Go & Find: Pizza East Kentish Town in London

We recently discovered Pizza East Kentish Town in London, a fantastic place right up my alley! Casa di Campagna meets Industrial Style... rustic wood, metro tiles, brick walls, school chairs, industrial lighting, an open kitchen with condiment shelving, country-style linen and tableware ... There are two more restaurants in London, I think they are all gorgeous. If you go, make sure you reserve a table, and enjoy!!! We feasted on a pizza with pork belly - Brit style that is! - and mac'n cheese ;). Yum. 

 pictures via Pizza East   

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Diesen schönen Ort wollte ich hier schon lange vorstellen, wie so viel anderes, aber im Moment bleibt dafür oft einfach nicht die Zeit. Jetzt aber! Kürzlich in London haben wir bei Pizza East gespeist und uns nicht nur kulinarisch, sondern auch visuell verwöhnen lassen. Das Interior war mal wieder ganz genau mein Ding! Casa di Campagna meets Industrial Style... rustikales Holz, Metro-Fliesen, unverputzter Backstein, Schulstühle, Industrieleuchten, eine offene Küche, in der die Zutaten noch hübsch in ihren Verpackungen zu sehen sind... yeah! Es gibt in London drei Restaurants, wir waren im Pizza East Kentish Town, auf jeden Fall reservieren, und auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert!


With love from the UK,

♥ Christine

My Travel Souvenir: Cardamom Buns from the Monocle Café London

Often when I am travelling, I take home a souvenir that one cannot buy. Sometimes it's a new song I want to remember or a recipe for an unknown dish. Many of my favourite recipes have found their way into my notebook this way. Seen somewhere, tried back home, loved and now it's a classic in my kitchen.

Last time I was in London, I discovered the Monocle Cafe in Marylebone and their fantastic (!!) cardamom buns. Boom. Instant love.

Back home, I couldn't wait to get into the kitchen and try them myself. Thanks to this amazing recipe over on London Eats (thanks, Russel!) I felt as if I was back in Marylebone. So, so good. The flavour of the cardamom mixed with sugar is such a treat.

By the way, I bought one of their cute tote bags for a give-away on my blog in July... so watch this space ;-) I really like the black and white design.

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Ganz oft auf Reisen nehme ich mir ein Souvenir mit, das man nicht kaufen kann. Vielleicht einen Song, der an einem gemütlichen Sommerabend in einer Strandbar lief, oder eine leckere Rezeptidee, die mich nicht mehr loslässt. Viele meiner Lieblingsrezepte haben so ihren Weg zu mir gefunden. Irgendwo verliebt, daheim ausprobiert, zum Klassiker geworden.

Beim letzten Londonausflug entdeckte ich in Marylebone das Monocle Cafe, das hatte gerade erst eröffnet. Dort gibt es Cardamom Buns - Hefeteilchen aromatisiert mit Kardamom - die einfach nur köstlich sind.

Zurück zuhause habe ich mich gleich in die Küche gestellt und die Buns nach diesem tollen Rezept von London Eats (Neuentdeckung; Russel hat so viele geniale Rezepte!) nachgebacken. So, so, lecker!!!

Und eine dieser hübschen Baumwolltaschen habe ich übrigens für euch mitgenommen  - als Teil des ersten Give-Aways für meinen Blog, das es hier im Juli geben wird. Mir gefällt der Print darauf unglaublich gut.

With love from the UK,

♥ Christine

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Collecting Cookbooks: The Ethicurean Cookbook

{Auf Deutsch, einfach runterscrollen} Last week I showed you one of my favourite places here in Bristol, and here comes the book these guys just published! It's 'The Ethicurean Cookbook - Recipes, Food and Spirituos Liquors, from our bounteous walled Garden in the several Seasons of the Year'. 

In four chapters they reveal how life at the Victorian Walled Garden changes from season to season and how they make the delicious meals with the bountiful harvest their garden - or rather gardener Mark - offers. They share age-old preservation practices such as smoking and curing, make their own vermouth and generally mix fantastic cocktails (see a video of their Summer Elder below). 

