Maison Bertaux - Soho Gem

Some time ago channel 4 produced a program called 24 hours in Soho - presented by Blur member Alex James, it followed the really quite diverse lives of Soho residents from strip joints to family life. One particular business I found fascinating was one of London‘s oldest patisserie ‘Maison Bertaux’ a French patisserie that was founded in 1871 and still going - now in the hands of Michelle Wade a former actress.

Having never been there we thought we should experience this quirky venue for breakfast. We were greeted by Michelle who was absolutely charming and made us very welcome. The décor is definitely very retro but in an authentic way - slightly shabby but this has a special charm all of its own - completely out of step with brash modern interiors. The ground floor retail area comprises of a few tables & chairs a piano plus pavement seating which is perfect for people watching.

The array of pastries & cakes on display is an absolute feast for your yes - they all look divine - you just want them all. We settled for croissant d'amande which was the best I have ever eaten - being a creature of habit this is what I have every time I visit.

Up a flight of stairs is another seating area - a pure 1950’s time warp of Formica tables & leatherette chairs. In this area Michelle’s sister Tania Wade uses the wall space as an art gallery for work by slightly off the wall artists; presently there is an exhibition by Noel Fielding of Mighty Boosh fame.

Being now totally hooked we return often, it is just so different from anywhere else in London, there is no comparison to other establishments as it is unique in this world of café chains with pseudo contrived décor. Do visit - you too will agree that Maison Bertaux is a Soho gem.

Flower Power

I have noticed that this season’s spring/summer collections for men are definitely a homage to the perennial favourite ‘Liberty London’ print archive - world renowned since the firm was established in 1875. This season well known designer brands have been raiding the extensive Liberty print archives. This trend has been most noticeable in the use of the prints for men’s shirts. - I myself have been hooked on Liberty print shirts for a long time - the bolder the better in my case - it’s become a signature style.




The collections use iconic prints of busy small scale floral, geometric tile patterns, images of birds, leaf patterns all in a wonderful spectrum of colours.

Generally men are slightly nervous of wearing bold patterns fearing they will stand out within their peer group - unlike the Dandy days of the 60’s & 70’s when men strutted like peacocks in bright colours and patterns, whereas now men play safe with blocks of colour often monochrome. Our economy is pretty dire - we all need cheering up - what better way than a splash of colour to bring a smile to people’s faces. Even iconic brand ‘Nike’ has produced sneakers in Liberty print.

The easy way to wear prints and colour is with jeans, linen trousers, shorts and loafers to achieve a cool laidback carefree vibe.

Fashion Dispensary Goes Live

The good news is that we have finally launched our new Fashion Dispensary website/online shop.  We are extremely pleased with the result that represents months of work & expense - but the finished product has totally exceeded our expectations.  The new site has come about because we thought it was time for a change and a total revamp to keep the business fresh & interesting.
Over a long period, men had been asking couldn't we consider stocking a range of menswear - obviously there was the demand so we decided to make the investment.  The entire shop has been totally restyled to achieve a fresh new look.  Men's clothes are in the old occasion wear room - after careful consideration we decided that more formal clothes didn't sit with our new look - any remaining stock can be found on our online shop at discounted prices. 
The women's collection is now very different to previous seasons, we have spent a lot of time sourcing a more relaxed and easy to wear look from english and european designers.  Our price points now encompasses all budgets, but quality and great styling remains our key aim.  We have also extended our gift & accessories - lots more bath & body products, candles, jewellery and leather goods to include men and delicious handmade artisan chocolates - there really is something for every taste.  A great proportion of our stock is online and constantly being updated, do visit the shop for an even greater variety.

Home is where the heart is.

About two years ago a customer was in the shop and enquired if our home was decorated in the style of the shop/boutique. At that point we still had a long way to go before we could finally relegate the last tin of paint to the cellar. The customer happened to be a magazine editor looking for interesting period properties. Undeterred that we weren’t in a position to be featured, she left asking us to make contact when we were ready. Eighteen months later I made contact and the photographer ‘Di Lewis’ arrived to shoot for ‘Period Living’ February 2011 issue.



The photographs were beautiful and captured the essence of our home. The magazine focused on the kitchen and as a result some of the interior shots were not used. As I have most of the work I thought it would be nice to share them with you. As you will see the colours we have used are strong & earthy - not to everyone’s taste I know, but they work in this old property. Personally I loath bland, safe, colourless interior shades which prevail at the moment. To some, our style is eclectic, this has been toned by observation & travels over the years. Interesting details can be found by just looking up at a building, be it door pediment/window frame/render colour etc. Old interiors provide endless inspiration for colour. I love and admire the work of French designer ‘Jacque Garcia’ best know for his contemporary interiors of Paris.

