Saint-Jean-Carb-Ferrat

So I’m back in London. Tanned and happy. And exhausted. Sipping a longed-for-glass-of-rosé.

How beautiful is the South of France!! I’ve been several times in several different towns, but I have to admit the seclusiveness and exclusiveness of Cap-Ferrat really beat anything I had seen before. I’m sure Gwynnie loves Cap-Ferrat though she talks about Spain and Italy like ALL THE TIME (Mind, we would probably do too if Mario Batali were our BFF).

Anyway, a sweet long bank holiday weekend wouldn’t be the same without some delicious food, a good workout and some pool time, right?

Following Gwynnie’s recent GOOP newsletter on how to make pizza in your backyard we thought relevant to use our own* backyard oven (should we say poolside oven?) in Cap Ferrat.

Actually even though we love The Cooking I thought it’d be unfair to strip the chef of his title even for this blog’s sake. So the chef made the pizza! SO SIMPLE! It was delish. Or déclicieux! Merci Alexandre! (Yes, he was as hot as he sounds). 

Ok he doesn't look that hot, but he really was. AND he cooks pizza. Outside. With his bare-hands. 

Even though my days always involve a lot of running around (thanks to my glorious flourishing career in the nanny industry), I always try to stick in some workout of some kind. Here in Cap-Ferrat the workout de choix has to be running. It’s really bad for your knees and my physician doesn’t want me to run because of the arthritis I have in my hip (no joke, it’s the right one), but you do what you gotta do. 

In Cap-Ferrat is a long path that goes up and down all around the peninsula’s cliffs. The sun is terribly hot but at least there is this diviiiine breeze that makes it a bit bearable. The magnificent view helps as well. So listening to Single Ladies and Irreplaceable by Beyoncé, I ran for 30 minutes (We hear Gwynnie’s like bestieswith Beybey, so we thought it was a good workout playlist).

The best part of it all: passing by people who look at you like your insane because really who would go running up and down a barely paved path in 30 degrees heat? GWYNETH WOULD. Gwyneth would people!! 

The path. It almost killed me several times. Near-death experience in Cap-Ferrat. Were so chic.

The sun was just too bright to open my eyes. But I did run 30 minutes under it! AH! 

GORGEOUS, isn’t it? I thought Gwyneth would really like to workout here. Or at least she’d want us to stay active, especially after all that margherita pizza and truffle pizza (yes, truffles smell like feet but GOD IT WAS YUMMY IN MY TUMMY.)  

We also visited Jean Cocteau’s house in which he painted on the walls. He was friends with Picasso…anyway, very cool house. And even though it has nothing to do with our mentor, I thought Villa Sospir was worth mentioning! Gwyneth is really big on culture. So we hear. 

And Lukas, for the record, this was the view I had over the long weekend:

Jealous? 

Oh and did I mention Karolina Kurkova joined in the pool fun? ;)

How was London?

Xxx

Lola

* Please note that I’m using the term “own” very loosely here. 

Hit & Miss

My Gwyneth Level (the amount my life resembles Gwyneth's) has fluctuated like Kerry Katona's weight since my last post.
Due to time constraints and generally poor organisation of my life I didn't manage to make mixed mezze for Vanessa's birthday. I also didn't make Nigella's Old Fashioned Cheesecake due to poorly stocked local supermarkets. These are hurdles that Gwynnie and any other successful yummy mummy would have sailed over gracefully. I, however, tumbled like a hippo. It wasn't all a failure as I did manage to bake Hummingbird Bakery's Strawberry & Cream Cheescake from their new book - I had to steal a photo of the recipe from a copy of the book in Sainsburys, I felt justified due to their lack of curd cheese.
I think it turned out okay..? Vanessa said she enjoyed it, though the enjoyment was hampered by my strict instructions not to use any metal implements near my cake tin (Lukas the Utensil Nazi). No photos unfortunately, but I'll undoubtedly make it again and share the results with y'all.
Vanessa's birthday party was lots of fun, the theme was "Thousand and Third Night Party".. it's kind of a fashion history in-joke - mine and Lola's class is lame like that. Anyway, got a bit too drunk, 20 McNuggets from Maccy D's, spent all of bank holiday in bed with America's Next Top Model Cycle 14.. I realise this was all very un-Gwyneth of me.
BUT..! Today! Total recovery on my journey to become Gwyneth's Next Biggest Fan.
Got to uni on time! Attended the Central Saint Martins' graduate show which once boasted Gwyn's friend and sometime designer Stella McCartney on it's schedule! Celeb spotted Christopher Kane (sat in front of me) and Daisy Lowe! To top it off, just did advanced Spin and Yoga classes at the gym!

