APRIL/MAY 2022 s ISSUE 094
Little Moments,
L A ST ING MEMORIES
Hotel Gran Meliá Don Pepe in Marbella
THE BOODLES MAY FESTIVAL Official Style Guide
MALE:
Shirt – Alexander McQueen White harness cotton shirt, £490; Tie – Pal Zileri Silk Tie, £160; Belt – Salvatore Ferragamo Gancini black reversible leather belt, £405; Sunglasses – Tom Ford Gilles 02 gold-tone aviator-style sunglasses, £305, Available at Harvey Nichols Manchester; Shoes – Prada, Stylists own collection; Suit – Hugo Boss Stylists own collection
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FEMALE:
Blazer - Joseph Tailor Wool Stretch Jackie Tailored Jacket, £525; Trousers - Joseph Bi-Stretch Toile Tarifa Trousers, £295; Bag – Pinko Love pocket simply c, £189; Necklace – Missoma 18kt gold vermeil snake chain necklace, £198, Available at Harvey Nichols Manchester ; Shoes – Stylists own collection
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Style
TH E BOODLES M AY FESTI VA L
Chester Racecourse in association with Harvey Nichols The most popular meetings at Chester Racecourse, the Boodles May Festival sees the most thrilling races take to the Roodee. This means there’s no better time to attend the world’s oldest racecourse and soak up the unmissable atmosphere. The Boodles May Festival lends itself well to hospitality. It’s an ideal time to treat yourself, your family or even your employees to an exceptional days racing and fun. www.chester-races.com www.harveynichols.com
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Food & Drink | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Lun uncc h at L ucian ciano o Angela Seddon was invited to Gino D’Acampo’s new restaurant in Alderley Edge to trial the spring/summer menu
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et In the old Piccolino’s restaurant, in ‘pole position’ in the village, is the newly launched Luciano’s, the latest offering from the ubiquitous Gino D’Acampo. Gino himself paid a visit to launch their new spring/summer menu and I got to sample some of the delicious dishes on offer. The restaurant itself looks lovely, with counters full of beautiful looking, fresh and beautifully prepared food, and a busy kitchen. The décor is unchanged from its previous occupants, some may think this is a mistake, but in this throwaway culture and the difficulties the whole of the hospitality industry has had to face, I found it reassuringly sensible. Our host for the afternoon was the man himself, Gino, a very smartly dressed showman, who was incredibly charming with
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his dazzling bright, white smile. He talked through each of the dishes, and recipes from his family, explaining where his inspiration was from and why each dish was important to him. Being passionate about Italian food myself I was looking forward to trying them. We started with Taleggio and pea arancini; remarkably light. I have had far too many arancini that are akin to a shot put, but this was delightful, full of flavour and the addition of saffron gave it another subtle dimension. Next was the courgette flower fritti. These treasures are notoriously difficult to work with and don’t necessarily make for the prettiest dish, but in skilled hands are gorgeous. Well, the chefs had worked their magic. Filled with beautiful whipped buffalo ricotta, lemon and Sardinian honey, it was a true taste of spring. Not overly sweet with the honey, but fresh, light and very moreish. Then I tried the salmon and avocado tartare, a modern twist on a classic. I’m not the biggest fan of tartare, (often finding them a little too
slimy for my palate), but this one had me challenging my preconceptions. The addition of smoked salmon really helped and made it taste quite luxurious and rich. Following that, we had rocket and ricotta tortellini with sage butter and toasted pine nuts. The pasta was beautifully thin and the filling delicious. The crispy sage leaves and pine nuts added a lovely texture. Then came a rack of lamb, peas and smoked pancetta. Cooked perfectly pink, it was lovely and tender. The pancetta was beautifully crisp adding extra flavour to the peas. Finally came the Nutella pizza fritta, caramelised banana and toasted hazelnuts. Surprisingly light and almost choux like, the caramelised banana was delicious. All in all, some very delicious, authentic Italian food. One thing that really impressed me though, was their thoughtfulness and consideration for a lady on my table who had a dairy allergy. The food she had certainly wasn’t an after-thought or a hastily thrown together salad with no flavour. It was all as delicious as the food we had. She loved it. They also have a decent gluten-free menu. I will always be a fan of good Italian food, that’s no secret. Is this place a return trip? Most definitely. Ciao! www.lucianobyginodacampo.com
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Drive | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Grab the Bull by the Horns In the controversial Urus SUV, Lamborghini has created a supercar you can use every day, as James Fossdyke discovered
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The CHESHIRE Magazine | Drive
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onty Python helpfully laid out everything the Romans did for us, but what about the Italians? While their predecessors created all the stuff that goes without saying, the modern Italians have created great food, stunning wine and they do a good line in speed boats, but their cars take the biscotti. The Ferrari name is legendary, the Fiat 500 is one of the most desirable things on the market today, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Then there’s all the old stuff, from the sexy Alfa Spider to the incredible Ferrari 250 and from the glorious Maserati 3200 to the unhinged Pagani Zonda, it’s all spectacular. But one Italian car manufacturer takes spectacular to the next level. Lamborghini started out making tractors, and it did so with enough success to pay for Ferruccio Lamborghini, the company’s founder, to own a handful of Ferraris. But Ferruccio wasn’t especially impressed with his Prancing Horses, and he made his grievances known to the legendary Enzo Ferrari, who wasn’t especially impressed with Ferruccio’s