowners for a little nibble.

We were meant to return to Morukuru Madikwe later this month, alas this has now been postponed with the lockdown, but we will be back as soon as we can. As you would expect, such privacy and luxury come at quite a high price, and I think I hear my card give a little sigh each time I book a stay here, but it’s worth every cent. I would rather come here a couple of times a year than go on safari elsewhere every other week-end…

With love, S.

Outfits

Sailor stripes and kitten heels

by s.a.b7 Comments on Sailor stripes and kitten heels

As South Africa moves slowly into Autumn, it’s still very much the same routine day in day out, with mornings and afternoons filled with video calls and emails demanding urgent attention (everything is suddenly urgent), but yes, we continue to work from home here.

I am still resisting the idea of spending my days in PJs; instead I’ve gone the opposite way and go visit my very redundant accessories in the morning, at least to try a bag or two or see how heels feel these days. Not very comfortable, I’ll admit, but so so pretty. Also, notice how I took these pictures by my Globe-Trotter wheelies, if that’s not a subconscious attempt to get closer to travelling again, I don’t know what is…

Today didn’t feel like a jeans kind of day, it might have something to do with all the delicious tarts and homemade bread we’ve been baking lately, although I’m pretending it’s just because I am a little tired today, so instead I am wearing cargo trousers that have a very nice drawstring waist, which means they can be let out or in as needed. I originally bought these trousers from Theory for travel days, however with the tapered cut and lightweight fabric they are perfect for transitional weather, and yes they are incredibly comfortable. Drawstring trousers are also a great idea for post-preggo waists that are finding their way back to their normal selves (I haven’t been pregnant in a good few years but we can still pretend my waist is working its way back to what it was ten years ago can’t we?)…

I adore big sailor stripe jumpers, and this one with the gold tone buttons on the shoulder is one of my favourites; it’s from Court & Rowe. I have a similar one with blue stripes on cream but find this one is more flattering as the darker colour is more predominant (and the shape is quite forgiving, isn’t it…). This is the kind of jumper that looks amazing with jeans and Stan Smiths, but it also gets dressed up easily: sometimes I wear it with a white button down underneath and some cigarette trousers.

And, just because it was the morning and I wanted to play with some accessories, I pulled a pair of Manolo Blahnik slingbacks from my closet (the kitten heels are easy enough but my feet are most definitely resisting closed shoes, especially the pointed toe kind) and a Céline classic box. It’s important that they feel the love as well even though we’ve got nowhere to go, right?

With love, S.

Kids Parties

Little Monsieur’s mad science party

by s.a.b1 Comment on Little Monsieur’s mad science party

As a full-time working mama, I often feel quite guilty for not spending enough time with my little ones (who doesn’t…) and organising their parties from scratch is one of the many ways I have found to tone that guilt feeling down somewhat. By “from scratch”, I mean I don’t outsource anything at all, with the exception of the cake: cake baking and most importantly decorating is really not one of my strengths, I simply refuse to embarrass myself. But besides the cake, I plan and execute everything, with the dutiful help of Hubby Dearest who I think has come to dread party planning time… but I love it.

Three reasons why I love to do everything myself: I enjoy creating and decorating, I don’t like anything event planners have to offer (it all looks a little cheap and unoriginal yet it costs a fortune) and of course, it means I’m spending weeks focusing on what will make the littles smile on the big day.

One of my favourite kids parties to organise was Little Monsieur’s Mad Science birthday, which we had in our Johannesburg home. I try to keep most of our parties at home, it allows to set up as early as I want to (this year we started setting up on Tuesday for a party on Saturday) and to go as big as I want…

As usual, I first spent a little time online, mainly on Instagram and Pinterest, gathering inspiration, then I got to planning. Some props were easy to find, we were able to reuse the skull that we had brought from London and had already featured in a few parties (Pirates, Halloween…that skull has been used so often I should name it). We also re-used some party items that come handy each time and were well worth the investment: the drink dispensers, the cake stands etc; we use them over and over again no matter what the occasion.

Some other items were positively impossible to find. When we had this party I hadn’t discovered the Johannesburg-based party accessories hire places I know of now, so we had to buy the lab beakers and bottles from a real science shop, and I’m not quite sure when I’ll next have use for them, but we’ll see… That is also where we found some perfectly sized plastic petri dishes to have the pretend virus growth cultures (in reality blue and green jelly with silver sprinkles that we let dissolve on top).

The background blackboard-like panel with all the formulae was a download I ordered on Etsy, where I also found the printables such as the invites and the table labels: Johannesburg isn’t very big on original kids party shops but if you find anything online that you want to print, the print shops are really good and you can get some really fun things done.

