Foodies

At Butterfly Lane we are passionate about amazing food, from fine dining to the perfect sponge cake.  We are also partial for a snazzy cocktail and chilled bottle of Laurent-Perrier Rose too!  Here we document all of our food loves, recipe ideas, cocktail mixing, restaurant ideas and entertaining tips...

Recipe:  A Quick & Easy Summer Scallop Salad

This summery Thai style salad is so easy to make and tastes full of fresh flavours...read more

 




 






Recipe:  Pastry Hearts

I've just stumbled across this simple but cute recipe and I thought I'd share it with you.  They are great little family treats, or would make a gorgeous hostess gift wrapped in a tissue lined box...read more 









Recipe: Pear Bread

We stumbled across this recipe on Simmer and Boil and we couldn't wait to recreate it!  It's a beautiful idea and a real show stopper.  The Pear Bread combines sweet fruit and tender quick bread together in one pan, then slice to reveal the lovely pear inside, how lovely.  The bread is remarkably easy to make too, promise!  

This bread is ideal to bring to the table for an afternoon tea and brace yourself for the oohs and ahhs...read more

 




Recipe:  Summer Inspired Citrus Salmon

Nothing screams summer cooking like our citrus infused salmon.  Here is our quick, easy and mouth-wateringly good recipe (even if we say so ourselves!)....read more













Recipe:  Beef Shepherd's Pie & Champ 

Whenever the weather turns to the chilly side, I turn to my fail safe winter warmer recipe which I promise will warm even the coldest of winter nights.  I've been using this recipe for years and it has been slightly adapted winter after winter, I just love it, even if I do say so myself.  It promises three things, carbs, a kick of flavour and easiness to prepare, why not give it a whirl?  It might look like a look of ingredients but I'm sure many things will already be in your kitchen stores...read more


Shuffling & A Taste of Mexico En Su Casa

...I decided to whip up a storm in the kitchen and get some friends around for some much needed conversation.  I wanted something quick and easy so that I wouldn't be on my feet (aka shuffling) for too long.  So I decided on a new food area for me (to cook anyway, I eat it like a pro!)...Mexican.  You might be shocked to hear that I haven't dabbled in this cuisine before, but I usually head down the Italian and British route when I cook, but I heard Mexican is pretty straight forward and good 'help yourself' entertaining grub, so it ticked all the boxes for a semi-mobile me...read more


London Travel Guide:  Eat at the Hawksmoor

The boyfriend has a trusty restaurant of choice in London which has certainly rubbed off on me too.  Whether for business meetings or for dinner with friends the Hawksmoor is such a great option.  It is quite simply a meat lovers paradise and the Hawksmoor steaks are often called he best in London.  A steak house come cocktail bar (an element of girly pleasure in between all of the meat), with a stella selection of top-notched...read more

Let's Cook - 5 Top Cookery Books 

So, I have a slight addiction.  One that even exceeds my Anya Hindmarch handbag collection.  Cookery books.  Yes, you heard it right, I cannot stop buying cookery books!  It stems from my mother's extensive collection of recipes that she has collected over the years and now I'm getting quite the collection myself.  Also, I have a partner in crime: the boyfriend is as bad as I am!  Admittedly, we are both foodies, not in the snooty fine dining sense (even though we love to partake), but just in a food sense.  Good quality, tasty food!  Whether it's buffets, comfort food, a Sunday roast or a light salad, together we seem to have a book for every occasion...read more



Restaurant Review 

Le Chateaubrian, 129 Avenue Parmentier.  Paris 

This restaurant was voted in the top 10 in the world in 2011, so firstly you must book in advance.  The boyfriend booked a table weeks in advance and we arrived excited to eat the famous 'deconstructed' cuisine.  Unfortunately, when we arrived there was a mix-up, something to do with a Mr Davies in New York and my very own Mr Davies, our table had gone! I must say that the staff were amazing (they must have seen the disappointment slapped across our faces), so we sat in the buzzing bar next door and devoured a bottle of vin, until they could squeeze us in.  It was so worth our wait, we opted for the tasting menu, nine courses of amazing food, along with a drink to match every course.  We were there a long time, and all-in-all it was fabulously decadent!  The self-taught Basque chef, Inaki Aizpitarte, runs the stylish restaurant with the adventurous menu.  The restaurant is all about the food, no fancy soft furnishings, wooden tables are all you're getting.  Along with amazing food and great service, that's what Le Chateaubriand is all about.  No pomp or ceremony on the menu!  I seriously recommend this restaurant and you might be able to do a bit of celeb spotting too!  

