7th October 2016, Relais & Châteaux hosted an exclusive industry preview of The Joy of Bees, an immersive experiential art installation in collaboration with design creators and culinary innovators, Bompas & Parr. Attended by the great and the good of the hospitality and design worlds, the event celebrated Relais & Châteaux’s commitment to bees and sustainability, inspired by the 56 member hotels who keep their own honey-producing hives.
Situated in the heart of London’s Soho at 19 Greek Street, The Joy of Bees presents a fused honey tasting and art installation, centred around some of the rarest nectars in the world.
Guests including Philippe Gombert, President of Relais & Châteaux; Jaisal Singh, Vice President of Relais & Châteaux; Malcolm Lewis, owner of Longueville Manor in Jersey and Andrew Stembridge, Managing Director of Chewton Glen and Cliveden explored four floors of the townhouse-turned gallery space together with invited media and industry friends, discovering more about this magical ingredient during a surprise-filled evening. Under the curation of innovators Bompas & Parr, the attendees enjoyed the preview fuelled by beautiful honey-based canapés created exclusively by Relais & Châteaux Executive Chefs Andrew Baird from Longueville Manor in Jersey, and Luke Matthews of Chewton Glen, Hampshire, as well as a delicious cocktail created by Ariel Saniecki, Head Mixologist at Cliff House Hotel in Ireland, using the honey grown at the Inn at Little Washington (Virginia, US), a Relais & Châteaux property known for its local and sustainable produce.
“We are delighted to bring this very special exhibition to London and to collaborate with Bompas & Parr to present what is a quite remarkable immersive journey inspired by bees. It’s our way of paying tribute to the complex plight of the world’s honey bee population, and of reminding you of the important role they play, in a delicious way! Judging by last night’s reaction, Londoners are in for a sweet treat!” commented Philippe Gombert, President, Relais & Châteaux.
On the ground floor, guests viewed 20,000 live honey bees contained within the Observation Colony, carefully handled by Dale Gibson of London beekeepers, Bermondsey Street Bees. Entering Hive Mind on the first floor, they previewed a curated collection of honey – and bee-related artwork from an international collective of artists including Tomáš Libertiny (Slovakia/Netherlands), Ren Ri at Pearl Lam Galleries (China), and Marlène Huissoud (France/UK).
The next stop was Pollenesia, a fragrant indoor garden adorned with bee-friendly botanicals such as Echionops Taplow Blue, Peacock Lilac, and Pink Yarrow. Here guests met magnificent Mellifera, Queen of Honey, who dispensed sips of a bespoke Pomaceous Primer, an apple-based elixir designed to reboot the taste buds ahead of the raw honey tasting.
Finally, guests entered the Salon of Honey, a honeycombed haven where they tasted rare honey from Relais & Châteaux properties around the world, under guidance of Sarah Lewis of honey experts Bermondsey Street Bees, named Small Artisan Producer of the Year at the Great Taste Awards 2016.
Guests left the preview event with a limited edition Relais & Châteaux The Joy of Bees tote bag, including raw honey from Bermondsey Street Bees and jars of honey from a selection of Relais & Châteaux properties around the world.