French Affair: The 5 Best Parks in Paris

1. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is a public park situated in northeastern Paris, in the 19th arrondissement and one of the city's most magical spots. The park was was designed by Adolphe Alphand for Haussmann opened as part of the celebrations for the Universal Exhibition in 1867. It features paths, waterfalls, temples and vertical cliffs.

2. Jardin du Luxembourg

 

Established by Italian monarch Marie de Medicis in the mid-17th century, the gardens, located at 2 rue Auguste Compte (6e) feature a Florentine-style palace which now houses the French Senate. One of this park's attraction is the beautiful Medici Fountain.

3. Tuileries Garden

The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It was created between 1564 and 1572 by Catherine de Medici, the widow of King Henry II and it stretches over 22.4 hectares.

4. Montsouris Park

Located in the 14th arrondissement between rue d'Alesia and the Cité Universitaire, the Parc Montsouris is one of the largest green spaces in Paris. It's popular with joggers on weekends.

5. Champ de Mars

The Champ de Mars, opened in 1780, is located in the seventh arrondissement, between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire. It offers the most beautiful view of the Tour Eiffel and boasts extensive lawns, paths & trees.

Limoncello Swiss Roll

This Swiss roll filled with Limoncello and lemon-flavoured custard is a fresh variation of the classic jam filled Swiss roll recipe. The method is very similar: just make the sponge cake mixture and a sweet custard to fill the roll with. What makes this recipe special, is the addition of Limoncello, a sweet lemon-flavored Italian liqueur.

Ingredients for 8 portions:

For the sponge:

130g white flour

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

50ml milk

1tsp baking powder

1tsp vanilla extract

lemon slices and icing sugar to decorate

For the custard:

300ml milk

1 lemon

2 egg yolks 

50g caster sugar

35g cornstarch

20ml limoncello

Method:

1. Prepare the custard first: Gently warm the milk in a saucepan. Whisk the eggs and sugar, and stir in the cornstarch. Add some warm milk to soften the mixture and continue to whisk gradually adding the rest of the milk. Add a slice of lemon peel. Place the egg and milk mixture in a saucepan and heat, stirring. When the custard starts to thicken add the lemon  juice and continue to stir until thickened. Remove from the heat, set aside and allow to cool.

2. To make the sponge cake mixture, preheat oven to 220C and grease and line the base and sides of a 25 x 30cm Swiss roll pan with baking paper. Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and pale and doubled in size. Sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mixture, gently fold until combined and add the milk and vanilla extract continuing to stir gently. 

3. Smooth the cake mixture onto the Swiss roll pan and bake for 6/8 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle a large sheet of baking paper with extra caster sugar. Turn the hot sponge out onto the sugared paper. Remove the baking paper. Using the paper as a guide, roll the sponge from a short end into a log. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Unroll the sponge onto a clean work surface and brush it with the Limoncello. Spread the custard over the moist sponge, leaving a 2cm boarder at the end. Roll sponge to enclose filling.

 

5. Place on a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and decorated with the lemon slices to serve.

International Scoliosis Awareness Day 2016

Scoliosis is a disorder with abnormal sideways or lateral curvature of the spine. It is not a rare condition but there is still very little knowledge or understanding about scoliosis and how it affects the lives of patients and their families, which can leave them feeling isolated and unsure where to turn.

Many of you may not know that Jamaican sprinter and gold medalist Usain Bolt has scoliosis. In an interview Bolt described how scoliosis affected his training in the early part of his career:

“When I was younger it wasn’t really a problem. But you grow and it gets worse. My spine’s really curved bad [makes “S” shape with finger]. But if I keep my core and back strong, the scoliosis doesn’t really bother me. So I don’t have to worry about it as long as I work hard. The early part of my career, when we didn’t really know much about it, it really hampered me because I got injured every year.”

In 2013 Scoliosis Association (UK) launched International Scoliosis Awareness Day. The aim was to unite people from all over the world to create positive public awareness of scoliosis, promote education, and bring together those affected by the condition.

National Scoliosis Awareness Month takes place yearly in June with the goal of highlighting the growing need for education, early detection and awareness to the public about scoliosis and its prevalence within the community.

ISAD 2016 is on Saturday 25th June 2016. Show your support and get involved in this year's very special Got Your Back campaign!  To find out how you can help visit www.sauk.org.uk 

Follow SAUK on twitter @ScoliosisUK     #scoliosisgotyourback

Got your Back Mug £5 GBP available from www.sauk.org.uk/shop/shop-online