The recipes always come with a twist. Ever heard of walnut ice cream served with beetroot soup? Sweet ice cream with soup, I thought? Well, they mix clotted cream with walnuts, freeze and then plop a spoonful into the soup when serving. Ingenious! Ebury Press kindly allowed me to publish a favourite recipe here for 30 days, and I've choosen the Roasted Courgette and Cobnut Soup (below) which I loved indulging in last summer on the Ethicurean's garden patio. I am a courgette person anyway and this soup is heaven. 

Reading the recipe titles alone makes my mouth water: my kitchen will definitely soon be scented by the smell of 'Chocolate and Salt Caramel Brownies with Cherry and Elderflower Sauce', the 'Almond, Pear, Cardamom and Chocolate Cake' or 'The Caramelised Chicory, Labneh and Macerated Strawberry Salad'. Yum! Here is a video of one of their bestselling staples in the restaurant, the Welsh Rabbit (veggie, it's cheese on toast!! :) - See how much love they use to prepare the carrots, and the cheese cream? That's the twist I was talking about. These guys know for sure that you only get out what you put into! :) 

This book will definitely become one of my all-time-very favourites since it even includes recipes for the dishes that I love so much in their restaurant. How cool is that! You have a fantastic meal in their garden, can go home and try it out in your own kitchen! Especially when you're just visiting, or moving away from Bristol, you can get this book as a souvenir of time well spent in this heavenly place. I'd wish more of my favourite restaurants would be so generous with their recipes! I also love to see the pictures of the walled garden, they instantly transport me back there, and the background knowledge the authors share about food history or traditions almost lost, such as their annual Wasssail fiesta.

Recently, I sat in their restaurant having another lovely meal, and looked outside the window in the garden thinking: 'If you can live here, do you need anything else?' I drove back home, found their book in the mail, started to flick through it and smiled when I read this: 'We rarely leave this beautiful walled garden; it is an absolute paradise'. So true. Thanks for sharing it with many more through your fantastic book.

Below is a fabulous video about the four friends, the garden and the book, and here is another gem about  their Ethicuran restaurant in general.

Credit: The Ethicurean Cookbook (Ebury Press, £25)

(in the book: © photography Jason Ingram & Ebury Press 2013; props styling by Jaine Bevan, text © Matthew & Ian Pennington, Paula Zarate, Jack Adair-Bevan 2013; design by Two Associates)

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Am Mittwoch habe ich euch ja einen meiner Lieblingsplätze in Bristol vorgestellt, heute kommt das passende Buch dazu! Die vier Freunde und Restaurantbetreiber von 'The Ethicurean' - Paula, Ian, Jack & Matthew - haben ein sensationell tolles Buch herausgebracht, "The Ethicurean Cookbook". Darin beschreiben sie, wie es ist, umgeben von solch einem fantastischen, ummauerten Garten wie dem Barley Wood Walled Garden mit den Jahreszeiten zu leben. Aus den Früchten dieses Paradiesgartens - die ihnen Gärtner Mark liefert - zaubern sie einfach nur Wundervolles auf ihre Restauranttische. 

Dieses Buch hat Riesenchancen, eines meiner ewigen Lieblingskochbücher zu werden, denn die Leckereien im Buch sind auch meine Lieblinge im Restaurant! Wie klasse ist das denn bitte! Man kann zuhause nachkochen, was man im Restaurant so liebt! Ha, vor allem toll für Urlauber, die nur auf der Durchreise das Kleinod entdecken oder Ex-Bristolians, die es in andere Teile der Welt verschlägt. Die Schlemmereien eines geliebten Restaurants sozusagen einfach in Buchform mitnehmen! :) Ich finde das mutig und hoffe, dass noch viele meiner Lieblingsrestaurants diesen Trend aufnehmen.

 

Soll ich euch mal den Mund wässrig machen mit ein paar Rezepttiteln aus dem Buch? Da wären zum Beispiel: "salzig-karamellige Schokoladenbrownies mit Kirsch- und Holunderblütensoße", "Salat aus karamelisiertem Chicoree und marinierten Erdbeeren" und "Schokoladenkuchen mit Mandeln, Birnen und Kardamom". Yum! Jedes Rezept kommt mit Twist daher, so habe ich zum Beispiel sehr über die Walnuß-Eiskrem in der Rote-Beete Suppe gestaunt, nachgeblättert und siehe da, die mischen Clotted Cream mit Walnüssen, gefrieren es und ploppen dann ein Löffelchen davon in die Suppe. I like! :-) Ausserdem lernt man ganz nebenbei unheimlich viel über ungewöhnliche Gemüsesorten (wie Parcel -  eine Par-sley (Petersilie) und Cel-ery (Sellerie) Züchtung), traditionelle Methoden des Haltbarmachens und alte Traditionen. 

