I like how wood grains vary. How when placed beside one other, they're so different. How you can see the type of tree, and in some cases where it might have grown. How now and again you can even tell if it grew straight to the sky or shifted with the sun.     And I especially like how before we use it, it already has a story. xo, N       this video this kind of cooking this hat these sandals this shirt this pimm's this little lathe these radishes new press just in time for father's day plus, handled & detailed pins are back in stock and these bowls still make me melt           photos: michael graydon + nikole herriott

If you're anything like me, you've dreamt you dream of packing up and moving to the French countryside. Dream about the markets, the pâtisseries and the boulangeries. About the kitchens, the butter and the copper pots.   If you're anything like Mimi Thorisson, the talent behind Manger you've done exactly that.   I love her site for a bunch of reasons. But mostly because it reminds me that childhood dreams can do come true, that there's magic in the details and that doing what you love, with who you love leads to great things. xo, N   ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things. Today, Mimi Thorisson and her Potato Pie with Comté Cheese and Lardons.   WHO:  Mimi Thorisson WHAT: Potato Pie with Comté Cheese and Lardons WHERE: Médoc, France WHY: When I was 19, I often went on Saturdays to a small 'salon de thé' near the Bon Marché store in Paris with my mother. After a little shopping session, we always looked forward to a casual meal there - potato pie with salad. Ever since it closed down, I've thought fondly of that delicious potato pie, so I recreated it. It has become a family favourite, and for some reason I only make it on a Saturdays.     BEST SERVED WITH: A mâche salad, for a late lunch on a Saturday!   ONE OR TWO THINGS: I was an only child with a dream – to have a great big family with lots of dogs. I love adventure, taking chances and cooking huge meals for family and friends.       [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:13]       PHOTOS: Oddur Thorisson

      A few weeks ago two very large boxes arrived at my studio door. I'd be expecting them but their contents were even better than I'd imagined.       A while earlier the talented Sue Paraskeva agreed to make a round of bowls for HG (!!) and so both bubble-wrapped boxes were filled with those.         Each bowl is perfectly askew and the loveliest blue grey. They're made from a mixture of stoneware and porcelain which makes for a beautiful beige dappling and a slight sandy undertone. Available in both small and medium each is one of kind.       Around here we've been filling them with an easy spring broth. Fish or chicken stock, noodles, steamed veg, sesame seeds and purple-shelled clams.        They're perfect for that, but I think they'd be beautiful with a couple scoops of pastel-coloured summer ice cream as well.       Hope things are swell. I'll be back with those new pies soon. xo, N         photos: michael graydon + nikole herriott

Hello, happy spring! Remember last year when I told you about a trip Michael and I took to the Hudson River Valley? I didn't mention it then but we had travelled there to shoot a story about April Bloomfield for the current issue Bon Appétit. If you haven't picked up a copy, you should, April's Pot Roasted Artichokes are life-changing.   Anyway, more from me soon! I'll be back with for the love of pie posts, new things for HG, and some fun bits of news too. xo, N       Images: Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott (that's me!) Page Layouts: Bon Appétit Magazine Props: Amy Wilson

  We're updating! Watch for new items tomorrow, April 9, 2013 at 6pm EDT. In the meantime, join us on pinterest, facebook or via our mailing list. xo, N