28 Mar 2013
Dorchester Collection’s iconic British hotel, The Dorchester, is delighted to announce its annual champagne afternoon tea in celebration of The RHS Chelsea Flower Show - which this year marks its 100th anniversary. With a special collaboration with Ulf Nordfjell, the designer behind Laurent-Perrier’s show garden, British Perfumer Roja Dove, pop-up Florist Corner and accommodation experience including tickets to the much-loved flower show, this year’s tea will bring the floral spirit of Chelsea Flower Show to Mayfair.
From 20 to 26 May, the relaxing aroma of lavender - a pervading scent and colour at Nordfjell’s 2013 Chelsea Flower Show garden - will fill The Promenade at The Dorchester through floral arrangements, candle aroma and lavender bags provided as a take home gift with afternoon tea.
The Laurent-Perrier Floral Afternoon Tea will include tea pastries such as ‘candied lemon’, a lemon-shaped sponge cake filled with lemon crémeux and a white chocolate flocage; ‘violet’s garden’, a patch of red fruit mousse flavoured with violet, on a crunchy short bread with a fresh crystallised violet garnish; and ‘Lavender basket’, a dark chocolate tartlet infused with lavender scent, decorated with a spun sugar handle. These cakes will be served with a selection of finger sandwiches and scones complemented by Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé served in an elegant cherry-blossom designed glass. Revered by wine-lovers and style-setters throughout the world, this outstanding cuvée has an exceptional freshness and delicious berry-fruit taste.
The Promenade will be adorned with an array of Lavender, Iris, Viola,Dianthus, Stipa, Anemones and sculpted Taxus, arranged by the hotel’s designer florist Phil Hammond. Continuing the lavender theme as a take home gift, florist Phil Hammond has created small lavender bags for those enjoying afternoon tea.
During tea service The Promenade will be filled with the scent of limited edition lavender scented candles created by world renowned Master Perfumer, Roja Dove – the second in an exclusive series of Roja Parfums Candles exclusively for Laurent-Perrier and The Dorchester inspired by the Champagne House’s RHS Chelsea Garden. Priced at £75, the bespoke candle will be available for purchase at Phil Hammond’s pop-up Chelsea Flower Show, Florist Corner, in the hotel lobby which will also sell bouquets inspired by the garden.
Ulf Nordfjell stated: “Though shaped bySwedish and French influences my Chelsea Flower Show garden is designed so it fits perfectly into a British setting. There is nowhere more iconic than The Dorchester to showcase this against the setting of the ultimate English pastime of afternoon tea.”
Creator of the candle, Roja Dove explains, "Unbelievable as it may sound, the finest lavender in the world used to be grown commercially in Mitcham near Croydon. As an English perfumer I chose the finest perfume-grade lavender available today, which now comes from Grasse, as the key point of inspiration. It creates a legitimate, harmonious triangle that reflects and respects Ulf Nordfjell's creative references as well as the national heritage of each of the collaborators of this project; a single, simple universally known and much loved fragrant ingredient becomes the leitmotif of all that is quintessentially English - the Chelsea Flower Show, The Dorchester, the heritage of English lavender, the perfumer; French - Laurent-Perrier, Nicole de Vésian's gardens, lavender from Grasse; Swedish - Ulla Molin's gardens, and of course - Ulf Nordfjell."
Out of town guests can book a Chelsea Flower Show accommodation package on Thursday 23 May 2013, which includes an overnight stay for two in a deluxe room with breakfast, two tickets to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Floral Afternoon Tea for two, and an exclusive perfumery consultation with master perfumer, Roja Dove at Harrods a, priced at £786 per room per night inclusive of vat and breakfast.
The Dorchester’s ‘Laurent Perrier Floral Afternoon Tea’ will be available during the week of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, from Monday 20 May to Sunday 26 May 2012 at 1:15pm, 2:30pm, 3:15pm, 4:45pm and 5:15pm, priced from £56 per person excluding service charge. For reservations please contact The Dorchester on restaurants.TDL@dorchestercollection.com / +44 (0) 20 7317 6501.
For further information about Chelsea Flower Show at The Dorchester, or to make a booking, please contact The Dorchester on +44 20 7319 7102 or email reservations.TDL@dorchestercollection.com. Early reservations are strongly encouraged due to limited availability.
