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Arabella Preston, co-founder of Votary

For Arabella Preston, the co-founder Votary, the key to good skin is in the cleansing. And it should be done at leisure, not as a chore to get out of the way. “Let it become a cherished ritual,” says Arabella. You just need a few drops of the subtle-smelling Cleansing Oil (rose, geranium and apricot) to massage into your skin and melt inpurities. Follow with a hot flannel to remove the most impenetrable of make-up including mascara. The process is completed with a Toning Serum and finally a Facial Oil.

Arabella’s journey has taken a not all-together traditional route – and that is the beauty of it. Natural products with truly organic origins. Arabella has always embraced change: from PR girl for the ’00s’ lingerie (and sex toys) brand Myla to make-up artist to mixing facial oils in her kitchen. With a black book full of contacts from her make-up days, it is no surprise Votary has already achieved a cult following.

The range includes many oils (and a few serums) to suit different skin types (no one person has the same skin type all the time) including body oil and clarifying oil. The newest products are the Intense Night Oil and to complement this the Votary Intense Eye Oil is launching in September. Arabella lived in London for years and now lives in the Kent countryside.

Favourite London museum/bar/cafe/place to de-stress?

I come up with the kids (age 8 and 10) to the National Gallery. We pick three pictures we want to see and make a beeline for them. My favourite bar has to be the Connaught, and cafe is Princi in Wardour Street. I de-stress at Bamford Haybarn.

Which suncream do you use?

La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50+

What are the best foods for the skin?

We live in Kent, ‘the garden of England’ and there are farm shops everywhere, so eating fresh vegetables. Also, you can’t beat a home-grown lettuce. I add our Nutritional Omega 3,6 & 9 oil to make a dressing.

Best app

Flo, the period tracker. If I am having a mad day or feeling a bit odd, I check that and feel more in control.

Best tip for looking good

Ideally you would cleanse both evening and at night. If you want to look especially good during the day, don’t skimp on cleansing in the morning.

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La Grotta Ices

You’ll want to pour over the pictures of juice-drenched granitas, sherbet-coloured sorbets and pastel ice creams in this new book from Kitty Travers, founder of La Grotta Ices. Based in a small converted greengrocers in south London, Kitty has been creating a selection of the most sumptuous ices for years. If you’ve tried them you’ll know how extraordinarily delicious the flavours are, and if you’ve followed them on instagram you’ll know how equally pretty they look. Likewise this recipe book is a treat for the eyes and the tastebuds with over 75 recipes to make at home. Here we share an extract from the book which comes out on 21 June 2018:

Apricot Noyau

A few years ago, late at night in bed and high on Italian eBay, I bought several thousand pounds worth of 1960s Italian ice cream machinery from a used catering equipment salesman in northern Italy. I hired a van and undertook an insane 24-hour drive to Turin and back to bring the 2-ton machines back to the UK. Once home, they sat, unfixable, in storage for approximately six years, quietly leaking thick black oil and defunct coolant over my garage floor until I sold them for scrap metal last summer.

The upside to this story was that en route home we stopped at a market in Lyon where I took advantage of every bit of negative space in the van and bought a stall’s entire stock of very ripe apricots to bring back with me. It made enough ice cream for that whole summer, it was extraordinarily good – the delicious but slightly poisonous marzipan flavour of the ‘noyau’ or kernels acting as a bitter reminder against late night eBay purchases.

About 375 g fresh apricots

150 g sugar

170 ml whole milk

170 ml double cream

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon honey (optional)

