Avant the Après-ski party

October 29th brings the 21st birthday of my little sister, Helen. She has decided to throw a party this weekend for around 80 people and has also decided to save some of her birthday money to go travelling so the budget of her party is ‘minimalist’.

Very wisely she is having it in the garden (in October?! – Yes let me finish) and has chosen the theme of APRES-SKI. So that means that her university friends can look cool and retro in 80s ski wear (a trend that still seems to be lingering around all the redbrick university “cool kids”) whilst also remaining toasty and warm.

Being unemployed at the moment, and with more artistic flair than her (she got everything else believe me) she has called on me to create some kind of champagne party on a lemonade budget. So as the party draws nearer I thought I would share some of my projects over the next couple of days, and maybe even chart my progress.

Firstly, there were the invites. I hit photoshop, I hit it hard. 4 hours later I had created a faux ski pass ->

They looked more impressive in real life I promise

Archie, my boyfriend, and I then printed out pictures of each of her guests, stuck them on, laminated them, cut them out and hole-punched the top. If I had had a larger budget I would have bought lots of those ski pass holders with the retractable wire – I have found plenty of cheap stockists since but Helen really has been cutting corners.

Now, the venue. Obviously the marquee is a pretty essential part of an outdoor party in late October… we nearly couldn’t find one.

Eventually a friend of hers is at university with a boy who owns one, so one awkward, late and rather inappropriate invite later we had borrowed a marquee! Last weekend Dads drove up to Oxford to collect her and 3 friends to come and help Mums and myself put it up. The effort was nice but rather surprisingly 4 very capable Oxford University students couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery let alone the construction of the brewery in order to have the piss-up.

We had my sister who insisted on making a “marquee playlist” and kept running inside to select another reggae song; her two adorable male friends who, although tall, were the thespian type and regularly ended up in compromising positions cuddling each other – more Brideshead Revisited than bindings re-riveted. And finally there was Jess… she turned up with a full face of make up and raring to go – little did we know she was still hammered, hadn’t been to sleep and would end up nesting on on our decking, pretending we weren’t struggling with heavy poles around her. I did feel sorry for her, there was a long of banging and shouting, although I don’t know how much she could hear… I think she was unconscious.

The following morning Mums, Dads, Archie and I put up the other tents – dance floor, cooking and bar. Archie is DJ-ing (he did it throughout University, has Dj-ed at plenty of clubs etc), so she has saved some pennies there! My dad is also cooking a huge paella which I know is not normally associated with the mountain restaurants of the Alps or Whistler but she wanted something he could cook for 80 people – good job he is a great chef. I am told I am in charge of hors d’oeuvres so I have had a couple of ideas.

I have made a few decorations already without spending a penny  ->

 

I copied this idea and made a few cute variations. Frozen cranberries from Waitrose were the perfect red touch, and I picked some fir pines which held their colour really well.

I haven’t lit these up, but 4 days after, some of them still looked this fresh (and they look a lot better alight) ->

I made some large numbers from cardboard (inspired by the ones below) ->

 

I sprayed them white and silver ombre which looked really nice under the marquee lights and couldn’t have been easier. If I had some glitter in the house I think I would have dipped them in that too but I managed to make these with things I could find in the garage, so that was a bonus.

We’re lucky having been brought up in Switzerland because we had a LOT of ski memorabilia, so ski boots made fantastic wine warmers for each table ->

 

Another cheap and easy trick was sending my poor boyfriend out into the woods to gather sticks of all shapes and sizes, then I sprayed them silver and  white. Again, if I had had glitter gold spray this would have been my preferred style ->

 

Okay, so these obviously weren’t free – but they were a lot cheaper than buying a cake. My friend Lauren and I made hundreds of them, making silver frosting proved a challenge at first but it looked amazing (if I do say so myself).

 

I bought the cutest snowflake cake sprinkles from amazon, they were so cheap and really simple and striking.  I will definitely be making some more before Christmas just to use them again!!

 

I wanted to display the cupcakes on a cake stand made of logs like I had seen online, unfortunately I wasn’t brave enough to go hunting for the right size logs around the woods but if I could find them, my goodness I would. I love it ->

 

Instead of a cake stand we have used an old wooden sleigh… it looks a little bit weird because it’s essentially two levels of cupcakes, but I have spread them across the table too and included a silver reindeer.

 

 

All in all, I have been pretty happy with what I have done with a short time and a skinny budget. If you want to take a look at other ideas and inspirations I used please feel free to check out my pinterest……

 

Love and such x

 

When the temperature drops and the leaves follow suit…

Never in my life have I welcomed a christmas advert, or at least not hurled a biscuit at the TV when I hear the first signs of a Christmas jingle, but this year everything seems to have changed. I put it down to the fact that winter this year seemed to start in May and my body clock seems to expect Christmas right round the corner to the point where I am practically bi-passing autumn which is normally my favourite time of the year.

