Whether you’re the Duchess of Cambridge, Kim Kardashian or Julia Restoin Roitfeld (daughter of style maven Carine and proprietor of yummy mummy website, Romy and the Bunnies), all new and expectant mums will love Mount Street Deli’s brand new Baby Box hamper. This box of delights not only contains energising goodies for mum and essentials for the baby, but also a “first-week-home-take-away-dinner” gift card (perfect if you don’t have a house keeper or house husband) for three main course dishes and one dessert available for pick up or delivery from the Deli and a “tea-and-cake for two” gift card for the Deli - perfect for gossiping yummy mummies to catch up and swap style tips!

£85, available to order from The Mount Street Deli through 020 7499 6843 

www.themountstreetdeli.co.uk/babybox.

Image Credit: Steven Joyce

On 23^rd of April it’s St George’s Day and what better way to celebrate all things English and indeed British by indulging in some fabulous food. Because England’s cuisine isn’t just about fish and chips, Sunday roasts and pie and mash, although we are pretty good at those too. And none know this more so than  the Terrace Restaurant at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington who will be holding a  week long British Good Producers Festival, which The Handbook is rather excited about! Throughout the week, different food producers and suppliers will be holding master classes in the Park Terrace’s private dining room and letting guests in on their trade secrets as well as the journey the food takes from produce to dinner table. Suppliers include the Denham Estate who will be cooking with venison and talking about husbanding one of the largest herds of fallow deer in Europe as well as James Montgomery who will be conducting a tasting and talking about the making of Montgomery cheese.  Each evening after the master class guests can enjoy a 6 course dinner in the restaurant featuring ingredients from each supplier put together by Executive Head Chef, Steve Munkley.

For more information, please visit www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk/foodfestival

Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, W8 4PT, 020 7937 8000, www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk

Marking 50 years since it first opened its doors to the public, on 17^th April 1963, London Hilton on Park Lane is launching an exclusive, limited edition 50^th Anniversary Afternoon Tea and a nostalgic anniversary menu, inspired by the hotel’s opening year. The exclusive 1963 inspired three-course dining menu, available for a limited period and priced at £19.63 per person, will include starters like Prawn Cocktail with Marie-rose sauce and a side of Melba toast, Consommé de boeuf or a classic Waldorf Salad. Mains include Calves Liver and bacon with onion gravy; Duck à la Orange and Poached Salmon à la russe. To finish, diners can enjoy Bombe Glacée with a cherry soup, Eton mess and apricot duff with vanilla ice cream. The celebratory 50th Anniversary Afternoon Tea, which is available for one month starting on April 17th, will include such treats as a handmade biscuit in the shape of the exclusive 1963 Hardy Aimes designed hotel staff uniform, an edible chocolate picture frame showcasing an image of the hotel from 1963 and a milk chocolate strawberry mille feuille amongst others. The tea is served from 2-6pm will also offer Champagne and Rosé Champagne.

To book your place at the most prestigious anniversary of the year call 020 7493 8000 or email reservations.parklane@hilton.com 

www.parklanehilton.com/50thanniversary 

Inspired by the Journey of Ulysses, Karl Lagerfeld has joined forces with Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo to design a bespoke mural style installation.  The 20m mural depicts modern images muses, adorned in Grecian togas, specifically designed by Lagerfield, super imposed on to original photography of the Greek coastline taken between the 1850’s and 1860’s from Lagerfeld’s archives. Continuing with the Grecian theme, the hotel is also launching ‘Odyssey’ its third Joël Robuchon restaurant this June. In line with the artistic theme of the décor, the Michelin starred chef will also be launching an alfresco dining experience, with a Mediterranean menu and light dishes for lunch. As night draws in ‘Odyssesy’ will be transforms into a cocktail bar with live music, sets from DJs and canapés created by Robuchon. The coming together of this exceptional trio illustrates the hotel’s philosophy as a symbol of unsurpassed luxury and elegance in the 21^st century. 

www.metropole.com

A design exhibition is set to showcase shortlisted entries to RIBA and the Landscape Institute’s design competition to create a striking new identity for the area in and around Vauxhall – a stretch of land dubbed the ‘Missing Link’ between the new US Embassy and London’s South Bank. It will bring together concepts and visualisations from professional architects, landscape designers and students worldwide. Entrants were required to take inspiration from the ‘everyday experiences that our city provides to people passing though and entries were received from 21 countries. Entries will be exhibited at the Garden Museum and on an Outdoor Trail through the Rail Arches and Parks of Vauxhall from 8th-19th April 2013.

The Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1, £7.50 Adults, £6.50 Senior Citizens, £3.00. Opening house: Sunday - Friday 10.30am - 5.00pm, Saturday 10.30am - 4.00pm

020 7401 8865 www.nineelmslondon.com

Does size matter? Perhaps when it comes to food in restaurants: we’ve all been there, and we are either starving and what arrives is far too small or we are not that hungry and then are presented with a portion so huge it is rather intimidating. Well fear not, forget the size issue, Criterion Restaurant has joined with The Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho to create a unique popup throughout April and May which is serving up all dishes in three sizes: small, medium and large. With Galloway beef carpaccio and Octopus and Chorizo on the menu, it’s perfect for mixing and matching. So whether you are looking for a bite to eat, want a full meal or want to indulge with friends and share Criterion and The Sun & 13 Cantons have it covered.

