Paris - Part Une

Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel

Last year to celebrate my 30th birthday I took a trip to Paris with my mum. During our stay we went to the Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea. The hotel is on Avenue Kléber, the 16th arrondissement, close to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. 

Image by Felipe Dolce

Image by Felipe Dolce

We visited shortly after the hotel had opened following a four-year restoration of the classic French-style building in which it is set. Inside the hotel is stunning with an elegant white marble entrance and a sweeping black and gold-trimmed ornamental staircase, which consists of over 40,000 pieces of gold leaf and was created by Schwartz & Meurer (who constructed the Eiffel Tower).

We dined in the Lobby, a grand room full of chic Parisian ladies dressed in their finest. In the centre of the Lobby we admired the spectacular Dancing Leaves installation, a series of cascading flower bouquets made from over 800 hand-blown glass leaves, each one took an artisan three weeks to make. The attention to detail throughout The Peninsular is amazing and makes for the most perfect setting to experience afternoon tea. 

To begin, we ordered our choice of tea (English, naturally), which was served with fresh lemon to really enhance the flavour of the tea leaves. Some considerable time later (there’s no rushing a Parisian waiter) we were presented with a silver cake-stand full of delectable sandwiches and small patisseries.

Although somewhat insubstantial, perhaps why "French women don’t get fat”, the sandwiches were full of flavour and were presented slightly differently to the usual finger sandwiches served with most afternoon teas, with the filling also on the top of the sandwich. We had a small selection of cucumber with cream cheese and eggs ‘mimosa’ with mayonnaise and rare peppers. Salmon sandwiches were also on the menu but we skipped these since I’m vegetarian. 

Next we were served French scones with creams and jams (not exactly like an English scone, a fluffier version with more of a doughnut texture). Finally we had a selection of mini pastries including delicious macarons... nothing too heavy. 

Once we had finished our cakes, we went up to the top of the hotel to the L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant which has an open air rooftop terrace with 360 degree views over the city (I believe that the terrace opens at 6.00pm). We sat outside drinking Champagne while watching the Eiffel Tower light-show in the distance. It was a truly special moment which I’ll remember forever.

What better way to spend the final hours of your twenties than sipping Champagne with your mum while watching one of the world’s most iconic monuments sparkling away?!


Source: The Peninsula


Before heading back to our hotel, we decided to jump into a taxi to Trocadero to see The Eiffel Tower lights up close. The light-show is on every evening, on the hour every hour, for just 5 minutes. The perfect end to the perfect day!

Afternoon Tea is served daily in The Lobby between 3:00pm and 6:00pm and costs approximately €40 per person (£30).

 

Macdonald Craxton Wood Spa

Last weekend my friend and I combined two of our favourite pastimes by going for an afternoon tea spa day to Craxton Wood.

The Spa is part of Craxton Wood Hotel and is set in 27 acres of woodland not far from the historic city of Chester. It opened just over a year ago following a £1.4million renovation making it one of Cheshire’s most luxurious spas.

We entered the spa and were greeted by a spa therapist who asked us about any particular issues we wanted to tackle on the day and our massage preferences. We were then led to a female only changing area where we were given a secure locker to hold our possessions while we changed into our white spa robes.

One thing we both noticed in this room was the lack of privacy. There is a small single shower area where you can get changed but the shower has a glass door on which cannot be locked so not the most private of spaces. This area definitely needs a small private changing room in place of the shower. There is another larger changing room at the front of the spa (by reception) but most people who are on spa days prefer to use the smaller changing area by the treatment rooms. The changing rooms are sleek, modern and spotlessly clean.

Once we had changed I met my therapist, Donna, for a Sole Delight treatment. She collected me from the waiting area and led me along the corridor to the treatment room. The Sole Delight began with an exfoliating scrub before being given some heated boots to wear. Although I felt a little ridiculous wearing these, they were lovely and warmed me up nicely. While the boots were working their magic, I was treated to a head massage. After 10 minutes or so Donna massaged my feet using aroma-therapeutic oils. This treatment lasted 30 minutes and was total bliss. 

Next stop: a trip to the garden room, a tranquil room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden area. You can lie back on a bed with a blanket sipping complementary herbal teas. I had the room all to myself while my friend had her treatments so I occupied myself by reading through a pile of magazines.

My friend opted for a back massage (£50) also with Donna. Apparently this was the best back massage that she has ever had! Donna really knows what she is doing and slowly worked away every bit of tension that my friend had. This treatment specifically targets the back, shoulders and neck areas which is perfect if, like my friend, you have a lot of tension from carrying young children.

