Have you heard the latest? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have set up their quarters in the Marais, at Afternoon Queens. Ok, they are in cardboard, but the poster featuring Meghan and Harry seems more real than nature. This ephemeral boutique, dedicated to the art of British tea time, handles clichés very cleverly.
Vintage tea cups to the glory of Elizabeth II
Charles and Diana, Charles and Camilla, Kate and William, the Queen Mum… The figureheads of the Royal Family are displayed on vintage mugs and cups painted by hand, coming from the most illustrious porcelain houses of Great-Britain (Richmond, Aynsley). A perfect way to bring back home a small piece of Buckingham Palace (cup €30-45).
Let’s be quite clear, these collector pieces, often quite ancient and always new have nothing in common with the goodies you find in souvenir boutiques. Hortense, who knows these exceptional manufacturers like the back of her hand, finds true rarities such as this cup stamped and edited in very limited series for the Queen’s Jubilee #GodSaveTheQueen.
You are not into crowned heads? The hostess of the premises also offers superb retro tea sets with naturalistic and floral themes: roses, lily-of-the-valley…
The best scones of Paris
Phew, with Hortense, the tradition or English tea time is safe! To convince you, be sure to taste her absolutely fabulous homemade scones (plain, raisins or cheese. (€5 for 2) and her blends of organic tea (€5 per sachet).
With a little bit of luck, she can even place tea time on the small table in the back of the shop. Enjoy!
Pop-up store Afternoon Queens at 19 Rue de Turenne 75004, from 9am to 7pm, until the 25th of June.
Also check out the boutique of Portuguese decoration, Lusa Luso and the new boutique The Family.