  1. To prepare the ice cream: slice the apricots in half and remove the stones; keep these to one side. Cook the apricot halves very lightly just until the fruit collapses. If using a microwave, place the fruit in a heatproof bowl with a tablespoon of water. Cover the bowl with cling film and cook on high for 2 – 3 minutes until tender. Otherwise simmer the apricot halves gently in a non-reactive pan, just until they are cooked through and piping hot (do not boil ). Cool in a sink of iced water then cover and chill in the fridge.
  2. Place a clean tea towel on a hard surface, then line the apricot stones up along the middle of the towel. Fold the tea towel in half over the apricot stones to cover them and then firmly crack each stone with a rolling pin (the tea towel prevents bits of the shell from flying all over the kitchen). Try to hit hard enough to crack the shell, but not so energetically that you completely obliterate it – you want to be able to rescue the kernels from inside the shell afterwards.
  3. Pick the tiny kernel from each shell then grind them in a pestle and mortar with 20 g of the sugar.
  4. Heat the milk, cream and the ground kernel mix in a pan, stirring often with a whisk or silicone spatula to prevent it catching. As soon as the milk is hot and steaming, whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar and honey (if using) until combined.
  5. Pour the hot liquid over the yolk mix in a thin stream, whisking constantly as you do so, then return all the mix to the pan. Cook gently over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the mix reaches 82°C. As soon as your digital thermometer says 82°C, remove the pan from the heat and set it in a sink full of iced water to cool – you can speed up the process by stirring it every so often. Once entirely cold, pour the custard into a clean container, cover and chill in the fridge.
  6. To make the ice cream: the following day, use a spatula to scrape the chilled apricots into the custard then blend together with a stick blender until very smooth – blitz for at least 2 minutes, or until there are only small flecks of apricot skin visible in the mix. Using a small ladle, push the apricot custard through a fine-mesh sieve or chinois into a clean container, squeezing hard to extract as much smooth custard mix as possible. Discard the bits of skin and kernel.
  7. Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and churn according to the machine’s instructions, usually about 20 – 25 minutes, or until frozen and the texture of whipped cream.
  8. Transfer the ice cream to a suitable lidded container. Top with a piece of waxed paper to limit exposure to air, cover and freeze until ready to serve.
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The Hottest Restaurants to Book Now

Some of our favourite restaurants have sister openings this month, plus a welcome new addition to Kensington.  Our advice: book now to make sure you get a table and even, for some, 50% off too.

ROVI

Good news for all fans of both their delis and restaurant, NOPI, Ottolenghi are opening their second restaurant north of Oxford Street.  The head chef is Neil Campbell, formerly of Bruno Loubet’s Grain Store and whilst the restaurant will have a focus on fermenting and grilling, all fruit and vegetables will come from a biodynamic and organic farm in Sussex.  Tables can be booked ahead as well as on-the-day walk-ins (for lunch and dinner, breakfast will open in July) and they will have a small deli selling salads to take away plus cakes and pastries.  The focus of the dining room is around an oval shaped cocktail bar, with room for 18 drinkers or diners and judging by the cocktail list, this looks like an excellent place for an evening drink too.

Address: 59 Wells Street, W1A 3AE

Opening: 21 June 2018

Reservations: book here

 

AKIRA

Kensington has been upping it’s game on the restaurant front with The Ivy Kensington, Dishoom and Bone Daddies all recent additions.  Another to add to the list is the Japanese restaurant, Akira, which will open on the first floor of Japan House London on Kensington High Street (formerly a GAP shop) this Friday. Named after Chef Shimuzu Akira, you can visit for lunch or dinner to experience Japanese-style omotenashi hospitality as chefs prepare dishes using seasonal ingredients over roaring robata (charcoal grill) flames. Highlights of the menu include chargrilled kushiyaki skewers made from umami-rich wagyu beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables.  We think the food presentation looks particularly beautiful too.

Address: Japan House London, Kensington High Street, W8

Opening: 22 June 2018

Reservations: book here

 

CORA PEARL

The second restaurant from the team behind Kitty Fisher’s will open in Covent Garden on Tuesday, July 10th.  Headed up by chef George Barson (same as Kitty Fisher’s), the menu and interiors will take on both British and Parisian influences, inspired by the life of Cora Pearl herself – a celebrated nineteenth century Courtesan who resided in Covent Garden and was reputed to employ the best chef in town.  Housed in a Grade II listed building, which boasts double-height bay windows and views across St Paul’s Churchyard, there will also be an intimate cocktail bar downstairs.  If you tried to get a reservation at Kitty Fisher’s when it opened, you’ll know how hard it was and bookings have already opened for Cora Pearl.  Plus sign up to the Coral Pearl newsletter here and they will tell you when their soft opening starts to get 50% off all food.

Address: 30 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8NA

Opening: 10 July 2018

Reservations: to book e-mail bookings@corapearl.co.uk or call 020 7324 7722

 

CARAVAN FITZROVIA

Opening next month in the old BBC Radio 1 recording studios, Caravan Fitzrovia will be huge: there will be an all day restaurant and cafe, bar, downstairs private dining area and Caravan-To-Go which will be offering takeaway patisseries, sandwiches and salads.  As with their other restaurants, brunch and breakfast will be particularly appealing with twice baked golden milk crème brulee croissant and tamarind and date morning buns on the menu. Don’t miss the soft launch which runs from Monday 16 July through to Wednesday 18 July with 50% off all food and they’ll also be offering Caravan-To-Go at 50% off between 8am – 4pm.

