Fancy a taste of the Annabel’s experience but don’t have a membership? Fear not… Those eager to own a piece of the London’s famous private club -which can claim to be the only one ever visited by the Queen- can now buy into its exclusivity through its very own hamper, launched by The Mount Street Deli. Maybe not as fun as strutting your stuff on its sparkly dance floor, but quite chic nonetheless…

With a price tag of £200, the Annabel’s Christmas hamper is certainly not cheap, but it is luxurious, and will provide a nice gourmet treat or gift for those who can afford it. The selection includes Annabel’s chocolate truffles, Sicilian pistachio biscuits, foie gras de canard, Torroni Baci nougat and panettone, as well as a book explaining and illustrating some of the club’s secrets, with contributions from Lady Annabel Goldsmith and Sir David Tang, and recipes from the club’s chefs, past and present. The Mount Street Deli’s limited collection of hampers also includes The Club at the Ivy’s Christmas hamper, for those more tempted by a taste of the Covent Garden celebrity hangout than by the Berkeley Square aristo nightclub. read more

The private club launched in 2008 at the top of Centre Point has recently opened its restaurant and bar to the public, offering what is arguably the most glamorous view across London.

When it comes to enjoying a cocktail with a view (French Rock’n Roll with absinthe is a personal favourite), there are not many places that can beat Paramount, the private members club launched in 2008 by French entrepreneur Pierre Condou (owner of Century in Soho) which is now opened to the public.

Located on the 32nd floor of iconic Centre Point, the modernist building designed in 1966 by architect Richard Seifert, it offers 360-degree viewsacross London, and a stylish interior by Tom Dixon, including a very impressive grand copper bar. Pure panoramic glamour… read more

The historic company founded in 1600 by queen Elizabeth -which brought tea, spices, chocolate and coffee to Britain and once employed a third of the British workforce- is re-launched with the opening of a luxury food store in Mayfair on 14 August. Modelled on the house of a Georgian gentleman officer, this gorgeous store draws on the East India Company’s heritage as the first global luxury brand, to offer a range of exotic luxury gourmets treats, infusing flavours from the East with western favourites

Few companies can boast such an impressive pedigree as the East India Company, originally established in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I. This “Honourable Company of Merchants” -once responsible for half of the world trade and employing a third of the British workforce- not only brought tea, spices, chocolate and coffee to Britain, it also influenced the world we live in today.

As the world’s first multi-national company, complete with its own army and currency, it founded trade outposts such as Singapore and Hong Kong, and was granted the island of St. Helena by the Crown, thus being in charge of looking after Napoleon Bonaparte when he was exiled there. While the French emperor’s praise of the company’s local coffee launched its fashion in Paris, the decision by the East India Company to abolish slavery on the island in 1832 paved the way for a ban in the rest of the colonies, with the law being adopted by Parliament one year later. read more

Created in the 17th century thanks to the process of doubly distilling the white wines produced in the area surrounding the town of Cognac, this French brandy has enjoyed over the last decade a remarkable increase in popularity. Moving from its traditional image as the liquor of choice for cigar chomping businessmen, it has been adopted by the world of hip hop (P Diddy, Jay Z, Missy Elliott, Eminen have all extolled the beauty of « yak »), while its use has evolved from traditional digestif to contemporary cocktails and frozen shots. Here, Alexandre Quentin, UK ambassador for Rémy Martin, a house founded in 1724 and ranked first in the market’s premium category, gives Chic-Londres a little lesson on cognac.

What do the terms found on cognac bottles -VS, VSOP and XO- mean?Those are the official quality grades of cognac according to the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac), which are used to determine how old the brandy is. Funnily enough, they don’t mean anything in French as they were originally created by the English, who were the first big consumers of cognac. “VS” means “Very Special” where the youngest brandy is stored for at least two years in cask; “VSOP” means “Very Special Old Pale”, where the youngest brandy is stored at least four years in cask, and “XO” means “Extra Old”, where the youngest brandy is stored for at least six, but usually much longer. From 2012, this designation will move to at least ten years. read more

