This afternoon hosted the first ever Scarlett London bloggers meet-up event, which although I was initially anxious about, turned out to be great! As you probably know, I am not the sole producer and writer for Scarlett London – as there are a dedicated team of volunteers who help me keep the content fresh, attend events and provide us with insightful features. So, since they help so much in the running of the blog – I decided to host a meet-up event to celebrate, discuss ideas and most importantly – drink champagne!
The team was put together after a few months of tweeting about looking for passionate writers/fashion and beauty lovers and I am lucky enough to have an amazing team of girls (and one guy, Sam) who write for the blog. Although this may seem strange to some, the concept of where my blog is headed (hopefully transforming it into an online magazine) involves lots of passionate and dedicated writers coming together, so I’m really pleased that those who write for my blog have been so helpful! Unfortunately, three of the writers couldn’t make the meet-up – as Danielle lives in New York, Laura was unfortunately ill (get well soon!) and Sam was working, however the very lovely Rachel, Kelsey and Naomi kindly made their way into Central London.
Searcy’s Champagne Bar (in One New Change, near St. Pauls) kindly hosted the meet-up for us and upon arrival we were greeted by Michael, who proceeded to kindly take us through a selection of his favourite champagnes for us to sample. Although I’m not champagne expert (by any means), it is definitely my favourite drink and I would much rather a glass of bubbly than any mixer or alco-pop, so it was really interesting to be taken through a list of champagnes and what foods they compliment.
The venue itself, located in One New Change Shopping Centre, is really intimate and luxurious and whilst the bar does get rather busy in the evenings, there is a constant relaxed vibe, which is more than you can say for other bars dotted around the London area. Although the light snacks and dishes are priced afford-ably, the bar feels very exclusive and unique, so it’s a really lovely place for a meeting, special occasion or, if there are any men out there reading – a date!
Michael made us feel extremely welcome, relaxed and at home in his company – briefly giving us the history behind some of the bars finest and most exclusive champagnes. Although the bar did serve food, we were keen to take a walk around the sights of London to build up our appetite, so stuck to small nibbles instead. I did have a good look at the menu though, which is rather limited – but still offers an array of delicious dishes to suit all budgets. Delights on the menu include the Light Mayonnaise Portland Lobster (£28), which can be shared or enjoyed on it’s own, as well as the slightly less expensive Inverlochy Salmon & Cream Cheese Bagel, served with crisps (£5.50). For dessert, guests can enjoy Golf Ball Champagne Truffles (£5) or Chocolate Caramel Lolly Pops (£5).
After three (or four) glasses of champagne, we were feeling a little light-headed so decided to take a walk around St Pauls and take some photographs. Strangely, the shops, bars and cafe’s around the St Pauls/Fleet Street area are all closed on weekends, so we jumped on the bus to embankment, in order to have a look around and find somewhere to eat. We eventually settled on the ever popular Wagamamas, before then heading back to embankment station to head home.
It was so lovely to meet the girls and having had the chance to discuss my ideas for the future of Scarlett London with them, I’m feeling really positive about where the blog could go – and what features we could include! Hopefully this meet-up will be the first of many, and next time – perhaps I will have a few new writers attending too! I’m always looking for those passionate about blogging, writing, fashion and beauty to contribute, so if you do want to get involved – please contact me!
Searcy’s has five exquisite champagne bar’s dotted around London. Thank you to Michael for providing us with a fantastic insight into the history of some of the most exclusive champagnes (and for allowing us to taste a few!). I speak for all of us when I say it was a really great day – and we are already organizing the next meet-up event! For more information about Searcy’s – visit their website here. And, lastly – thank you ever so much for Rachel, Naomi and Kelsey for coming along and for making the day really lovely. I appreciate their hard work so much, especially when I am feeling bogged down and uninspired! So, thank you girls!
** Also, a special mention to the lovely Robyn at Fuel Refuel PR, who kindly sponsored several of the goodies included in the goodie bag! The girls really loved them, and we can’t wait to try them out!