Zum Beispiel, wie die vier die fast ausgestorbene Tradition des Wassail-Feierns wieder aufleben lassen. Im Januar, in der kältesten und unfreundlichsten Jahreszeit, feiern sie draussen ein großes Fest, um die Lebensgeister zu erwecken. Wie wunderschön und wie nachahmenswert. Einfach mal raus aus den eigenen Wänden und dick eingemummelt eine rauschende Party feiern. Gerade zur dunklen Jahreszeit doch eine super Idee. 

Ich liebe es, wie in vier Kapiteln der Lauf der Jahreszeiten beschrieben wird. Wie sich der Garten verändert, was wann wächst und reif wird, was man wild ernten kann (erinnert ihr euch an die Nesselsuppe?), wie das alles fotografisch begleitet wird. Dazu gibt es superinteressantes Hintergrundwissen, zum Beispiel warum die Haselnuss in GB fast ausgestorben war, warum Briten Zucchinis nicht so mögen und dafür versessen nach allem Götterspeisigem sind. Ich ziehe den Hut vor soviel Sachkenntnis über die Kulturgeschichte des Essens.

Es gibt ein Minikapitel zum Räuchern, was sehr weit oben auf meiner Will-ich-auf-jeden-Fall-bald-mal-zum-Sommer-BBQ-versuchen-Liste steht. Ein weiteres führt in die Kunst des Vermouth-Herstellens ein, mit Kräuteressenzen verfeinert, und sogar mal geräuchert! Überhaupt kreeiren die Ethicureans sehr gerne Cocktails und lieben Drinks, hier die Anleitung für ihren Summer Elder.

Nicht nur die Leckereien sind eine Augenweide, auch das Buch selbst. Seidiges Papier, der Einband in wunderschönem Leinen bezogen. Wie wunderschön es bei den Ethicureanern ist, habe ich ja schon gesagt. Als ich beim letzten Mal da war, saß ich wieder am Fenster des Wintergartens, schaute hinaus in den Garten und dachte so bei mir: "Wenn man hier lebt, braucht man doch nichts anderes mehr." Als ich nach Hause kam, war das Buch in der Post. Ich musste wirklich schmunzeln, als ich beim ersten Hineinschauen (so war es geplant - zwei Stunden später saß ich übrigens immer noch da, Losreißen unmöglich :) im Vorwort diesen Satz entdeckte: 'We rarely leave this beautiful walled garden; it is an absolute paradise' - "Wir verlassen diese wunderschönen ummauerten Garten nur selten. Er ist ein absolutes Paradies." Oh ja, das ist er. Danke, dass ihr vier es mit eurem Buch noch mehr Menschen näherbringt. 

Ebury Press hat mir lieberweise erlaubt, hier für einen Monat ein Rezept abzudrucken. Ich habe mich für die Zucchinisuppe entschieden, die ich letzten Sommer im Ethicurean Garten geschlemmt habe. So zu empfehlen!

Credit: The Ethicurean Cookbook (Ebury Press, £25) erhältlich in Deutschland ab 22. Mai 2013

(in the book: © photography Jason Ingram & Ebury Press 2013; props styling by Jaine Bevan, text © Matthew & Ian Pennington, Paula Zarate, Jack Adair-Bevan 2013; design by Two Associates)

With love from the UK,

♥ Christine

...let's connect on  facebook * instagram * twitter * Pinterest * bloglovin' * blogconnect

© photography Jason Ingram

Roasted Courgette and Cobnut Soup, With Labneh and Ginger, Turmeric and Mint Dressing
(recipe available here for 30 days)
 
Courgettes are a relatively recent addition to British cooking, becoming widely known only in the mid-twentieth century, as a result of Elizabeth David’s writing. Admittedly, they are not the most fascinating of vegetables but labelling them as tasteless or watery is unfair, in our view. Whilst they do have a high water content (they are, after all, related to watermelons and cucumbers), we would urge anyone who thinks they are tasteless to try growing their own. When they are small and fresh, they have a subtle nuttiness unlike any other member of the Cucurbita family to which they belong. The addition of toasted cobnuts in this dish emphasises the nuttiness inherent in our fresh produce magnificently.
There is an impressive row of cobnut trees in the lower corner of the Walled Garden. Resembling a group of wisely content elders, these prosperous leafy trees are known for being easy to keep. This is probably why they are loved by all at Barley Wood, particularly squirrels and chefs.

