Archive note: This article records our 2019 Patisserie Valerie collaboration and launch. The menu, launch date and availability references below belong to that period and should not be read as a description of Patisserie Valerie's current range.
I cannot explain how excited I was to collaborate with such a huge heritage brand in patisserie. Patisserie Valerie was founded in 1926...NINETEEN TWENTY SIX! That's generations and generations before I was born. I was really pleased that they had a new lease of life via new management and their incredibly talented team. I couldn't have been more happy to be part of their journey at the time.
Over the summer, I was sketching, dreaming, breathing and churning out samples of eclairs, tarts, and cheesecakes. It was a long-winded and demanding process, but one that was SO fun. Some sketches were left on the drawing board (like the sexy Gianduja tart...but never say never!), and some went forward to be tweaked and perfected.
After trialling and testing the new recipes, the team was ready to unveil the new patisserie menu. The range launched in Patisserie Valerie stores nationwide on 11 November 2019. To see my vision brought to life on such a large scale so beautifully was such a proud momma moment.
Patisserie Valerie hosted a fancy launch party to celebrate our collaboration at the Groucho Club. We made a date night out of it so I put on my gladrags.
I also went to town on the contouring and strobing and whatever the cool kids did to their faces because I needed to feel as good as the desserts looked! Attending the launch party felt like a movie premiere where my babies were the stars of the show.
I was asked by the journalists and bloggers there about how proud I felt of the range. I said, "It's incredible, a real pinnacle point in my career seeing products I designed launched across the whole country". What I really wanted to say was that it was probably the most pride I had physically felt and would remember. Even more than when I had my actual baby considering how fuzzy-headed I was under all the gas and air and all-sorts at the time.
It was surreal watching the reactions of guests biting into miniature versions of the desserts. I hoped the miniatures might make it onto the new afternoon tea menu because they were SO CUTE.
The cakes looked great on display and looked even better in their brand new packaging.
Thank you so much for the lovely messages of congratulations and support we received around the launch :)
Lots of love,
Reshmi xoxo
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