Celebrating 23 years of helping our clients grow their businesses

THE CAVENDISH LONDON hotel is holding a free hog roast on Sat 4th September to celebrate the Jermyn Street party.

“The Art of Being British” is the first street party to be held by the Crown Estate and the Jermyn Street Association – they have teamed to celebrate the area’s quintessentially British traditions.

Home to London’s most historic shirtmakers, bootmakers and quaint foodstores, Jermyn Street has always retained flair and elegance.

And it’s the perfect place for you to experience “Britishness” in every sense.

Beau Brummell set the elegant style of Jermyn Street that's lived on since the 18th century

• Beau Brummell was the 18th century “dandy” – an elegant English gentleman – who would strut down Jermyn Street and parade his shirts, boots and suits for all to admire
• Exquisite London food emporiums Fortnum & Mason and Paxton & Whitfield have also catered for classic British tastes since the 18th century
• The Cavendish London was made famous in 1902 when it was taken over by the celebrity “Queen of Cooks” of her time, Rosa Lewis. She served up classic British menus to royal and high-powered guests including Sir Winston Churchill’s family, Edward VII and wealthy trade merchants

About The Art of Being British street party

Time: 12pm-5pm
Where? Jermyn St, behind Fortnum & Mason’s in Piccadilly
Food at The Cavendish London hotel: Hog roast outside [free]; afternoon tea and summer menu inside at Petrichor.

Facebook.com/The-Cavendish-London
Twitter: @cavendish_hotel

Jermyn Street will be traffic-free and open to the public, so you can stroll around enjoying exquisite British cheeses by Paxton & Whitfield, a tea-tasting session with world-renowned experts from Fortnum & Mason, and live music performed by the Royal Academy of Music.

Jermyn Street will also host a catwalk, where many of the local clothing stores will showcase their sense of style and craftsmanship.

There will be a puppet show and an area dedicated to the art of storytelling, a sports car display and a fantastic selection of cafés, bars and restaurants. These include Franco’s, Getti, Green’s, Quaglino’s, and of course, Petrichor at The Cavendish London, where you can indulge yourself in our summer menus or a traditional afternoon tea with a modern twist in a great atmosphere.

The Cavendish London is on Facebook or Twitter and will run regular updates of The Art of Being British party.

Or, book a room and experience the quintessentially British treatment at The Cavendish London! www.thecavendishlondon.com
Call +44 (0)20 7930 2111 for reservations or for more information

More info and map

Notes to editors:
The hotel was named The Cavendish in 1836 and the lease was taken over in 1902 by celebrity chef of her time Rosa Lewis. It is rumoured Edward VII helped her with the initial £5,000 investment.

Rosa was renowned in London and Paris for her exemplary hospitality and quality British food, and this lives on at the award-winning 4-star hotel today.

An independent 230-bedroom hotel, The Cavendish London has a contemporary British style and is within a few minutes’ walk of the UK’s top tourist attractions such as Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace.

The popular tourist and London business hotel is also close to designer shopping in Mayfair and the West End.
•    Gold awarded by Green Tourism London for sustainability
•    Holds an AA rosette for its modern British restaurant Petrichor
•    Gold winner of Visit London 2009 for Outstanding Service
•    91% rating on TripAdvisor.com

The Cavendish London’s vision:
To be the best four-star hotel in central London with special people creating special experiences.

The hotel exceeds guests’ expectations, creating memorable experiences day in and day out – The Cavendish London is in TripAdvisor’s top 50 list of 1,058 London hotel reviews.

More information on the party: http://www.jermynstreet.net/jermynstreet/news

Facebook.com/The-Cavendish-London
Twitter: @cavendish_hotel

We had a great evening last night at Hospitality Action’s Question of Support. Our team may not have made it to the premiership, but we won our league and were proud to lift the trophy at the end of the evening. The event raised over £65,000 for HA, with Unilever Foodsolutions handing a cheque to Penny Moore for £15,000. A huge thank you to everyone that attended, hopefully we’ll have the same luck in the World Cup this year!