Serves 8
1kg small, firm courgettes, sliced into 2cm pieces
rapeseed oil
500g onions, finely sliced
250g carrots, finely sliced
250g celery, finely sliced
1 tbsp salt, plus more for the final seasoning
40g fresh cobnuts, finely chopped, then lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
 
For the labneh:
500g yogurt
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp finely chopped marjoram
1 tbsp finely chopped oregano
For the ginger, turmeric and mint dressing:
85ml rapeseed oil
50ml cider vinegar
1 tsp English mustard
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chopped mint

The labneh must be made a day in advance. Line a sieve with a piece of muslin and put the yogurt in it. Stir in the salt, cover with the overhanging ends of the muslin and then set over a bowl – it should be deep enough to allow the liquid to drain off the yogurt. Leave in the fridge overnight. The following day, discard the liquid, unwrap the labneh and put it in a bowl. Stir in the herbs. Keep in the fridge until needed. 

To make the dressing, blend all the ingredients together until well combined, then season with salt to taste.
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Toss the courgettes with a little rapeseed oil until lightly coated, then spread them out in a roasting tray. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a thin film of rapeseed oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, carrots and celery and sweat for 10–15 minutes, until tender. Stir regularly and do not allow the vegetables to colour. Add the roasted courgettes and sweat for 5 minutes longer. Add enough water barely to cover the vegetables and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the salt and cook for 5 minutes, then decant into a blender, in batches if necessary. 

Blitz until smooth, then add enough water to take it to your desired consistency; we like it on the thin side. Blitz once more, then pass through a fine sieve for a velvety mouthfeel. Season with salt to taste. (The soup can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days at this point.) Reheat gently, then pour the soup into serving bowls and finish each one with a tablespoon of labneh, a sprinkling of chopped cobnuts and a drizzle of the dressing. Serve with seeded bread and salted butter.
 

A Place in Heaven: The Ethicurean at Barley Wood Walled Garden

A new place in heaven I want to share with you today. It's the Ethicurean Restaurant & Barley Wood Walled Garden in the heart of the Mendip Hills just outside of Bristol. It is paradisiacal. As soon as you have left buzzing Bristol behind and step out of your car, you will be welcomed by birdsong and the sheep's baa. Suddenly you are in the countryside. I enter the gardens and walk along the tall brick walls of this ha-ha, smelling the rosemary, sage and thyme that is planted on the box-tree lined beds. Often I will find Mark the gardener or one of the chefs snipping something fresh for the kitchen. I walk higher up and enter the light and whitewashed conservatory which serves as The Ethicurean restaurant. 

I love the atmosphere inside, it's furnished very simply with farmhouse tables and chairs, somehow it also reminds me on how school must have looked like in the old days, maybe it's the blackboards that announce the dish of the day or the release of their first book. On the tables, milk bottles serve as vases for rosemary twigs, plates of slate as 'reserved' signs, the cakes come on beautiful mix-and-match delicate tea sets. The view outside the windows reaches far over the rolling hills, I could sit for hours and just watch the birds and seagulls gathering and sailing the sky. If the weather is nice, I stay outside on the long communal table on the lawn or in one of the wooden bays along the brick walls.

The food here has never disappointed me. It's mostly what this young team - four friends - get from the adjacent garden or from the hedges, it's always fresh, seasonal and regional. I've been introduced to dishes here of which I had never heard before: roasted courgette and cobnut soup, astonishing-green nettle soup with Caerphilly cheese melted into it, pearl barley risotto with fantastic mushroom jelly cubes. They cure their own meat, smoke, and do great cocktails mixed with their own tinctures, and really good cakes to enjoy with a silky fennel seed and ginger hot chocolate. The best is that they have written a wonderful book which is out today, I will tell you more about it in the next blog post. 