My friend also had a Reflexology treatment (£60). This is an alternative therapy which uses reflex points on the feet. Each point corresponds to specific areas of the body, which are massaged to ease stress and tension. I can recommend this having had it on a previous visit to the spa. 

After our treatments, we went along to the cafe for our afternoon tea. The cafe is a relaxed and comfortable environment with everyone sat in their towelling robes and slippers. The afternoon tea started as all afternoon teas should, with a lovely glass of bubbly. We were then brought a cake-stand with sandwiches, scones and a few little cakes each. 

Obviously being a spa dedicated to wellness, the afternoon tea didn’t go overboard, but we still left feeling full having been unable to finish all of the food (the cafe will box any leftovers for you to take away with you so you can finish off the treats at home).



Once we had finished eating, we went for a lie down in the relaxation room. This is a dark room lit only by candles. It has beds in with blankets for you to wrap up in for a nap. 

An hour later we ventured over to the thermal suite. This includes a steam room, a rock sauna, a Swedish sauna, an ice fountain, an experience shower and two foot spas. We made use of the quiet spa and had a go of each, going from hot to cold, hot to cold, to boost our circulation. 

I’d definitely recommend booking in for a spa break on a Sunday and the spa was nice and quiet (I have been previously and Saturday’s can be very popular and perhaps not as relaxing an experience). 

We then returned to the garden room where we sat with cups of herbal tea, totally relaxed from our day of pampering. We stayed in the relaxation area for as long as we could with no pressure on us to leave. 

It was a really enjoyable day, so enjoyable that I will certainly be returning. My friend has already booked in for another treatment next week.

 

Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel & Spa, Parkgate Road, Ledsham, Cheshire, CH66 9PB

Craxton Wood website

(Monday to Friday: 6.30am to 10.00pm - Saturday & Sunday: 8.00am to 8.00pm)


Cocktail Saturdays was a guest of Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel & Spa although my friend paid for her Reflexology treatment. 

The Art School, Liverpool

It’s always a struggle for us in work to decide upon a restaurant for our end of year celebration meal. Even restaurants that usually offer great service can flounder during the busy festive period.

After much discussion, we decided upon The Art School in Liverpool. Ever since it opened its doors, just over a year ago, I’ve been looking forward to dining there having heard great things. 


Source: The Art School


Chef Paul Askew, former chef of The London Carriage Works and Hope Street Hotel, is well known in the North West for his use of local produce and seasonal ingredients. Rhug Estate Organic Farm and Claremont Farm are just two of the local suppliers to the restaurant. 

Tucked away on Sugnall Street, it’s easy to miss the entrance as there’s no signage (look for the Georgian style front with a couple of white plant pots by the door). Set in the 1888 former home for destitute children, the Grade II listed building later became part of Liverpool’s art school, hence the name. The dining room, with its impressive glass atrium roof, was the studio where artists worked painting live models. 


Source: The Art School


Upon entering we were greeted by a bowler-hatted doorman, who led us through to the impressive bar area where there was a roaring log fire waiting for us with a couple of comfortable armchairs. Possibly the cosiest of places to have a cocktail in the city.

Inside the restaurant, the dining area has both modern and period features. White linen tables are combined with bright red chairs. The walls are white and black slate with modern pieces of artwork. Although super stylish, the room has a relaxed atmosphere with diners able to look through a large window into the theatre of the kitchen to watch their meals being created.

Having ordered our food from the price fixe festive menu, we were each served an amuse-bouche (a French term, literally translated as "mouth amuser") - a miniature starter of cauliflower soup in a teacup, to you or I - which was poured from a teapot. A tasty surprise from the kitchen which set the tone for the rest of the evening.

We were then served some focaccia bread with fennel seeds teamed with a plate of creamy butter with sea salt and black pepper sprinkled on top. 

My starter, twice baked soufflé of wild mushrooms and chestnuts, with thyme, truffle and a spinach and mustard cream sauce was delicious. So lovely that I attempted to recreate a similar dish at home on Christmas day. 

For main, I chose a baked salsify with Parmesan-style crust, carrot and Tamarind puree and green olive tapenade. Again, this was really lovely despite the fact that I don’t usually like olives, but the ingredients shone through. 

To end our evening we all shared a dessert plate of winter festive treats. Apple and cinnamon strudel, mini mince pies, white chocolate and orange delice all featured but by far the favourite was the dark chocolate and sea salt truffles. Absolutely divine. 