Chocolatier William Curley (38) trained in England with Michelin stared chefs Pierre Koffman, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White in England, as well as Marc Meneau in France, before becoming Chef Patissier at The Savoy Hotel, where he met his Japanese wife Suzue, also a respected chef. Together, they founded the William Curley brand and opened their first shop in Richmond in 2004, followed by a second one in Belgravia in 2009. William was awarded the “Best British Chocolatier” award by the Academy of Chocolate in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

What makes a really good quality chocolate? The key, as in anything else in food, is the quality of the ingredients. I always use the Italian brand Amedei as my couverture chocolate (i.e. a very high quality chocolate with at least 32% of cocoa butter), some good Normandy butter, a good local English cream, while all the flavoring is made using only fresh and natural ingredients, such as lemon and thyme. Just as important is the work ethics, which means that everything is not only handmade, but also produced by real chefs, as opposed to untrained people. read more

At last, the French “Picasso of Pastry” has arrived in London! Pierre Hermé’s legendary collections of gourmet macaroons and chocolates are now available for the first time in the UK, where they can be found at Selfridges. Rejoice!

The fabulous macaroons much loved by Gossip Girl’s Hollywood starlets can now be bought exclusively at Selfridges, while plans to open the first Pierre Hermé Paris boutique in London are scheduled for later this year.

This is good news for Londoners, who will at last be able to sample the design pastries artistically created by Pierre Hermé -nicknamed “The Picasso of Pastry” by American Vogue- without taking the Eurostar.

“It has always been a dream of mine to open in London, as many of our devotees in Paris are from the UK, says Pierre Hermé. The energy of London is recognised throughout the world and I am simply delighted to be here at last.” So are we… read more

British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes has always been renowned for her colourful and eccentric touches. This London Fashion Week, the ever-innovative artist has brought her palette to the palate, with an edible diffusion of fashionable mini éclairs.

These ready to eat treats have been intricately decorated with images of Zandra Rhodes’ latest diffusion line, using an innovative process of moulds from Paris and art magnetic technology from Germany and Switzerland, with transfers decorative prints and images on the cakes made with edible ink.

And the designs are of course tailored to taste, with flavours such as Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Jelly, Cheese Fondant with Parmesan Crisp, Passion Fruit & Mango and Mint & Chocolate Chip. The éclairs cost £2.50 each and are available exclusively at the Arch, Marble Arch’s newest hotel, until 31 March. read more

Originally from Toulouse and having trained under Guy Savoy, Pascal Aussignac (41) opened Le Club Gascon near Smithfield market in East London in 1998, in partnership with Vincent Labeyrie, himself a descendent of a well-known foie gras distribution company. Strengthened by the success of the restaurant, featuring speciality dishes from South-West France and holder of a Michelin star since 2002, they have since opened several bars and restaurants. Here, the chef gives Chic-Londres the lowdown on foie gras and offers an original take on this delicacy served as pudding from his recipe book Cuisinier Gascon.

Foie gras: a brief history

“Foie gras is one of the culinary treasures of France’s south-west and has always has been considered a luxury, its consumption usually associated with celebrations. For instance, because of its one-time seasonality, it used to be bought in the greatest quantity at Christmas time.

Until quite recently, it was eaten in France at the end of a meal, presumably when the sweeter wines were served. Nowadays it has become an introduction to a meal, but still with a sweet white wine such as Sauternes. I also like to serve it marinated in a particular spirit, with a shot glass of that same spirit. Otherwise, a good Champagne or port would be ideal accompaniments. read more

This week, Chic-Londres visited the Beefeater distillery in Kennington, Beefeater being the only major brand of gin still made in London today: a good occasion to come back to the history of this quintessentially English drink, and to get a few lovely cocktail recipes from its master distiller Desmond Payne, the leading expert in this industry.

