| Digital Detox? Finding Quiet & Calm At the Claridge's Christmas tree party before Christmas Olivia Colman, before her reading, asked the Burberry fashion crowd etc to put their 'phones away and in his Christmas message HM the King said "our world seems to spin even faster" quoted poet TS Eliot's words about finding the "still point of the turning world". A Snowy Shrewsbury Christmas Full of Love & Happiness It was the first Christmas where I woke on Christmas Day alone in our family's Georgian house. After all the frenetic excitement before Christmas, I found my peace for a few days. At a breakfast before Christmas mum's former hairdresser offered to cut & style mum' hair again. She did an unbelievable job and made mum look elegant over Christmas. Christmas Day could not have gone any better. It started with Veuve Clicquot champagne. I had lunch with mum at a table for two and she was so happy & relaxed. Wearing her new Chanel lipstick and spraying herself with her new Dior J'adore perfume, saying how much she loved it and me. The prize I got in my Dorchester hotel cracker (Aromatherapy Associates bath oil) was the best I have ever got in a cracker. On Christmas Eve I drank a perfect 'SF Martini' in The Libertine cocktail bar. Prestfelde Prep School, Shrewsbury School & Old Ford Road - A New Year Before Christmas there were drinks in The Benbow pub with friends from my school days and their talented children. On New Year's Eve one of my friends, who I shared houses with in London in the late 1980s & early 1990s, threw a dinner party. He, and his wife, are perfect hosts. His wife made one of the best pavlovas of my life. However, must also mention his legendary chilli, made from his mum's Barbados recipe. Brought back happy memories of Old Ford Road in London E2 for me. 'Real' Turkish Delight & Vodka Chocolates from Moscow My brother returned from Christmas in Istanbul with his daughter with gifts from him of authentic Turkish Delight from 'Hafiz Mustafa 1864' and vodka chocolates from Moscow from my niece and Russian family. I tried both once back in London and adore them. A Fascinating & Scrumptious Sunday Lunch with a Family Friend Sunday lunch at 'Rhubarb' at Drapers Hall (which dates back to 1483) with one of our best family friends was a perfect end to my Christmas & New Year in Shrewsbury. Our thick watercress & Shropshire Blue cheese soup, on a cold & snowy day, was divine and the roast beef melted in the mouth, with the vegetables cooked perfectly. There was even a story about a meeting with David & Victoria Beckham that illustrated what a genuinely nice guy Sir David is. Orthodox Christmas & Perfect Gifts from House of Maybourne I collected the gifts I was sent from House of Maybourne from the porter in my Barbican building the day before Orthodox Christmas. It was a canvas Claridge's bag full of Claridge's goodies. There were crackers to replace the ones I pulled with mum over Christmas & a large Signature Candle with the scent of honey, tonka bean & patchouli, which smells heavenly but is was a glass bauble painted with a teddy bear in a Claridge's Bell Boy outfit that brought me near tears. It was all pure class. Starting 2026 with Chef Elliott Grover's Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef at 45 Park Lane 45 Park Lane invited me for a complimentary 'Sunday Roast' to start 2026. It was such a special afternoon that I would recommend it to anyone needing a break from the stresses in this busy world. From the awesome singer; to shaved truffles on the sublime beef; Wagyu beef dripping; unbelievable cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes that cannot be beaten. I started with scallops with garlic & chilli butter. Sensational plump scallops cooked to perfection. Had to drink the butter from the half shells. It was too good. I finished with the banana cream pie. Delicious but I struggled to eat much of it. Sevice at 45 Park Lane is always flawless and friendly. Also Starting 2026 with a Revamped Legendary Coffee Table in My Barbican Place 45 Park Lane and Four Seasons at Park Lane were kind enough to provide elegant crackers to help me update/ slim down my legendary coffee table. Hope you all like the new look. It was a '8 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) period. Rocky family starts (involving our family lawyers), and ends, to Christmas (eg mum asking how my parents are, when I was leaving) were compensated for by my incredible friends. Hope you like the photos below, including two breakfast I made myself, one where I carved the smoked salmon myself. My 'House of Maybourne dream life' continues this weekend with Burns Night at The Emory hotel where I plan to toast my late Scottish father with The Macallan M 2023. I may even take a few puffs of a cigar, for the first time since Havana, Cuba in August 2018. |        |
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 It was another dream come true to meet the legend that is Chef Alain Ducasse and Chef Wolfgang Puck & now knows each other. What a month. From a moving Shropshire funeral, funerals of younger people are always particularly difficult; to one of the most elegant weddings I have ever attended, you could feel the love at both events; to Chefs Alain Ducasse & Wolfgang Puck preparing a 'Four Hands Dinner' for me at 45 Park Lane.