Great food aside, the service at The Art School was probably the best that I’ve received in the city. Chefs de Rang, Katie and Luca, both provided exceptional service during our visit. Consummate professionals yet very personable and without the overbearing fussiness you can sometimes encounter.

The doorman collected our coats at the end of the evening while we inspected a wall of metal boxes with numbers on. We were told that these are members boxes which can be purchased by regular diners of the restaurant. Members have a personalised gift from the chefs waiting in the box for them on each visit. It also entitles the member to a discount whenever they dine at the restaurant, as well as access to the wine cellar.

The Art School is a great addition to Liverpool’s dining scene and I’m looking forward to returning soon. 

Three courses from the Festive Price Fixe menu was £29.00 per person, not including drinks.

The Art School, 1 Sugnall Street, Liverpool L7 7EB

www.theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk

Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Exhibition at The Saatchi Gallery

During my recent trip to London, I visited The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea to attend the Chanel Mademoiselle Privé exhibition. 


Source: Saatchi Gallery


The Saatchi Gallery was opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 to exhibit contemporary art to the public. It occupied several different premises before moving to its current location in 2008. Now housed in The Duke of York's HQ, a listed building, the Gallery is made up of 12 huge rooms set over three floors. 

It’s an ideal location, set in its own little oasis just off the Kings Road, next to Sloane Square. Inside the Gallery is minimalist with glass stairwells and expansive white walls throughout. It’s said to be one of the most beautiful art spaces in London, the perfect setting to showcase one of the most iconic brands of today. 


Source: Chanel


The exhibition was named Mademoiselle Privé after the sign that Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel frequently placed on the door of her atelier so that she could work undisturbedCapturing her spirit perfectlyeach room of the Saatchi Gallery was transformed to take visitors on a journey through the rich history of the House of Chanel, including Haute Couture, the "Bijoux de Diamants" jewellery collection and the iconic CHANEL N°5 perfume.

A few days before we visited, the Gallery hosted a private party to celebrate the launch of the exhibition. It was a star-studded affair with actresses Julianne Moore and Clémence Poésy in attendance as well as models Cara Delevingne and Laura Bailey. Long-term muse Vanessa Paradis and the new generation of Chanel ladies, including Lily-Rose Depp and Lily Collins, also turned out to support Karl Lagerfeld at the opening.


Source: Chanel


Upon entering the Gallery we were immediately greeted with a reconstruction of the fabulous mirrored staircase in Chanel’s Rue Cambon store in Paris. It is on this Parisian staircase that Coco would sit, hidden, to observe the reactions of the audience to her collections. 

We were then taken room by room through the key moments in Coco's life including the opening of her Deauville hat shop and photographs of the summers she spent in Scotland which inspired her love of tweed. The colour red (worn on the lips, it became Gabrielle’s signature colour), camellias (Coco’s favourite flower, apparently after one was given to her by her lover) and wheat (her lucky charm, symbolising prosperity and creativity) were common themes throughout.

A large room representing Chanel No 5 had a futuristic feel with gold-lidded wells containing each of the perfume’s individual ingredients such as jasmine and May rose, leaving the vast room filled with the individual scents that still make up the perfume today, nearly 100 years after it was first released.

There were photographs taken by Karl Lagerfeld of actresses Julianne Moore, Keira Knightly and Lily Collins all wearing the designer’s one-off creations and diamond jewels from Bijoux de Diamants. Only a few pieces remain from the original collection today. It was supposed to have been displayed from the first time in London in 1932 but was stopped due to stringent British customs regulations. This exhibition finally saw it unveiled after 83 years with the entire collection recreated especially.

Items worn at the Chanel couture show last July were displayed, protected by infrared laser alarms that activate if a visitor got too close (speaking from experience). All the pieces on show were made in the Chanel workshop above the Place Vendôme store in Paris. 

Big on sensory experience, another room was filled with huge drapes of different fabrics from the Chanel atelier, allowing visitors to touch and wander through real Chanel couture fabrics including delicate silks and the famous bouclé tweeds.

A short film directed by Lagerfeld was also featured showing a feisty Coco, played by actress Geraldine Chaplin (daughter of Charlie Chaplin), waking on the sofa of her Parisian apartment. After forty years of sleeping she confronts Lagerfeld about how he has continued her legacy. “What do you think you are doing?” she demands, “I am keeping you alive” he replies.

chanel_quote 2.jpg

For a brand that still has not wholly embraced e-commerce, the exhibition was cleverly complemented by the Mademoiselle Privé app which visitors could download and use throughout to bring the show to life. Lifting a smartphone or iPad in front of the mirrored staircase, for example, would transport you to Paris for a virtual tour of Coco’s private apartment at number 31 Rue Cambon.

