Diamond Jubilee Tea at The Petersham Hotel

In celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June, The Petersham Hotel in Richmond is putting on an afternoon tea fit for.. well a Queen of course! The Petersham Hotel is a privately owned hotel built in 1865 which sits proudly in an enviable position on the side of Richmond Hill, next to the park and overlooking the River Thames.

Richmond is without a doubt one of the prettiest Boroughs in London, and even though it feels like you're in the middle of the countryside, it is still at the end of the district line, so you can dash there from the centre of London with relative ease. Which is exactly what a friend and I did last week when The Petersham Hotel kindly invited us to sample their Diamond Jubilee tea.

As we arrived at The Petersham Hotel, the friendly and attentive staff showed us to our table in the award-winning restaurant which is located within a modern extension to the side of the hotel. Personally, I found the restaurant decor rather dated and not my cup of Earl Grey at all. But the large windows offered stunning, panoramic views over the river and meadows full of roaming cows over yonder, which more than made up for the drab interior. 

We basked in the sunshine which was streaming through the window as we tucked into such delights as traditional cucumber sandwiches, majestic fondant fancies and perfect scones, all washed down with a selection of teas. And not forgetting our glass of Petersham bubbles! The Diamond Jubilee tea has been created by resident Pastry Chef, Alison Dabbs, and was so good, I'm sure Her Majesty would definitely give this afternoon tea the Royal seal of approval!

 

MENU

Freshly cut finger sandwiches

Scottish smoked salmon, cream cheese & chives

Honeyroast ham & wholegrain mustard

Smoked Applewood cheese & apple cider chutney

Traditional cucumber

Assorted Petersham cakes & pastries

Blueberry & Strawberry tartlets

Battenburg Cake

Fondant Fancies

Opera Cake

Choux Swans

Fruit Cake

Homemade fruit scones

served with West Country clotted cream & strawberry preserve

Selection of Teas

English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Assam & Darjeeling

 

 

 
The Diamond Jubilee tea is being served until 24th June 2012 and costs £23.50 per person (£36 including a glass of Petersham Champagne) £1 from each tea sold will be donated to the Museum of Richmond's 'Happy & Glorious' exhibition. Miss Immy was a guest of The Petersham Hotel.

The Petersham Hotel

Nightingale Lane

Richmond

Surrey TW10 6UZ

020 8940 7471

Brunswick House Cafe & Lassco

Vauxhall is a strange place and not somewhere you'd expect to find a rummager's paradise and a foodie's heaven rolled into one. But just down the road from Vauxhall station you'll find Brunswick House, a beautiful 18th century house which sits serenely like an island amidst towering new build flats, MI6 and the chaos of Vauxhall Bridge roundabout.

Currently owned and restored by Lascco, a company who specialise in architectural salvage and reclamation, the rooms are overflowing with antique furniture, chandeliers, old signs, brass door knobs & knockers, old cricket bats, uniforms, costumes, vintage radiators, fireplaces, porcelain basins and other such wonderful curiousities.

 And when you've tired of shopping for antiquities, then head to the Brunswick House Cafe with all its Bohemian and eclectic charm. There's a bar and cafe area at the front where you can indulge in a cocktail or just enjoy tea and cake. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner with an interesting menu including delights such as octopus carpaccio, lobster linguini, roast beef with white bean puree, and buttermilk pudding. Run by Jackson Boxer and his brother, Frank, (both following in the footsteps of a successful family of cooks), the Brunswick House Cafe is a great success and an unusual place to wine and dine in a relaxed atmosphere. Frank also runs Frank's Bar, a very cool pop-up cocktail bar atop a carpark in Peckham (read all about it here) which I hear is due to return this summer.

30 Wandsworth Road

London SW8 2LG

Nearest station: Vauxhall

Lassco at Brunswick House

020 7394 2100

Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm Sat 10am - 5pm Sun 11am - 5pm

Brunswick House Cafe

020 7720 2926

Mon 8.30am - 5pm Tue - Fri 8.30am - 11pm

Sat 10am - 11pm Sun 10am - 5pm

James & Street Cat Bob

Whether you're a cat lover or not, it's hard not to be moved by this true and uplifting tale with a very happy ending. It's about the extraordinary friendship between James & Bob. One is a musician who busks on London's streets, having recovered from years of homelessness and heroine addiction. The other is a beautiful, striking and intelligent ginger tom cat who was a stray with an injured leg. They are kindred spirits who were destined to rescue each other during their darkest times and help nurse one another back to health and happiness.

 

In spring 2007, James Bowen was returning to his sheltered accommodation in Tottenham after a day of busking around Covent garden. He spotted the ginger tom curled up in the corridor, and being a cat lover, he couldn't resist saying hello. A few days later the cat was still there and clearly a stray, so James took him in, fed him, and took him to the RSPCA to get antibiotics for his wounded leg. Once he was on the road to recovery, James tried to find a home for him, but the cat wasn't having any of it and made it quite clear that he wanted to live with James. Little did James realise what a life-changing moment this would be. He named the cat Bob (after Killer Bob from Twin Peaks due to his slightly schizo character), and the two have been inseparable ever since. 

