London Cupcake Update

You can hardly take two steps in London without bumping into a cupcake... First stop - HummingBird Bakery!
All aboard. They've got special Halloween cuppies.

YIKES!

And they offer a daily special flavor...

In Covent Garden, you'll find Crumb Dollies and they've got cupcake trees!

If you're not crazy about cupcakes, you better leave now and that includes me. These lovelies are from Ella's Bakehouse and they reside in Selfridges Food Hall.

There's a lot of cupcake competition at Selfridges from Primrose Bakery as well...

Lola's Cupcakes has a cafe to boot

Boxes and boxes including what they call 'Tinies' and we call minis...

AND they have GIANT cupcake cakes! OMG I have to admit I rather fancy these elegant numbers from Fiona Cairns...

Maybe it's the lovely flat tops that make these so appealing.

I, for one, am not big on tons of fluffy icing sitting a top my cupcake (if I even liked cupcakes...)

Competing alongside all the cupcake concessions at Selfridges is Pierre Herme's macarons and chocolates. Frankly this is not doing PH any favors in my opinion.

Quelle dommage :(

Out of sheer exhaustion I broke down and had a cuppa and a cupcake in Selfridges. (I did not eat the icing but the cake part was quite nice)

A late stop in Fortnum & Masons to pick up some Earl Grey et voila.

Les cupcakes!

Harvey Nichols has a highly decorated set o' 6 beauties.

Plus they have a pop-up shop of special small cakes from British pastry chef formerly of the French Laundry, Claire Clark.

I loved this witty drawer display...

They're featuring her new book, 100 Perfect Desserts, which has been out for a bit in the US. Would you call these cupcakes on the cover?

Marks & Sparks' iced buns caught my eye as a possible antecedent of the cupcake or 'fairy cake' as the Brits call it.

What do you think?

Yesterday the 22 bus stopped at Duke of York Square and there was another open market . Of course there were cupcakes from Peggie's who does 'couture' and wedding cupcake towers.

Who knew?

I saw these adorable clown hats at Pollock's Toy Theaters in Covent Garden. Don't they look like the perfect hat to wear while you're eating a cupcake, if you happen to eat cupcakes that is...
Lots more to come on Pollocks later.

I'm week-end posting since I missed Friday a week ago, whilst traveling and I may miss tomorrow.

I must be on the Eurostar by 5:13 am

Eeeek!

BON WEEK-END PBers!

Harvey Nichols London

I've been watching gritty British movies on Netflix of late. Have you ever seen Mike Hodges' Croupier or the gangster movie to top all gangster movies, Get Carter?

Not that either film has much to do with swanky Knightsbridge or Harvey Nichols, but they do get you in a British frame of mind.

I saved Harvey Nichols for last - it's one of the best department stores.

They don't get swankier.

It's like an art museum - you never know what to expect visually floor to floor. Even the escalators have surprises. 

The fashion floors.

Are par excellence-this Alexander McQueen dress says it all. 

The food halls.

Definitely glittering.

Cupcakes rule in London. 

Cupcakes in every imaginable kind of gift box.

And such gorgeous tea trays on offer! 

Loaded with Whoopie Pies!

Truly spectacular windows at Harvey Nichols. 

Knock-your-socks-off window displays. 

Rather unusual cups and saucers as only the British do them.

By the way, THANK YOU for all the cups and saucers you've sent me to paint, some even from Budapest! Thank you Chas for your Cafe Deux Magots cups. 

A big Thanks to Julie of the Provence Post for the shoutout about the cup/croissant watercolors. Do visit Julie, who spends half the year in Provence...quelle dommage

BONJOUR HARVEY NICHOLS!