Everything here calms me down, such a soothing, relaxing atmosphere. After my meal I take a short walk around the gardens or up the hills to greet the sheep, and when I drive back home into Bristol, I feel relaxed and happy, as if I'd just spent a few hours in a great spa. 

 

The legendary Sticky Toffee Apple Pie. SO good. I was hoping to find the recipe in the book but I learned that it's a secret recipe! So whenever I go, I make sure I have it for dessert or at least take a piece away with me :-)

Nettle soup with creamy caerphilly cheese and pea shoots. It's divine. The recipe is in the book and I will definitely try this myself next year when the nettles are still young. The cheese melts and provides an extra creaminess to the soup.

 

 Pearl barley risotto with the fantastic mushroom jelly cubes (recipe in the book).

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Ein neuer Ort für meine Reihe 'A place in heaven': das Ethicurean Restaurant & Barley Wood Walled Garden, ganz idyllisch in den Mendip Hills etwas ausserhalb Bristols gelegen. Sobald man das Brummen der Stadt hinter sich gelassen hat und hier aus dem Auto steigt, wird man von der Ruhe des Landlebens, Vogelgezwitscher und Schafblöken begrüßt. Ein mit hohen Backsteinmauern umzäunter Garten, ein typischer ha-ha, wunderschön angelegt mit Kräutern, Gemüsen und Rankobst, umgibt und beliefert das oberhalb liegende Restaurant. An warmen Tagen liegt der Duft der Kräuter in der Luft, während man durch den Garten in Richtung Restaurant schlendert. Oft nehme ich dann draussen auf dem Rasen an der großen Holztafel oder in einer der kleinen Buchten entlang der Mauer Platz, und genieße den Blick auf die gegenüberliegenden Hügel. Englische Countryside pur.

Oder ich betrete den lichtdurchfluteten, geweißelten Wintergarten und setze mich dort an einen der rustikalen Tische. Alles erinnert mich ein bisschen an ein Farmhaus oder frühere Schulzimmer, auf sehr gute Art natürlich, es ist so reduziert auf das Einfache und dabei so wunderschön. Milchflaschen dienen als Vasen für Rosmarinzweige, Schiefertafeln als 'Reserviert'-Schild, Tee und Kuchen wird auf hübschen, zusammengewürfelten Teilen betagter Teeservices serviert.

Die Gerichte sind genauso paradiesisch wie die Ruhe und Atmosphäre, die einen hier empfängt. Auf den Tisch kommt nur, was das Team - vier Freunde - im Garten oder den Hecken vorfindet, saisonal, frisch, regional. Ich habe hier ganz neue Geschmacksnoten probiert: Suppe von gerösteteten Zucchini mit Haselnüssen, unirdisch-grüne, so leckere Brennesselsuppe mit hineingeschmolzenen Käsestückchen, Perlgraupen-Risotto, das mit kleinen Champignon-Gelee-Würfeln als Geschmacksbomben überrascht. Es wird eigens geräuchert, Tinkturen zum Mixen der Cocktails angesetzt, tolle Kuchen gebacken und feine heiße Schokoladen mit Fenchelsamen und Ingwer aromatisiert. Noch irgendwer Zweifel an der britischen Küche?! :-) Und das Beste: die vier Freunde bringen heute ein großartiges Buch heraus, über das ich euch im nächsten Blogpost berichte. Juhu, ich freu mich drauf. :-)

With love from the UK,

♥ Christine

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Go & Find: DIG Haushizzle in Bristol

Today I want to share yet another new – and very cool Bristol store with you: Dig Haüshizzle. As soon as I’ve heard of this place, I was  t h e r e  checking it out. I think you can see why it is right up my alley: industrial rustic charme meets antiques along with a fantastic collection of vintage lighting. Yes, man. All presented in a stunning showroom that features beautiful huge windows while the dark-painted walls are such a fantastic setting for what owners Cassandra and Ed have recently sourced and restored. 

Honestly, I could buy every single lamp they have in their shop. My attention was instantly drawn to the chic lightbulbs which are hung along the large windows. Tinted in a golden, almost brownish shade they shine a warm light with their filaments. Lucky as I am, they sell these too, and I ordered me two of the classic round Edison bulbs along with one in a pear shape. They will make a perfect bundle somewhere in my home soon. I really like that Cassandra and Ed make sure you can find such small pieces: there are also vintage shoe lasts, antique jars, school posters, magazines and said bulbs to take home when you’re not looking for a new piece of furniture. Of which they have a fantastic (!) collection. When I was looking at my pictures back home, I felt I should have taken more of the furniture but it seems I was concentrating very much on the lighting :-) I love, love, love their metal cabinets and steel lockers, or the wood and metal trolley that they have currently for sale. It really is a wonderful collection. 

