We’ve known La Montaña founder Cassandra Hall (see below) for more years than we care to mention. Formerly a PR dynamo in the beauty and fragrance world, she quit England for a Spanish mountaintop and a ‘quieter life’, a few years ago.
Cass, however, isn’t someone to sit on her hands or lounge around. So it was almost inevitable that she’d find something exciting to do – and happily for us, she was led by her nose.
La Montaña – which you can read about here– was inspired by the myriad scents Cass and her husband Jonathan encounter on their mountainside, leading Cass to create a beautiful collection of home fragrances.
Right now you can discover one of them – Winter Oranges – when you buy any two Discovery Boxes on our website. You’ll receive one of these exquisite candles – worth £36 – for free, when you order. It’s a wonderful gift from Cass (and us) to you – and we know you’ll love the exotic blend of cinnamon, orange zest, red apples and clove. (Just perfect for the approaching festive season…)
With her passion for scents and aromas – many of which she has captured in La Montaña – we knew Cass would be the perfect person to share her five favourite smells for the latest in this popular interview series. So here goes…
1. Coffee. I’m no caffeine addict – a maximum of two a day and never after 12 noon, which makes me an oddity in Spain – but my morning routine centres around the perfect coffee. The aroma makes me feel centred, alive and alert. NB best not to speak to me until I’ve drunk it!
2. The fig tree in our garden in Spain.It has a magical gift of sending out waves of fragrance – fruit mingled with wood – at the optimal moment, when you’re sitting on the terrace reading, or watching the sunset.
3. Sheets dried in mountain air.Having no outside space in our flat in London, this is a pleasure I relish when I can. We have a super-king bed, so pegging them out is a workout but I genuinely look forward to going to bed on clean-sheets day. (There might be a candle in this, one day…!)
4. The smell of dawn on the mountain.I have to mention this aroma, because it was the inspiration for our whole brand. First Lightis our signature scent. It’s a blend of wild fennel (all around the house), rosemary, orange and mountain pepper, with a beautiful amber-y rockrose. On the rare occasion that I’m up at that hour, it’s a sensory delight.
5. Dogs. Our dogs are gone now but I have wonderful memories of them in every way, especially of their personal fragrances: Dudley’s paws smelled absolutely of digestive biscuits, and Dixie’s of basmati rice. If you catch me trying to sniff a packet of digestives in the supermarket, think kindly of me!