Notes to editors:
About The Dorchester
The Dorchester is situated in the heart of London’s Mayfair on Park Lane, with 250 rooms and suites designed in a classic English residential style, affording expansive views of Hyde Park. Alexandra Champalimaud redesigned 22 new Dorchester and Park Suites in 2012, fusing contemporary comfort with timeless glamour. A wide range of dining is available to guests in The Promenade, The Bar and The Grill, China Tang and three Michelin star Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. The Dorchester Spa reopened in May 2009 after a multimillion transformation to offer indulgent pampering in a glamorous art deco setting. The Dorchester’s ten banqueting rooms, including The Ballroom which was renovated in September 2011, offer a wide selection for hosting various events, from intimate dinners to cocktail receptions of up to 1,000 guests.
About Dorchester Collection
Dorchester Collection is a portfolio of the world’s foremost luxury hotels in Europe and the USA, each of which reflects the distinctive culture of its destination. By applying its unrivalled experience and capability in owning and operating some of the greatest individual hotels, the company’s mission is to develop an impeccable group of the finest landmark hotels through acquisition as well as management of wholly-owned and part-owned hotels, and to enter into management agreements.
The current portfolio includes the following hotels (in order of them joining the group): The Dorchester, London; The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills; Le Meurice, Paris; Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris; Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan; Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles; Coworth Park, Ascot, UK; 45 Park Lane, London; and Le Richemond, Geneva.
About Ulf Nordfjell
Designer Ulf Nordfjell is a leading landscape architect based in Stockholm, Sweden. He shares his time between public spaces, working with Ramböll in Sweden, and private spaces, through his own practice, Lunab. He has created several exhibits in Sweden that have been internationally recognised, and created new interest in Swedish garden design. Ulf has won many prizes for his landscape architecture in Sweden and two RHS Gold medal and one best in Show 2009 for his gardens at Chelsea Flower Show.
Ulf has a particular speciality in transforming city parks into spaces of beauty, including waterfront areas in the cities of Norrköping and Skellefteå, as well as the Garden Society and the Botanical Garden in Göteborg, the city park, (part one) in Lund, Silverdal and Dalenum housing and Berzelii Park, all in Stockholm. Ulf is also heading up the Rådhusparken project for the city of Umeå ́s inauguration as European Capital of Culture 2014.
Having cultivated his own style, Ulf is well known for his interest in combining architecture and design, with horticulture and sustainability. His passion for designing with plants can be seen in all of his projects; all of which take into consideration the variable circumstances and climates of the surrounding environment.
About Laurent-Perrier
Originally founded in 1812, the House of Champagne Laurent-Perrier is is recognised as one of the foremost brands in Champagne. Based in the heart of Champagne, in Tours-sur-Marne, this success is the outcome of a deliberate policy to honour traditional values: a respect for nature and wines, a passion for quality, and strong, lasting relationships among the people who drive the company – both inside and outside of the House.
The wines crafted by the Champagne House are unique not only because of the philosophy that has inspired them, but also for their style, flavour and consistent quality, from one cuvée to the next. The result is a range of vins de plaisir – a diversified range of wines to be enjoyed at every occasion, each connected by the lightness, freshness and elegance that distinguishes Laurent-Perrier.
Laurent-Perrier’s success must also be attributed to the energy of the Nonancourt family, headed by Bernard de Nonancourt. Working in a very demanding business environment, Bernard successfully avoided many pitfalls and managed to preserve the independence of his champagne house and its related values. These same principles guide the current management team headed by his two daughters, Stéphanie Meneux de Nonancourt and Alexandra Pereyre de Nonancourt.
About Lavender
Lavender essential oil is highly distinctive, offering a fresh, sweet, natural composition. Although it sounds unlikely, one of the finest in the world used to be grown commercially in Mitcham near Croydon. Contrary to popular belief, the beauty of the hillsides in the Lubéron and the plateaux around Manosque comes not from lavender but from a hybrid species called Lavandin, or French lavender. The true lavender used in perfume manufacture is a lower-growing plant with finer stems, the cost of which is much higher and which grows above three thousand feet in the Alps. This is the lavender used in the finest grade oils for use in fine perfumery and which is used in the Laurent-Perrier Lavender Candle by Roja Dove for Roja Parfums.
About Roja Dove
Roja Dove is one of the world’s pre-eminent perfumers, creating both bespoke perfumes for private clients, as well as his own exclusive range, Roja Parfums, sold in carefully selected stores around the world. Roja has lectured extensively on the history, emotion, and development of modern perfumery, creating along the way collaborations which have become legendary, such as when he was keynote speaker at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s exhibition, Diaghilev, for which he was asked to create a fragrance – such is the demand for his work it sold out immediately.
For further press information about The Dorchester, please contact:
Olivia Johnson or Arabella Wentworth Waites at Peretti Communications
Telephone: 020 7244 1930
Email: olivia.j@peretti.com arabella.w@peretti.com
