I didn’t mean to, it just happened! I surprised myself. How does one surprise themselves you ask? Well, this is what you do…

You look at yourself in the mirror but this time you look at yourself CLOSELY. Not the usual ol’ two second check over to ensure you have nothing hanging off your face, but rather a magnified look. And then you are aghast! at the condition of your skin. And then you think, how long has it been since you last had a facial? And then you realise it’s been more than 2 years, in fact you can’t even remember when the last time was, so it’s more like 3 or even 4 years past. Then you think, I need a facial! So you get on the internet and you look for a beauty treatment boutique that uses natural products only. You find one! And you make an appointment mid-week…

That’s how it happened for me yesterday. Which is how I discovered Aromatique Amsterdam, on the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat which is the street with all the antique shops I was telling you about the other day. What a treat! I’m going to tell you more about this wonderful discovery soon as there is much to tell. But for now, all I will say is my skin today feels sooooo good.

I doubled my surprise treat dosage by mistakenly finding a fabulous restaurant on the same road to stop for some lunch. I intended to just grab a quick bagel but the bagel shop was packed so I scouted for another place and I found Spelt – a little oasis with a yummy menu. So there I was, mid-week, without my laptop, pen or paper or book or any of my usual distractions, looking out over their beautiful garden, having no choice but to be content with my own company. I had the mushroom soup, followed by the apple tart which was so delicious, I want to go back for it again. Perhaps another mid-week treat is on the cards next week? How ridiculously indulgent of me that would be!

I love breakfast. It is one of my favourite meals of the day. My other favourite meals of the day are morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, pre-dinner and dinner (and can dessert count as a seperate meal? In my case it often is). Lovely cafes and restaurants for the other meals of the day are not so difficult to find in Amsterdam. A decent breakfast however, is near impossible.

My English galpal Hayley and I share the same love of breakfast, and having been to Australia Hayley knows that we Aussies are spoilt with fabulous breakfast bars and know how to make a first meal of the day like no other (we concur that the North Americans also do a darn good job at it too). So we are on a mission to find the best (or simply above average) breakfast places around Amsterdam. After a year of heavy research, many breakfast dates and analysis, we’ve found one!

It’s called Letting and is in the Jordaan (on the Prinsenstraat 3 – just off the Keizergracht). It’s lovely – good friendly service (they didn’t hesitate or look at me strange when I asked for milk and honey for my tea!), good food, and a great interior (so very important for the likes of us fussy interior lovers n’est-ce pas?). Although the breakfast menu is not vast, it is very decent. We had the American pancakes with bacon, smothered in delicious maple syrup.

I do have a rule that I have to go an eatery at least 3 times before I announce that it gets the ‘enhance the everyday’ tick of approval but I’ve stretched the rules a bit for this one because after a year of living in Amsterdam, this is all I’ve got for stand-out breakfast suggestions and I’ve only been once.

So when you are in Amsterdam, check out this place for breakfast and then go for a little wander around the area, it is postcard-perfect, every time of year. Enjoy!

xx

PS if you have Amsterdam breakfast place suggestions please leave a comment with the details and Hayley and I will be happy to try it out. But note: to count as breakfast you have to serve it from no later than 8am, and preferably all day, if not at least until mid afternoon, and it has to include more than a piece of bread with cheese on it.

I’m super pleased to be able to share with you another collaboration between myself (as stylist), recipe writer + food stylist Yvette van Boven, and photographer Jeroen van der Spek for the second issue of Maria magazine, on all good Dutch newsstands right now. The story called Goud in de mond (gold in the mouth/waking up full of energy), is a series of images + recipes using bread, grains and pulses. Yvette’s yummo recipes featured are irish sodabread, homemade granola, little nut and raisin loaves (seen above), focaccia and an oat, farro, pumpkin and mushroom salad (a personal favourite – it was delish!).

I had fun making a small tiled wall from gorgeous red tiles that I picked out specially for the shoot. The tiles are handmade in portugal and have such a vibrant and deep colour. We used the wall for the granola and sodabread shots (seen above and below).

We also had the treat of going to one of Amsterdam’s best kept bakery secrets called Hartog’s Bakkerij . We were there to photograph the loaf stacks (seen below), and it was awesome being right in the heart of this bustling bakery while all the bakers shuffled around us – mixing dough, sliding trays of sweet smelling speculaas across the shelves, and pulling out golden loaves from the huge ovens.

After shooting this story, it’s officially confirmed:
I.
Love.
Bread.

(Perhaps I am a little bit Dutch after all).

Have a wonderful, wonderful thanksgiving you darling Canadians. I am with you in spirit.

xx

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PS You may notice a piece of pumpkin pie just disappear with no possible explanation. I will confess now, it was me.

PPS check out this line up of pies featuring the one above over at Liberty Post’s, which she found over at the delectable Gourmet. Bliss. Heaven on a plate. Delicious. Mine.

PPPS yes I am fully aware that there is alot more to Thanksgiving than pumpkin pie. But really, is there though?

Just a few inspiring things I’ve been wanting to share with you before we go for our little amsterdam wander…

First up is this book that I have begun reading. It is called The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and is written by the unfortunately recently deceased Mary Ann Shaffer. I had no prior knowledge of this book or the author as it was given to me as a gift, and this offering is testament that books are the best gifts of all. So I am not going to tell you anything about it in the hope that you might just buy it blindly and enjoy it as I am. I will just tell you this: it is, without a doubt, the most inspiring piece of literature I have read this year.

It is published in Australia by Allen & Unwin, and available to purchase here and here.

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Sofia has come up with a rather lovely autumn inspired idea – it’s called The Autumn Swap. What is it? Its a means for us to send each other some special treats to ring in the change of season! And is just what I need, I can’t wait to put together my goodies for whoever I get to swap with. All the details for the swap are here. Please join us, it will be alot of fun!

The sweet image above is from Sofia’s personal poetry blog called Aller-Retour.

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This guy is wonderfully entertaining and is my new inspirational TV chef. His recipes are easy, enticing, and fuss-free. His personality is easy, enticing, and fuss-free. And he’s kooky. Just what I like in a man chef! Monday nights are dedicated to him.

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And if you need a good belly laugh, this video on Liberty Post Editor might just do the trick!

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Enjoy the links. I’ll be back soon to take you on our little excursion as promised. x