I attended a foodservice and economic update earlier today which was run by Horizons at Coutts Bank.

It’s available to download at www.horizonsforsuccess.com/annualbriefing

This was the first event of its kind and in my view, it was a good use of time – lots of content to be had within a two hour breakfast session.

There was an economist from Investec who gave a summary view of the economy – and the verdict was slow recovery until 2012, when we will see the return of pre-recession GDP levels.

Let’s see what happens after tomorrow’s election!

Michelin-starred restaurant Sketch is joining the exciting trend for pop up restaurants this week by opening a café at the Royal Academy of Arts. The café will run until the end of January alongside the art exhibition GSK Contemporary, Earth: Art of a Changing World.

In keeping with the theme diners will be seated at tables and chairs made from recycled cardboard and be able to pick from a menu of sustainably sourced food. There is even an outdoor area where diners can keep warm with hand made rugs and hot water bottles. The offer of an environmentally conscious and unique dining experience means this is one date we will be adding to our diary.

Having recently joined the William Murray team it was on their recommendation that I tried Croydon restaurant Le Cassoulet.  Looking for a local eatery to celebrate a special occasion, Le Cassoulet was the perfect choice and one that impressed my guests. I enjoyed the delicious cote de boeuf followed by a generous selection of cheeses. The service was attentive and not at all rushed allowing us to enjoy the meal at a leisurely pace.
I was also very excited to hear this week that proprietor Malcom John is set to open another restaurant locally to me in Sutton. I will definitely be returning to Le Cassoulet, especially as I hear they offer a purse friendly set menu at £15!

I attended the National Restaurant awards last night which was a wonderful evening. As a Cumbrian it was wonderful to see so many regional restaurants in the top 100! One of my favourites is The Elephant on the harbour front in Torquay and its chef Simon Hulstone was enjoying a well earned night off! They auctioned some interesting works of art to raise money for charity Action For Hunger but I can’t say that the ‘parsnip painted to look like a carrot’ was my bag!

The team at William Murray Communications will be picking out their best party frocks and attending the Hospitality Action Sparkle Ball on 14 October.  The annual ball – being held at The Royal Lancaster, London – promises to be a must-attend occasion for the hospitality industry with the possibility of one or two surprises for attendees, including a champagne reception to lead onto a delicious four course meal, fundraising activities and the presentation of various awards.   The event will be attended by top foodservice and hospitality industry figures so the networking opportunities will be very valuable.

There are a limited number of tickets still on sale – visit the HA website for more information.

Michelle was lucky enough to visit the prestigious Northcote Manor in Lancashire during her holidays, dining at the on-site restaurant headed by Michelin-starred chef, Nigel Haworth. Not only was she treated to a delicious meal and a signed menu from the prominent chef, Michelle also received a one-to-one lecture from Howarth’s gardener, about the importance of shopping locally, at farmers markets or growing your own fresh fruit and veg!

Croydon may not automatically spring to mind as a culinary destination, but as the team is finding out there really are some hidden gems in this South London Borough.

One of these gems is Albert’s Table, serving modern British food using quality, seasonal British ingredients.  The head chef and co-owner Joby Wells, who has worked his way up through some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants, serves up a menu that is quite simply fantastic.  Spoilt for choice, the starters that excited the tastebuds were the ‘Fresh pasta cannelloni of corn-fed, free range chicken with creamed bacon broth and tarragon’ and the ‘Short crust tart of Dorset crab with a rouille dressing and salad’, and the main course that topped the bill for us all was the ‘Confit shoulder of Romney Marsh lamb with summer beans and ratatouille garnish’ – and all I can say is that there were clean plates all round!

Although pretty full after the starters and mains, the team simply felt they could not miss out on sampling the desserts – and they weren’t disappointed!  For a three-course lunch menu the price wasn’t bad either – at £15 a head, we’ll definitely be returning.

William Murray’s Wonder Women are heading to Clapham tomorrow night to bid farewell to Jacqui and Holly. A night of cocktails and burlesque awaits at The Peacock Bar which has been named Top London Burlesque Club by the press. Keep posted for reviews and photos!