They also kind-of specialise in taxidermy and treat their finds with so much respect (I’d rather have all zoos on this planet filled with taxidermy pieces than with the sad creatures that have to serve for our ‘education’ and ‘amusement’ right now...). I think provided that none of these animals has been shot  j u s t  for this purpose, taxidermy is a wonderful concept to preserve the beauty that is out there in our world. Anyway, I was really inspired by my visit and took some inspiration home, in the form of my beautiful tinted lightbulbs and the desire to paint a wall in a real dark colour. :-)  You’ll find a wonderful interview with Cassandra and Ed below. I found it so sweet when Cassandra told me that on their last NYC trip, they were armed with a long list of cocktail bars they wanted to visit – yes, that could have been me, too, only that my cocktail bars are the coffee shops wherever I go ;-)

What does Haüshizzle mean?

Cassandra: Ha Ha this is something we get asked a lot. Well Haüshizzle is a word we made up during our branding; everything was looking quite German so we just thought we would roll with it. The "Haüs" part then came pretty easy and then after years of fitting a Snoop Dogg-esque "shizzle" into normal sentences it kind of worked together. It made us laugh, it‘s fun to actually say and we thought even if people don't know exactly how to pronounce it they just remember the shop with the weird name. So yeah, we sell shizzle for houses.

Can you describe Dig Haüshizzle's concept and style a litte?

Cassandra: There is no formal concept behind Dig Haüshizzle we buy what we like as long as it will fit in with the store. I am very into Victoriana so will often buy the more antique pieces and Edd will be more likely to buy mid-century and designer pieces. We buy each piece individually so everything has been picked for a reason, this allows us to change the feel of the shop on quite a regular basis. We just want it to always feel relaxed and like it could be a home; it‘s great as our customers tend to spend a lot of time in our store whether just having a chat or browsing.

Where do you get the wonderful pieces from that you sell in Dig Haüshizzle?

Cassandra: We are very lucky that people get hold of us on a regular basis to try and sell us items. We get to go to their homes and have a look and possibly purchase, and man, we have got to go to some amazing houses! This is how we buy most of our stock.

For the shop’s interior, you've choosen muted colours and dark walls as the canvas to showcase your pieces - how did you decide on this, and is it something you would do at home, too?

Cassandra: The dark colours is just something we like, it makes things more dramatic. We really do get most of our interior ideas from visiting places, researching interior books and constant blog watching. We went on a trip a couple of years ago to New York with lists and lists of places to go and see and I think this is where we got most of inspiration from for Dig Haüshizzle. A few of our favorites were - Freemans Restaurant, Death and Co, Milk and Honey and Fette Sau. We definitely spent a lot of time drinking on that trip.

I guess all your pieces have very interesting stories to tell... What's your favourite?

Cassandra: My current favourite has to be the anatomical plate prints we have. We have decided to get them reprinted to sell as I am really not sure we will ever find any more as beautiful as these.

Edward: My favourite pieces are the large dining tables we have in and the taxidermy cow's head that we obtained via a contact in Germany, just very unusual and a stunning looking item.

How does a usual work day looks like for you?

Cassandra: In our life there is no such thing as a usual day. Everyday is hectic and totally different. Quite often it's very early mornings to go somewhere to view some potential stock, to get back in time to get one of us in the shop. The emails are then the next priority. Then we have a constant juggle of where to store stock, our van seems to be forever full. I often then would undertake some restorations. We don't really have that many days off at the minute but when we do they are just as busy usually exploring some town we have not been to before. Around all of this we manage to fit in going out a lot, we are late to every party, dinner, drinks, gig but we usually make it, which is always pretty sweet.

What's the best thing about being Dig Haüshizzle's shopowner?

Cassandra: Being able to push the business in the direction we both want. I have worked in retail a lot and for ever coming up with ideas now I can actually implement some. It#s great to talk to people about the products and we learn something everyday from our customers. We really are no experts but we are getting much more knowledgeable. It's just great to be here, really.