Address: 152–156 Great Portland St Fitzrovia, W1W 6AJ

Opens: 16 July 2018

Reservations: book here

 

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Weekend Guide to Lisbon

They say that Lisbon is the new Berlin … Yes, with better weather, better food and a glorious outlook to life. Fierce rent control has enabled young people to live and work in its centre like no other; you can eat for half the price you might expect to in other cities in Europe. Coupled with being one of the most beautiful cities, right on the River Tagus, with more stunning buildings than is fair, it makes for the perfect summer city break. 

You could follow the tourists and take Tram 28 on the picturesque city route (beware of the pickpockets), go see some live Fado (traditional Portuguese singing); or you can make like the locals and catch a football game in the main square (I can still hear “Ronaldo” chants ringing in my ears), climb the steps to the highest restaurant in Lisbon (Chapito) with views across the river and grab a bargain in the twice-weekly flea market in Alfama district. 

Lisbon is famous for its light at all times of day, which makes it decidedly Instagrammable. Something to do with the city being on the right side of the river and its many buildings either made of limestone or covered in exquisite tiles. Whatever the reason, it is mesmerizing. The buildings and walls that aren’t covered in exquisite tiles are covered in graffiti and it’s everywhere – good and bad.

The Lisboans sure know how to party …. or maybe that is only in June. We arrived on 13 June, the night after the party of all parties. Even children had been up the night before til the early hours to celebrate Santa Antonio; as we arrived they were all sleeping it off. In fact the whole of June is Fiesta Lisboa; no square is without its party bunting. 

There are two main areas of the city so it’s easy to navigate. Alfama is the very old district housing the castle, steep cobbled streets with a bar on every corner. It’s the ‘Covent Garden’ of Lisbon so very touristy but very pretty. Then there is Baxia, ‘downtown’, for serious shopping, eating and nightlife; the streets here are in stark contrast to Alfama due to some diligent town-planning following the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 1755. 

Where to stay:

Santa Clara 1728

Luxurious bed & breakfast. Very much a home from home. What it lacks in outside space (a rather claustrophobic courtyard), it more than makes up for it with the rooms’ most extraordinarily beautiful views over the river. santaclara1728.com

Memmo Alfama

The fabulous views from the terrace are reason enough to stay at this small, boutique hotel located in the Alfama district, close to the Cathedral and the São Jorge Castle. There’s also a slither of a swimming pool for cooling off after a day of sightseeing. memmohotels.com

Where to eat:

Chapito a Mesa

Simple food with awesome view (and very steep climb so you will have earned your lunch). Costa do Castelo, 7 +351 21 887 5077 thefork.com

Taberna da Rua das Flores

Go for an evening menu of simple, yet delectable, flavours. No booking; go early. Rua das Flores, +351 21 347 9418, facebook.com

Cevicheria 

Uber trendy, small restaurant with a giant octopus hanging from ceiling. Pisco sours anyone? 129 Rua Dom Pedro V, Príncipe Real, +351 21 803 8815, facebook.com

A Margem 

Large terrace overlooking the river – while away the day. Doca do Bom Sucesso (close to Belem) +351 918 620 032 amargem.com

Cervejaria Ramiro

No more Portuguese a spot will you find: strip lighting, surly (until you warm them up) waiters, lashings of vinho verde and seafood ‘any fresher and it’s still in the sea’. We had three types of clams and a huge crab.  1 Av. Almirante, Reis,  +351 21 885 1024  cervejariaramiro.pt

What to do:

Castelo de Sao Jorge

The city’s castle dominates the city. You don’t need a ticket to go inside to appreciate its importance and drama. The shops nearby are far from the usual tourist fare. 

Fiera de Ladra

Lisbon’s flea market in Santa Clara square. There’s a lot of tat here but some hidden gems too. We bought a mishmash of old (1920s) Portuguese plates and bowls.

LX Factory 103 Rua Rodrigues de Faria, Alcantara 

Browse gift, clothes and art boutiques and then have lunch or drink on the terrace at Rio Maravilha, overlooking the suspension bridge and out to Lisbon’s Christ Redeemer (built 10 years after the Brazilian one). 

