• Welcome!
  • Made in America
  • Lean Luxury
  • Go Fish!
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Lucy Lean

Luxurious and Healthy Meals - Memories in the Making

  • COOK
  • LIVE
  • LAUGH
  • TRAVEL
  • HELLO

in A Thousand Things· Christmas· Entertaining· Holidays· home decor

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Christmas Tree up

It really is beginning to look like Christmas over here chez nous… our magnificent tree is up and almost decorated – I say almost because there are still a few choice ornaments to be placed on it – and of course it needs presents below.

Christmas preparations

As part of our Saturday Adventures we stopped off at The Irish Import Shop on Saturday after lunch at Pizzeria Mozza, bellies full of Nancy Silverton pizza. We stocked up on a large amount of English chocolates, salt and vinegar crisps, a new Brown Betty teapot, some cute Christmas pudding tea cozies for presents, christmas crackers, currants, sultanas and a jar or two of mincemeat. Next stop on our magical mystery tour – K&L for lots of booze – both for culinary uses and also for all the Novel Interiors inspired “make your own cocktail from the trolley” parties I plan to host over the holiday season. Now that I’m old enough to wear pearls and drink gin I’m going all out… my friend Kay Plunkett Hogge at Kaycooks has a wonderful new book Make Mine a Martini: 130 Cocktails and Canapes for Fabulous Parties which is available as an ebook – all you need to make up really great cocktails and get into he holiday spirit.
Bloater Paste PotThese cute little old English pots are from Vintageweave – Sainsbury’s Bloater Paste and some Plumtree Potted Meats anyone?  I’m keeping them to grace the Christmas table and give me a little piece of England to get me through not being home for the holidays getting cozy in front of the giant fire down on the farm in Devon.

Minty sings 12 days of Christmas - Celebrity Chef/foodie versionI came across this video Minty, Rémy and I made a few years ago to celebrate the holidays…


It’s so cute seeing how much they have both grown.

Remy in box dressed as Mario - Orange Crocs, pillow and salami

Rémy didn’t really want to play along – here he is hiding in the box dressed as Mario Batali – with sausage, wooden spoon, orange crocs and ponytail.
mincepies

It’s beginning to feel a lot like christmas… oh yes we have holiday songs playing, the tree is dressed, the table is set with candles, birds, berries and lots of glitteritis symptoms and best of all the house smells like Christmas – time to bake Christmas cake SnowGlobes in a jar, make some mince pies and start wrapping those presents – in addition to CRAVE 10th Anniversary edition at the top of this year’s list my friend Lisa Borgnes’ gorgeous new book is the best present you can give – inspiration and education wrapped up in the pages of this wonderful clever book that uses literature as the jumping off point for decorating your home. I’m definitely in a Jane Austin romantic phase that will include mulled wine to be sipped in white dresses and sashes after dancing holes into satin slippers.

And of course Made in America: Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food – excuse the shameless plug! I mean the book doesn’t go bad and it really makes a great gift for all those Celebrity Chef loving foodies on your list. Pair it with a wooden spoon, some orange crocs and a string of sausages and create your very own Mario in the kitchen.

In the coming months we will be taking some of these Classic American Recipes and showing you how easy it is to whip up something tasty and delicious from America’s top chefs – so easy even the kids can cook it – I mean did you see Remy cooking up a batch of Tom Collichio’s Chicken Noodle Soup?

Filed Under: A Thousand Things, Christmas, Entertaining, Holidays, home decor Tagged With: Best Christmas Presents, Celebrity Chef Recipes so easy a kid can make, Celebrity Chefs, Christmas, Christmas Cake in a Jar, Crave 10th Anniversary edition, Irish Import Shop, Kitchen Kids, Lisa Borgnes, Lucy Lean, Ludo Lefebvre, Made in America, Mario, Mario Batali, mince pies, Minty and Rémy, Mozza, Nancy Silverton, Novel Interiors, Orange Crocs, Ottolenghi, Pizs, Saturday Adventures, Snow Globe Christmas Cakes, Snow Globes, Yotam Ottolenghi

« Rémy Makes Colicchio’s Chicken Soup
Chocolate Mousse »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I have a present for you

a little lean luxury
My 5 ways to get lean, easy tips to a healthier you.

Subscribe Today!

VIP treatment, in the know and occasional newsletter - plus my gift to you
My 5 ways to get lean, easy tips to a healthier you.

Come on an Adventure

  • COOK
  • LIVE
  • LAUGH
  • TRAVEL
  • HELLO

looking for something?

lucylean

Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
#snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops #snowdrops went for a walk to search for snowdrops today - last year the lawn was carpeted in white, this year nothing.  Maybe they are late? Painted a small bunch #oilpaint #flowerpainting #snowdroppainting a sign of #spring I chickened out of painting the tiny glass jug that was a Christmas present - not sure I know how to paint that aqua colour - help!  #EnglishCountryhouse #EnglishCountryGarden #englishcountryside #Lockdown #Staysafe #stayhome
Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketc Frosted primroses #oilpainting sketch #sundaysketch - we haven’t had snow but this magical frozen landscape is a beautiful alternative - painting again because that’s what got me through the last lockdown #painting #Englishcountryhouse #Englishcountryside #frost #ice #lockdown #staysafe #stayhome
#Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world o #Lockdown weekend post a crazy time in the world of #covid #brexit #onlineschool  #Georgia and then the #insurrection in D.C. I took it easy today - I tidied and cleaned #declutter #springcleaning I even cleaned out the #snack cupboard and found the plates I bought and had put in a safe place @jimbobart and made a couple of loaves of @richardbertinet #sourdough ready to wake up and bake tomorrow xxx #stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #Englishinteriors #Georgian #architecture
I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for tr I love peaches 🍑 Thank you @staceyabrams for truly making America great again - Midnight snack - someone ate the whole pumpkin pie but was thoughtful enough to leave me a slice for breakfast... time to make more! Peach pie 🥧 for everyone x #Epiphany
#Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill #Lockdown #Day1 - climbed to the top of #CleyHill with @chloescotland #walkingandtalking made a pumpkin pie #crimping needs practice - enjoyed the early evening light across the lawn #EnglishCountryHouse #englishcountryside and then came in and made a cozy #fire and made myself a #champagnecocktail - #dontjudge it’s been that kind of day after yesterday’s news came thick and fast crashing over us from morning until night x #staysafe #stayhome #thankyouNHS 🌈
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 Lucy Lean