Do you have a particular food or drink that brings back some of your best memories?
Laurent-Perrier champagne will always be incredibly special to me because it was the beautiful golden bubbly that we served at own wedding. Now often when we have a special celebration moment Mr S and I will pop down to Oddbins and pick up a bottle of this rather exceptional beverage…
So when the invitation for the launch of Kettner’s new afternoon tea with a Laurent-Perrier Tasting Flight landed in my inbox…I think you can get guess what my answer was!
Kettner’s is an old favourite of mine, and the bar of choice for my sister and I to sink a few glasses of champers in the days before husbands and babies ;). We go well together, Kettner’s and I…we’re both fully dedicated to champagne…me to drinking it and Kettner’s to serving it… With that being said the Champagne bar in Soho seemed the perfect place for the House of Laurent-Perrier to serve their gorgeous afternoon tea with matching champagne flight.
Sat in one of Kettner’s beautifully appointed private rooms with six fellow food bloggers, we took a moment to learn a little of the history of this beautiful bar. It was opened in 1867 by Napolean’s chef, Auguste Kettner and became infamous for hosting risque parties for the celebs of the time. It was one of Oscar Wilde’s favourites, Agatha Christie and Bing Crosby were regulars and even King Edward VII courted his mistress, Lilly Langtree, there!
With the history lesson over it was time for tea!!
Danny Borchert, ambassador for Laurent-Perrier, told us a bit about the champagne’s origins while the first glass was poured.
The first champagne in the flight was the Ultra Brut, which is actually my favourite champagne not least because it contains only 60 calories! It’s said to be Kate Moss’ drink of choice too.
The reason it’s so low calorie is because it contains no sugar…it’s quite an acquired taste as it’s a little tart but I love the purity of the champagne without the dosage added. The champagne itself is beautifully crystal clear and so light and delicate.
It’s definitely one for the ladies!
And don’t you just love the glamorous vintage style of Kettner’s with its sumptuous velvet sofas, sparkling chandeliers and elegant drapery. The Grade II listed building also contains a brasserie, cocktail and champagne bar and eight private rooms.
Each champagne was paired with a ‘course’ of the afternoon tea. The sugarless champagne went perfectly with the savouries these were made up of sandwiches including:
Ham and Mustard
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese (fave obvs)
Egg Mayonnaise
Smoked Chicken with Mango and Mint.
The homemade scones and preserves were paired with the Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose.
The pink champagne is one of the stars of the Laurent-Perrier range and not only is it delicious but I love the salmon pink colour and the stylish bottle.
The hints of soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and black cherries paired very nicely with scones spread thickly with jam.
The final champagne in the flight was the 2004 Vintage.
Danny explained the quality and taste of the grape is dependent on the weather and in 2004 hail affected 3,300 hectares of the Laurent-Perrier estate but a turn around in weather led to an Indian summer that was very favourable to the grape ripening process. Champagne produced in this year have an incredible taste but are very rare.
The vintage champagne has the sweet fruity flavours of pineapple, peach and plums and was the perfect pairing for the sweet course:
This gorgeously presented plate contained:
Strawberry Tart
Vanilla Choux Bun
Millionaire Shortbread (best thing ever!!!)
Raspberry Macarons (totes amazeballs!!)
Passion Fruit Tart
White Chocolate Cone.
I must say, I had a truly fabulous evening. The hospitality of Kettner’s and Laurent-Perrier was exceptional; everything was explained so eloquently and my glass was always full of champagne. As you can imagine I left the place with a huge smile on my face…I mean who wouldn’t enjoy a glorious evening of champagne and cake?
When I left I was presented with a little goody bag with a mini bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne inside. I was perfect so share a special toast with Mr Silver when I got home in flutes given to us for our wedding.
What food or drink reminds you of special moments?
The afternoon tea and tasting flight will be served at Kettner’s from the 12th of January for £42.50
Kettner’s
29 Romilly Street
Soho
London
W1D 5HP
Disclosure: My afternoon tea and champers were complimentary for the review