45 Park Lane also produced a cocktail for me from The Beverly Hills Hotel, that was not on their Sunday lunch menu. As that meal, the black truffles on Chef Elliot Grover's sublime roast beef tasted better than ever. I also got to eat in Chef Yannick Alleno's Pavyllon at Four Seasons at Park Lane, before it opened to the public and was back on Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square's roof sipping a cocktail. Must also mention Chef Tom Booton's revolutionary breakfasts at The Grill by Tom Booton at The Dorchester again. Finally I have to talk about mum & the excellent food scene in Shrewsbury. As part of the two weeks I spent in Shropshire during the month, I tried to spoil mum with meals out. My hake at La Piazzetta in The Square was sensational, our steak frites at Cote were delicious and the spicy cooked breakfast at C Sons, Shrewsbury is still morishly good. A family friend also took mum and me around his stunningly beautiful garden. Mum was almost back to her old self, talking about garden design, that afternoon. Hope you enjoy the photos below and they demonstrate what a memorable month June 2023 was in my life.  I sent Easter lamb to Shrewsbury. This holiday was one of mum's favourites but I ended up spending 10 hours in A&E with mum on Good Friday, after she had another fall, getting out from a car this time.
A difficult time for our family has been exacerbated by Shropshire Council's Social Services. I am still unclear if they are incompetent or lack integrity, or a mixture of both. There are now Royal Shrewsbury Hospital discharge documents for mum that misrepresented my views. This erroneous information must have come from ICS Social Services but they are now trying to distance themselves from the mess they have helped to create. I have made numerous formal complaints to Social Services and PALS at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and a Freedom of Information Request to Shropshire Council. Organising mum's care arrangements (including physiotherapists, that RSH should have arranged); visiting Shrewsbury, while constantly correcting Social Services and undertaking my Board role at Jordan International Bank Plc, has taken me near breaking point. Hope the photos below evidence that I am still doing my best to maintaining a life for myself, while ensuring mum is well looked after.  Mum looking Paul Smith fabulous on the day of her 80th birthday. Mum's 80th birthday meant two trips to Shrewsbury in the month of February 2023.
The love mum's friends showed to her made me feel better over all we are dealing with at present. She was inundated with gorgeous flowers, countless cards and generous gifts. Welsh relatives ringing on the morning of mum's birthday , a cake from Shrewsbury Market Hall & an afternoon tea hosted by great friends of mum & dad made it a remarkable day for mum. I did my best to spoil mum with a birthday cake; birthday dinner at Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (problems with their on-line reservation system) and Sunday lunch at The Armoury. The latter must be one of the best Sunday lunches in Shrewsbury. This short month was, therefore, packed for me. Oliver from Shrewsbury School Foundation took me to lunch at St James's Hotel & Club; Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square served me caviar at breakfast; had a manicure with my haircut at Truefitt & Hill; ate Chef Elliot Grover's Wolfgang Puck Oscar menu at 45 Park Lane; enjoyed fish & chips at Four Seasons at Park Lane; and my work as a bank board member at Jordan International Bank Plc continued. Hope the photos below do justice to mum's 80th birthday. My birthday again on 29 March. Chef Elliott Grover's Wolfgang Puck Spago Beverly Hills experience at 45 Park Lane is booked on 30 March and I will be staying at The Manor House Hotel in Moreton-in-Marsh in The Cotswolds at the start of April for another special lady's 80th birthday.
