Monday, April 21, 2014

The Best of British Luxury, A CliffsNotes of this Upcoming Britweek 2014. Cheers!

By Laura Medina

Yummy British Afternoon Tea Tidbits for Supper, Cheers!

Tonight is the Red Carpet Launch party for Britweek, http://www.britweek.org/

What is Britweek, you might ask?

It's Brits-Done-Good's idea of Thanksgiving.  It's a two-weeks celebration where British talents give gratitude to all the opportunities that the United States of America gave them to excel in their chosen field, mostly actors, musicians, directors, producers, and photographers.
  
What started out as "Only in LA," get-together, has now grown as slow but steady phenomena, spreading to Miami, San Francisco, and Orange County.  Basically any locale that has a colony of Brits where it's warm and sunny, these sun-kissed Brits give thanks.  Come on, New York and Charleston, South Carolina get y'all's  game on!

Way ahead of the game, in conjunction with Angeleno Magazine and VisitBritain, The Best of Britain not only highlight the tradition of quality in British products but also what's innovative in Britain brands, such as Illamasqua.  The British answer to MAC.

It was fortuitous timing that "The Best of Britain" served a scrumptious and decadent British Afternoon Tea for supper, if you're British or dinner, if you're an American.

Regardless, this portion-controlled supper, of timble-sized asparagus wrapped in beef and a lump of lobster topped on lobster mousse dolloped on disk of toast, in-between sips of Glenfiddich Whiskey and pear nectar cocktail on Wedgwood's trendiest and trippiest porcelain befitted Alice in Wonderland, the Hare, and the Mad Hatter.

To keep the guests from getting drunk as Mad Hatters, the servers politely and constantly poured tea into the psychedelic, floral Wedgwood tea cups.  The ones who know what they're doing (this scribe) stirred cream and spoon sugar for a proper cup of tea, endless rounds of it.
  

Guests also got the chance to nibble on rare and exotic (yes, you heard this scribe right) cheddar cheese that are uniquely "Only in Britain," blue-veined cheddar, and ash-coated cheddar.  The British Isles' answer to those fancy French fromage.


Of course, Glenfiddich Whiskey tasting was the first spot to hit, mean sip.

Kilt-wearing master instructor was impressed when this scribe washed down the younger, clearer whiskey then decorously sipped the older, darker whiskey.


People gawked then dream about the two Aston Martin's new Vanquish roadsters.


They moved onto dabbing, rubbing, and sniffing fragrances and colognes from Royal Warrant-holder, Floris London perfumery.  As always, this scribe mixed and spritzed Cherry Blossoms with Lime, a refined olfactory version of Starburst candy chews.


Call to mind, Britweek and it's condensed version, "The Best of Britain," spotlights what's new of the best in British products and brands.

The subversive Illamasqua did edgy makeovers and manicures with Bloomsbury and World War II overtones that goes deeper and beyond the punk rock cliche.


Mind you, "The Best of Britain" is a condensed version of what is best and new from Britain, all in one night.  Imagine what two-weeks of Britweek will be like!

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