I ordered the balloon garland and the tableware at Party Spot: the guys at their balloon counter are fantastic, if you explain to them what you need they will do pretty much anything with balloons, including a garland that makes it look like toxic bubbles seeping out of a lab bottle and on to the floor… I then customised the bamboo cutlery by adding some silver moshi tape and the glasses by adding a sticker where I drew graduations to make them look like lab beakers. Other fun finds: plastic syringes where we served green coloured custard cream, and test tubes filled with colour-matching M&M’s.

The entertainment was a fun yet educational session with Nutty Scientists: we had a real scientist (related to Einstein apparently…) come guide the children through a session filled with fun experiments such as making elephant tooth paste, creating mini explosions etc. The kids wore lab blouses and goggles we bought from our local building materials store. Everyone got to participate and it was a sparkling success.

Setting up was relatively easy for this one as all we had to do was fix the background to the sweets table and set up two extra tables: one for the experiences and one for the tea. I tried to keep in the spirit of a lab with high stools, and decorated some further with little lab mice (from a Halloween party a few years back), dry snow some slinkies. The tables and stools come from Hire Society, where I also like to hire for our grown-up parties…

And of course, we can’t have a birthday party without a cake. These days I order all my cakes from Carmella’s: I have tried a couple of other places before and found that this is the place to come for beautiful, delicious and reasonably priced celebration cakes. There you have it, our mad science party in a few pictures and words… I hope you like it!

With love, S.

Fitness

My healthy, balanced life

by s.a.b1 Comment on My healthy, balanced life

When I had Little Madame, I went from a complicated pregnancy with diabetes and other wonderful conditions to a pretend maternity leave that saw me spend my days on the blackberry and often on the Eurostar to Paris instead of taking care of my baby and me; I felt totally depleted of energy and totally out of shape. I realised I was the one who had to put a stop to all of this and take charge of my health once and for all. Being me, I would have loved a quick fix solution, the reality is that when you combine a stressful life with health issues, there is no quick and easy way to get better. Thankfully though, I didn’t know that at the time…

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you one thing: getting back into shape when you are on the wrong side of thirty, have had a couple of c-sections and have a job that doesn’t understand the concept of personal vs working hours, well… it takes some serious commitment and months of hard work, but it is worth it… Five years after fixing my lifestyle, I am a little less fundamentalist about my diet and work-out schedule and I do cut myself quite a bit of slack, but I am still a full size smaller than before my babies, and most importantly I feel fit and strong and don’t flinch at the idea of taking the stairs instead of the lift anywhere.

Let me tell you: if I managed, so can pretty much anyone. So, what are my top five tips to get fit and stay healthy?

Tip One – Find a work-out that challenges you

The first step is to challenge yourself. The odds are, these days, most people do work out a little bit, for instance I used to go to reformer pilates a couple of times a week and rarely missed a barre class. Pregnancy complications meant that doctors forbade anything except pregnancy yoga (having taken many classes I am still unsure how that is any different from sitting on a cushion and pretending to be a plant), and by the time Little Madame arrived I was seriously in need of a work-out regime overhaul. I was lucky to meet the most incredible PT around that time, Nadine, who got me to think about my next lifestyle hack: it’s not enough to push yourself with a couple of grueling sessions a week, exercise must become part of your life, as much as taking the kiddies to their Saturday afternoon birthday parties or attending that morning markets meeting everyday.

A few years later, when I found myself in Johannesburg working out on my own with my reformer, my flywheel bike etc. but also not feeling like I was getting much in terms of results, I reached out to another fabulous PT, and Wardah now comes to me twice a week at stupid o’clock to ensure I am pushing myself and getting through those awful burpees (I still hate them).

I do find it’s helpful to have a PT to help you through those times in life when you are not feeling like pushing yourself… If you are looking for someone to help you kick-start your routine then I recommend Nadine if you’re London or Europe based, or if you want a really good Zoom instructor for your reformer sessions, and if you’re Johannesburg based then Wardah is the one you want.

Tip Two – Diversity is key

When I lived in London, everyday was a different work-out at a different studio, and I loved it: pilates, barre, boxing, studio cycling, and rebounding… Mix it up, but remember, if you want to pump up your heart rate, add cardio work-outs: I don’t run (except in airports to make flights), so I am a big fan of anything that tricks my heart into pretending I do. In Johannesburg, it’s hard to find the type of studio work-outs I got used to, so instead I rely on apps and online training platforms. I’m not going to lie, the Tracy Anderson online work-outs with their dance moves and arm-busting routine totally improved my outlook on lockdown life.