 I was introduced to Wolfgang Puck at 45 Park Lane. I met Anthony Bourdain at the Ritz-Carlton in Cayman Islands; Marco Pierre White at the Threadneedles Hotel in the City of London; Gordon Ramsay at the Four Seasons in Doha; Tim Raue in Berlin; Antonio Guida from Mandarin Oriental, Milan at the Mandarin Oriental in Taipei; Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton in Cayman Islands again; and was introduced to Wolfgang Puck at 45 Park Lane last week. I wonder which chef I will meet next?!
This evening I travel to Shrewsbury, Shropshire again. Family matters call.  Cannot thank my mother, Kathy, Alejandro, Four Seasons, John & Bilal, Jolee etc enough for all they did to help to make it such a memorable birthday again.
Hope the photos below help to demonstrate that it was another '7 teddy' birthday  With so many complex gifts, Maria needed her full concentration during our Christmas Day lunch. November & December 2021 were a whirlwind. The fact I signed the contract for my new banking job at The Rosewood Hotel, London, and started my new role in Canary Wharf in December, means 2022 should start well for me.
November 2021 included a meeting at The Guildhall to represent Barbican residents; a visit to The English National Opera to see HMS Pinafore; a Chinese breakfast at Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square before The Lord Mayor's Show etc December included seeing The Dior Christmas Tree at Claridge's; being given the 2021 Harrods Christmas teddy bear by the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park; trying the new scones at Four Seasons on Park Lane before their public launch; Christmas shopping for Maria at Hamleys etc Christmas itself was our first without dad at home. However, mum & I were able to visit him on Christmas Eve & again before I returned to work in London. His granddaughter Maria flew in from Moscow again and we had a very special family Christmas with her. Hope the photos below convince you it has been a '7 teddy' few months, despite COVID-19. I am double vaccinated and have had my booster shot & flu jab. Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog. I really value all your support.  I cannot say enough good things about Guy's Hospital & the NHS. 29 March 2021 will be my second birthday 'celebrated' under COVID-19.
I have already had some amazing birthday presents. The main one was having received my first Coronavirus vaccine shot. This, combined with news that Nuffield Health plan to reopen The Barbican gym, gives me hope that we are, finally, returning to 'normal'. I am thinking about Paris & their latest lockdown at present. Stay safe & strong everyone.  Haggis, neeps & tatties; Tanners Wine champagne; and snow. A real Shropshire New Year's Eve. For a second year I skipped New York in favour of New Year's Eve in Shrewsbury with mum & dad. Mum's sublime cooking, wines from dad and even getting to spend New Year's Day with my gorgeous niece, before she flew to spend the Orthodox Christmas in Moscow with her mother, made it such a special time.
On New Year's Day my friend who lives in the Burj Khalifa sent me photos of watching the Dubai fireworks from inside his apartment. Mind-blowing! I returned to London on the direct Avanti West Coast train in First Class but Lockdown3 in England was announced shortly after this. I now combine exercise with shopping by walking to Fortnums to undertake my food shopping. This is a treat a younger me would not have believed I would ever have been able to do. I also returned to London to find elegant gifts from the Four Seasons George V in Paris. I am doing my best not to let standards slip, despite everything, & hope the photos below help to demonstrate this. Keep safe everyone. We will get through this together. A Far Better COVID-19 Christmas 2020 Than We Expected - Shrewsbury, England - December 202028/12/2020  My beautiful niece meets Eric, the Steiff sloth; a Shropshire family Christmas calls for Tanners Wines' champagne; & my mother's expertly cooked roast goose Christmas lunch. Despite London moving to Tier 4, we managed to have another very special family Shropshire Christmas.