Museo Nacional do Azulejo 

The national tile museum is a must-see, housed in an 16th-century convent. R. Me. Deus 4 

Torre de Belem and Botanical gardens 

The 16th-century tower was originally built to defend the capital against invaders but it has also welcomed Portuguese sailors home since the age of the great explorers.  Dip your toe in the sea before going to Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the Manueline-style architecture, all done in limestone over the course of more than 100 years.

Treat yourself with a Belem natas pastry after. There are a few but this one, Jardim Botanico d’Ajuda, near Belem completes a lovely city walk. 

What to buy:

Tiles

Marvel at the antique tiles, on sale in Solar, an Aladdin’s cave. They range in price from 10 euros to hundreds of euros depending on the age. Absolutely brilliant. Solar, 70 Rua Dom Pedro V, Principe Real

Bedlinen

For linen and cotton; particular broderie anglais  bedlinen. Paris en Lisboa Ria Garrett, 77

Soap

There are many copies but the original beautifully packaged soaps are by Claus Porto. A stunning shopping experience. Rua  da Misericórdia 135

Coffee and snacks:

Stop at one of the many Copenhagen CoffeeLab’s for great coffee. Cool off with an ice cream at Gelateria Nannarella on Rua Nova da Piedade 64. Pasteis de nata – custard tarts – are a must and you get them all over town. It’s worth making the effort to get to Pasteis de Belem where the recipe was conceived by the monks for nearly Jeronimo’s Monasery in 1837. Rua de Belém nº 84 a 92. Manteigaria is another fabulous place to get natas – closer to the centre of town. Rua do Lorento 2, Chiado

Getting Around
The city centre is just a 20-minute cab journey from the airport. In the city, travel by foot (pack your flat shoes for the cobbles) as it really isn’t a big city. Otherwise, trams (pay on the tram); black cabs; and Uber works very well.

Day trips:

The seaside town of Cascais and the hilltop town of Sintra are both worth a visit – only 20 mins by taxi. 

Guide Book:

The 500 Hidden Secrets of Lisbon by Miguel Judice is worth buying. £13.95, amazon.co.uk

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Rainbow Interiors

Matilda Goad Colourful Cutlery

Matilda Goad’s latest offering; rainbow cutlery. Summer tabletops have never looked so joyous. £130.00 for a set of 4 forks, knives and spoons. matildagoad.com

Zara Home Coloured-Rim Tumblers

Mix and match with these pretty glass tumblers. £3.99 zarahome.com

Summerill & Bishop Full Field Linen Placemats 

Hand-painted sunshine linen placemats in colours including lemon yellow, rose pink, midnight blue and avocado green. £42 each, summerillandbishop.com.

Pentreath & Hall Alphabet Brush Pots 

These pots are pretty enough to have stand alone, or fill with paint brushes, pens or utensils. Spell out a word or buy someone’s initials as a lovely present. £40 pentreath-hall.com

Pelangi Scalloped Rainbow Cushion

A large scallop striped cushion just waiting for a place on the sofa. £38 cover-only, or £52 cover and pad oka.com

Hay Cornflower Blue Plated Pen 

Hay’s bullet-like pens are super satisfying to write with. Take it on holiday for writing your postcards. £4 cosstores.com

Less is More Mini Hairbrush 

The perfect handbag-sized hairbrush in postbox red. £8 conranshop.co.uk

Papier x Luke Edward Hall Notebook

Personalise this jubilant carousel striped notebook. £12.99 papier.com

Coral Charm Peonies

Peony season is very nearly over for another year. Make the most of the final stretch with a bunch of Coral Charm. Whilst every peony makes the magical ball-to-blousy transformation, these are extra special as they fade each day like the sunset, changing from hot pink when you buy them to a pale yellow in full bloom. Ask your local florist or call Scarlet & Violet 020 8969 9446 scarletandviolet.com

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Late June/early July Sample Sales

Who: Charlotte Olympia
What: Big discounts on all womens footwear
When: 19 June 2018: 2pm – 7.30pm & 20 June 2018: 8am – 7.30pm
Where: The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, W1K 5LF

Who: Givenchy
What: Big discounts on all womenswear
When: 21 June 2018: 9am – 8pm; 22 – 23 June 2018: 11am – 7pm (register for your invitation here)
Where: 89 & 1/2 Worship Street, EC2A 2BF