Unfortunately Mademoiselle Privé only ran for three weeks. This was the third such exhibition for Chanel at the Saatchi Gallery following the success of “The Little Black Jacket” in 2012 and Sam Taylor-Johnson’s photographs of Coco’s private apartment in 2014. Hopefully it won’t be the last. 

www.saatchigallery.com

Duke Of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY

Admission to The Saatchi Gallery is free to all visitors. 


Lady Betty Afternoon Tea - Bettys Tea Rooms, Harrogate

Two weeks into 2016, how many of us can recall our New Year's resolutions, let alone have managed to keep to them?

Mine - to be kinder to my wallet (less extravagant purchases) and my body (less alcohol & less sugary treats) - came under immediate threat during my trip to Rudding Park when I took the opportunity to pop into Harrogate to visit Bettys, the famed tea house. If you're going to fail, why not do so both elegantly and spectacularly!

There are six Bettys Tea Rooms in Yorkshire, with Parliament Street in Harrogate being the original. Opened by Swiss baker Frederick Belmont in 1919, the tearooms have since become something of an institution with over one million visitors per year.

As we arrived at midday the queue was already stretching around the corner with people waiting patiently in the pouring rain. The lengths us Brits will go to for a nice cup of tea! Thankfully my friend and I were able to bypass the waiting crowds since we had a reservation for the Lady Betty Afternoon Tea which is served upstairs in the Imperial Room. 

Inside the tea room was charming, a haven away from the bustle of the downstairs Montpellier café. The room was filled with other diners chatting away while a pianist provided gentle background music. It’s one of those unique places where time stands still. You really feel the history and tradition of Bettys whilst dining there, with the immaculate white table linen and employees in their black and white uniforms all adding to the experience.

Our waiter introduced himself and gave us menus to choose our tea. With over 50 teas to choose from it took us a while. Nothing was rushed and we were encouraged to take our time ordering and sampling the different teas available. Bettys source their tea leaves from around the world including China, India, Sri Lanka and Africa.

We chose Bettys Cafe Blend and Golden Darjeeling served with slices of lemon. As well as the fantastic flavours of the tea, there is also the theatre that comes with drinking it. Every cup ordered comes with a pot of loose leaf tea, another of hot water, a silver tea strainer, a jug of milk and a bowl of sugar cubes to perfect your cup of tea. The bone china is bespoke to Bettys and includes an intricate tea leaf design by Royal Crown Derby.

A glass of Champagne later and our first course arrived, an appetiser of prawn cocktail. I opted for the vegetarian version of avocado crème with a light, refreshing tomato salsa - very tasty. 

Shortly thereafter a three tier silver cake stand arrived with our sandwiches, scones and dainty cakes. The sandwiches were full of flavour made on the freshest bread from Bettys own artisan bakery. Curls of cucumber on top of cream cheese, caramelised red onion and goat cheese and the classic egg mayonnaise were just some of the fillings available. We were told that we could order as many extra sandwiches as we liked, but we declined as we already had plenty of food to devour.  

I was impressed that Bettys focuses on the savoury side of the afternoon tea rather than cramming plates full with too many cakes leaving you with a sugar high. The balance was just right.

As a vegetarian, it was refreshing to be given a tailored menu as opposed to simply being given the usual menu minus the meat or fish options. It was also impressive that Bettys were able to adapt the menu easily for my friend who has a nut allergy. 

The scones were delicious, two each and not too big. One sultana and the other with a hint of flavour of Yorkshire lavender, both accompanied with jam and clotted cream. 

After ordering a second glass of Champagne, we started tasting the bite sized cakes. All were light and delicious. White chocolate meringue with fresh berries, a chocolate mousse praline and a delicate apple caramel macaroon were the highlights!


Source: Bettys


Once we had finished, we were each given a tin of Bettys loose leaf tea to take away with us which was a lovely touch. The waiter also offered to wrap up any leftovers, not that there were many. Although there were several different cakes and treats on offer, nothing was too overwhelming. We were given just the right amount of food to make us feel full but not overloaded. 

At £39.95 per person (closer to £50.00 once the extra glass of Champagne was accounted for) the Lady Betty Champagne Afternoon Tea is undoubtedly on the pricey side, but then this isn’t just any ordinary afternoon tea. Having browsed the edible souvenirs in the shop downstairs, we left feeling full and content that we had finally experienced the delightful Bettys.