FOOD & DRINK
ing m?” dd rea d
cooking a Christm e as ew r pu w e e r cook “A or a ing a
that people have when they come to Claridge’s is they’re the only one. And we like that. We want them to feel that. It is en masse but it’s not en masse. Every event to us is unique and individual.” With the festive season fast approaching, it is true that through the years the hotel has come to be seen by many as a beacon of Christmas celebrations. From who will design the famous tree (lest we forget Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s beautiful creation in 2013, and then again the following year), to the angelic children’s choir and the stockings left out by
s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s
Claridge’s: The Cookbook by Martyn Nail and Meredith Erickson, £30, published by Mitchell Beazley, octopusbooks.co.uk PHOTOGRAPHY: John Carey
guests to be filled on Christmas Eve, the warmth is felt far beyond the kitchen. “Are we cooking a Christmas pudding or are we cooking a dream?” So reads the inspiring introduction to the unveiling of the legendary Christmas pudding recipe. “The secret to this century-old recipe has been kept in the vault until now… the whole pastry team gathers around a giant basin to stir the mix by hand and make wishes of good fortune and goodwill to all.” From mince pies to cheddar and pear Eccles cakes, readers will get a taste of the festive season like never before and the chance to recreate them at home. Everyone has their own story to tell, their favourite dish, their chosen table either in full view or tucked away in a cosy corner. The hotel’s artist in residence David Downton likes to sit at table number four in The Fumoir for his nightcap as well as to interview and draw. “Claridge’s is Claridge’s, and everywhere else is everywhere else,” he says. “London’s grandest hotel guards her legacy but wears her legend lightly, her eyes trained on that famous revolving door, noting the next, the new (and the who is who). “Here, the ghosts of Sir Winston Churchill, Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn converse with the tech billionaire, the Upper East Side maven and the indie designer who are checking in. At Claridge’s there is a continuum.” Cheers to that.
105