Well hello…
I’m so pleased you’re here. Truly. When I started this newsletter I thought I’d be writing to a cosy handful of followers, and instead there are over 4,000 of you in the mailing list, which is both thrilling and slightly terrifying. Thank you for signing up.
Yes, we had a few teething problems getting going (if you got an odd email, a broken link or nothing at all, I’m sorry, and thank you for your patience). Everything has now been ironed out (I hope!), and we’re properly up and running.
If you’ve subscribed to my newsletter, what can you expect? Every Tuesday, tiara on, I’ll land in your inbox with recipes, what’s coming up, a cocktail or two, and whatever I’ve been up to. This week, for example, I went to the theatre, and I’ll tell you all about it below. Before long I’ll also be sharing my top picks: the things I genuinely love and use all the time, no fluff. And, of course, a healthy dose of general Jules rubbish.
Pour yourself something nice. Let’s begin.
Off to the theatre…
This week I went to see TRU at the Menier Chocolate Factory, tucked away near Borough Market. It’s one of those places that feels almost fringe, which is exactly its charm.
It stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Yes, Cams’ husband from Modern Family, though he’s been doing a lot of stage work lately, and my Goodness, it shows. The set is unbelievably immersive: just two rows of chairs around the edge of the room, and suddenly you’re sitting in Truman Capote’s sitting room, practically close enough to pass him a drink.
His Capote is extraordinary. He captures the flamboyance and the wit, but also the deep sadness underneath: the loneliness, the vulnerability, the tragedy of a man who could command any room and yet seemed so desperately in need of connection. It’s a performance that has stayed with me.
Top Tip
Get there an hour before the show starts. That gives you time to grab a drink, which you’re allowed to take in with you. I almost said ‘into the theatre’, but really it’s into Truman Capote’s sitting room. You’re also encouraged to wander around the set beforehand, and it’s well worth it, because the fine details are incredible.
The bar doesn’t do cocktails, so I made do with a double vodka and tonic. But sitting there among Capote’s things, I found myself hankering after a very dirty martini. Here’s my recipe.
It’s only running until 14th November, so if you fancy it, book soon. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
A morning with Schiaparelli
I also popped into the V&A in South Kensington this week for the Schiaparelli exhibition. (It’s ‘skap-ah-REL-ee’, I’ve checked, so you can say it with confidence at your next dinner party.) It’s been on since March, and in true Jules fashion I left it until the last minute, so I had to get a wiggle on.
I adore fashion. I really do. I just know my limits. These are clothes I could never in a million years pull off. I’d look less surrealist masterpiece and more like I’d lost a fight with a dressing-up box. But that’s exactly the joy of it. You get to stand there and marvel without any pressure to find your size.
The outfits are breathtaking, and there are wonderful snippets about her life, how the house has carried on since, and her collaborations with Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Allow about 45 minutes to take it all in and read every bit of the blurb. It’s a lovely way to spend a morning, followed by a coffee somewhere nice, obviously.
It closes on 8th November, so you’ll need to get a wiggle on too.
Speaking of fashion…
If you’ve caught any of my recent fashion films, you’ll know I’ve been giving my winter wardrobe a bit of a boost. Nothing quite as daring as a Schiaparelli lobster dress, I promise, but a few pieces I’m genuinely thrilled with. If you’ve missed them, you can catch up here.
This week’s cocktail: The Algonquin
I’ve been leafing through my trusty New York Bartender’s Guide, which I bought back in 1997, and I’m having a lovely time discovering cocktails I’d never heard of. Some feel as though they’ve been quietly lost to time, so consider this my little mission to bring them back to life.
This week it’s the Algonquin, named after New York’s Algonquin Hotel, where Dorothy Parker and her famously sharp-tongued friends gathered for lunch. A drink with that kind of company deserves reviving.
Have these ready for Friday:
- Bourbon. Any nice one will do, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a blend. I’m using Buffalo Trace.
- Dry vermouth. My choice is Noilly Prat.
- Pineapple juice
You’ll also want a cocktail glass. As for how it all comes together, you’ll have to tune in. The film goes up on my socials at 5pm on Friday. See you there, glass in hand.
This week’s recipe
October: the month the supermarket gets overrun with pumpkins, and since I always try to cook with the seasons, I’m not complaining.
Rather than carve another wonky face, I roast little ‘munchkin pumpkins’ until spoonably soft, then fill them with vegetable curry. It’s an impressive starter for very little effort, or you can scale up to a big culinary pumpkin for a show-stopping centerpiece. Out of pumpkins? Any squash can happily be substituted.
If this doesn’t light your lantern, there are links to more recipes here.
Vegetable Curry Stuffed Munchkin Pumpkin
Munchkin pumpkins are available in most supermarkets during the lead up to Halloween. If you can’t find them, use slices of butternut squash or 3 small pumpkins cut in half.
The vegetable curry is also delicious as a side dish without the pumpkin.
Ingredients
6 munchkin pumpkins
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for drizzling
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp curry paste of your choice (I used madras)
- 100 g broccoli florets
- 100 g green beans, cut into 1 cm slices
- 1 red pepper, chopped into 1 cm cubes
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp toasted seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Lightly grease a baking tray. Remove the top of the pumpkin. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place the pumpkin on the tray, drizzle with a little oil and season with salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until just tender.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add onion, sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook for a couple of minutes and stir in the curry paste.
- Add broccoli, green beans and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the pumpkins are cooked, use a spoon to remove some of the flesh. Add the flesh to the cooked veg and spoon the mixture back into the pumpkins. Serve with toasted seeds sprinkled over the top.
Read the full recipe and watch the video here
Top Tip
The shops are heaving with pumpkins at the moment, so here’s a little film from my ‘Top Tips’ for preparing pumpkin for soups and pies. One word of warning, make sure you buy a culinary pumpkin for cooking, not one of the big carving ones which are watery and bland, and much better with a face cut into them!
Halloween-inspired pumpkin recipes…
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Spiced Chicken & Pumpkin
Something for the gathering season
Now, I hate to say the C word when it’s only October, so I won’t. But if you’re anything like me, your mind is already drifting towards the gathering season: the planning, the hosting, the friends round the table, the kitchen full of happy chaos.
So I’ll just leave you with a little teaser. I’ve been working on something very special with the lovely people at Echo, made for exactly those moments of gathering. I can’t say any more just yet, but watch this space…
With love (and a tiara),
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