Hot on the Highstreet Week 81 - Hermes in Harrods Pop-up

I began collecting Hermes twilly scarves a few years ago when I spotted a second hand yellow one glinting in the Notting Hill vintage shop window… I gathered up a bag of my old clothes to take in and swap for the beautiful scarf I had fallen in love with. Two years later and my growing collection includes a beautiful black twilly from my trip to New York, a sophisticated white twilly from the Hermes shop at Nice airport and a few others - each acts as a memento of a particular place or time. I love them all, and wear them regularly: in my hair, on my wrist or round my bag.

When I heard that Hermes were holding a pop-up shop in Harrods over the Christmas period, I was there in a flash. The pop-up honours twenty years of Hermes at Harrods and celebrates the brand’s most iconic accessory – the silk scarf. In one corner of the busy shop a colourful demonstration is set up. A beautiful display shows many of this seasons designs, including the new, exclusive to Harrods, ‘H’ scarf. Stylists are on hand to demonstrate the multiple uses of these versatile scarves, illustrating the endless styling possibilities. Women and men swarmed to the pop-up when I visited last Friday each decorated in gloriously coloured silk, turbans on their heads, scarves round their necks - it was a sight to behold.

After receiving an exotic scarf makeover myself (see the photo above), I had my photo taken by the photographer for the Hermes website and was given an orange bag with a few goodies to take away. This included a pack of the knotting cards explaining how to get the most out of your Hermes scarf with all the different ways of knotting, plaiting, twisting and tying to create numerous fabulous styles and looks.

I’ve already tried a few of the new styles and love the results. While I am still coming to terms with my new tangerine blonde hair, my twilly scarves are the perfect hair distraction.

Hermès Pop Up Scarf Boutique at Harrods

Harrods Room of Luxury II,

Ground Floor


Dec 5 2011 – Jan 2 2012


Stylists on hand every Wednesday and Friday afternoon

Pop up Pizza Masterclasses in London with Birra Moretti

We have all heard about the riotous success of pop-up clothes shops, pop-up cafes etc, but now something to satisfy your stomach... Italian beer brand Birra Moretti are inviting Londoners to their pop-up gourmet pizza masterclasses. Starting from today, Wednesday 27th until Friday 29th, three workshops will be held in London venues: Wednesday – Exchange Square, Thursday – Soho Square and Friday– Canary Wharf, running from 11am-4pm each day.

Top Italian chef Giancarlo Caldesi will be running the show, teaching guests to make their very own authentic pizza in just 10 minutes using Birra Moretti beer as the special secret ingredient. The rest of your lunch break can then be spent enjoying your culinary masterpiece and relaxing with a complimentary beer. The idea is to give busy, hard working Londoners a well earned lunch break while sharing the essence of the envious Italian lifestyle, “il dolce far niente” – “the sweetness of doing nothing”.

All of the pop-up gourmet masterclasses are free, and will be available to guests on a first come first serve basis, Caldesi will be hosting 10 masterclasses at each venue.

For more info see facebook.com

Dishoom Pop-Up Restaurant on Southbank

Rippling waves, golden sand, and delicious beach snacks... all found in London’s most exciting holiday destination... Embankment?!

Dishoom markets itself as London’s first and only Bombay cafe, selling authentic and traditional food of India’s famous city. This quirky restaurant set up a temporary pop-up on Embankment a few weeks ago providing hearty meals for hungry Southbank workers and visitors alike. The cafe is uniquely decorated with recycled newspapers, beautiful coloured bottles and amusing portraits. A bar lines one side and high stools the other, the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.

Staff wander about welcoming you in, very eager to help, they wear hilarious neon t-shirts (that are also available to buy for £15) with bold slogans across their chest like “Bombay on Thames”. I am always on embankment, milling around before going to see a production at The National or The Old Vic and this pop-up perfectly suits my needs of needing a quick, filling, and interesting meal before a show. I went the other day before a play and tried the chicken curry and the popular Dishoom spicy lamb wrap. Both were delicious, much better than I expected. Rich and full of flavour the curry is thick and tangy, perfectly cooked chicken in a tomato based sauce that is packed full of spices, is comes with a separate portion of toasted naan. The wrap was a little too hot for me, but is a wonderful mix of crunchy vegetables and marinated meat.