Beat that Lola.. x

Carbonara & Cap Ferrat

So I've been roped into co-writing this blog with Lola.. As a fellow Gwyneth fan and believer in balancing strict diets and over exercising with my high flying showbiz career and being a yummy mummy, I feel I am qualified to accept this task.

Unfortunately I haven't yet got my hands on Gwynnie's first foray into food literature 'Notes From My Kitchen Table' but Lola informs me it's a good read. I can't wait to get it for my birthday next month to fill the gap in between my Nigella and Sophie Dahl cookbooks..! Gwynnie looks delightful on the cover.. healthy AND happy - just like the book says.

In it's absence I decided to cook a meal from my recipe repertoire today, (wholewheat) Spaghetti Carbonara (made the authentic Italian way, naturally). It was the perfect post gym meal - luxurious enough that I didn't feel hard done by - but the eggs, pancetta and parmesan provided me with more than enough protein to fuel my tired muscles. For the record, Saturday mornings involve Spin and Body Pump back to back.. so I was justified having a big meal that early in the day. 

A good friend of Lola and myself, Vanessa, is celebrating her birthday tomorrow and for her Arabian Nights themed party I will be preparing some Mezze dips and a traditional middle eastern cheesecake - a recipe from Nigella Kitchen. Expect some pics tomorrow!!

Lola would be helping me out with this cookathon but she's off acquiring a tan in Cap Ferrat, which is a bit nicer than my St. Tropez version (bottle brown for the win). Lets compare..

This is the view from my window..

And this is what Lola can expect to see out of hers..

.. not that I'm bitter. Come back soon Lola..!

Lukas x

Here we are!! Lola and Lukas!!!

Hi guys! Last month Gwyneth spoke to Self magazine.
And she said she was in the best shape of her life and she spoke 'work out' a little bit...
She does 45 minutes of cardio 5 times a week, then 45 minutes of muscular structure work.
She does mostly Tracy Anderson's dance aerobics classes:
 "It took me a long time to learn the choreography when i started I was so uncoordinated! After 11 minutes, I'd pass out and cry and say: "I can't do this anymore!!" Now I can't live without it."

aaaaaahhh... Ok. Lukas and I LOVE the exercise, but an hour and 30 minutes for five days a week!!! Ouchie. We'll try.
I have to tell myself I could look like this:

And Lukas has to just go with it. Cause he took the oath. And he's a very supportive friend.

xxxx
Lola

So we always knew Gwyneth Paltrow could act. We also knew she was very pretty and was married to Coldplay frontman and musical genius: Chris Martin. Then came GOOP, her lifestyle blog on how to live fabulously and wholesomely. As much as we wanted to hate it we couldn't. So we subscribed to her Newsletter.
Then came Country Strong (or is it Country Song?). Blimey! She can actually sing! And play guitar. OH and did we mention those MILES of legs at the CMAs last year? We took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that she has a better body after two kids than we would ever have (were 23). We thought, yes perhaps bitterly: "She must be starving herself."
THEN came the COOKBOOK!
So she does eat. Great. And you know what? That book is a-ma-zing. The recipes are deliissshh and easy!
So as much as we tried to hate it, hate her, it doesn't work. We are in awe and we want to be like her.
This blog is on trying to live as fabulously as la Gwynnie. Lukas and I have taken a secret oath, swearing on her cookbook that we would try and be as grand as she is.
Here it is: Being Gwyneth.
Enjoy!
xxx
Lola