Camp Maman

The kids are doing a few days a week at the centre loisir (holiday care in local public schools) and so far they’ve been to the Aerospace Museum where they went IN A CONCORDE and saw real rockets, the Académie du Climat and to the pool, plus come home with various artworks and treasures all for the ridiculous price of between €0.47-€26.30 per day (it’s calculated on an income based sliding scale) including lunch. On the other days I’m keeping them entertained at Camp Maman and I’ve already used up most of my best ideas so it’ll be a lot of books and turning errands into adventures going forward.

I took them to the Grand Palais on the last day of the Laure Prouvost exhibition, We Felt A Star Dying, the result of two years of research into quantum physics. Most of it went completely over our heads but I appreciated the direction to lie down in a dark room for a bit and we rolled in lunch at the cafeteria and a browse in the gift shop to puff up the outing a little.

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On Friday my husband and I nipped over to the 16th arrondissement for a very chic cocktail party (I even wore real shoes) where I met some great new people and was told no less than three times over the evening that I seem “quite French.” Clearly meant as a compliment it roughly translates to “you seem like you don’t give a f***.” My husband was duly impressed.

I returned to the market twice this week, happy to be back in my routine but mostly because different vendors were out on different days, everyone transitioning to summer hours. The great holiday exodus is well under way so God’s speed to any tourists expecting that cute little place they saw on TikTok to be open.

My daughter wanted “a hat” as her birthday cake for a family lunch and when asked for further clarification she said “a big circle then a small circle on top mummy.” Despite my confusion I faithfully respected the brief and eventually realised they’d recently re-read Le Petit Prince and the hat wasn’t a hat at all but a boa constrictor who’d eaten an elephant. Voilà. Lunch was uneventful apart from the moment my husband served his parents some natural wine which produced quite the discussion and I’ve never been so glad I don’t drink so the selection couldn’t be pinned on me.

When the Tour de France cyclists were already making their way around Paris I decided I needed to see them so hightailed it over the Seine and a lovely German lady who’d been waiting for five hours(!) let me poke my camera over her head to get some photos. The riders politely circled past at least six times before I got a good shot and I made it home just in time to watch the finish on TV.

Other things I did that don’t merit a full paragraph:

• Shot a family photo session in this magnificent light.

• Saw Odyssey (choose a seat so you can be first to the ladies room when it’s over).

• Baked these gf cookies (added a bag of macadamia nuts, heavenly).

• Welcomed Noisette back from her vacation in the countryside. She’s on my feet as I type.

Have a great week,

- Emily

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Cheese we’re eating this week:

• Tomme aux fleurs sauvages - a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese that’s rolled in a mix of wild flowers after a few months of maturing, which gives it a gorgeous floral aroma.

• Brebis Basque - a raw, pressed sheep’s milk cheese with a mild taste and smooth, creamy texture from the Basque country.

• Sainte-Maure de Touraine - a raw goat’s milk cheese from the village of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine which is rolled into a small log around a piece of straw and has an ash coating.

All three cheeses were from Manu at Marché Maubert.

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Pavlova

You can scale this recipe up or down, it’s always 50g of sugar to each egg white.

• 6 egg whites

• 300g sugar

• 1 teaspoon vinegar (optional but recommended)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional but recommended)

1. Set the oven to 130°C and lay some parchment paper or a silpat on a baking tray.

2. Separate the egg whites and whip until soft peaks form.

3. Gently add the sugar, a little at a time, while still mixing and continue until you have stiff peaks and you can’t feel any grains of sugar if you rub the mixture between your hands.

4. Add the cornstarch and vinegar and whip for a few seconds until fully mixed in.

5. Bake for about an hour and a half. Turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and leave to cool.

6. Decorate with whipped cream and seasonal fruit.

Bon appétit!

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Real Life Paris Photo

The sign says “DANGER, don’t open the door, BEES” meanwhile the back door was wide open.

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Recent Finds Worth Sharing:

• Folderol now has a second location for scoops and sips

• These are the showstopper sparkler candles I use on cakes

• My Top 10 Things To Do In Paris

• This dress was created in a lab to tempt me

• Always trying to fit more love hearts into an outfit

• France has changed age limit for social media to 15. It won’t fix everything but it’s a step in the right direction.

• Ideal for my summer frame of mind

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