Blenheim Palace: The Breath taking Birthplace of Winston Churchill, current home of the 11th duke and duchess

town of where: sir winston churchill was born 

''BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

the finest collections and gilded state rooms 

''BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

The current Home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a World Heritage Site.

Originally, Blenheim Palace was gifted from Queen Anne to the 1st Duke of Marlborough following his famous victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. 

The palace is situated in Woodstock, Cotswolds, which is about 8 miles from Oxford, Blenheim Palace is  a dream come true. It has housed a variety of magical upper scale weddings and served as a filming site for movies such as Harry Potter. The land boasts  over 2,000 acres of immucalate landscaped parks, lakes, formal gardens and amazing cafes.
I absolutely enjoyed my trip & it was only 45 min out of London, believe it or not. Jut catching a overground train from Marylebone station, directly takes you to the village closest to the Palace. I was taken around town by local and my uber designer friend Sophia Susasi to see all the sites Blenheim has to offer. It was elegant, natural, breath taking and a absolutely amazing experience to be surrounded by so much culture and history in the heart of the UK countryside.

fancy little burgers , tomato chutney  and chips

''BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

UK DEsigners: Meline Katchi & Sohipa  susassi

''BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

existing history  : home of  11th duke and dutchess

''BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

open gardens & a moment of luxury  outdoors  

'BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

The amazing country side of england  

'BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

strolling  IN a fairy tale

 BLENHEIM PALACE: COTSWOLDS: UK

Meline Katchi of Industrie Footwear 

 Blenheim palace: COTSWOLDS: UK

Most amazing gardens in all of uk:blenheim palace 

the  most picturesque location: cotswolds: UK

giant human Maze :   take 30 min to run through

gardens of blenheim palace: cotswolds: UK

the Temple : Winston churchill proposed  

to his wife 'clemintine'

The Palace, offers a variety of themed tours and there are endless  State Rooms filled with historic craftsmanship, fine art and  treasures from over 300 years ago.
It is beautiful , tranquil and  was the parkland areas were created in the 1760's and the Formal Gardens were created more recently to reflect the history of the buildings and monuments. It is a absolute must visit spot by anyone traveling to the UK!

FOOD, FAMILY, COOKIES, HIDDEN WEST END OF LONDON and R & R: 2013

time for bunny coonut cookies 

cute easter baking 

We had a variety of vegetarian middleeastern meals

recepies and food done by alina katchi

It was so nice to have a Easter Break from the intensive program at London College of Fashion, although i'm not much of a cook, I was able to bake and learn some new recepies form my sister who used to be a chef. Since she came from such a serious fine dining background, she loves to do fun recepies at home. I've featured some of our easter cookies and a few dishes from dinner. Mostly vegetarian, middle eastern inspired dishes, that highlighted the seasonal ingredients of Spring. It was nice to get to see the natural sights London has to offer. Most people think it is just a fast paced city, but there is so much more it has to offer including nature walks along the river, the Chiswick House and Chiswick Gardens. The Chiswick house also has a amazing Cafe, designed by award winning architects, Caruso St John. In 2011 the Café received three RIBA awards including London Building of the Year. There are very quaint english pubs along the river that seem to flow with the cascading river that has incredible views.

spring flowers in the bloom

light pinks, oranges, and corals 

the army of coconut bunnies

Shortbread cookies with coconut fur by alina katchi

Finally grabbing a relaxing flat white

my favorite european coffee drink: Flat White

on to the  Easter dinner:

Roasted Lamb, tomato, spninich by Alina Katchi 

Easter dinner:

courgette salad with red chili by alina katchi 

The magical west end of London

 the majestic hidden london only known by locals

THE MAGICAL WEST END OF LONDON

Feeding the birds by the river

 It was fun hiking though nature to watch the tide rise and fall. Be careful here, because the tide does rise quite high and my sister and I almost got trapped on the island! We had to walk though the river with our clothes and shoes on to get to the other side! We were completely soaked in the ice water, but I guess it was a memory we wont forget?
The quaint cottages along the way to the river are preserved in their original state and have the names of the homes and who they once belonged to inscribed on the facade of the homes.

THE MAGICAL WEST END OF LONDON

Charming mid century cottages in west london