Flawless

When a schoolgirl's whisper spreads it triggers a chain of events with extraordinary consequences. Karen Wright (Keira Knightley) and Martha Dobie (Elisabeth Moss) run a girls' boarding school in 1930s New England, where they become entangled in a devastating story of deceit, shame and courage. Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children's Hour received its world premiere on Broadway in 1934. Generations on, its potent exploration of a culture of fear remains startlingly relevant.

In previews @ Comedy Theatre now

Home Goods

Just a few short blocks from Shoreditch High Street overground and Brick Lane Market is Labour and Wait. An East End jewel, the tiny shop presents an amazing range of home-good basics with almost museum-like reverence -- each individually showcased as a timeless marvel of form & function. An exquisite mix of modern and traditional, L & W offers a vast range of vintage classics in a way that gently persuades you of their inevitable usefulness. Don't even enter through that glossy black door unless you're prepared to spend some serious GBP's -- it's quite impossible to leave without a bag-full of beautiful items you've just realized your home desperately needs.

Here's a few items I'm no longer able to live without...

Not in the area?  Fear not -- Labour and Wait delivers (though not yet outside Europe).

Fairy Cakes Masterclass

Nestled deep within the poshest pocket of London is Peggy Porschen's Parlour, the amazing bespoke cake company's Belgravia storefront. Just between fairy-lit topiaries and through a candy pink door are shelves upon shelves of charming cupcakes {for purchase by the masses}, a Studio {catering to A-list Britains Elton, Gwyneth, Madonna, Stella, Sting...}, and the Cake Academy {where Cordon Bleu-trained Porschen personally imparts her sugary secrets to well-heeled pupils}.

During any one of Academy's selection of all-day Masterclasses in cakes or cookies, Peggy shares her penchant for pretty among very small groups in her Belgravia kitchen. The primary focus of these classes is Porchen's sugar-crafting technique, which she uses to create some of the most exquisitely embellished baked goods in the UK.

If you aren't available for a class, don't dismay. Porschen has authored a number of cookbooks on the subject, and a new one focusing on her favorite cookies & cakes is due out in June.

Sweet dreams.

Matchbook

Looking forward to

the new mag on the block.

You?

Fortnum's Sunday

Fortnum & Mason overpowers the landscape of Picadilly. Impossible to miss, it's hard to believe this amazing provisioner of all things fabulously elegant and quintessentially British was once just another grocery store. {In 1886, after having bought the entire stock of a new product made by a Mr. H.J. Heinz, F&M became the first store in Britain to stock tins of baked beans.} Dusty store shelves firmly in its wake, today's F&M is all pale pastels and gilded loveliness. Sweet to savory, you'll find nothing you really need and everything your heart could desire.

On a gloomy afternoon, retreat downstairs to the restful quiet of The Fountain to sip some Billecart-Salmon with your Welsh rarebit, followed by a bit of sticky toffee pudding.

You won't be disappointed.

Sunday in St. James

Today offered not-a-cloud-in-the-sky sun from beginning to end. After a quick ride on the Thames Clipper into central London, I enjoyed a fabulous walk from Embankment to Sloane Square.

Thames Clipper Dock

Entering St. James Park

Buck House

The Royal Standard just peeking through

Entering Belgravia

Fairly certain I'd be comfortable here

And just around the corner...

a late lunch @ The Botanist

Cheers

Good Pub

A quick trip from central London on the Northern Line takes me to Islington, where a weekend afternoon holds many possibilities. Preview an auction, take some tea on Upper Street, shop for tweedy wool, or down a bit of roast field mushroom welsh rarebit with bubble & squeak and a pint of cloudy cider. The Albion is off the beaten path, but not terribly far off, and makes for a cozy afternoon by the fire enjoying Sunday dinner.

Mid-Holiday Break

Time in Boston is the perfect way to bridge the gap between Christmas & New Year's. A few nights at the Four Seasons being coddled and comforted by the hotel's lovely staff was the perfect retreat after a horribly hectic end to 2010. The food (Lobster Mac & Cheese, Lemon Ricotta Hot Cakes*...) was fabulous, the shopping plentiful, the fresh snows perfection. And if that isn't enough, there's always skating @ Frog Pond.

*Four Seasons Lemon Ricotta Hot Cakes

6 eggs separated
1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup melted butter cooled
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Separate eggs in a bowl. Combine egg yolks, ricotta cheese, melted butter. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest. Slowly add to above mixture. Whip egg whites to form firm peaks. Fold egg whites gently into batter. Butter griddle and form small hotcakes, cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Sour Cherry Jam or Lemon Curd, Maple Syrup.