4. The Thinking Photographer’s Podcast - new episode
5 Crumble and spice muffins
6. Paul’s Dark Space
7. Bonus footage
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Hello there
And firstly may we wish you the very best for Christmas and 2026- personally, professionally and creatively. May it be full of unexpected - and happy - surprises for you.
After much delay, our schedule has at last allowed us to get to work in earnest on Travels with my Cake Tins (working title). This is our story, created over 15 years. At its heart, the book is about living a life less ordinary - and daring to follow a path that feels “right”, rather than “correct”. It’s part travelogue, part recipe book and part guide to leading a creative life. It will be available, initially, in ebook form until an agent finds a publisher for us. But there is a mountain of work to do before then.
We hope you find your own creative groove, in 2026, and the confidence to follow it single-mindedly. The rewards are huge. We’re always here to help you on that journey, on-line and in-person.
With our best wishes
Charlotte and Niall
Our Elbe Sandstone Mountains Retreat, November 2025
It was our German friend and colleague, Willi Rolfes, who first introduced us to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the far south east of Germany, 50 minutes south of Dresden. This is an ancient sea-floor environment lifted and shaped by time and water into the curious mix of cultural and wild landscape we see today. It’s a wildly popular location amongst German photographers and climbers but is perhaps less well-known beyond the country. Unwittingly, many others will have seen the landscape as a backdrop in some of the German Romantic painter, Casper David Friedrich’s works, including his most famous one, Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog. It was inevitable then, given Friedrich’s frequent use of religious symbolism, that the Wandering Monk would show up. Rather like Top Gear’s The Stig, though, Le Moine Errant appears in photographs only on the condition of anonymity.
One of the things that draws us to this area is reliable fog in the autumn. When it loafs around damp wooded hollows, surges out of ravines and meanders between sandstone spires, it lends a particular atmosphere - partly sinister, but also profoundly tranquil - which is enchanting. Our visit this time was perhaps a week past peak autumn colours, which had the advantage of revealing structures in the landscape and individual trees more explicitly than before leaf fall.
The interests of our guests allowed us to look a little more at the built environment than last time, including, inevitably. a tumble-down hotel not too far from our accommodation in the rather more picturesque village of Papstdorf. But it was really Dresden itself that captured our imagination. A massive amount of restoration has taken place since the Allied fire-bombing of the city in February 1945 that killed perhaps 25 000 civilians and razed large parts of the city.
As with most cities, I wished we could have had access to a second floor balcony to make the problem of converging verticals go away. Nevertheless, by using as long a lens as possible (even, at times, my 500 mm) and not framing too tightly, it was possible to minimise the issue. Lightroom has quite good perspective correcting tools now and so long as you leave it with enough space to crop round the subject, it’s not a bad option.
It’s hard not to be impressed by the phenomenal level of craftsmanship exhibited on some of the buildings, especially very old ones that survived the bombing. We flatter ourselves on how sophisticated and technically advanced we are today, but when it comes to creating complex beauty in our buildings, expressing humour in their finishing touches and being faithful to a deep-seated longing for balance and harmony then…I think that all too many modern buildings show as much imagination in their design and have as little soul as an Ikea Kallax unit, however functional each may be. I fear there may be some mis-selling of simplicity as sophistication.
The centre-piece of Dresden is arguably the Frauenkirche (below). Started in its current form in 1726 to the designs of George Bähr, it suffered catastrophic damage during the 1945 assault. After German re-unification, the reconstruction took 12 years to complete, employing the best craftsmen of their day and using CAD to recreate the church as close as possible to the original. Like most of the buildings in Dresden, it is surprisingly modestly-lit in the evening, making it easier to strike a balance between daylight and artificial illumination.
If you fancy seeing this fascinating area for yourself, Niall will be leading a tour there in 2026 for Light and Land.
Chez-nous re-boot
You may have noticed in our now-customary welcome picture at the top of this newsletter that there was no mention of “Chez-nous” - just our house name. Well, our Chez-nous Retreats are very much alive and kicking but we wanted to change the branding a little to reflect an important new slant to our offer.
Originally conceived for couples or two friends, we felt the need to clairfy that we run these special one-of-a-kind Retreats for one person at a time, or a couple, or a couple and a friend or two couples who know each other. Everything else remains the same. We realised that while some folks relish the undivided attention and total focus on what they want to learn about - or just “do” - others enjoy being part of a bigger social group - without that group being too large and unfamiliar. While it’s generally not viable for holiday companies to run tours with fewer than five guests, our model allows us to do so, here in Burgundy, and in the process to offer the highest level of service.
You can check out the 2026 (Chez-nous!) brochures here or further down this newsletter. And let us know what YOU’D like to do.
Our best review. Ever
In the last issue of MENUette we recounted the story of having to relocate our Islay Retreat to the Boat of Garten in the Cairngorms when the ferry was cancelled. We told our side of the story, so here now is the perspective of one of our guests on that Retreat, Steve Thomas, poet of laureate of holiday reviews and a worthy successor to Robert Browning. Maybe even William McGonagall.