Who: Stella McCartney
What: Big discounts on all womenswear & accessories
When: 26 June 2018: 11am – 8pm & 27 June 2018: 8am – 8pm (£2 charity entrance fee; you must RSVP for your invitation here by Friday 22 June; no cash, only credit & debit cards accepted)
Where: 12 Regent Street, SW1Y 4PE

Who: Melissa Odabash
What: Big discounts on all womens swimwear & accessories
When: 28 June 2018: midday – 9pm & 29 June 2018: 9am – 7pm
Where: The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, W1K 5LF

Who: Sophie Hulme
What: Big discounts on all leather handbags & accessories
When: 2 July 2018: 1pm – 7.30pm & 3 July 2018: 8am – 7.30pm
Where: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EY

Who: Preen
What: Big discounts on all womenswear
When: 6 July 2018: midday – 8pm
Where: The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, W1K 5LF

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Father’s Day Gifts

Father’s Day is on Sunday, and although a card might do, a present will never go down badly either. Here’s our pick of the best gifts:

Paul Smith Football Cufflinks

Timely for the start of the World Cup these Paul Smith cufflinks are now in the sale at Liberty, along with a lot of other lovely things. £40 libertylondon.com

Sir Plus Paisley Pocket Square 

This 100% linen pocket square is perfect for summer weddings and parties. £20 sirplus.co.uk

Anya Hindmarch Golf Balls

Outrageously expensive for something so silly, but these made us smile. Wow Box, prices from £290 anyahindmarch.com

Fine Cell Work Shirt Bag

A striped shirt bag made from Ian Mankin fabric (who have been making the rugged, hard-wearing fabrics in Lancashire for over 150 years). There’s a shoe bag to match too. £20 finecellwork.co.uk

Apple Air Pods

Forget tangly wires with these sleek wireless ear pod headphones. £159 johnlewis.com

Hay Smiley Drop Sponge 

Keep the washer-up-er happy with this smiley sponge. £4 libertylondon.com

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Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up at the V&A

Be transported this summer from London to Mexico at the V&A’s Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up. Paintings and photographs are shown alongside some of her most personal possessions – her favourite red lipstick, Everything’s Rosy by Revlon, her medicines and an achingly sad medical report that documents the traumatic details of her failed pregnancies, and an array of her brightly coloured outfits and jewellery. This exhibition presents a fascinating, fresh take on Frida Kahlo, that is both vibrant and haunting; an intimate look into her private world in the exotic blue-hued haven of the Casa Azul in Mexico City.

After her death in 1954, her husband, the artist Diego Rivera, filled her bathroom with her letters, photos, cosmetics and personal treasures, stating that it could not be unlocked until after his death. Leaving Mexico for the first time, these artefacts are lovingly displayed here, revealing a deeply personal and never before seen side of Kahlo.

For Kahlo, who significantly expanded the bounds of self-portraiture in the 20th Century, her carefully crafted outward appearance was just as much a construction of self as her paintings. She used her clothing, jewellery and makeup to make political statements and shows of her own national identity, as well as to mask her increasingly fragile health. Her dresses were often made more capacious so that they could cover the complex contraptions of back braces and plaster corsets that she needed throughout much of her adult life due to the near-fatal bus crash that she suffered aged 18.

While her art is renowned for its deeply personal subject matter, it is these intimate objects – including the flaming red prosthetic leg that Kahlo decorated herself – and the numerous photos that show the artist living and working despite her illnesses, that reveal a truly human dimension of this beloved artist, activist and feminist icon. Rarely do we get to see an artist in this light; haunting, compelling and deeply moving, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Guatemalan cotton coat worn with Mazatec huipil and plain floor-length skirt. Museo Frida Kahlo. © Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Archives, Banco de México, Fiduciary of the Trust of the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums

By Honor Hardwick for A Little Bird

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Fine Cell Work Evening Sale at Leathersellers Hall

We are great fans of Fine Cell Work, the amazing charity that works with prisons across the UK teaching needlework skills and embroidery. This fundraising event is your chance to shop a whole range of their products including cushions, quilts, bags and pouches all of which have been made in prisons. There will be drinks and nibbles, as well as a couple of short talks from Michael Binyon OBE, former Master of the Leathersellers Company and Barry, who has worked with Fine Cell Work in prison and has been volunteering with the charity since his release. This ticketed evening reception is also a great opportunity to peek inside the newly refurbished Leathersellers Hall in the City.

