Culture,Cake & Couture..chapter 1

Some weeks back I was fortunate to meet Fiona Cairns; cake maker of the Royal Wedding cake. During the afternoon she mentioned that the wedding cake would be going on display at Buckingham Palace this summer along with the Wedding dress of the Duchess of Cambridge. As soon as the ticket office opened for bookings a slot was booked for moi for the afternoon of Monday 1st August.
Blessed with glorious sunshine my afternoon started with a stroll up through Grosvenor square and Green park to Buckingham Palace.On arrival you pass through airport security control checks before being handed your complimentary headphones and audio guide. The tour takes you through some stunning rooms, courtyard and staircases as well as the throne room, where the 'official' royal wedding snaps were taken. The tour also takes in a special exhibition (other then the Royal wedding) of  the Royal Faberge collection. This is beautiful and has me hankering to now visit St Petersburg.
The Royal Wedding exhibit is displayed across two rooms, giving ample space for people to view. The dress is housed in a glass cabinet, allowing 360' access around the fixture. With a video and head set audio narrative by Sarah Burton, it gives an insight into the level of detail given to the craftsmanship that went into creating not just the dress, but the veil and shoes.  A stunning piece of couture. With tiara, earrings and replicated bouquet complimenting the display, it truly is magical.

The cake is displayed in the next room and as with the dress it is quite breathtaking. Having already seen in person some of the 'spare' flowers and the design brief I was still blown away by the design and level of detail on each of the tiers. A real work of art. a must for any cake maker to see..... jaw droppingly stunning.

The tour within the palace ends as you enter the garden.............. on a very warm day in London a much needed drink was required..... what better than a latte and ice-cream from the palace tea shop!....

followed by an amble through the garden to the exit......

couture,cake & culture chapter 2

The 2nd chapter of my afternoon/evening in London, involved a beautiful stroll through St James Park, followed by a quick bite to eat before embarking on an evening in the cultural Coliseum in London.
After leaving the Palace I had some time to kill before meeting up with my friend C, so I took a stroll through the park heading up towards Trafalgar Square.

 The views from St James park are lovely, either looking onto the Palace or up towards Horseguards parade which is back dropped by the London Eye... my favourite space in the park is the the birdkeepers cottage, which is delightful.... the pelicans are quite cute too!....

with time still on my side, a little rest and a couple of chapters from the kindle and I was revived for part 3!

culture,couture & cake.. chapter 3

complete with burger & beer!.... after meeting up with C, we had a little time before our evening at the Coliseum....
I introduced her to the delights of Byrons Burgers which are the best burgers in London... each site is styled to compliment its surrounding district... this one had the glitz & glamour of theatre land.... complete with screen star lights... the burger was delish as was the Brooklyn beer ( not quite culture & couture, but very scrummy!)

fed & watered we strolled to the Coliseum to be entertained in beautiful surroundings by Ildivo. Singing some of their classics and showcasing some of their new songs from their new album, they were spectacular ( if only the drunk couple in the 2nd half behind us had behaved it would have been perfect!... however to compensate we do now have 2 tickets for an evening at the ballet later this year!)

This was a real treat for C & I and we were blown away by the beautiful surroundings, show and the rooftop views over London... a lovely evening..

Here are some of my favs from the evening...

Come What May (theme from Moulin Rouge)

My Way,

Crying

Mama.... which always makes me cry..

and finally Somewhere... the perfect end to a lovely day...

Vintage Birthday treats......

Last Sunday saw me & bruv age another year!.... due to the efficiency of my team it was the first year I didn't have to work the whole weekend posting the financial half year results.... so a day in the sunshine was

planned.

The birthday fairy was very kind and granted me lots of wonderful things;including artisan du chocolate salted caramel goodies, cath kidston treats for the kitchen, cupcake makes & books and a box of pierre herme macarons.

With the day to myself and the sun shining I headed upto London to browse the Vintage fair on the southbank.

The stalls were fantastic, and the atmosphere and styling created a real trip down memory lane.

I loved all the vintage cases. I spent a couple of hours just walking around before heading along the southbank towards London Bridge, where I diverted off at Borough Market for a spot of lunch in Roast.

Roast has been on my wish list for a while and I can say it lived up to my expectations and more..... absolutely divine. Sited above the market it has fabulous views across the city and the market. Sundays special is obviously a Roast dinner, but weekdays and Saturdays offer a varied menu, showcasing the finest and best ingredients available.

Roast dinner was a real treat for me, as its something I cook the least as its too much faffing for 1, so Roast beef with all the trimmings was a fabulous birthday treat, followed by raspberry & pear crumble with
custard.... mmmm i'm salivating typing this just from the memory!
A lovely day was rounded off with an evening spent with Brother & Co having fun.

A week of birthday treats!

Ooops my week of birthday treats has kept me from blogging! hence the lack of any posts....this one being posted via iPhone on the tube!
Hopefully I will catch you up with my the last couple of weeks, which will include;
Guerilla burgers with "Bestie", Vintage fair on Southbank, Roast restaurant at Borough Market, Buckingham Palace, London Coliseum, Byron burgers, Ghost musical & Afternoon tea at The Berkeley!
As well as some lovely presents! including a few London treats from Pierre Herme & Cath Kitson over the weekend.




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