Keith McNally London Home

This Month's House and Garden is a cracker.

Is it me or is this publication getting better and better

I was both surprised and delighted to find amongst it's pages photograph's

of the Home of Keith McNally

I have never seen press on any of his homes before

If you don't know who Keith McNally is then you are certainly not a New Yorker 

and if you have ever visited NYC then you have certainly eaten in one of his Restaurants

Balthazar

Pastisse

Schiller's

The list is extensive 

(for a full list and an interesting article on Keith you can go HERE)

And now he has returned to his place of birth, London and opened up a London Balthazar

Keith just gets it right every time

One of things that is mentioned in the H&G article and that I have always felt 

"it is key to his restaurants that while they are stylish they are never elite"

I think Keith changed the way we eat, the way we socialise.

He levelled the playing field in a way 

His restaurants are not inaccessible 

Ok, they may be pricey for some pockets and we're not eating there every day 

but what I mean is 

Prior to the Reign of Keith 

hip restaurants were stiff, extortionately  expensive and elite 

His restaurants changed that

 and his house is just as stylish as you would expect 

all images are from the pages of House and Garden 
Photographer Simon Upton

Also IN H&G this month is a beautiful home in London belonging to the founder of

Made.com

and a beautiful award winning home belonging to Sebastien and Lucy Fenwick

I highly recommend you hit your news stands and purchase it

just in case you are wondering 

this is my opinion and NOT at all, in any way paid for or endorsed by anyone 

as is everything I post on my blog

Buttery shortbread

OK, so most people will be posting ways to help you cleanse or detox

But I say what better way to start the year than with the recipe for crumbliest butteriest shortbread

You can make this keep it chilled in your fridge and slice, cook serve mouth melting cookies with the click of a perfectly manicured finger

RECIPE

100g sugar

180g plain flour

120g corn flour (cornstarch)

200g soft butter*

METHOD

throw everything into your food processor and blitz until it starts to form a dough

alternatively

throw everything into a bowl and rub with your fingers until it starts to come together

You do not want to overwork this dough

a light hand equals a crumbly cookie

tip mixture which may be breadcrumby and not quite like a dough into 2 freezer bags 

I use a 1kg bag that measures 25cm across the bottom

You can use clingfilm but I like the freezer bags as everything is contained and you can squish the dough together without fear of crumbs escaping

now squish the dough down and form into a cylinder 

now chill for at least 20 mins but up to a week (probably last longer than that really)

when you are ready to eat your cookies

preheat oven to 160c

cut cylinder into 1cm discs and lay on an ungreased cookie sheet

bake in the oven for 20 mins or until just turning golden at the edges

turn oven off, leave door ajar and leave the cookies to cool in the oven 

this will make them really dry and crumbly

you can dust with icing sugar

a few of these plonked in a Kilner jar 

make a wonderful hostess gift 

let me know if you make these 

and how you get on