MAISON BLANC WINE AND PATISSERIE PAIRING

There are many things which I love, and that includes cake and wine, so what better way to spend a fine evening than at the beautifully refurbished Maison Blanc restaurant and garden on Fulham Road.

Maison Blanc is a French Boulangerie and Pâtisserie that was created in Oxford in 1981, establishing itself as the first authentic pâtisserie and bakery in England. Maison Blanc currently has 14 individual branches which serve a selection of fresh artisan breads, pastries, savouries and pâtisserie.

Already a favourite with the locals, the garden at Maison Blanc Fulham has now been extended to allow more diners to enjoy the space. The new extension features brand new decking, new climbing plants, and a seated bench hand-crafted to surround the garden's historic tree. Thankfully it was not raining that day so we got to enjoy some fresh air and live music.

Their new wine and patisserie pairing offers three options of patisserie that can be paired with rose, white or red wine.

The Cotes du Rhone, with its rich and fruity appeal makes a decadent partner for the dark chocolate components of Maison Blanc's Concerto, their signature item of patisserie with its light chocolate sponge and luxurious dark chocolate mousse centre. This sumptuous delight was topped with a piece of white chocolate which had cute music note patterns - a must-have for chocolate (and possibly music) lovers.

The Le Campagne Sauvignon Blanc was paired with Maison Blanc's Tarte au Citron which had a zesty lemon cream filling and buttery pastry - a classic patisserie with a nice balance of flavours which will surely tantalize your taste buds.

 Last but not least is the Rose Reserve St Jacques which was paired with Maison Blanc's most traditional French patisserie piece, the St Michel aux Fruits Rouges. It was a tough choice, but this was probably my favourite amongst them all as it was quite light and fruity.

This delicious wine and patisserie pairing is now available in all the other Maison Blanc branches - check out their website for your closest branch and get yourself down for a cheeky weekend treat.

The Cheekster, signing out x

 

MAISON BLANC SUMMER PATISSERIE

Summer is undoubtedly my favourite season of the year, not only because of the weather, but also the vibrant bursts of colours around that always seem to brighten up my days. On this particular occasion I was very much looking forward to trying out the equally colourful summer patisserie range at Maison Blanc.

Maison Blanc is a French Boulangerie and Pâtisserie that was created in Oxford in 1981, establishing itself as the first authentic pâtisserie and bakery in England. Maison Blanc currently has 14 individual branches which serve a selection of fresh artisan breads, pastries, savouries and pâtisserie.

I visited the St. John's Wood branch on a fine Saturday morning, my empty tummy rumbling and ready for a sweet sugar rush to kick-start the weekend. We were greeted by Ugne at the counter, and ordered our coffees before seating ourselves whilst waiting for the cakes to be served.

This year, Maison Blanc has focused its summer patisserie on the delectable macaron - one of my favourite desserts, and I'm sure popular amongst many others. Maison Blanc have put their own twist on the classic French confection, creating some larger versions - light and crisp meringue domes with smooth and creamy creams in between. My favourite macaron was the lovely pink rose flavoured Ispahan Macaron which had fresh raspberries as well.

Lemon Cream Macaron

Ispahan macaron

Blackberry Mac-nifique Macaron

Tarts are another one of my favourite desserts, and both of these looked rather pretty and tempting. The light pink hues of the lemon hibiscus tart can initially be quite deceiving, but as you bite into it you will then taste the sourness and acidity of the lemon which cuts through the sweetness. Strawberry desserts are perfect for summer, and the tarte aux fraises also had pistachio, which I love.

Lemon Hibiscus Tart

Tarte aux Fraises

The cupcakes were nice and moist, topped with swirls of sweet frosting - zingy lemon cream centred Lemon Curd Cupcake, fragrant strawberry buttercream topped Strawberry Cream Cupcake, and chocolate sponge based Choco Berry Cupcake.

Lemon Curd Cupcake

Strawberry Cream Cupcake

Choco Berry Cupcake

We were definitely on a sugar high by the end of it, and requested for our leftovers to be packed away in takeaway boxes for later on. 
A fine selection of sweet indulgent treats which are ideal for adults and children alike.
Maison Blanc's summer patisserie is now available in their stores as listed below:

Burford
Chichester
Chiswick
Farnham
Fulham
Guildford
Hampstead
Henley
Holland Park
Muswell Hill
Oxford
St. John's Wood
Winchester
 

Website:  www.maisonblanc.co.uk

AND...more delicious news...
To celebrate the increasing trend of customers adopting the French tradition of dunking their croissants into tea, coffee and hot chocolate, Maison Blanc have created three new divine dunkable croissants: Pistachio Croissant, Red Velvet Croissant, and the classic Chocolate Croissant.

What's better is, Maison Blanc are running a competition where you have the chance of winning dunkable croissants and hot drinks for two at any Maison Blanc Cafe.
All you have to do is share your favourite #LeDunque moments at @MaisonBlancUK.
The competition ends on July 10th 2015.
So start getting creative and get dunking! - you know you want to.

The Cheekster, signing out x