The road to the Boat
I’d wanted for years to turn my feet
to the treat petite of a Benvie Retreat.
I’d read MENUette but I hadn’t been yet;
Charlotte’s grub was the lure, chocolate bon-bons for sure.
So when I saw Islay, the latest resort,
my mind was made up, and two places I bought,
feeling quite chill as I footed the bill.
Then family events disrupted our thinking;
health further north was rapidly sinking.
Karen’s Dad took a fall between kitchen and hall,
so we drove off at speed - very worried indeed.
We said toodle-oo to Mentmore, chez nous.
Merseyside weeks left us photo geeks
needing a break but barely awake.
But carers stepped in and Dad’s health got better,
so we set off for Scotland as the weather got wetter.
We were feeling quite cool as we left Liverpool.
Still thinking of pics as we hit the M6
Reality dawned that Storm Amy, long warned
Made nobody merry - Calmac cancelled the ferry.
We pressed on to Preston, and on to Carlisle,
with Niall and Charlotte replanning the while.
Our feelings were poor on the M74.
That night without power, trees falling each hour,
long dark by nine, supping candle-lit wine,
we pondered the morrow and hoped for no sorrow.
We feared future harm as we left Sheildaig Farm.
The Benvies came good - we knew that they would;
no need for a ferry when you have a Boat,
this one needing no seas to keep it afloat.
The Cairngorms for us, with minimal fuss.
No need to feel glum by the turn to Tyndrum.
Having trees down at Sheildaig we feared some more
and past Aberfeldy, a road-block for sure
so we took a diversion, back to the south
feeling a little bit down in the mouth
But soon on the A9 and plans back in line
we turned the right way - hip, hip hurray!
No call for a hanky as we passed Killiecrankie.
We got to the Boat; we’d turned up too early
so off to the loch for me and my girlie.
Then back to Finchwood, our home for the week
Food and photography both now to seek.
And no disappointment in either regard
but time to stop rhyming before it gets hard.
Were we disappointed to miss out on Islay?
Like Samson when barbered by lovely Delilah?
No, certainly not, the food was divine,
whether partnered or not with prandial wine.
We both learned a lot about snapping with Niall -
for kaleidoscopes now I’m getting a feel -
but it all stopped too soon, and we’re back to our norm,
this time with no accompanying storm.
Thank you to both - and of course to Dawn
whose porridge enhanced my personal brawn.
What a team were you three, you gave us much glee.
Our only dishearten was to leave Boat of Garten.
SCT
13 October 2025
We think this is real talent 😊😊. Thank you so much, Steve - and Karen and Phil.
The Thinking Photographer’s Podcast - new episodes
Series three of your (favourite?!) coffee-break podcast will start on 3rd January. Dispatches from the Collapse was perhaps not the ideal episode to launch the new series, flushed as you’ll be with good Christmas cheer…but it’s a wake-up call to give some serious thought to how we will, individually, deal with events to come. The other ones are less troubling, I’m glad to say!
2026
3rd January. Dispatches from the Collapse
17th January. Context and the origin of ideas
31st January. Food, landscape and integrity
14th February. Learning today
28th February. Legacy and hubris
14th March. Word pictures
If you’ve not listened before, these pods are concentrated packages of ideas and inspiration, normally no longer than about 10 minutes, designed to provide direction during your own creative development. And, damn it, they’re even free.
Crumble and spice muffins
One of the things about Christmas is that we never know who will just drop in for a cup of coffee- family or friends. But if I get an hour’s notice, I can have something seasonal baked and ready to eat. These crumble and spice muffins are an easy, go-to favourite we save for this time of year.
What you’ll need:
For the muffin mix:
Dark muscovado sugar, 180g
Unsalted butter, 180g
Plain flour, 180g
Dried cranberries or currants, 80g
Sliced glacé cherries, 40g
The zest of one large, washed orange
Mixed candied peel, 40g
Mixed spice, ½ a tablespoon
Baking powder, ¾ of a teaspoon
Medium-sized eggs, 4, one of which is for its yolk only
Madeira, 50ml
and for the crumble mix:
Plain flower, 100g
Demerara sugar, 70g
Unsalted butter, 70g, which is chilled and cut up
Cinnamon, ½ a teaspoon
and since it’s Christmas, you’ll also need someone to wash up for you.
The making of the muffins.
Get the oven on first, at 170˚ C if you have a fan (190˚ C if you don’t) or gas mark 5, then arrange around 16 cases in your muffin baking tin. Blitz the crumble ingredients and set them aside for now.
You’ll need your Kitchenaid/ Kenwood next - this time to cream the softened butter, sugar and orange zest together with a balloon whisk, just until the mix is fluffy. This could take a few minutes.
While the mixer is still going, add three eggs and their whites and just the yolk of the fourth one, for a bit of extra colour. Trickle in the Madeira so it is properly incorporated. When I do this it all looks horribly curdled but don’t worry, it will be fine and you can stop the mixer and pour the gloop into a separate bowl. Next, swish the cranberries, cherries and peel around in a bit of flour, so they are properly coated. You can now sieve the remaining flour plus baking powder and mixed spice into the gloopy cake mixture, before folding it in, along with the peel and fruit.