So in a bold, and perhaps fruitless, attempt to rejig my inner seasonal radar I have decided to have a little personal celebration of all things OCTOBER.

Firstly, Food.

Nothing screams autumn quite like the bold colours and flavours of the seasonal classics. This Pumpkin and Goats Curd Tart is absolutely delicious and the recipes for these can be found by clicking on the images.

Alternatively there is a an alternative by equally delicious butternut squash version I have found

Pumpkin or butternut squash recipes at this time of year can be seen as a bit kitsch. But surely something so delicious and in season should be appreciated, especially with such naughty and delicious cheese pairings . The sad thing is, as with most tarts, I really feel like this should be eaten outside. Maybe I will force everyone to wrap up in blankets and sit under umbrellas.

The wonderful thing about this time of year is the food (even if we are forced to eat it inside) tastes so obviously of the outdoors. Woody, rich, bold flavours – YUM YUM YUM. Actually one of my main memories of Septembers/Octobers is the aroma of fresh wet mushrooms, that my father had just picked, drying in the airing room so he could put them in pots to last the whole year. If you haven’t smelt that smell before, it’s like wet dog that lasts for around a week. It hasn’t put me off mushrooms though, still one of my firm favourites and so easy to cook with. I suggest this incredibely yummy and simple starter from a fellow blogger.

‘Chanterelles sauteed in butter with garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Served on toast with a sliver of pecorino.’

There is a full recipe on, just scroll a little further down.

And my final foody bit to get me all excited, and my mission for tomorrow evening, has to be —-

I would say that I am a risotto pro, at university it was ‘go-to’ food and I was more than happy to chuck anything it and generally it turned out well. But this recipe truly excites me. I have never tried Farro before or Acorn Squash (in fact, part of the challenge is going to be finding the ingredients) and although Kale is one of my favourite veg it has never made it’s way into one of my risottos. This recipe sounds like a melting pot of health, rich flavour and autumnal cheer – so it’s ticked my boxes!

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Secondly, The Home.

Last week saw my father get his annual ‘drop off’ of fire wood. There is nothing that signifies seasonal change more than the piling of wood along the side of our house. Although our wood stays outside I have begged dads over and over again to build a wood store in his lounge. He is a minimal man and I can imagine this kind of thing really appealing to him (although antlers might be a bit much in Buckinghamshire)

Or how about this one?

 

Either way – surely curling up on a rainy evening with a cup of tea and those you love is what autumn is all about (not to mention cushions and rugs)

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Thirdly, Fashion.

Some people miss the bright colours of summer wardrobes, others are glad of the chunky christmas knits to hide under but I have always been attracted to such a stylish time of year. I think the clean lines and the smart knits really appeal to all ages and the colour palette is european and classic. (I think I should probably live in Milan)

 I do love anything structured, with a pair of slim legs poking out and you certainly can’t go wrong with browns and blacks.

I think the same has to apply to greys, marls and ankle boots. Keeping it simple is important (and often expensive… staple pieces are lifelong investments though)

Always trust an Olsen.

Black, crisp, cropped – classy

  

And as for casual weekends – keep warm, add a colour and definitely choose leather.

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Lastly, Walks

This has to be my favourite activity when the temperature drops and the leaves follow suit.

Going on a walk embodies everything that we should be appreciating about this season. Blackberries on the bushes that you can pick and make a delicious crumble, wrapping up in the best autumn clothes, holding hands with those you love and most importantly watching the most dramatic visual changes across the countryside. I luckily grew up with plenty of woodland to choose from, a dog that always needed walking and a plethora of pubs to stop and take a break in so dog walks have always been at the top of my agenda. At University in Newcastle I would often escape with a few friends and drive out of the city to Hadrian’s Wall or Corbridge, take a long walk to build up an appetite for pub lunch. And, I truly believe that whatever city I ever live in in my entire life I will continue to do the same. Why wouldn’t you?

We are so lucky in England to have incredible countryside, and once this incessant fog clears, we might be able to get some light rays like this. Magical.

 I spend most my walks with a view of my dog’s bottom. (Although this one isn’t mine actually – he’s camera shy)

Why not take a blanket and have an autumn picnic. Cosy.

But my favourite thing after a long walk is curling up here at The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield. It’s surrounded by walks and it’s dog friendly so everyone can enjoy it – they even have dog biscuits and pigs ears at the bar.  It’s unbelievably cosy with roaring fires, nooks and crannies, and an eccentric decor all of which is a product of it’s incredible history. As explained on the back of the menus, this alehouse dates back to before the Saxon Invasions of the Thames (1009!!!!) and it’s character and charm reflect that. SImple food, they will cook any game you bring them and a very wide selection of ales (local ones are particular good – so I have been told!)

I could spend hours in here with a glass of red, the delicious meat, good company and the dogs sleep in the corner. Heaven.

The last few hours spent looking through old pictures and recipes has persuaded me I still have that same love for this season as I always have. So sod the fog – let’s put on some boots, get logs on the fire and some risotto on the AGA.