afternoon tea Archives - Elena Bowes

The Great and Groovy Outdoors

Elena Bowes — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 07:15:05 +0000

June is here and blue skies are coming so make the most of it. Read my Indagare round-up on where to go al fresco. From a pavilion picnic to a summer supper everything feels and tastes better in the sunshine.

June, 2015

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Don’t Forget Your Sunscreen

Elena Bowes — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:37:07 +0000

London is having a moment, a very sunny one. Take a walk in the park, lunch al fresco and spend as much time as possible enjoying this blip of California blue. London is chock-a-block with open air options. And for those craving the real deal beyond London, check out the fabulous informal gardens at Barnsley House in the Cotswolds. Read my article “Cotswold Cool: Flower Power” in Trufflepig if you need some convincing.

Dedicated urbanites can still smell the roses amidst the diesel. Below are a few of my London summer-time picks. Kensington Gardens and the Serpentine Pavilion are easy green options.

Shoppers can catch some rays at Q, Selfridge’s pop-up terrace restaurant.

For something a bit buzzier visit Granary Square at King’s Cross where daily street vendors sell everything from Mexican tacos to Mumbai meatballs to Falafel wraps. It’s the edible U.N. here, otherwise known as Kerb street food collective.

You can watch the boats pass by.

Or follow the tennis.

And for a special garden treat outside central London – Petersham Nurseries near Richmond Park is unbeatable. Its bohemian glasshouse restaurant (dirt floors, sublime food, cool staff) and the chic garden shop make the journey well worth it.

Fragrance maker Jo Malone believes in the power of gardens to provide solace and lift the spirit. Jo Malone Urban Community Garden Project supports gardens in deprived areas in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Bristol. Buy a Silk Blossom Home Candle in the UK to help this cause, and bring a little piece of garden home.

July, 2014

* Petersham Nursery photo courtesy of Keiko Oikawa

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Come for Caviar, Quail’s Egg and a Giggle at Sketch

Elena Bowes — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:57:10 +0000

Diners will have much to muse on at Sketch Gallery Restaurant where celebrated artist David Shrigley has blanketed the walls of this chic eatery with his familiar cartoon-like drawings with biting captions. All 239 of these acid sharp, satirical works are for sale via the Stephen Friedman Gallery (£2,300 each plus VAT) and very tempting. My sister thought this one below screamed me. Haha.

I begged to differ and told her that the drawing below was much closer to the real moi.

Shrigley’s works deal with life’s everyday fears and banalities.

Or turning overheard snippets of conversation into farcical images.

The Turner-prize nominated artist didn’t stop at the walls. He also designed ceramics for Sketch. Here are some witty salt and pepper shakers. Diners who want for nothing can have that too.

A spot of tea?

The Glasgow-based artist said:

“It will be the first artwork that I have made that can go in the dishwasher. It will be very clean artwork.”

That’s not all that’s new in the Gallery Restaurant. The large brasserie has a soothing, new look – soft rose and feminine – thanks to Paris-based architect and designer India Mahdavi.

And don’t forget to powder your nose in Sketch’s cute cubicles.

Shrigley will be making a sculpture for the Fourth Plinth Commission on Trafalgar Square in 2016.

June, 2014

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