Manon Lagrève – Founder of Manon’s Little Kitchen & Manon and Rose

Raised in a small village in Brittany, France, Manon Lagrève grew up on a farm where food was celebrated as the core of family life. Manon’s culinary love was second nature, keenly watching her mother and grandmother cook every meal from scratch; from breads to biscuits, and of course, desserts.

At 20, she traded rural France for the lure of the big city and moved to London to work as an au pair, becoming fluent in English – and she hasn’t left. She fell in love with the wonderful array of bakeries, was inspired to share her own recipes, travels and life on her blog Manon’s Little Kitchen, and this led to her becoming a quarter finalist of The Great British Bake Off season 9.

Now, she’s expanded into responsible fashion, launching a small-scale, low-waste womenswear brand with her friend Rosie Spencer, Manon and Rose. Her Instagram feed is a delicious mix of baking, beaches and cute outfits – alongside her husband Luke and their baby girl Fleur. It’s the kind of wholesome, French-influenced life we’d all love a slice of.

Part of our Insiders series, this is your window into the worlds of the coolest people in Safara’s network. These are the contacts we’d hit up for travel inspiration, whether it’s a hotel recommendation, a new track for our in-transit playlist, the best mini-products to pack, or just to daydream about where we’d open a boutique island hotel (this changes with each Insider guide we read – we’re easily and happily influenced).

Read on for travel inspiration from Manon Lagr´ève.

Name three of your favorite hotels?

I stayed in the Japanese Alps in one of the Ryokan to enjoy a spa (Onsen) in Hirayu and it was one of the best things I have done. Total immersion into the Japanese culture and so worth it.

Camping in a yurt the middle of the desert in North Tunisia – it was a very much an improvised stay with my family, we got to spend the night there and woke up to watch the sunrise, and had bread cooked in sand for breakfast, which was an amazing experience!

Manon Les Suites in Copenhagen. I think it will take a long time for me to find a better hotel. There is this amazing pool in the middle of the place, some amazing plants, and an amazing breakfast.

What hotel room design element can you not live without?

A fridge, because I just love buying food.

Where would you go to digital detox or just generally to get off the grid?

Home, in the countryside of Brittany, France.

What three songs are on your OOO playlist?

Howl by Florence and The Machine. Someone That Loves You by Izzy Bizu + Honne. And Story by Xxanaxx.

What do you always bring with you in your carry-on?

A eye mask and some water (I probably drink three litres a day, and probably pee 20-times a day).

If you could swap suitcases with anyone in the world at baggage claim, who would you swap with?

Julie Sarinana, from Sincerely Jules.

Have you or would you travel alone?

No, I love sharing my experience with someone and just find myself bored very easily when alone. I need to communicate and relate to someone. 

If you’re going to a new place, and your friends have not been there, what do you consult for advice?

I love looking at travel blogs, I think it is always the best pieces of travel advises I had (only if I don’t know anyone that has been there). If you like the blogger in question and already related to things they do and enjoy, their travel recommendations should match in a way what you like.

If you could quit your job and follow the Mamma Mia dream (ie. open a small hotel in another country or on a remote island), where would it be?

Iceland.

Beach, city or mountains?

Mountains.

Alone or with someone else?

With someone else.

Window or aisle?

Window. The best part of flying is looking through the window.

And, a recipe for travel snacks (or a treat, even if we’re not going anywhere)? 

My Ultimate Ginger Biscuits 

Ingredients

• 400g of dark muscovado sugar
• 200g of granulated sugar
• 250g of salted butter at room temperature
• 2 tbsp of golden syrup
• 2 tbsp of black Treacle
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp of ground ginger
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 600g of plain flour

Royal Icing:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp of cream of tartar
• 500g of icing sugar

Method

1. Make the biscuit dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the sugars and the butter and beat for 4 min. Then add the eggs one by one. When everything is combined, add the golden syrup and treacle and mix well. Finish by adding the flour and the ground ginger and cinnamon and nutmeg. The dough will be super stiff, but that is good!

2. Bake: Take a quarter of the dough, and roll on a floured surface and start to cut the shaped desired. Keep the pieces in the fridge for 30 min before baking at 180 degrees for 18 min.

3. Make the royal icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs and the cream of tartar and mix until soft picks form. Stiff in the icing sugar and mix for 5 min. Add some icing sugar to make it thicker, and add some water to make it thiner, easy!

Happy Baking!

Read more from our Insiders series, here.