#Blandford: Cecil Beaton at Home Book Talk and Cream Tea

Blandford Book Event

Sunday the 26th March 2017 at 4.30 pm

Cecil Beaton at Home, written by local Author Andrew Ginger. Tickets are £6.50 which includes a Cream Tea.

Tickets available from Beatons Tearooms in Blandford, or just give us a call to book on 01258 269515

Book signing, readings and a question and answer session also your opportunity to purchase this beautifully presented book with 10% off.


Cecil Beaton at Home, written by local author Andrew Ginger, focuses on two homes that Cecil Beaton loved and spent many years in.

Ashcombe House, near the Wiltshire village of Tollard Royal, and Reddish House, located in Broad Chalke, another village in beautiful Wiltshire.

We also discover some of the splendours at London's Pelham Place and Beatons New York hotel suites.

We see that Beatons country homes were not only havens to escape and seek inspiration for his photography and other artistic pursuits.

But also, and maybe more so, they were designed to provide a theatrical, fanciful yet always beautiful surrounding for Beaton to entertain his equally artistic companions.

Against his often-extravagant interiors, Beatons private life unfolds his unique talent for self-promotion, desire for theatricality, and the uncertain pursuit of love.

As Cecil Beaton himself puts it;

'One can't get on at all if one doesn't have a little glamour about one's home'

This lavishly illustrated visual biography brings together original photographs, artworks, and possessions from his interiors to present an intimate picture of Beaton s extraordinary life. 

#beatonstearooms: G is for Generositea

 G is for...Generositea

Chai Lattes, Charlton Sodas and Charity.

During 2016 we have been raising money for our selected Charities across each of our Tearooms. 

Beatons Tearooms delight in supporting their local literary people and also local charities. We have held a number of events in our Tearooms to raise money for the charities that we have been supporting during 2016.

As a reminder:

Our Tearooms in Chester decided to give support during 2016 to Marie Curie. Marie Curie are well known for their care and support for people living with any terminal illness. Donating cakes and also organizing a dedicated Marie Curie Cake Day to raise money for this charity by donating a percentage of their income taken from cakes sales. 

Crowthorne has been supporting Alexander Devine Children's, a charity and service to support children aged 0-19 with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in their own homes across Berkshire and the bordering areas of surrounding counties, while maintaining the vision of building a children's hospice in Berkshire. 

Tisbury chose to support local charity Charlies Angels. The charity was set up by the Burns family in memory of their son, ten year old Charlie Burns who died suddenly at night - a victim of SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). 

Blandford have been supporting local based charity Julia’s House, they provide practical and emotional support for families caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition, providing frequent and regular support in their own homes, in the community or at their hospice.

Organizing a special Valentines Day Cream Tea to raise money for Julia's House and helping to advertise the great work they are doing and any other fundraising events they have coming up.

We have been contributing and encouraging our customers to purchase the community option of our Chai Latte and Charlton Soda.

All of our Tearooms have had the 'Communitea Cause' beverages on the menu. One's hot, one's cold and we have donated 25p and the customer has donated 25p (total 50p) to the 'Communitea Cause' from each order.

In addition to money that we have raised holding events through out our Tearooms, and having the collection tins, we now have the totals in for the money raised with our delicious community drinks: 

We are proud to announce that from the sales of our drinks we have raised: £322.00

We would like to thank all of our customers who have contributed, by choosing to buy the community cause drinks and also putting donations in the charity tins.

We at Beatons are incredibly proud to be raising funds that helps to further research and the buying of new equipment for our chosen Charities, and we look forward to raising even more in coming years.

#beatonsbod: Jessie - monkeying around in Blandford!

Beatons Bod: Jessie Livingstone

What's your role and what do you like best about your job?

Hi, I am Jessie, I am part of the front of house team in Blandford. I started in February so am still ‘new’ to everything, but am enjoying being here so far, everyone is so welcoming and friendly. I love meeting new customers and I have just started to recognise the regulars.

What's your favourite drink or edible from our menu?
I am enjoying trying all of the teas here at Beatons, so far I think my favourite has to be the Rosehip and Hibiscus, I find it refreshing and not too sweet but still has a lovely fruity twang, perfect for a relaxing afternoon.
Food wise, I am going to have to be a bit naughty and opt for the very decadent fruit sundae, packed full of tangy fruit and delicious ice cream, it looks amazing too!

And how about your favourite book from our shelves?

To be honest, I am not a natural reader, and I find it hard to sit quietly reading a book! However, there are some amazing cook books that have definitely caught my eye, such as ‘Grow you own, Eat your own’ as the idea of using your own resources really appeals to me.

Which of the ways we like to go about things at Beatons means most to you and why?

I love the fact that we are trained to be Attentive to our customers, after all, it is how I would like to be treated if I go out to eat. And I think this is something that appeals to all people and will ensure that our lovely customers want to return!

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I would love to be a monkey, swinging in trees, getting to see the most amazing views from the tree tops. Like monkeys who tend to stay in groups, I love being with my group of friends.