At the moment, being in lockdown, my work-out week includes self-paced HIIT with a Tabata app on my phone, studio cycling using any Soulcycle Spotify playlist that sounds fun and dance-y, a couple of TA work-outs, and a Saturday Zoom session with N. because I need a little boost in my reformer routine but also because I want to support her during the closure of studios everywhere… I struggle to find a good Yoga class I like to follow online, but usually when we are free to roam I go to Bikram yoga every Saturday morning.

Tip Three – Make being healthy a priority

A lot of people comment on my sweaty Insta posts that it’s surprising that I manage to work out on my own, and how motivating themselves is the biggest struggle. My answer? I don’t have a choice: my health is a priority and I will do everything I can to trick myself into working out most mornings (but remember: what I post is a curated selection of my life, noone would be inspired if I posted a picture of my lazy mornings when I’m playing alarm snoozing…) We’re all busy and most of us, especially parents of young children, are permanently tired. If you need to be at your desk responding to emails by 8AM everyday and don’t like to miss your littles’ bedtime, and still want to have some form of social life, well, there is no other way to fit exercise unless you schedule it and commit yourself.

In my case, I know that if I don’t work out before work it will never happen, too many things get in the way, including the amazing ability my mind has to make excuses for itself (that was a horrible meeting just now, why don’t I skip my circuit class and go straight home to snuggle next to my babies and a nice G&T…). Usually, it means I wake up before 5:30AM each day to fit in my sweaty sessions, so yes I don’t sleep much, but the good news is skin cells do most of their renewal work before 2AM so you’re not missing much in the looking fresh and dewy department. Also, lockdown means mornings are slightly later than usual; after all, we’re all skipping commuting and the battle that can be getting kids ready for school… #silverlinings

Tip Four – Don’t skip the diet part

I’ll be brutally honest: I am not a diet fundamentalist and at the moment I’m ingesting far more than my fair share of carbohydrates, in bread and wine form mostly. However, when I want to be in top shape, I know that I need to log every single thing I eat into an app that counts my macros, and make sure that I eat about twice as much protein as anything else… and very little carbs (for the Moroccan in me, this is the hardest). Usually though, my diet is super simple: a common sense approach to food, healthy choices, portion control, and food preferably prepared at home from scratch and absolutely no silly fads (alka-what?!!)…

Tip Five – Be nice to yourself

We all have the best intentions, however life gets in the way. Being in the office makes it far easier for me to be good about my macros and how well I eat, whereas working from home means I have access to Hubby Dearest’s delicious sourdough bread and I do sometimes engage the help of a pink G&T to get me through the 10th video call of the day on that 300-page report someone decided to write on an obscure topic that very few people have interest in… There are many Sundays when it just feels perfect to snuggle up in bed with my littles, the cats, a lie-in and breakfast in bed, and I don’t beat myself over it. That extra session isn’t what makes the difference between how JLo looks and the rest of us, I believe if you ask any trainer they’ll say the difference lies in a 24/7 personal chef and a very good plastic surgeon.

What I’m trying to say is: do the things that make you happy, eat what tastes fantastic, and don’t begrudge yourself for letting go from time to time, pleasure is a massive component of happiness and being happy is key to being healthy… Remember it’s all about the balance!

Let me finish this post with a little reminder that I am no wellness guru. I am just a busy mama of two who decided to steer her life around from a sluggish mess of stress overload onto a healthier, happier, stronger turn… Most days, I feel strong, healthy and fit, and that is quite an achievement for me considering where I’ve been and I hope some of my lessons might be useful to other women who may be struggling to keep a healthy lifestyle.

With love, S.

Food

Homemade marshmallows

by s.a.b1 Comment on Homemade marshmallows

We once threw Little Monsieur a vintage airplane party, complete with mini suitcases as favour boxes, gorgeous rosettes made of old map paper etc. And of course, ever the theme perfectionist, I was hell-bound in giving out cloud-shaped marshmallows as part of the favours… I could picture them in my head, soft, fluffy, light blue. But after a few days of browsing the internet with no other options in the shaped marshmallows department beyond the ubiquitous squares and (sigh) hearts, I almost gave up. Just before I did though, a little thought came into my mind and just wouldn’t budge: “Hmm, how about I make some myself?”

Thankfully, I quickly found out that, when it comes to marshmallows, that’s perfectly achievable (unlike making a perfect birthday cake complete with piping and frosting and decorations, something I have never and will never attempt, I know my limits). I shaped them as clouds that day using cookie cutters, but you can use this basic recipe for any shape you want. This is super easy, and is a lot of fun to do with bored children during a rainy afternoon or, say, day 39 of lockdown.