4th April - 4th June

The Sun & 13 Cantons, 21 Great Pulteney Street, W1F 9NG, 020 7734 0934, www.sizematterssoho.com

We’ve seen a glimpse or two of the sun, the evenings are lighter and the temperature is slowly climbing, spring is definitely on the way, which is great news because the new rooftop at Boundary in Shoreditch is now open! The beautiful garden includes a canopy of vines and wild herbs making it a unique and unrivalled location for meetings (far more interesting than a boardroom!), lunches or drinks throughout the day, with food being served from 10 am until 9:45pm. And if the weather does take a turn for the worse than guests need not be deterred as the weatherproof pergola allows the bar and dining area to remain open all year.

 Boundary, 2-4 Boundary Street, Shoreditch,  E2 7DD, 020 7613 7905, www.theboundary.co.uk

The new owners of Goat, Steve and Katia, spent almost 8 months refurbishing the inside of former Goat In Boots and it was well worth the wait. They stripped back the old interior to discover the amazing original features and bring new life into the 350 year old pub, creating a vintage and industrial feel. The lower floors are reserved for dining whilst upstairs boasts the bar area with an interesting choice of DJ booth in the form of a former church pulpit, perfect for spinning out sinful tunes. The cocktails at Goat are a little bit special due to the powdered fruit and the special freeze drying method they use to make the fruit retain its firmness and taste. They also have unique powdered fruit salts to coat the rims of the glasses instead of plain salt. A secret gem at Goat is the speakeasy room which is hidden behind two heavy duty fire doors and down a short flight of stairs. It reveals a den like room with a small bar at the end lined with empty medicine bottles now filled with alcohol. Famous 18th century artist George Morland once visited Goat back when it was the Goat in Boots and rang up a bill of booze greater than he could afford. To help pay his debt he exchanged a painting of his. Today a copy of his painting and mural cover a wall in the speakeasy room.

The dining area has a clear view of the busy kitchen where they prepare delicious meals, from juicy tender steaks to melt in your mouth pizzas, the food cannot be faulted. The starters are small and tantalising enough to get your taste buds tingling before the main meal. For starters there are options of red tuna tartare, calamari fritta and meatballs amongst others but the asparagus salad makes for a nice light start before the indulgence really begins. Mains include freshly prepared pizzas, wild seabass, fillet steaks, grilled monkfish and grilled lobster. There are several delicious sides to accompany your meal but if you give the Delmonico potatoes a miss you will never know potato heaven. Now for my favourite part of the meal; the puddings! The white chocolate soufflé is a mouth wateringly rich, creamy pool of warm white chocolate served with a cool scoop of ice cream. A notable mention is the unique twist on the vanilla cheesecake with the Goat peanut butter cheesecake served with tempting toffee sauce. All food was served by the waiting staff who were as friendly and welcoming as the lovely owners Steve and Katia.

www.goatchelsea.com

The Terrace at Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in Belgravia is set to reopen this weekend with Head chef Martin Gabler, runner-up at the British BBQ Championships 2012, at the helm. Named one of London’s top three al fresco restaurants in 2011, The Terrace is located in a secluded courtyard behind Jumeirah and a great spot for a post work Pimm’s or a weekend BBQ feast. Talking of which, from the end of the month, Gabler will be offering exclusive BBQ Masterclasses at weekends. These intimate classes of up to eight people, budding BBQ chefs can master the art of the grill from how to season meat, prevent over-cooking and sticky grills to serving a juicy, succulent burger. Following the class, guests can enjoy their own creations and sample dishes from the restaurant’s new summer menu, accompanied by a selection of beer, wine and cocktails. 

The Terrace’s BBQ Masterclass series runs Saturdays 27 April, 11, 18 and 25 May, 10.30am-12pm. £38pp. 020 7858 7223, www.jumeirahlowndeshotel.com

Art collective Invisible Flock would like us to join them in a new nationwide project - part public art, part installation, part performance – but the name of the game is to map the happiness of the UK. The collective is embarking on a tour of the UK and as they go, is asking ordinary people to place a moment of happiness onto a map of their town or city. Artists Ben Eaton, Victoria Pratt and Richard Warburton will ask passers-by to describe their key moment of happiness, explaining where it happened and, on a scale of 1-10, how happy it made them. Each individual memory will then be marked onto the map with a 3-dimensional acrylic rod, the height of which is determined by a 1-10 happiness rating.  During the three week visit to each destination, a 3-D landscape of the various communities and their inhabitants’ sense of wellbeing will begin to emerge.  Each memory will also be digitally recorded onto an interactive map that can be accessed from anywhere in the world.  The project kicks off on Monday and although London sojourn isn’t scheduled til the end - summer 2014 you can find out more at

www.invisibleflock.co.uk/bringthehappy