Almost there. Is the oven up to heat yet? Just use two spoons (the mix is too thick to pipe) to half-fill each case with the mixture and add a scattering of crumble mix on top. The should be baked in about 25 minutes, but keep an eye on them. Once they are cooled a little, and assuming your guests haven’t arrive yet, sprinkle a little icing sugar over then - and edible glitter for a seasonal touch.
Bon app. ! Charlotte
Paul’s Dark Space
If you want to do dark, moody, food photograph the most useful thing you can make for yourself is a “dark space”. It’s the best way to control unruly light. Paul and Gitti have done a couple of Retreats for 2 at our place, photographing plates of food, and here Paul recounts how he made his own light-dampening set when he returned home to Switzerland. NB
The most stable and easily workable material is wood, except that it has the disadvantage of being relatively heavy to handle. I considered plastic board, which, whilst being light and stable, would be harder to paint black and probably harder to join. After a conversation on building practical studio size V-flats (the dark space is a variation on this classic light control tool) with photographer Peter Coulson, I turned my attention to polystyrene boards, similar to those designed for cavity wall insulation. These are available in many sizes and thicknesses and are light, easy to paint and relatively easy to join together.
A quick visit to my local DIY home store and I was ready to go. I decided upon 4 sheets of 1000mm x 500mm x 30mm polystyrene board. I also bought a 750ml tin of matt-black paint and a tube of polystyrene-friendly glue and a length of flat hinge profile. Don't be tempted to use aerosol spray paint either as this, like some glue, can eat polystyrene) A 600mm square slate tile acted as the base/ background for the overheads and 45˚ shots.
My plan was to form an upside-down "U" from two panels and and use the third as a “roof”. The long sides (arms) would remain 1000mm long and the end / base would be shortened to 560mm (500mm inner width plus 30mm each side for the arm panels). The the other piece was cut to provide light control at each end..
I gave the inside of each panel two coats of matt back, which dried quickly between coats. The finish was good and the fact the surface was dimpled could only help to reduce the risk of unwanted reflection.
The next day I set about assembling my construction. I glued the hinges to the ends of the "arms" using UHU. To add some extra strength I also used some "self tap" screws and glued these into place. I decided to orientate the hinges to allow one panel to hinge "inwards" and the other "outwards". This allows more flexibility in the available width of the dark space during usage and also makes storage much easier, as the space can so be laid completely flat.
Now: does it work? in short: yes. The use of diffused flash to light the subject inside the space will overpower any leakages of light from edges that aren't perfectly flush. Initially, I wasnˋt sure if the visible brass hinge would reflect any light, but this wasn't an issue. The whole contruction weighs less than 2kg. and around 50 € in materials. But that’s Swiss prices for you.
Similar materials can be used to construct V-flats. Use two polystyrene boards at least 2000mm x 1000mm x 100mm (to allow enough base area for them to be free-standing). As V-flats are used for reflecting as well as for darkening only paint one side black, leaving the other side white.
A small challenge is the hinge, as the V-flats should be able to create at least a 90° angle in both directions. I've since been advised that the best solution is to use "duct tape". Leave the boards about 25mm apart then place a piece of wide duct tape over the gap, on each side of the boards. Press down the middle to stick the two side together and you’ll have a strong and flexible hinge that let’s you get the 90˚ you need.
Niall’s note: you can also use three black foam core boards taped end to end, to create a dark space, with enough gap between them so that can be flattened into a Z for storage.
2026 Chez-nous brochures out now
click on the image to see the brochure
Our 2026 brochures for Reteats with us in Burgundy are out. If you want to progress your photography - and be treated like kings and queens - there really is nothing else like it. Let’s have a Zoom call to see what we can do for you.
Bonus footage: Conformity in Glen Coe.
While I respect people’s desire to practise the craft of film photography and the integrity of the resulting images, I feel absolutely no nostalgia for the whole worrisome process I abandoned 20 years ago this very month. I had loads of ideas I wanted to try out now that I was no longer restrained by the cost of executing them. First and foremost amongst these was mixing daylight with a studio flash in a softbox, an infatuation that had started seven years earlier when I first discovered Phil Borges’s captivating work.
I was interested in using the flash not only for portraiture but also as a way to pick out an element from the scene - and that included spoof signs I was creating at the time. The idea behind these was to poke fun at thoughtlessly-accepted norms, particularly around issues of how people behave in the countryside. I used familiar designs and the Transport font - the one used in the UK on signs.
The vicinity of arguably Scotland’s most-photographed mountain, Buachaille Etive Mòr, was an obvious place to put up a sign. There are very few real variants on the standard photograph so I set out to re-assure visitors they were on the "right” path to get the “correct” picture. I made the shot about 10 minutes before dawn when it was still dim enough to allow the flash, in a 1m square softbox, to do its thing, picking the sign out from the slightly under-exposed surroundings. The picture of the beaver sign, below, was photographed at an early release site in Perthshire, featuring real beaver tooth work.
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Many thanks,
Our best wishes, Charlotte and Niall
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