opinions. So, in the spirit of great Italian vendettas, Lamborghini made the Miura – one of the most beautiful and most dramatic supercars of all time. Fast-forward six decades and Mr. Lamborghini is no longer with us, but his name has been immortalised in a line of fantastic supercars. From the Countach to the Murcielago and from the Diablo to the Huracan Performante, it’s a family tree that’s brimming with outrageous designs and even more outrageous performance. But like so many performance car makers, Lamborghini has had to move with the times. In response to the success of the Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini has gone all family-friendly, building the car you see before you. Yep, this is Lamborghini’s idea of an SUV. Technically speaking, this isn’t Lamborghini’s first SUV rodeo. Back in the 1980s, the LM002 was created for military purposes, but no army wanted it. Then Lamborghini tried hawking it as a road-going 4x4, but no customers wanted it. If we’re being kind, the LM002 was ahead of its time, but if we aren’t, it was a dog. This modern Lamborghini SUV, however,
ought to be somewhat more successful. Under the skin, it’s based on parent company Audi’s Q8, which means all the practical boxes come ready-ticked. There’s space for four adults to sit in comfort, there’s a big boot for all their luggage, and in shock news for those familiar with old Italian cars, everything works. It will even go off-road, although I suspect the number of customers who will take this car over anything more taxing than a muddy field can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Still, it’s good to know the Urus won’t grind to a halt when the snow comes down. But just because the Urus has a sensible side, don’t go thinking they’ve forgotten to make it a proper Lamborghini. Yes, it sits high above the road and it has an extra set of doors, but it still has that low, pointy snout, big air intakes and the curved silhouette that underpins the design of every Lamborghini since the Countach. The Y-shaped tail light signature remains, too, as does the upright rear end and the massive exhaust pipes. Inside, there’s plenty of Audi influence – the touchscreens in the centre of the dashboard are taken straight from the Q8 – but the details are pure Lamborghini. There’s the fussy, cluttered digital instrument cluster, for example, and the complex gear selector arrangement between the seats. Then there are the two drive mode selectors either side of it, festooned with words that didn’t come up in your GCSE Italian paper. It even has a switch marked ‘Ego’ that allows you to pick the suspension, engine and steering settings. But the best bit is the engine starter button. Sitting in the middle of the centre console, the button itself is hidden under a big red safety cage, designed to prevent the button being pressed accidentally. At least that’s what such switches do in their natural habitat: the cockpit of a fighter jet. It’s a small, childish touch, but it just makes the Urus feel more special than something like an Aston Martin DBX or a Range Rover Sport SVR. Press that button and you will wake the 4.0-litre V8 engine that lives under the bonnet. It isn’t as big or as cylinder-rich as the massive 10- and 12-cylinder engines found in the Huracan and Aventador supercars, but it’s still mighty.
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Home | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Case Study
BU LGA RI HOTEL With refreshed interiors and launch of one year residency by eminent Italian pastry chef and chocolatier Gianluca Fusto, The Bulgari Hotel in London reveals the Bulgari Lounge
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he lavish hotel in Knightsbridge called upon renowned architectural and interior design firm, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV) - the practice that designed the original hotel interiors - to create a fresh look true to Bulgari’s heritage as the master of coloured gems. The reimagined and newly defined space features a new ‘Dolci’ experience, as the hotel welcomes a one-year residency from eminent Italian pastry chef and chocolatier Gianluca Fusto and also launches Il Cioccolato.
The Bulgari Lounge - Design
The Bulgari Lounge offers elegant all day dining in the comfortable glamour and considered taste of a beautifully appointed modern Italian living room. Inherently Bulgari in style, the new look reveals gem-coloured rugs made of wild silk in emerald, blue diamond and citrine. This fresh injection of colour is offset by cognac-hued leather sofas, armchairs in neutral tones, Calacatta marble coffee tables and a central table in black oak. Particular focus is given to the Bulgari eight-point star which is embroidered in gold on bespoke green silk wall hangings. A custom made raised polished chrome and silver mesh partition transforms the space into its own distinct destination, with smaller seating areas
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and half-height curtains in a soft bouclé sheer creating a cosy intimacy - the perfect spot to enjoy food and drinks at any time of day. With an Italian eye to every detail, ‘Dolci’ - covering everything sweet on the menu - will be served on delicate porcelain plates and dishes with a floral design by Italian manufacture Ginori 1735. A further aspect of the refresh is the addition of artworks from the Bulgari Archives; vintage adverts from the Dolce Vita era featuring images of celebrated actors and models Virna Lisi, Benedetta Barzini and Marisa Berenson adorned with iconic Bulgari pieces. Patricia Viel, CEO and co-founder of Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel commented: “The Bulgari Lounge is much loved locally as a relaxed and elegant space for gathering in style, depicting the considered taste of modern Italian comfort. We are excited to reveal a colourful new design to take Bulgari Hotel London into its next decade at the heart of Knightsbridge.”
Gianluca Fusto Residency and launch of Il Cioccolato As a highlight of the new menu, The Bulgari Lounge introduces ‘Dolci’ by eminent Italian pastry chef and chocolatier Gianluca Fusto. Described by Sky Arte as the ‘Italian architect
Homes and Interiors
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