London is a lovely place to live when you've got an income, a warm bed to climb into at night and food on the table. But if your home is on the streets, then it must be a very lonely, scary and hostile environment to live in. And James should know. He spent several years living an invisible existence as his life continued on its downward spiral into heroine addiction. But he found the determination to get his life back on track, one step at a time, and took part in a drugs recovery programme and has now been clean for a few years, which is really excellent. And finding a companion in Bob not only gave James a new sense of purpose and responsibility, but a great friend to share adventures with. With his unconditional support and love (and his only ask being a few biscuits and the odd chin rub) Bob has given James the strength to stay off drugs and look forward to the future.

Wherever James goes, Bob goes too. Whether it's on the bus or the tube, Bob will follow wearing his harness, or if he gets tired, he just sits on James' shoulders. Transport for London have even given him his very own photo travelcard! They are quite clearly a team, and whilst James plays his guitar or sells the Big Issue, Bob just hangs out on his rucksack, relishing all the attention from passers-by. James has even taught him how to 'high five'! Bob wears a signature scarf and has so many admirers knitting them for him now that he's acquiring quite a collection. And he's a great babe-magnet for James too. I'm sure he's got the ladies queuing around the block! 

Well that was certainly the case when I went to Waterstone's last week, where James and Bob were doing a book signing for their wonderful new book, A Street Cat Named Bob. A literary agent used to pass James & Bob daily on her way to work and one day stopped for a chat. The long and short of it is they now have a book deal about their story. I joined the queue and felt very privileged to meet this fabulous duo and get a signed copy (complete with Bob's paw print) of their special story. It's an inspiring read, so I suggest you get yourself a copy too. High five!

Congratulations to James & Bob for their book reaching No.1 in the bestsellers! Here's to a very happy future...

Youtube clip of James & Bob

 

A Street Cat Named Bob

Ruby's Bar & Castle Gibson

Tucked away down a flight of stairs below an old cinema sign in Dalston, you'll find an alluring illuminated doorway which leads to Ruby's. Situated in the basement of Ruby House, this speakeasy-style basement bar is an absolute delight and it's hard to imagine it used to be home to a Chinese takeaway. The decor is wonderfully dishevelled and rustic with textured walls, wooden floors, exposed brickwork and glazed tiles. The random array of tables, chairs, artefacts and low lighting add to the cosy and inviting ambience.

 

A friend and I went along on Saturday to check it out and were very pleasantly surprised. We arrived early enough to secure a table and ordered a couple of the specially concocted cocktails on offer, opting for a Blackberry Mojito served in an original 1940's Manchester milk bottle, and a Passion Fruit Bison Julep made with Bison Grass vodka served in an enamel tin mug. Both stupendous! As well as cocktails, Ruby's also serves wine, beer, cider and other usual suspects. And instead of using a bog standard ice bucket, wine bottles are chilled in small milk churns. Nice touch.

With some cracking tunes playing in the background, and the friendly bar team doing a sterling job in the foreground, it was easy to kick back, soak up the atmosphere, drink a couple of cocktails and watch as the place suddenly filled up until it was standing-room only. Refreshingly, the clientele at Ruby's seem to be an interesting and eclectic bunch and not just full of stereotypical Dalstonites.

But Ruby's bar is not all you'll find at these unassuming premises. There's a whole other world going on upstairs where Castle Gibson lies. As well as sourcing unusual and unique furniture and props, Castle Gibson is also home to some fantastic locations including vast spaces and townhouse rooms which are often used for film and photographic shoots. In fact the likes of Adele, Rhianna and the late Amy Winehouse have all had photo shoots here.

Castle Gibson is a successful family-run business (of which Ruby's is a part of) and I was lucky enough to be taken upstairs for a sneaky behind-the-scenes tour of the Castle Gibson empire. A labyrinth of enormous rooms lead into more enormous rooms, each full of gorgeous old furniture, leather sofas, random props, giant illuminated letters, vintage signs, an antique dentist chair, huge photography lamps, oversized clocks and a couple of large signed photographs of Clark Gable and Marlon Brandon. One of the spaces is the old MC Motors warehouse which boasts 6,000 square feet and oozes industrial charm. Not to mention the various rooms upstairs in the townhouse, equally delightful, unusually decorated and each with their own style. It was quite wonderful and most unexpected!

I'm so glad to have stumbled upon both these places. They're right up my street and truly amazing. So, if you're looking for an unusual location for a photo/film shoot (or even a wedding), or want to hire some mad props or furniture, then look no further than Castle Gibson.  In fact, I love it so much, you may find me living there, just hanging out on one of the sofas, minding my own business. And if you're after a cocktail with a twist in a secret location, then clearly you must head to Ruby's. Where you may also find me lurking. Right, I think it's now time to try a Hemingway Daiquiri. Served in a jam jar, of course.

Ruby's Bar

76 Stoke Newington Road

London 

N16 7XB
Email: rubys@castlegibson.com

@RubysDalston

Wed & Thur 6pm - 11pm

Fri & Sat 6pm - midnight
Cocktails £8

Castle Gibson

location/furniture/props
020 8211 8690
@castlegibson