Read the full Paris blog 


Restaurant Review  

Pershing Hall, 49 Rue Pierre Charron, 75008.  Paris

Pershing Hall is one of Paris's hippest hotels, with a fashionable restaurant, filled with fashionable diners.  Stood swankily in the centre of the Golden Triangle, it makes a powerful first impression.  You enter in a dramatic colour-changing tunnel, leading to a luxurious lobby dominated by an amazing floor-to-ceiling garden, which really makes this restaurant stand out.   Eat simple gourmet dishes or in the afternoon the patio becomes a place for afternoon tea, coffee and decadent desserts.  Come nightfall, the cosy bar buzzes with ubercoolness.  I suggest that after dinner; stretch your legs and wander down the street for cocktails at The Plaza, with  the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background.  What a night!

Read the full Paris blog


Baking O'Clock 

The rain is literally poring outside, the fire is blazing at Butterfly Lane HQ and I'm tempted to do a bit of baking.  I'm dreaming about beautiful, spongey, decadent cakes!  Not that mine will resemble anything particularly fabulous, in fact my cakes definitely look homemade!  But baking is something that I still love to do.  I think that there is nothing better on a rainy afternoon than digging out your Mason & Cash mixing bowls and indulging in a spot of baking heaven...read more



Table Style:  Elegant Ideas for Decorating a Table 

Table setting were once a formal affair, today entertaining is far more relaxed and we have happily abandoned all of that pomp and circumstance.  Here at Butterfly Lane we believe that setting a table for lunch with friend or for a dinner party shouldn't be an after thought or a chore, creating a decorative tabletop is super easy, satisfying and most of all fun.  The simplest of schemes will have a transforming effect on any occasion and Butterfly Lane would like to give you some simple design ideas to inspire you, whether you're having a cocktail party, an al fresco supper, an intimate dinner party or Sunday brunch with family, we are here to help...read more 


Entertaining at Easter and Recipes 

Happy (almost) Easter everyone!  I absolutely love this time of year, the sun is shining (at the moment anyway), the daffodils are out in force and the lambs are leaping.  You can't help but feel optimistic and positive.  The shops are full of cheerful, lovely things and all I can think about is sprucing up my home and garden.  

We have the long Easter weekend ahead of us and I am determined not to spend the whole break decorating.  I want to do a bit of entertaining too.  Even though I have a lot of things that need attending to on my ridiculously long 'to do' list ...call this person, email that person, paint a door, pot some plants...it goes on and on!  I am one of those annoying people who write everything down, I think even 'go to the gym' is on my current list of 'things to do'!  But surely all of this can wait? I also have the wedding of...read more


Afternoon Tea:  The Best Tea's in London 

Afternoon Tea is seeing something of a revival and here at Butterfly Lane we have unashamedly tried and tested quite a few.  We've gone done the traditional British route with our recommendations, nothing screams High Tea like a grand hotel and a man in a crisp white apron, but we have also thrown in a quirky option for good measure!  So here are our favourite tea haunts in London town...read more





Platters at the Ready! 

As we approach the spring (we are in March after all), my mind has started to wander on to summery dresses, floaty blouses and floral trousers that are filling our shops online and otherwise as I type away.  So I have decided to step away from the winter stodge fest that I have been consuming night...after night for as long as I can remember.  My 'it's so cold outside, I deserve something cakey, something indulgent' mentality is behind me!  In order to get body ready for summer time dressing I have whipped up a tried and tested healthy dinner that is super easy and delicious at the same time.  The recipe is also ideal if you're entertaining a group of friends, it's definitely a crowd pleaser...read more  



Restaurant Reviews:  Stockholm 

Restaurant B.A.R

This cosmopolitan eatery was a buzz of energy.  The brain-child of the two award-winning chefs and gastronomic visionaries  Henrik Norstrom and  Peter Johansson, their philosophy is simple:  the closer the producer, the fresher the produce.  The fresher the produce, the better the taste experience.  I particularly like how they have a fish market within the restaurant, so you choose your fish, chat to one of the chefs about how you want it cooked, and five minutes later it arrives at your table.  Amazing!


Matthias Dalgren at The Grand Hotel

Ok, so this was a real treat, voted as one of the top restaurants in the world, located in the stunning Grand Hotel, the restaurant is split in to formal and informal dining.  All that I need to say is that the food was incredible and the service was perfect, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.  Even though it has been awarded two Michelin Stars it lacked the portentousness  and stuffiness that I hate, please go if you're in the city!  I would also recommend finishing the evening with cocktails at the hotels Cadier Bar, it's old school decadence at its best.

Read the full Stockholm Travel Guide