THE ROYAL COURT CANDLE MAKER

In 1643 Claude Trudon was the owner of a shop, which provided its customers with candles. His heirs soon provided church candles to all the cathedrals in France and to the Versailles royal court until the end of the monarchy.
Something profound from this great past is still present in the house products and in the Paris shop located in rue de Seine: an ancient and awe-inspiring feeling of regality.
You can find candles of various colours and with cameos, wonderful wax busts and the well-known bougies (aromatic glass candles that reproduce evocative fragrances) in a shop decorated with tuile de jouy wallpapers and amazing antiques.
Completely natural wax, fragrances from the best producers, handmade glass for the bougies made by Italian craftsmen, everything is magnificent and elegant.
Finally the magic: when you go home, even if your place is small and messy, just light a Cire Trudon candle and you will be the queen of your own castle.

Cire Trudon – 78 rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France
www.ciretrudon.com

IN THE NEST OF THE RED SQUIRREL

It is a real pleasure to hole up in the Red Squirrel. It’s a place where you just feel at home.
You can find very good beer, delicious hamburgers and spicy chips are a real greediness. Why is this place so unique?
Because of the feel-good ambience and the furnishing, with wood, prints and leather sofas, that welcome you and make you lose the knowledge of time. It is like being in your own living room with friends. Especially when it’s cold outside, it is extremely nice to linger awhile drinking another beer with the red squirrel.

Red Squirrel – 21 Lothian Road, Old Town, EH1 2DJ Edinburgh, UK
www.redsquirreledinburgh.co.uk

KAFFIR LIME FRESH LEAVES

I will start with one of my favourite spots, The Spice Shop in London.
It is a very small shop I discovered by chance walking around a corner in Portobello Road during the Saturday market. Here you will really find all spices of the World.
Walls are covered from top to bottom by yellow packages, bags and tin cans with a red logo, all neatly stowed by type.
The funniest thing to do at The Spice Shop is to review all spices and mixtures wondering why you don’t know most of them, to choose the ones that appeal the most to you and go back home with the cheerful feeling that even your simplest dishes will never be the same again.

The Spice Shop - 1 Blenheim Crescent, W11 2EE London, UK
www.thespiceshop.com