Make sure you got all your ingredients lined up as you start, you don’t want to be scrambling for the gelatine when your syrup is ready…

First, line a deep-ish baking tray with a mix of icing sugar and corn flour. If you don’t have icing sugar, take granulated sugar, pour it into your blender, and pulse until you get the right powdery texture. Soak your gelatine in cold water for at least five minutes. Whilst it’s soaking, make a syrup using only the caster sugar, water and glucose (you can use golden syrup if you don’t have glucose), and only add the gelatine once your syrup is thick and sticky (the original recipe says to check your sugar thermometre, who has time for sugar thermometres?! I test by running my spatula on the bottom of the pan, if it leaves a trace it’s good to go). Word of caution number one: when you pour the gelatine into the syrup is basicallt the moment when everything might go horribly wrong, as the mixture bubbles up and can risk burning your hand if you aren’t careful! You need to stir to stabilise the now quite thick syrup down. After you stabilise the syrup, pour it into a metal jug and let it cool down quite a bit.

Next step, meringue. For this, make sure your egg whites are super cold (so keep them in the fridge whilst you’re making the syrup) and add a pinch of salt, for good luck… Make sure you whip them until stiff, and for that I can only recommend an electric whip, unless you’re trying to break your own arm off. Carry on whisking as you pour the syrup in slowly: you’ll see the mixture turn super shiny and white… If you fancy a bit of flavouring add a couple of drops of vanilla extract here, also this is the right time for a little food colouring. Ok almost done. Now all you have to do is whisk for a further 10-15 minutes, until you get a thick mixture which holds on to the whisk; and this is where I’ll give you the second warning: the mix does stick to the whisk, and in fact it might even want to climb up it making a grand old mess, but trust me if you stop whisking too soon your marshmallows won’t firm up and you’ll have to start again from scratch… (I should know!)

Once you’re happy with your mix, pour into the tray (which has a generous coating of icing sugar and corn flour, remember?), and leave for a bit. Once the mix is completely cool, dust with more icing sugar and corn flour mix, then leave to rest and firm up for a couple of hours at least. Check the texture by tapping lightly with your finger. If it doesn’t stick to your finger, it’s time to shape. You can use any cookie cutter you want if you fancy shapes, just make sure you dip your cutter in the icing sugar and corn flour mix first; for standard marshmallows, use scissors dipped in the icing mix and cut bands then squares. Store in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks maximum with a bit more of the icing mix. If you leave them in a bowl the outside will harden over a day, but I can tell you these are so delicious it’s unlikely they survive too long in a house with sugar lovers…

These homemade marshmallows are super fluffy and don’t have the sticky gummy texture of the shop bought ones, also you’re saving your kids a few additives in the process so give yourself a pat in the back.

With love, S.

Americas

A week of yoga, cocktails and fun in Tulum

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on A week of yoga, cocktails and fun in Tulum

Towards the middle of my gardening leave, before starting my current role, I booked myself for a week in Tulum in search of a bit of  me time and a lot of zen. I found both, of course, but much more. This was my very own version of ‘eat, pray, love’…

My amazing trainer become close friend N. and I arrived in Tulum one balmy evening following quite a long flight and the most surreal passport experience ever (there wasn’t a queue so much as a sea of people trying to get through to a police official, of which there might have been more than one, but it didn’t feel like it…): I had scheduled my trip exactly on Spring Week, not by design of course, but that explained the scrum at the airport! Thankfully most people were headed to the slightly unsavoury resorts around Cancun right by the airport, whilst we were driven down a bit further to the thin land strip that is Tulum.

Where to stay

Our hotel, Sanará, was neither the largest nor the cheapest, but it promised a haven away  from the stresses of urban life and the most beautiful setting, and it didn’t disappoint: minimalist boho decor with raw wood and brushed cement everywhere, and the super soft sand from the beach starts at reception, meaning you can spend the full week barefoot here. I had arrived in my kind of heaven. The room was gorgeous, such an inspiration for that holiday home that I’m still saving for, and we could hear the sea, but waking up the next morning we realised we had a jaw-dropping view from the balcony, which featured a lovely hanging chair, basically a front-row seat to the best sunrise show I’ve seen, pinks, purples, oranges. We also found out that reception had fresh coffee every morning, and we could pick up our cups on the way to the beach to admire the sunrise and its ballet of fishing pelicans.

