Outandaboutfit #1 - Afternoon Tea at The Serpentine

This week was the auspicious event of my (3-inches-taller) little sister turning 21. And did we celebrated by going out and getting trashed? Did she stumble home at 5am, hair a messy halo, one shoe on, having vomited on the night-bus? Did she heck! We went for friggin’ afternoon tea, coz we’re classy as hell.*

Afternoon Tea is something of an institution here in the UK, and rightly so. It’s been around since the early 1800s, to combat what Anna – the 7^th Duchess of Bedford – labelled “that sinking feeling” that one experiences in the late afternoon. You know the one, the post-lunch, pre-dinner slump. And what better way to fill a gap between meals than with…another meal! Anna, you Bedford babe.  

There are hundreds of places all across London where you can enjoy an Afternoon Tea of varying quality. Some of the best you can find at www.afternoontea.co.uk Yup, that’s an actual thing. And that’s where we found Liv’s birthday tea – at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery by Hyde Park.

The Serpentine comprises two contemporary and modern art galleries and is nestled in the heart of the very-beautiful Kensington Gardens. Our tea was in The Magazine Restaurant which is attached to one of the galleries – the Serpentine Sackler – which was designed by Zaha Hadid in 2013. The gallery itself lies in a gunpowder store from 1805 and houses art, architecture, and design exhibitions throughout the year.

The restaurant is just beautiful. Modern, light, airy, with a lovely convivial atmosphere without being too loud or close. The whole experience was elegance itself. The six of us arrived, were ushered to our (oddly-shaped but pleasantly large) table and given a cocktail. Which is the best way to start anything, as far as I’m concerned. There was a wee bit of a wait for the food but I just took that as reassurance that it hadn’t been pre-made and then left to wilt. And wilt is the right word as the menu was Chelsea-Flower-Show-themed, which I thought was charming. From borage and nasturtium flowers on the canapés, to the thyme syrup in the cocktail, mint in the smoothie, and orange-blossom in the patisserie it was delicately and artfully themed.

And the food was delicious – if you can call it “food” it was all so tiny! It was like going to the perfect cocktail party, where you don’t have to pretend to listen to small talk while actually keeping an eye out for the person with the canapés, instead you got a tray full of them and were done with it! The strawberry, mango, lime, and mint smoothie was the highlight for me. Fresh, aromatic and….served in a really cute bottle with a straw. Woo!

Now, if you’re going to go for a fancy-pants afternoon tea, you have to wear a fancy-pants outfit. So I donned my fanciest pants paired them with this lovely, summery white number from ASOS and blue suede heels customised with my hilarious and wonderful clip-on shoe pompoms from Cheeky Poppins. I felt like one classy lady and I didn’t even spill anything, WIN!

Just to clear up – this is the first post in a new series known as “Outandaboutfits” for those bits of London life which aren’t location-specific and aren’t all about food, but more about capturing the other aspects of London life (not that it’s all white dresses and scones, but I’m hardly going to do a post about watching RuPaul, while eating toast in my pyjamas, am I?)

*Disclaimer - she may well also have celebrated in the above fashion, but if she did I wasn’t invited because I am too old and uncool. And classy as hell. ;)

The Serpentine details

Opening times = Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
Admission = Free!

Closest Tube station = Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch

Fulham Palace

Hi all, apologies for brief hiatus – though if you’ve followed my other blogs some sporadic-ness (sporadicity? Sporadation?) was to be expected. I’m terribly busy and important. HA! Speaking of VIPs however, this week’s shoot took place at Fulham Palace – previous homestead to the Bishops of London, who – as the palatial nature of their house might suggest – used to be a pretty big deal. It’s not really a “Palace” of course, but a rather charming manor house, which was called a palace because the Bishops were known as the “Princes of the Church”. In any case, it must have been a darned nice place to live… so why don’t you read on to find out why?

This gorgeous manor house was first acquired by Bishop Waldhere all the way back in 700AD and was the main residence of the Bishops of London until 1973! Which is crazy when you think about it… The Fulham Palace estate used to cover what is now Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, Acton, and Finchley (so not exactly humble) and boasts England’s longest moat which is now 13 acres long, but used to stretch for 36!

The house is soaked in history and is a mishmash of styles and periods. The main building is Tudor, with a Great Hall which dates back to 1495, alongside Georgian additions and a Victorian chapel. From 1972, excavation work in the grounds started turning up artefacts from the Neolithic, Iron Age, and Roman times. Although the buildings still belong to the Church, they are now looked after by the Fulham Palace Trust, and boast a museum, a tea-shop, and some rather lovely gardens.

We went on a grey Sunday so the house was fairly quiet. Actually, it’s a very peaceful place in general, even with the occasional small child running amok. This was excellent news for me because I didn’t have to feel like a total muppet, waltzing around in my backless dress and floaty skirt. Woohoo!

DEFINITELY wasn't pretending to be a Bishop. Uh uh, noooo way. Nope...

I must say, I wasn’t blown away by the museum sections of the house – they’ve got some fun bits and bobs for kids – but it’s fairly basic. The rooms have had very little done to them – which was nice in a way. It might have been interesting to have seen one or more of the rooms furnished – but it’s not totally necessary. And the tea-shop – although it’s a gorgeous space with lovely views – was a bit of a let-down… Almost entirely because of the cake. Yes, I am fully aware that that is petty... but if I have culture to soak up, I want to do it with a good bit of synthetic-jam-free Victoria sponge, goshdarnit! And when the cake is bad I sure as hell don’t want to pay £10 for two slices and some tea. Disappointing.

Obligatory "Fran gazes at a plane" photo

The real star for me were the gardens, beautifully kept, with lots of free space for kids to run around in, and a functional walled garden where you could buy your own plants- Which we did! We now have a Fulham Palace cabbage, marjoram, and sage, basking in the English sun on our balcony. (Feel free to follow me on Instagram for pictures and other less-horticultural gems).

In terms of outfit - I chose this dress because I love how the high neckline makes it look vaguely ecclesiastical…only for that to be totally undermined by the back. And the length. Thank you maxi skirt. This was actually the dress I wore to the “after party” when I left school – so I’ve either become taller or less brave…either way, it is VERY short now.
I also wanted to tap into the idea that Bishops were the “princes of the church” and go fairly opulent and regal. Hence hella’ jewels and lace woo.

At least my shoes were sensible this week – the perfect stomping boots and my personal favourites. You can’t see but the patent “leather” has started to flake off. No idea what I will do when they finally bite the dust- so let’s channel the Bishops and pray for them!

On a final note - If you’re planning impending nuptials (or a rather less romantic conference) and you like the look of this place – you’re in luck! It can be rented out for “weddings, parties, and corporate entertainment” (Gosh, doesn’t “corporate entertainment sound like a riot?). Find out more here! 

Fulham Palace details

Opening times = Mon-Thurs 12:30-4:30, Sunday 12-5pm (Summer)
Mon-Thurs 12:30-3:30, Sunday 12-4pm (Winter)

Admission = Free!

Closest Tube station = Putney Bridge

Dress (Worn as Top) - John Zack at Debenhams
Skirt - VLabel London at ASOS (matching top HERE)
Necklace - Zara
Earrings - Accessorize
Boots - ASOS
Shirt (Worn as Jacket) - Zara