 

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Amanda Brooks’ culinary tips & recipe for her favourite Carrot Cake

In the second of our interviews with Amanda Brooks, author of Farm from Home, she reveals her top tips for the kitchen.  (If you missed our first interview in which Brooks revealed her interiors style rules, you can find it here).  She also shares with us the recipe for one of her favourite puddings – a Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Icing.

Which are your 3 larder essentials? 

Anchovies, chickpeas and chilling jam.

Which are your 3 top cookbooks? 

River Cafe, Violet Bakery and Tamasin’s Kitchen Bible.

Which is your favourite restaurant in London?

The River Cafe. I know it’s a cliché to say that but it really is the best. 

Which chef would cook your dream meal? 

Yotam Ottolenghi. 

What do you always pack for a picnic? 

Very English – pork pies, scotch eggs and shortbread. 

Which is your favourite bakery in London? 

Violet Bakery, founded by my American friend Clare Ptak. (Lemon drizzle cake from the bakery below)

What is the best cooking tip you’ve ever been told? 

Don’t put olive oil in the pasta pot. It makes the pasta absorb less sauce. 

Which is your favourite recipe in your book and why? 

Chicken tagine with baked rice is the one I use most often. 

Who is your favourite ‘foodie’ on Instagram? 

@lailacooks

Aga or induction/gas hob?

Gas hob LaCanche. 

Which is your favourite cake and what is the recipe?

My mom gave me my first Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa book for Christmas a few years ago, and I’ve been using it to learn how to bake. I tend to like old-school cake recipes, so I wasn’t sure about the Ginger Mascarpone Frosting in lieu of the usual straightforward cream cheese frosting for my Easter Carrot Cake. I also don’t love raisins, so I omit them even though Ina’s recipe calls for them. This is the best Carrot Cake I have ever eaten, and it has become a unanimous hit with guests as well. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting

(Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof)

Serves 8–10

Cake:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 pound carrots, grated

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

Frosting:

12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger (not in syrup)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease two round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, and grease again.

Mix together the sugar, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high for 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 cups of flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.

In a medium bowl, toss together the carrots, walnuts, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350F and bake for 30–35 minutes more, until an inserted toothpick (or a fork) comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: With an electric mixer, beat together the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add the crystallized ginger and salt, and beat for 30 seconds more.

Frost the cakes and serve.

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The Best Summer Beauty Products and Treatments

Tan Luxe Tanning Facial Spray 

This is a great product for anyone afraid of fake-tanning. Warm the drops in your hand, apply to your face and then moisturise as normal. The more you add, the more intense the bronze so if you’re fair skinned you can just add a couple of drops for a light glow. It’s all-natural with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera and never streaks. £35 spacenk.com

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

This is the ultimate tinted moisturiser for summer as it’s hydrating yet lightweight with SPF 30 in it. Wear it instead of a foundation for a lighter summer look that leaves skin glowing. £30 narscosmetics.co.uk

Glossier Cloud Paint

These blushers come in satisfying paint-like tubes with fun names like Puff, Dusk and Dawn. Add one to your holiday make-up kit and dab onto your cheeks for a healthy summer blush. £15 or £25 for two glossier.com

Egyptian Magic Skin Cream

If you feel you’ve had too much sun on your skin this magic cream is a winner. Combining six natural moisturising ingredients – olive oil, beeswax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis extract the cream deeply nourishes the skin and leaves it refreshed. £30.47 feelunique.com

Perfect 10 Spray Tan 

The joy of a Perfect 10 spray tan is that they come to your house, pop up a tanning tent, spray you and leave you to dry in the privacy of your own home. Not having to dress to leave a salon means less chance of streaks and no marks on your clothes, plus the therapists are always lovely and can come after work. If you’re going to an event, it’s best to arrange to have the spray 2 days before. £40 per tan or £200 for six. perfect10mobilebeauty.co.uk

Margaret Dabbs Illuminating Leg Treatment

Anyone who’s ever had a Margaret Dabbs pedicure will know just why they are so legendary. Now, as well as transforming tired feet, there are new leg treatments on offer. We tried the illuminating and refining masque treatment that is meant to brighten and firm the legs. The results were effective and although they probably wouldn’t last long, it would be ideal as a pre-holiday treatment or if you have to wear bare legs to an event this summer. £70 margaretdabbs.co.uk

