This past summer, I have been enjoying macaroons. I've never had them before earlier this year. There are many shops in London that sell these delicacies. I will call them delicacies as the macaroons are very light, full of flavour, and they do cost quite a bit. Apparently, they are a little difficult to make as well. I've never tried to make my own, but with the light and airy 'coating' and the delicious filling, I can only imagine that these must be a little difficult to make (and to look nice).
Macaroons come in all sorts of colours and flavours (from rose to chocolate to green tea), and they look like works of art. Brightly-coloured macaroons can be bought at a number of places in London.
Pierre Hermé sells macaroons in Selfridges in London. This seller, from Paris, has been making macaroons since the 1970s. They have favourites and introduce new flavours, depending on when you visit. I tried a box and hand-picked a few different flavours based on what sounded good. Most of these were absolutely delicious, light and melted in my mouth. (The only one I personally was not keen on was the caramel, as I found it a little bit too strong and salty for my taste.)
The macaroons came in a little box, which I thought was very cute and quirky, featuring drawn images of London imagery (Big Ben, red buses, royal guard, Buckingham Palace, etc). I also loved the bag that they put the box in. The bag had punched-out diamond-shaped holes. (You can see the box and the bag in the photographs below.)
A macaroon from Pierre Hermé
I love this packaging from Pierre Hermé
A chocolate macaroon with the Pierre Hermé branding.
The beautiful macaroons
A two-tone colour macaroon with a close-up of the packaging
A plate of macaroons
A plate of macaroons
'On Cookery School' (On Cafe) also provide London with macaroons. These are sold at the market on South Bank. They also offer classes on making macaroons. I purchased an offer this summer, and I received a box of 18 macaroons. There were three flavours in the box: chocolate, latte, and Japanese Obuku peach. I loved all of the flavours, including the latte, (which I had initially worried about as I'm not a coffee-drinker).
'On Cookery School' selection of macaroons
'On Cookery School' selection of macaroons
L'orchidee also offer a selection of macaroons, and I purchased a small box of these while I visited Westfield Stratford in London. (Their website is: http://www.lorchidee.co.uk/). I bought only a small selection of the range. Each were delicious, but a description of the flavours written down in the front of the case would have been nice as there were so many flavours to chose from and I had to have the seller repeat the flavours a couple of times.
A box of macaroons from L'orchidee
The colourful packaging; the box came in a nice cloth bag that advertised Westfield Stratford as well.
Do you love macaroons? Let me know if you have a preferred macaroon-seller in London.
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