London dry gin: the story

• 1618-48: English soldiers first encounter genever while fighting in Holland during the 30 years war in Europe. The Dutch juniper flavoured grain spirit is given as a morale booster before battle (hence the expression “Dutch courage”). They bring back genever home when they return.
• 1688: The Dutch William of Holland accedes to the English throne: genever becomes the fashionable drink at Hampton Court and Kensington Palace, where drinking genever is seen as a gesture of Protestantism.
• 1730: In some parts of London, and particularly the area around Oxford Circus know as St Giles, one house in three sells gin, while it spreads amongst the London’s poor.
• 1743: In London in 1750, adults drank an average of 181 litres of gin per year, or half a litre per day: the authorities become alarmed about the social effects of wide-spread drunkenness, as the “Gin Craze” takes hold.
• 1751: The Tippling Act begins to effectively control sale and production of cheap gin and paves the way for the production of quality products.
• 1794: The Trade Directory for the City of London, Westminster and Southwark lists over 40 gin and malt distillers, with 90% of English gin then distilled in London.
• 1830: The first gin palace, Fearon’s, opens in Holborn. Those fashionable bars are the inspiration for Victorian pubs, which borrow their interior design.
• 1832: Through the invention of the continuous still, a more pure spirit can be made, leading to the creation of an unsweetened, aromatic style of gin known as “London Dry” (by opposition to sweet gin), as so many distillers are based in the British capital.
• 1874: The Criterion, the first proper American cocktail bar, opens in London at Piccadilly Circus.
• 1920: The first “official” cocktail party is held in London.
• 1990s: The second great cocktail revival is led by the bar scenes in London and New York.

Did you know?

• Gin may have been made as early as the late 15th century in Italy and was certainly produced in Holland in the early 17th century, where it was sold in chemist shops as a medicine to treat stomach complaints, gout and gallstones.
• Tonics were, like gin, originally developed as a medicine. When travelling to India and Asia, the British were susceptible to malaria and found out that quinine, an ingredient in tonic water, was useful for protecting against the disease. Adding gin made the tonic water much more palatable and the G&T fashion quickly caught on.
• After tonic water, the most popular mixers for gin include vermouth, needed to make a martini, and lime cordial, which makes a “gimlet”.
• A traditional martini cocktail should be made with gin, not vodka, and as James Bond rightly knows, stirred, not shaken.

A few interesting facts about Beefeater

• Beefeater’s heritage can be traced back to the 1820s, when John taylor founded a small gin distillery in Chelsea. In 1863, James Burrough, a trained pharmacist born in Devon, came back from America and bought the distillery, which became the Beefeater gin Distillery, which has now become the only major gin distillery still based in London. Originally located in Chelsea, the distillery moved to Lambeth and then Kennington, where it has been since 1958.
• The distilling method Burrough devised in the 1860s, along with the secret recipe he created, is still used to this day, virtually unchanged: it is produced from London distilled pure grain spirit and a blend of nine botanicals: juniper, angelica root, angelica seed, coriander, liquorice, almond, orris (violet) root, the peel of Spanish lemons and oranges.
• Seeking a suitable name to emphasise its gin’s London heritage, James Burrough found inspiration in the Yeoman Warders –also known as “beefeaters”- who have guarded the Tower of London since 1485, hence its red colour design, based on the guards uniform.
• Beefeater’s dedicated Master distiller Desmond Payne personally selects all the botanicals used in the Beefeater recipe. He has been distilling for 40 years and is acknowledged as the leading gin distiller in the industry. Last year, he launched Beefeater 24, a premium gin made from 12 hand-selected botanicals mixed with a rare blend of Chinese and Japanese teas (£26 at Harvey Nichols and Harrod’s).

For the cold winter evenings: a few recipes made with Beefeater 24

The Beefeater Shrub, created by Chris Jepson for Bungalow 8

Ingredients: Beefeater 24 gin/2 punnets raspberries/2 punnets blackberries/8-10 tbs caster sugar/Cloudy apple juice/Lemon juice/Nutmeg

Method: In a saucepan, muddle together the raspberries and blackberries/Add a little water and gently heat through adding sugar as it warms up, simmer for 5 mns/When cool place into an empty bottle and add equal parts of gin to the mixture/Leave this to stand at room temperature for a day or two giving enough time to marry together/Pour into a wine glass 75ml of the mixture, fill the glass with ice, squeeze and discard a piece of lemon and top with apple juice/Give it a quick stir and finally grate some fresh nutmeg over the drink: read more

Food lovers, rejoice: legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann -of La Tante Claire’s fame- is back with a temporary restaurant on the roof of Selfridges. Book quickly: he is only there for three weeks.

Why go there?