South-west of Buckingham Palace, with Knightsbridge to the north and Sloane Street to the west lies Belgravia. A district known for being home to some of the most expensive properties in the world and a location much prized by the super wealthy. Although in the heart of London, Belgravia is an oasis of calm compared to its busier neighbours with gorgeous individual boutiques, cafes and salons lining its streets. High-end brands in the area have partnered up to become The Belgravia Wedding Quarter and couples can find stationers, florists, photographers and dress designers in close proximity to each other.
One of my favourite destinations is Elizabeth Street which is a mecca for foodies and fashionistas alike. Today I was here with my mum and Mr Silver to visit Peggy Porschen for a wedding cake tasting. Peggy Porschen is a leading cake company based in Belgravia. Ever since I got engaged I knew I wanted a cake designed by the fabulous Mrs P. Her cakes are absolutely beautiful and she has many A-list fans such Kate Moss, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow!
Peggy’s Porschen’s Parlour is a perfect pink confection on the corner of Elizabeth street.
Peggy is well-known for her bespoke collection but the parlour sells ‘ready-to-eat’ cupcakes, cookies and patisserie items which can be enjoyed with artisan coffees, tea or pink champagne. The smell on entering was absolutely divine and the cakes on display were mouth-watering.
But we were here on serious business! The lovely Laura led us into the back room which was filled with example cake designs (fake obviously) but totally gorgeous.
We went through our details of sizing requirements, design and delivery, Peggy offers a bespoke design service so that you can customise your cake to suit yourself and your wedding style. It is a service that really makes you feel special as they consider every detail of colour and design for your once in a life time cake design.
Then it was time for the bit we’d all been looking forward to, the tasting!! We tried six different flavours: Glorious Victoria, Luscious Lemon, Dark Chocolate Truffle, Champagne and Strawberry, Luxury Fruit Cake and new surprise flavour.
All were delicious and light and not too sugary! I won’t tell you what we chose as I’d like to keep it a surprise for my wedding guests but needless to say they will be asking for seconds!
After we’d finished tasting all those delicious cakes we’d whetted our appetite for lunch. Yes, I know we did it in the wrong order! A short walk away from the Peggy Porschen Parlour is Olivomare on Lower Belgrave Street. The Olivo restaurants are all based in the Belgravia area and each offers a different variation of Italian and Sardinian cuisine. Olivomare serves a seafood only menu; I absolutely adore seafood and Italian food so the restaurant offers the perfect combination for me. Situated in a quiet corner of Belgravia it very close to the famous Goring Hotel where Kate Middleton slept the night before her wedding!
The interior is stylish and modern
The bread basket was diverse and pleasing to the whole table. My mum loved the focaccia and Mr Silver was devouring the sourdough.
We all chose quite different starters.
Mr Silver ate baked artichokes with sauteed prawns and diced tomatoes. I pronounced his choice the best starter!
It was tuna carpaccio for me, one of my favourites.
My mum enjoyed mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and basil. The cheese was creamy yet light.
For main course it was fish all round, of course!
Whole sea bream in crusted in salt and chargrilled for me.
Baked seabass sauteed with Vernaccia wine and black olives for my mum. She loved the deep flavour of the wine sauce.
Chargrilled artichokes on the side
A ruby red tomato and basil salad
Spaghetti with half a fresh lobster, tomato, garlic and chilli. Decadent comfort food!
The food at Oliomare is totally delicious and a local gem really worth coming back to. Obviously there was no need for dessert as we’d already had that first!
