I first discovered Belazu Balsamic Vinegar at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. Fifteen has a wonderful side salad made with this balsamic vinegar and I loved it so much that I asked our waiter what it was and brought two bottles home from the restaurant the same night.

When I was close to running out, I thought I was going to have to stop by Fifteen on my way home from work to stock up but with a little research I also learned that Waitrose sells it as well.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been eating a simple salad with rocket, spinach, romaine or whatever kind of lettuce leaves I have in the house, a drizzingly of a good olive oil, Belazu Balsamic vinegar and a little bit of fresh parmesan. It is absolutely my favorite salad and takes about a minute to make.

I am not normally a balsamic vinegar person but this one is much thicker and sweeter than balsamic vinegars I've had in the past. It's great for dunking bread and drizzingly over oven roasted summer vegetables like courgettes, auberine, peppers, onions, etc.

When Interior Designers Alison Jackson and Tricia Tallon found it difficult to find dining room chairs, they decided to create their own company and The Dining Chair Company was born.

They have a large selection of both traditional and contemporary styles and you can can also choose from a selection of upholstery fabrics. If you want to take a closer look at their stuff, they have a showroom near Sloan Square.

Some of my favorites are below:


Look, my chance to own a little piece of Helen Green Designs with this chair she created for The Dining Room Company







Photo Credit: The Dining Chair Company

When you can have a pretty wreath on your door all year?







You can find these beauties at Williams Sonoma.

I am in San Diego exploring Balboa Park this morning...a short stop before heading to Mexico.

Divertimenti has just come out with their list of new spring/summer cooking classes. There are so many look so interesting that I am having a hard time making any decisions.

I love these cooking classes because they really reinvigorate my own style and I seem to spawn recipes of my own from the ones I come home with. Or I mix and match ingredients or take parts of one and combine them with another.

Here's what I have so far. I am trying to get my list of 8, down to about three.

1. California Cooking with Jennifer Joyce - I love Jennifer's cooking and the Asian influence in her style...artichokes, asparagus and passionfruit tart

2. Springtime in Provence with Alex Mackay- Red Souffle and Tiger Prawn Soup

3. Springtime in Paris with Flavia Rose

4. Picnic on the Run with Marcia Barrington - Crab and saffron tartlets sound delicious

5. Berries and Cherries - I think this one is in my top three. I am definitely in a berries and cherries mood.

6. Seasonal Summer Salads

7. Mexican Hands on with Jennifer Joyce - I love Mexican and since it's a challenge to find good Mexican in the UK perhaps I should learn to make my own.

8. Grow it, Cook it, Eat it with Celia Brooks Brown. I remember taking another class with Celia and she mentioned that she had just gotten an allotment and was going to be growing her vegetables. I would love to see what has inspired her in her garden.