What are your favourite interior shops (wherever in the world)?

Cassandra: Liberty’s in London is somewhere we cannot pass without going in. I‘m finding it weird but now it‘s getting easier to bypass the fashion sections and head straight to furniture and homewares. We really love Howe on Pimlico Road in London, it gave us a lot of inspiration on how we wanted our shop to look. I‘m a little addicted to the Mantiques Modern website, they are in New York and specialise in 20th century design. I am so so jealous of many of their finds.
I‘ve had a thing for a taxidermy for a while but this totally grew out with a first visit to The Last Tuesday Societys "Little shop of Horrors" in London.  It‘s not an interior shop but this place keeps you in there for hours, I think it‘s a pound to get into the museum section. There are definitely some pretty creepy things that I wouldn't really have in my home but it’s a place full of inspiration. Their parties are great, too.

What's inspiring you right now?

Cassandra: We are mostly inspired from what is just around us and where we choose to go, for example great cafés, bars and restaurants. We also love dilapidated spaces, these are some of the most inspiring. Blogs I really like at the minute include The New Victorian Ruralists and really digging a tumblr page called Black Key by Brad Davison. I seem to just like every picture he chooses. I just ordered the new Hovey sisters book called "Heirloom Modern" so I am looking forward to that. We are looking into getting some of our favorite books into the shop to sell soon, too. We lend out our books quite a lot anyway and we can‘t seem to keep our copy of "Rough Luxe" in store so hopefully selling books will add a bit extra to the store.

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Ein neues Go & Find aus Bristol, diesmal mit Dig Haüshizzle. Die News von diesem neuen Shop traf mitten in mein Herz, natürlich bin ich sofort hingedüst, um mich umzuschauen. Die beiden Shopbesitzer Cassandra und Ed haben ein richtiges Stöberparadies geschaffen, mit Vintageleuchten, Möbeln,  die im früheren Leben in Fabriken oder Büros standen und jetzt aufpoliert ihre metallene Seite zeigen dürfen, mit ein paar Antiquitäten, tollen, langen Holztischen für große Gelage und ausrangierten Schulstühlen. Dazu ein paar Kleinigkeiten für das spontane Finderherz, das gerade nicht nach einem großen Möbelstück sucht:  Schuhleisten, Apothekerflaschen, ausrangierte Schulposter, tolle Magazine oder auch – mein Fund – schickischicke Glühbirnen, die gleich mit nach Hause mussten. Die hingen da so in der langen, wunderbaren Fensterfront und waren zur Abwechslung mal in einem braunen Farbton eingefärbt, durch das die Drähte ganz golden schimmern. Und so warten nun zwei klassiche Edison Glühbirnen und eine Birnenförmige auf ihren gebündelten Einsatz bei mir zuhause.

Aber natürlich hätte ich gerne jede einzelne Lampe mitgenommen, und auch die stählernen Industriemöbel haben es mir angetan. Irgendwie sind davon gar nicht soviel auf meiner Kamera gelandet, ich muss zu abgelenkt von den Leuchten gewesen sein ;-) Und dann gibt es noch jede Menge präparierter Tiere, die ich persönlich immer ganz gerne anschaue. Wann sonst kommt man manchen dieser Schönheiten denn schon mal so nah. All das wird so richtig ‘in style’ präsentiert (da macht das Einkaufen doch gleich doppelt soviel Spaß), vor den dunkel gestrichenen Wänden. Sehr inspiriert bin ich also nach Hause gekommen, zum einen mit neuen Glühbirnen und zum anderen mit dem Wunsch, in der nächsten Wohnung ein paar Wände so richtig dunkel zu streichen. :-)

Auch Cassandra und Ed haben mir ein tolles Interview gegeben, ihre Inspirationsquellen sind wirklich klasse. Ich fands so super, als mir Cassandra erzählte, dass sie bei ihrem letzten NYC-Trip mit einer langen Liste von Cocktailbars bewaffnet waren, die sie unbedingt besuchen wollten... ja, da erkenne ich mich wieder, nur dass meine Cocktailbars die hippen Cafés jeder Stadt sind. Mehr Inspiration also im Interview, viel Spaß!

With love from the UK,

♥ Christine

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