this week #03

 The sun is out at last and I'm happily sitting on the balcony pulling together highlights from the past week. Some of these favourites were too good not to mention, so, in case you're interested, here's the low down on what I've been up to. As usual it's a combo of great food, design, an activity here or there and what I've been enjoying getting dressed into and putting on my face of a morning. Along with the sunshine I'm pleased to say, comes an abundance of beautiful flowers and plants. Bloomon are smashing it as usual and over the past week have delivered some of my favourite bouquets so far. If you don't know about Bloomon, they deliver seasonal and super fresh cut flowers to your door that are oh so Pinterest-worthy. If you're interested in trialing out their service then make sure you use my offer code SMUGVASE at checkout to get a free vase with your first delivery. I've found that their stunning flowers arriving every week in different colour-pallets really brighten up the shop and my home and puts a smile on my face every time I look at them. If like me you're plant mad then check out my  P L A N T  P O T  blog post all about our exhibition for LDF upstairs at SMUG. And keep your eyes peeled for a Balcony Tour post coming very soon on The Smuggler. If you'd rather not wait then follow me right now on Snapchat at ifeelsmug. I'm often on the balcony and snapchat most days so you'll see the most up-to-date goings-on there.   A rather tasty highlight this week and a patisserie which is totally new to me is Maitre Choux. Every day with a rigorous precision, Joakim Prat, the three Michelin star winning chef, bakes the most perfect eclairs, choux and chouquettes at their South Kensington location. Expect delightful attention to detail and explosions of creamy flavour. Thanks to Ben and Knomes for serving them for pud last week! Also on the pretty train this week, are our SMUG X MATT PUGH owls. Manolya and I get together at SMUG once a month for an in-store photoshoot and most recently we focussed on spending some time snapping all of our SMUG exclusive colour-way Matt Pugh owls. They featured in our recent newsletter as a bit of a GIF and it's such a nice little thing I wanted to share it here too. Thanks Manolya for your GIF making skills :)   There are lots of new and exciting things coming in at SMUG very soon and this week I've had the pleasure of choosing our Bonne Maison sock and Rifle Paper Co stationery edits for the season. Socks and sandals for a picnic in the park anyone!? Faves include the Hunting Socks and Tapestry Notebook Trio both coming soon.  As you know, I love food, and I'm lucky enough to have several friends who cook me delicious meals and take me out to fabulous places. Case in point - Morito Hackney Road and Gemma Bell. The newly opened Morito Hackney Road is a sister restaurant to the world famous Moro and Morito both on Exmouth Market and created by husband and wife team Sam and Samantha Clark. Morito Hackney Road has Marianna Love (previously head chef of Moro) at the helm serving up tapas, mezze and larger sharing plates all with the signature Moro style but with her own Cretian flair. Get the labneh with caramelised chillis and the kid. Both were out of this world!   My Lisbon Must Dos blog post has been getting a lot of love this week - thanks so much to those of you who have read it. Seems like lots of people are off to Lisbon this summer so hopefully my suggestions have been helpful. Danny was in Utrecht last week opening the new Urban Outfitters store which looks amazing! While there for ten days, Dan fell in love with Holland and we're now thinking of doing an Amsterdam, Utrecht and maybe Rotterdam mini tour in September/October. Any suggestions? I know Amsterdam a little already but do let me know in the comments below anything you'd recommend doing/seeing/eating in any of these three Dutch cities please.  W E E K L Y  F A V O U R I T E S  :Most Loved Beauty Product This Week – NYX Soft Matt Lip Cream in Stockholm Perfect 'your lips but better' shade and amazing creamy lip stain formula that lasts well and fades subtly.Most Worn Item of Clothing - Topshop High Waisted Indigo Jamie Jeans Been living in these. So comfy. Great colour that goes with everything. Nice high waist and flattering pockets on the bum. My new go-to jeans.'Sporting Activity' of the Week - Turns out Beer Pong rocks! I kid you not. We went to Sink near Old Street and had a wail of a time.Recipe of the Week – Dhal with Crispy Sweet Potato from Anna Jones's 'A Modern Way to Eat' Cookbook. This meal is utterly delicious and tastes far more complex and time consuming to make than it actually is. I'm making it again tonight! Anna Jones’ Dhal with Crispy Sweet Potatoes (serves 4)For the sweet potatoes: 2 sweet potatoes, skins on, washed and roughly chopped into 1.5cm cubes, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, olive oil.For the dhal: 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped, a thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 green chili, chopped, 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 200g red lentils, 400ml coconut milk, 400ml vegetable stock, 2 large handfuls of spinach, a bunch of coriander, with stalks, roughly chopped, juice of 1 lemon. Preheat the oven to 220C. Put the sweet potatoes into a roasting tray add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the cumin and fennel seeds and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until soft and sweet on the inside and crispy brown on the outside.In a large saucepan, sizzle the garlic, ginger, chilli and red onion in a little oil for about ten minutes, until soft and sweet. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar then add o the pan with the other spices and cook for a few minutes to toast and release the oils. Add the lentils, coconut milk and stock to the pan and bring to a simmer then turn the heat down and bubble away for about 25-30 minutes.To finish your dhal, take it off the heat then stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt a little, stirring in half the chopped coriander and the lemon juice. Pile into bowls and top with the crispy sweet potatoes, spoonfuls of mango chutney and the remaining coriander.