With fine wines chosen by dad; mum's legendary cooking and my niece there, it could not have gone any better. I gave a Chanel gift to mum; Tanners Wines & Fortnums gifts to my brother & father; a Steiff gift to my charming niece and my godson loves his Swiss Army Knife, with his name engraved on the blade. I gave some of my best gifts this year. I received Veuve Clicquot champagne; The Glenlivet whisky; Silent Pool gin; Paul Smith socks; The White Company sleep products; Elton John's new book; a personalised mug from a friend in Qatar that I treasure; an umbrella that is a piece of art from Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park etc. So happy with all my beautiful/ thoughtful gifts too. Hope the photos below illustrate how lucky I feel to have such outstanding friends & a one-off family.  My Fortnum & Mason and Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Christmas decorations are up in The Barbican. I adored the Christmas trees at Four Seasons at Park Lane, The Dorchester & Claridges's. I am just a little sad that Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square & Threadneedles Hotel will not reopen this year. Today I learnt my brother had sorted out his flight home. This, combined with the fact my sweet young niece will be in Shropshire for Christmas, means my COVID-19 Shrewsbury Christmas is shaping up well.
Last week John (GM of 45 Park Lane) showed me their stunning new swimming pool. I was one of the first non-staff members to see it, and have agreed not to post my photos, but can assure people it is one of the most beautiful indoor pools have ever seen. This made me think about the fact I was shown the Private Members Club at Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square, before its members, and stayed at Four Seasons Resort: Dubai at Jumeirah Beach & Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay before they were open to the public. My meeting with Four Seasons Founder & Chairman Mr Sharp, as his private home in Toronto, really did change my life. On the #travelblog front, it was also interesting that Grant Campbell has been appointed as the first GM of Nobu Hotel London Portman Square & Anne Golden at the first GM of Pan Pacific London. Despite the damage the COVID-19 restrictions have wreaked on the hospitality industry, it does not seem to have reduced my extensive network of General Manager contacts. England's lockdown2 was made better for me by more Daniel Humm breakfast granola from Claridge's. I am still using the Davies & Brook jar it came in this time and was honoured to be one of the only people to see the Claridge's lobby during lockdown2. I also managed another Shrewsbury trip, ladened down with Fortnum & Mason gifts again. People who see me over Christmas & New Year should feel free to ask me about the November 2020 photos below. Hope everyone has a special Christmas & better 2021!  My first day wearing with Turnbull & Asser face mask, with a virus killing filter. July 2020 was the month I restarted swimming, buying new Cayman Islands style Vilebrequin swim shorts to celebrate, and exercising with personal trainer Bart again. We did this outside with breathtaking views of Tower Bridge. I was even part of a photo shoot at Virgin Active in Mayfair, as I will feature on the new Virgin Active website.
It was also the month where I was part of the reopening of 45 Park Lane & Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park; obtained my Turnbull & Asser face mask, with VIROFORMULA virus killing filters; had my first pint for 121 days with dad in The Admiral Benbow in Shrewsbury, the landlady Claire there was ahead of London with her anti-COVID-19 bar screen; drank Shrewsbury wine with mum & dad at Hencote in Shropshire; had a haircut at Truefitt & Hill, following in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill & Frank Sinatra; Philip Hammond at The Dorchester created a spectacular new headdress for my Christian Lacroix wearing teddy bear from Bangkok; I attended a sublime lunch at Scott's in Mayfair with my Qatar friends; & ate caviar and drank gin from Kyoto, Japan, for breakfast, outside at 45 Jermyn Street, behind Fortnum & Mason. The Head of UK Retail at Fortnum & Mason now wants to meet www.sifrew.com. It has been another unbelievable month in my life & I just hope the move to the 'new normal' in the UK continues. Feel free to ask me about the photos below, when we next meet. |
The AuthorsSi Frew has lived in the UK, Bermuda, Qatar, Cyprus & the Cayman Islands. During this time he met Whoopi Goldberg (in Claridge's), Mike Tyson (in the Concorde Lounge at JFK) , Gordon Ramsay (in the Doha Four Seasons), Chris Eubanks (in The Dorchester), Cherie Blair (in Bermuda & again in the Doha Four Seasons) etc. There are funny stories attached to all these interactions, feel free to ask Si about them when you meet him. Archives
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