Where to yoga

The main reason for choosing Sanará as a base was the yoga room: it faces the ocean and has big full height glass doors that can slide open. It is nothing short of spectacular. We went for daily yoga classes and sometimes double classes, and enjoyed most of them (there was a very grumpy and authoritarian instructor one day who really made me wish I had stayed on the beach and enjoyed cocktails instead of going for a second class that afternoon, she managed to strain my shoulder by forcing me down on chaturanga), enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, and looking out on to the turquoise waters and swaying palm trees. In the morning the sun shines directly into the room, adding some extra warmth to the Power Yoga classes, and I did wear my sunglasses for a couple of classes…

Where to eat

The other thing I’d been looking forwards to at Sanará? The in house restaurant, The Real Coconut, which offers fresh healthy food with a focus on wellness, plant based recipes, and fantastic taste-packed dishes. Before you look at the menu, you are struck once more by the beautiful simplicity of the decor, on par with the coolest hang-outs in NY and London. The breakfast here is to die for, especially if you sit on the sea-facing terrace, but do pack on the SPF50 sunscreen when you do, as the sun is super strong even at 8AM! My favourites were the coconut flour pancakes and the delicious Easy Green smoothie.

A great alternative for breakfast is Be Tulum, one of the hotels towards the end of the Tulum hotel strip. We had a wonderful breakfast here one morning when I came out of yoga screaming for eggs: they make a divine omelette, and the fresh juices are the kind that you wish was packed and sold by the gallon. But hands down, my favourite place for breakfast was the Raw Love Café within Ahau Tulum, where you will find raw (I know, kind of expected given the name), vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free food: the smoothie bowls are particularly special, but if you come here for one thing, make it the iced chai latte, it is totally dreamy and addictive.

After morning yoga, we spent most of our days on the beach, enjoying our reserved sunbeds (super comfy of course) in front of our hotel room, with no cares at all beyond whether to read or swim, and when to get our lunch snacks delivered from The Real Coconut: delicious herb-infused cocktails (and mocktails for the very rare times we felt virtuous) and some pretty awesome guacamole and hands down the best tortillas ever, nice cream smoothies, all coconut milk based, also to die for etc. We also sometimes walk over to next door’s La Zebra and The Mulberry Project beach bar for the live music, the bespoke cocktails (my favourite: rhum, coconut, lychee), the ceviche and the adorable fishing boats filled with cushions that are used as seating areas. Further up the beach, we had some delicious cocktails on the swings at CoCo Tulum.

We tried a number of places for dinner… although we gave the legendary and over-hyped Hartwood a wide berth. According to the concierge at Sanará the famed place hadn’t answered email bookings in over three months; as someone who’d come here looking to leave stress behind, stressing over dinner was not an option. Instead, we sampled Kitchen Table (delicious, inventive and fabulous service), Nômade (sit in Macondo’s berber-inspired lounge area and order from both the vegan and non vegan menus), and of course the Tulum legend that is Posada Margherita (you guessed it, Italian, of the amazing variety, served by some pretty lust-worthy staff, as you’d expect).

Where to spa

Sanará does have a spa, which had some very tempting treatments and an adorable receptionist, but the cabins were a little boring and the European lady who appeared to be the lead therapist had a serious case of resting b*tch  face going on, which made us look into other options. That’s when we came across Yaan Wellness Energy Spa, and with their treatment cabins on stilts in the middle of the jungle garden and the very cool water circuit to do before or after your treatment it did give us a more special experience. I had the house massage, where my sore back and hamstrings were rolled down to a soft pulp. Did I say zen?…

Other things to do

If you must do something else beyond beach lounging, yoga, and going to the spa, can I suggest strolling through the multiple little boutiques lining the beach road in Tulum, all selling a similar assortment of pared-down swimwear, boho dresses, and barely there (but oh so pricey!) jewellery. My favourites were the shops in the little alley around MurMur bar, although the most unique place was KM33 and its walls of fabulous Allpa Hats.

This trip doesn’t feature in my Insta highlights but I have a few pics from that week on my feed that are truly enticing… A few tips: 1) Tulum is a destination for everyone but this trip was only for R&R, if I had come here with my children I would have added some visits to the Mayan sites and an outing to a cenote, and included a couple more towns for variety, 2) Due to climate change and the sudden hype around the region, the beach gets positively inundated by seaweed most times of the year, so if you don’t like swimming in seaweed go somewhere else and 3) This is a very hype-ish place but you can avoid all the parties and all the craziness by just being you, doing your yoga, and enjoying your beachtime, as we did.

With love, S.