Pro-Teeth Whitening Activate Charcoal

For anyone wary of the chemicals in at-home teeth-whitening products, this 100%-natural powder offers the answer. Made with just coconut-shell charcoal, bentonite clay, peppermint and ginger extract, you put a pinch of the powder in your palm and then dip a wet toothbrush to form a paste which you brush on morning and night. The colour is a little alarming at first – it’s a good idea to buy a separate manual toothbrush rather than using an electric just for this as it does turn the brush grey. Having used it for a fortnight it definitely helps whiten teeth and brighten a smile, albeit in a subtle way. £15 boots.com

IKG Hair 1995 2-in-1 Shampoo & Texturizer

No hair dryer is required when you use this clever 2-in-1 shampoo. Wash your hair and leave it to air dry creating waves for the ultimate beach-hair. The formula is not only a shampoo but a texturizer meaning it contains clay to deliver a gritty texture that is a bit like the effect of salty seawater but with a clean feel. £22 spacenk.com

 

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Bella Pollen

Raised in New York and a long time resident of Notting Hill, Bella Pollen is an author and journalist who writes for UK and US Vogue, The Times, The Sunday Telegraph and the Observer.  She has written 5 novels and most recently an illustrated memoir, Meet Me in the In-Between, which looks at her journey from privileged childhood in Upper Manhattan to an early marriage to the son of an Italian Godfather, to the border towns of Mexico where she falls in with a crowd of Pink Floyd-loving smugglers.  From setting up a fashion business, to motherhood and relationships, the book is a funny, poignant memoir about belonging, searching and most of all, discovering.  We asked Bella about life in Notting Hill, writing and what she is working on next.

The theme of escaping is one that runs through many of your books – where do you go to escape in London?

The only time I do any decent thinking is when I’m walking. In London I try to walk everywhere, linking parks and bridges, rivers and hopping on the occasional Boris Bike. I have a hopeless sense of direction, so I get lost quite a bit.

What is the least-known best kept secret in London?

The Grant Musuem of Zoology, a macabre and wonderful labyrinth of skulls and oddities and creepy things in formaldehyde. I mean, obviously, it’s for geeks who like that kind of thing, which I do.

What’s your favourite website/app?

I’m distracted the whole time by the New Yorker online, it seems to send me something every ten minutes to read and I can’t not read whatever it sends. I also really like the game Slither. Someone put it on my phone a few years ago and now I can’t stop playing with the pixelated munching worm.

What was the best present you’ve ever received?

A friend in the States gave me a booklet for a paper cut out Michelle Obama doll and all her outfits to match. Hours of fun.

What are you reading?

Anna Karenina, which I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read before. I’ve barely read any of the classics and am starting only now.

Where do you go for Sunday brunch?

I still love The Electric on Portobello for Sunday brunch. They have that thick thick smoked bacon, which is like a wedge of sweet fatty pork belly.

What is your favourite memory of London?

I was buying a saucepan once in a local shop on Westbourne Grove, years ago. It was during a tense political period in London. A muslim and a skinhead got into a fight in the middle of the store. The guy who owns the store is Indian. He saw what was happening and switched on the television. The World Cup was on. The fight stopped immediately and both men started cheering England on together.  It was a really nice moment.

You live in Notting Hill which has changed markedly over the past 20 years.  What do you miss and what do you like about the present Notting Hill?

I first lived in Notting Hill in the late seventies. The thing I miss the most is the Coronet Cinema, which was the last cinema in London you were allowed to smoke in. I watched Mad Max there and accidentally set myself on fire, it made me so nervous.

It’s a cliché to complain that Notting Hill has poshed up beyond recognition. It’s true but everywhere changes. I miss the gas station, I miss the oddbods who used to live in the area. I miss the stores that sold practical things, but I guess this is the story of much of London. Notting Hill is green, it’s windy because it’s on a hill, which I love.  It has fantastic food, it has the market and it’s never lost its laid back multicultural vibe.

What do you recommend for writer’s block?

I’m pretty sure writer’s block is fear based. But having the block is so frightening in itself that you get caught in a cycle of fear because you’re scared by the death of imagination. Reading helps, not books, but newspapers, short articles. Writers are on transmit so much that sometimes that they forget about the input. Ideas come out of the minestrone of stuff swirling around your brain and you have to keep adding to it.

What is the subject of your next book?

Secret lives and the genesis of double families.

Meet me in the In-Between, a memoir by Bella Pollen is out now in paperback, £8.99 and published by Picador.

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