[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-afternoon-tea-at-the-connaught":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Oh boy oh boy oh boy... if there's one thing I get excited about, it's cake. I'd been looking forward to this outing for \u003Ci>weeks\u003C/i>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea-f39e544c21.gif\">\\r\n\\r\nWriter and project manager \u003Ca href=\"http://www.piccadillypress.co.uk/teen/damian-kelleher/index.html\">Damian Kelleher\u003C/a> took tBk mag editor \u003Ca href=\"http://myreadingpile.blogspot.co.uk/\">Helen Boyle\u003C/a> and me out for \u003Ca href=\"http://www.the-connaught.co.uk/espelette.aspx\">Afternoon Tea at the Connaught Hotel\u003C/a> to celebrate a successful ad campaign we'd done for \u003Ca href=\"http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/feature/kids_week/\">Kids Week\u003C/a> West End theatre promotion. (Apparently ticket sales broke all sorts of records, including one with Ticketmaster. Cool!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_2-9e02fcb302.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more yummy under the cut!-->\\r\nThey had the most AMAZING jam selection. All these interesting combinations - 16 varieties - such as raspberry jam with violet, wild bilberry, rhubarb with mint and something else, some white-wine-based affair... I can't remember, but it was great fun picking out four. Here's the Jam Master (is that what you call this guy?):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_5-7a00e74b7d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI gave my new hat its first outing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_4-7c02d38e58.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOkay, a few more photos just 'cos it all looked so nice.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_7-a659b9c952.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_3-2213e40f37.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_6-44c8b16d66.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by Helen Boyle\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_8-d966de9faf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the only drawback to wearing an asymmetrical, front-fitting hat is that when I take it off in the evening, I have a big dent in my forehead. It's pretty awesome, I could insert a chocolate Pocky stick into it to save for later.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/connaught_tea_hat_dent-b5d327a6ee.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\\r\nHey, did you see that \u003Cb>Garen Ewing\u003C/b> just did his take on Grant Wood's \u003Ci>American Gothic\u003C/i> painting? (See my \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/491664.html\">last post\u003C/a> about it.) It's called \u003Ca href=\"http://rainboworchid.livejournal.com/86222.html\">Evelyn Gothic\u003C/a> and celebrates his new American \u003Ci>Rainbow Orchid\u003C/i> book deal. Congratulations, Garen!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/EvelynGothic-dc2205dc29.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAh, and here's comics creator \u003Ca href=\"http://sean-azzopardi.com/2012/07/11/american-monster-gothic/\">Sean Azzopardi\u003C/a>'s \u003Ci>American Monster Gothic\u003C/i> version! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/americn-monsters-gothic1-060cb08cba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd this one in coloured pencils by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cordialkitten.com\">Candice Hartsough McDonald\u003C/a> in Indiana!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cordial_kitten_gothic-6f652d77ac.jpg\">","2012-07-11T20:48:00.000Z","afternoon-tea-at-the-connaught",[],"afternoon tea at the connaught",1776628723964]