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Wednesday, 22 April 2015

Baltha-zar-zar-zoom...

A few weeks ago I was taken on an afternoon taste sensation courtesy of the legendary Balthazar in Covent Garden. With the long May bank holiday stretching ahead my good pal Chrissie and I toddled off to trial the restaurant's exclusive foodie partnership with fashion extraordinaire, Matthew Williamson. I'd been excited about this invitation for weeks and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint and here's why...

Firstly, the high tea has a lovely back story which instantly drew me in... The delectable menu has been crafted with Williamson's S/S 2015 collection front of mind and takes inspiration from the relaxed glamour of his muse, Marie Helvin in the David Bailey book, ‘Chasing Rainbows’. As such the all singing, all dancing tea is dubbed the Chasing Rainbows Afternoon Tea and comes complete with an accompanying cocktail created by Balthazar's Bar Manager which incorporates the floral accents and muted colours featured in the designer’s collection. Nice touch eh? 







So as you do, we kicked the sugary festivities off with a sparkling beverage. Mine, a glass of champagne and Chrissie, a Chasing Rainbow cocktail... 




Next for the sweet and savoury tower of please-a! See what I did there!!! A three tier colour masterpiece stacked high with intricate cakes, buttery scones and neat crustless sarnies - yum yum yummy! 




Playing by the rules, we wolfed down the sandwiches first. We were presented with cucumber, mint and cream cheese; smoked salmon, butter and black pepper; crab, tarragon mayo and lemon; egg mayo and mustard cress.


All in all, a divine start that led us nicely onto our next course ... warm scones. For me, you can't beat a beasting great fluffy scone with a dollop of clotted cream and a heap of raspberry jam. In fact this indulgence is one of my greatest weaknesses in life, it never fails to take me back to my childhood summer holidays in Devon. Many an afternoon, we used to sit amongst the daisies in the garden and devour a freshly baked batch as a family!


Then last but by no means least, we had the top tier to tuck away. Made up of a pistachio and kirsch macaroon, strawberry trifle, black forest gateau, vanilla cheesecake with raspberry jelly and white chocolate and my favourite a pecan praline millefeuille. Wow oh wow! Seriously lip-smackingly good desserts with flair and fashion at their heart...




I urge you to go and taste test for yourself before it's too late. Tea's served daily until 1st May (3pm-5pm), the traditional Matthew Williamson Afternoon Tea is priced at £25 and the Chasing Rainbows Afternoon Tea £35.


4-6 Russell Street
London
WC2B 5HZ
+44 (0) 20 3301 1155

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