Snowy Bath

I recently enjoyed a Sunday off with a visit to Bath - a favourite destination for us as it’s only 35 minutes by car from Tetbury. That particular day it had been snowing, luckily the drive down the A46 was clear, but side roads were impassable due to ice

On arriving we found Bath relatively quiet considering it was almost Christmas & able to park straight away. In need of sustenance we headed over to the ‘The Fine Cheese Co’ in Walcot Street for food and refreshment. This venue has a lovely unpretentious atmosphere - friendly knowledgeable staff, good coffee, excellent food - the Crayfish tail, rocket & sun dried tomato sandwich is divine.

We spent the afternoon wandering around Bath; one can’t fail to be inspired with the glorious architecture here. A recent BBC2 programme presented by Amanda Vickery ‘At Home with the Georgians’ went behind closed doors and illustrated what it was really like to live behind those gilded facades. Even allowing for the 1960/79’s ‘rape of Bath’ when some areas were misguidedly cleared for the so called modernization, and bland soulless buildings erected. These now sit like sore thumbs against their Georgian neighbours. The ugly example for me is the ‘Hilton Hotel’ above the podium car park - surely it could be refaced to make it easier on the eye.

 

Devotees of the marvels of Bath are usually drawn to the Royal Crescent or the Circus, but I prefer ‘St James Square’ which sits just below Lansdowne crescent. It is a haven of peace & quiet after the buzz of central Bath - also the ‘Mangia Bene’ café, just off the square, has good food & pavement seating. Perfect place to stop after walking and taking in the delights of this beautiful Georgian city.

 

Cup Cakes 'A go-go'

If you are ever in ‘Soho’ London you must visit ‘Cox Cookies & Cake’ at 13 Brewer Street. The brainchild of ‘Patrick Cox’ - of Wannabe shoe fame along with his venture partner French patissier ’Eric Lambard’ have set up this really funky cake shop.

As you walk down Brewer Street you can hear the uplifting music pounding away. The exterior is sexy black with window displays illuminated in pink, baby blue & lime neon tubes. The interior has a black marble floor along with dark sequinned walls - totally fab, you feel you arrived at the legendary ‘Studio 54’ disco. The sign behind the counter ‘I keep haunting you’ was a gift from ‘Tracey Emin’.

Staff are eye candy - good looking men dressed in black with sexy studded black leather aprons. The cakes are the main attraction - cool groovy toppings in deep purple, red, black topped with suger diamonds & edible glitter. We chose ‘Pop cake’ a vanilla frosting and white chocolate homage to Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe. Also ‘Red Skull’ a chocolate cake filled with strawberry compote & blood red frosting and a dark jewelled skull! Both were an absolute taste sensation and keenly priced at £4.00 each. I will definitely will repeat the experience - the music is also pretty good!

Peace & Tranquility

Having had an early morning appointment in London we managed a free afternoon. Heading back home on the busy A4, at Hogarth roundabout we decided to turn off and park up. Neighbouring the roundabout is ‘Fuller Brewery’ est.: 1845 - sadly it is the last independent brewery left in London. The brewery is housed in an interesting clutter of buildings of which guided tours are available.

 

Walking down a very pretty side street we found ourselves on Chiswick Mall - totally gorgeous mix of period properties with gardens fronting the river Thames. The hustle & bustle of the A4 is just a stones throw away, but here we are in peace & tranquility - this is amazing! Walking upstream we pass Hammersmith Terrace, a sober terrace of Georgian houses, but interestingly no.7 was the house of ‘Sir Emery Walker’ close friend of William Morris. The house is now a museum, as it is a rare survivor of a complete Arts & Crafts interior. If you fancy refreshments try the ‘Black Horse’ nearby, though a little  further along  is  ‘The Old Ship’ - the 1st floor balcony gives superb river views. If you are ever in this location do make an effort to stop - the tranquility is wonderful after the buzz of the city.



Stanley Spencer Gallery



Luckily we still had time to spare, decided to drive over to the extremely pretty village of ‘Cookham’ in Surrey birthplace and lifelong home of my favourite early British modernist painter ‘Sir Stanley Spencer’. To celebrate his prolific talent the ‘Stanley Spencer Gallery’ was created - here you are able to trace his huge catalogue of work. Looking at his life studies you can see why ‘Lucian Freud’ admires his work. Sadly Spencer had a somewhat tangled marital arrangement; he died in 1959 at 68 of cancer. There is a huge unfinished canvas in the gallery that gives you a total insight of how he achieved his particular style. A visit to this gallery will definitely enrich your life.

Hettie enjoying the view.

Mid-Georgian porch