To drink I tried a Chaijito made from chai infused Pampero run, fresh mint and lime. With no sugar (a crucial ingredient in a normal mojito) I found the cocktail a little too bitter, but it was an intriguing mix and certainly a refreshing accompaniment to go with the food.

Dishoom’s Chowpatty Beach will be adding spice to London’s Southbank until 4 October, so plenty of time to try out this bollywood Bombay bonanza for yourself.

the world the way i want it - Pop-up shop

‘The world the way I want it’ was a magical pop-up shop on Redchurch Street near Brick Lane. Open for just a month, there wasn’t long to catch a glimpse of this little gem, but I luckily managed to find a spare half hour to visit last weekend, and I am so glad I did.

Keggie Carew certainly created her own world in this little shop. Every inch of the space was decorated with her artwork, findings and other mysterious bits and bobs. I could have spent hours in there exploring everything.

She has an obvious interest in the great outdoors, I particularly loved the ‘pink shoes with Dorset hills and sheep and bird gazers in the trees’. Appropriate to the theme, half the profit is going to ‘Kiva’ for micro-loans to sustainable farm projects.There were plenty of unconventional gifts for sale too: poetry rubber stamps, bug pots (I bought one for my dad), ‘true story’ t-shirts. The insect necklaces seemed to be a good seller, as you can see from the images, they come in different bug varieties, and are eerily beautiful. Carew assured me, these necklaces are wearable, but with care. I think they are the perfect Tim Burton-style present for the lady that has everything.

These temporary pop-up shops are becoming more and more popular, and seem to be cropping up all over the place. After visiting ‘The world the way I want it’ I bumped into another pop-up store, where two creatives from Madrid were showing their work, jeweller Karen Hallam and artist Fernando Herlop. These quirky little shops are worth looking out for, they are brilliant for picking up one-off items and often at much lower prices than you would expect.

Visit shop website here.

Fondue Fun at Swissotel The Howard

I heard whispers about the Swiss Cheese Fondue Night. Swissôtel The Howard, a smart London hotel, transforms itself every Tuesday and Saturday into a magical Swiss Chalet for Fondue and other tasty après-ski goodies.

I have never had fondue before, but as a keen cheese lover was keen to try it. The idea is rather genius and unlike any other. The pop up restaurant was created last year and has returned after huge success. This year its popularity has grown further making it increasingly difficult to book, although I hear they are adding some extra days to accommodate more. I booked for early evening (before a show) to ensure we got a table. The restaurant was empty and despite being a little spooky, it meant we could fully appreciate the authentic Swiss Chalet décor – wooden surrounds, warm lighting, and red checked tablecloths. They have definitely done their research!

The package meal costs £29, rather overpriced I decided later but the demand is there.

The meal includes:

- Swiss Cheese Fondue (Gruyère, Vacherin Mont D’Or and Epoisse)
- Crusty Sourdough Bread
- A selection of Sliced Cured Meats with Pickles
- Mixed Leaf Salad
- Dessert (Apple Strudel with Custard or Sweet sugar cake)

-A glass of Schnapps

The starter of salad and meat was fresh and light before the rich main. The pot of cheese came next, bubbling away. I was really desperate to like it, the idea of hot gooey cheese thrills me, but unfortunately the sharp aftertaste (likely to be from the large amount of white wine added to the mix) ruined it. Although dunking bread into your own mini cauldron is lots of fun and made us giggle. The desserts were rather mediocre by my pudding standards, and I left most of mine. I was disappointed with the meal, and paid my £29 begrudgingly (I could have bought a nice piece of clothing instead.)

A very different night out, but I rate the ambience much higher than the food!

Swiss Cheese Fondue Nights: Every Tuesday and Saturday night till the end of April 2011
Address: 12 Temple Place Restaurant, Swissôtel The Howard, 12 Temple Place, London WC2R 2PR.
Booking/reservation tel: +44 207 836 3555