#tea: a restful and relaxing detox in a cup

What is it?

Fruit and Blossom Rooibos

Luxury Rooibos combined with a medley of fruit and herbs creates a tea that's full of floral character and wonderfully mellow.

The light perfume of fresh Lavender mingles with the sweet Rooibos and fruits to provide lingering moments of pleasure with every cup.

This caffeine free tea is a must to try, it will help you to detox and feel relaxed and well rested.

It has been described as bringing contentment and inspiration, so all of you who are in need of being inspired and feeling content, why not taste this beautiful blend.

Perfect to enjoy whilst relaxing in our elegant Tearooms, pair it with our carrot cake for an extra treat.

#Blandford - February 2017 Local Author Cream Tea & Book Talk

#tea: a matcha for health - rice and tea!

What is it?

Matcha Genmaicha is called 'popcorn tea' because of the popped toasted brown rice that gives it a distinctively nutty flavour and natural sweetness…

Japanese girl
is reflected in the sunshine
of tea
I’m drinking

Japanese girl
in New York
is Genmaicha
beguiling
and smiling

It's a great tea to help us with all the post-Christmas health promises that we made for ourselves, as it's made up of High-grade Japanese Sencha leaves which provide not only a great flavour but are also great for our health! Green Tea has a higher level of antioxidants than black tea and even more than some vegetables. Wow! 

Another great benefit is that Genmaicha has an active ingredient called theanine, which communicates with your brain and has a soothing relaxation feeling…perfect to enjoy whilst indulging in some quiet ‘me time’ at Beatons.

#Blandford: January 2017 3C's Breakfast Networking

Events:
3C's Breakfast Success in Blandford

It was definitely worth venturing out into the rather cold morning on Thursday the 26th of January to make it to Beatons Tearooms for the first of a series of unique networking Breakfast events, the 3C's Breakfast, standing for...Clarity, Croissants and Connection.

Entering the doors to be welcomed by our host, the ever enthusiastic and vibrant Liz Darcy Jones, to also be greeted by the aroma of freshly ground coffee and just baked buttery croissants...having to face the icy morning air was soon forgotten!

In contrast to the pressure we can sometimes feel at some of the more 'military style' business networking events, we enjoyed building relationships, learning from each other and listening to Liz give a 20-minute 'injection of Inspiration' whilst enjoying the delicious hot coffee and warm croissants.

We learned the importance of 'cockadoodledooing' before the dawn; coming to an understanding of who you really are and what you stand for. Achieving this clarity we can then focus on what really matters to us, enabling us to project all our energy into our one goal, and being best that we can be!

We look forward to Liz' next 3C's events and learning more about what we can learn from the Rooster!
To see the full list of dates and book in, visit her website: www.lizdarcyjones.com.

Below are the imminent dates to make a note of.

BLANDFORD

Friday 28th April

TISBURY

Thurs 23rd February

CHESTER

Friday 24th March

CROWTHORNE
Thursday 20th April

#beatonsbod: A Marketing Meerkat for 'Beatons Central'

Beatons Bod: Zoe Moxham
What's your role and what do you like best about your job?
I'm Zoe Moxham, I have worked for Beatons for over two years now, I am currently the Marketing Manager but still squeeze in some Front of House shifts here and there. I love getting to know new people and working at Beatons as part of a team is the perfect way to do that, both with our lovely customers and members of staff. Oh, and  most importantly I met my wonderful husband through work, which obviously has to be the best thing about working for Beatons so far!

What's your favorite drink or edible from our menu?

My favourite drink is definitely the Peppermint tea, it is amazing. The scent hits you as soon as you open the jar and it warms and refreshes you in the perfect way. I love all the stews on the menu, particularly the beef Bourguignon and the lamb and lentil, although all the gluten free options we have now are amazing and having so much choice is great!

And how about your favourite book from our shelves?
I  will be honest I struggle to find the time to read, as I am the sort of person that gets totally involved into a book and nothing else exists, and of course nothing else gets done! I love reading the books we highlight in our monthly book reviews however, it means being able to read totally different genres and also a lot of local authors, which I enjoy. If you are ever stuck for what to read, look out for our reviews, either highlighted here, in the Bulletin or on our website, we have accumulated quite a number now!

Which of the ways we like to go about things at Beatons means most to you and why?

I love the fact that we have to 'sparkle' at Beatons. Making people smile, feel welcome to our tearooms, and really looked after! This can be extended to the Marketing side of my work also as we want people to see this ‘sparkle’ too in the way that we advertise, the events we host and the way that we engage on social media. 

f you were an animal, what would you be?

I am a Meerkat, according to one internet questionnaire, due to the fact I am a people person. I enjoy socialising and working in a group. Others apparently appreciate my loyalty and willingness to help.
However, I quite wanted to be an owl of some variety., silent, serious and wise! Able to take to the skies silently and soar peacefully through the thermals...