The Beaumont Hotel - Gwen Books

Still in need of Comfort Food as we enter a slightly less confined Shelter in Place?

The humble crumpet is thought to have originated in Wales and was traditionally cooked on a griddle when bread ovens weren’t available. In early years, crumpets were firm pancakes, but the addition of yeast in the Victoria era saw them develop into soft, springy crumpets. From the 19th century, the addition of bicarbonate of soda created the crumpet we know and savor today. Yeast is responsible for the delightful little craters that are perfect for soaking up warm butter.

The earliest reference to crumpets dates from 1382, when John Wycliffe, the theologian and Yorkshireman, translated a word in the Latin Old Testament as “Crompid cake”:”a cake of a loaf, a crusted cake spreynde with oyle, a crompid cake”. The cake bears little resemblance to today’s crumpets – except in that it was cooked on a hot stone. The crumpet is the royal queen of the toasted snack – adaptable, soothing and utterly delicious. British folk have a global reputation for their affection of crumpets, a notion that has travelled to the far corners of the world.

The Royal crumpet is the perfect base for a wide variety of flavor combinations. Ranging from naturally simple to festive gourmet, there’s no wrong way to enjoy your crumpet. While they’re traditionally known for being a British go-to afternoon tea-time snack accompanied with a cuppa tea, crumpets are an adaptable tuck. Add gooey soft cheese for a savory snack, or an egg for brekkie, or smother with chocolate spread for dessert. Many opt for the simple yet classic: soft butter, butter and even more butter. Popular sugary toppings included fresh fruit jam, clotted cream, golden syrup, honey, or my favorite lemon curd.

This recipe is from chef Ben Boeynaems at the Beaumont Hotel Colony Grill, my favorite brekkie location!

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. bread flour

1 tsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh yeast or 2 tbsp. dried yeast

1 tsp. baking soda

14 oz. room temperature water

1 tsp. salt

Preparation

Mix everything in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Cover and leave to prove until batter doubles in size and bubbles over the surface.
Put English muffin rings into a non-stick pan on a low heat and fill each ring three-quarters with batter and cook until the top has formed a skin.
Remove the ring.
Flip the crumpet and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Slather with creamy butter or fresh raspberry jam.

Crumpets were not bound by class restrictions: Unkempt urchins peddled crumpets on the streets of growing cities, providing warm and delicious snacks for the masses. At the same time, ladies and gentlemen in brick towers would delight on crumpets whilst, writing droll poetry and painting garden landscapes.

Cheers!

Although I am not necessarily an Art Deco devotee, the fabulous story behind The Beaumont Hotel in London provides enough intrigue to investigate. I am fascinated by the craft of storytelling and the art of incorporating a mythical story into building a posh property.

Favorite Manhattan at The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont

Two of my favorite high school authors were Fitzgerald and Hemingway, who wasn’t enthralled by the duo of writers of stories? Distinctly different, each vividly wrote of their times. Fitzgerald and Hemingway might have been visitors to The Colony Grill Room, had it been a London fixture during their era. I’ve written about various aspects of the hotel and am besotted with the amazing devotion to detail Jeremy King observed in his quest for perfection, matching the fictional backstory for his hotel. The fictional character, Jimmy Beaumont, was an entrepreneur who left New York in the 1920s at the height of prohibition. Wanting to replicate a classy New York style London hotel, he opened an establishment, a speakeasy in Mayfair, London paying tribute to the Art Deco aesthetic of the classic New York hotels and restaurants he loved. The Beaumont Hotel was born.

The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont

The Colony Grill Room, the main restaurant of The Beaumont depicts a lifestyle venerated in sophisticated Grill Rooms that were popular in New York in the 1920’s. Clubby and masculine, furnished with cozy leather banquettes and miles of gleaming dark wood, the astonishing retro murals by San Francisco artist John Mattos dominate the walls of the restaurant. Honestly, once you enter the hotel, you feel as if you have stepped back into a very bewitching era. Black and white photographs evoking the glamorous 1920’s and 1930’s line the walls. Sports hero’s, fashion icons, celebrities all have a noted position. Lighting is low and glammy, one looks much younger in this cozy enclave!

The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont

The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont

The atmosphere is fun, sophisticated and elegant. Dining wasn’t forgotten, as the menu captures the spirit as well: Signature dishes include lobster à la Russe, New York hot dogs, omelet Arnold Bennett, chicken potpie, red velvet cake and do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes. Shocking to mention, my avocado salad consisting of creamy avocado wedges from Spain, dressed with a shake of Greek Olive Oil and watercress topping were the best avocados I have ever tasted…from a native Californian, this is almost a travesty. The menu is served all day through dinner. Cocktails and entrees are served with polished professional flair. Bartender appropriately inquires if my Rye Manhattan should be prepared sweet or dry? Attention to detail in each and every aspect at The Beaumont. Am I in a movie?

I adored everything about The Beaumont and loved being transported to an era of chic glamor in The Colony Grill Room.