How to make a Perfect cup of English Tea

As we our soon hosting our very own Tea Party we thought we would share how to make a perfect cup of tea!!

The key to how to make tea properly is to simply use freshly-boiled water. 

Both loose leaves and the bagged variety need this to infuse properly. 

Allow to brew (not stew) for a few minutes to your desired strength. About 3 minutes does it for us.

Always (when you can)use a Teapot to brew your tea.

Pour the tea into your Teacup first.

Depending on how you like your tea, add as little or much Milk as you like.

Use a teaspoon to stir your tea to mix it up to the perfect taste!

Now relax and enjoy the bliss of a perfect cup of tea.

Never put a teabag in water and plonk it in the microwave to heat up, never dip or squeeze the teabag and never ever add cream instead of milk!

Jubilee Weekend - Mad hatter's Tea Party @ Artist Residence

Come and join us by celebrating pure and perfect Madness for the Jubilee!!!

Cup Cake Decorating, Face Painting, Tea Pot Drawing and Lots and Lots of Tea!

Sunday 3rd June @ 1pm 

Artist Residence 

20 Chapel Street

Penzance

Historic UK Accommodation Guide Lists Artist Residence as Top 5 Boutique Hotels in Cornwall!

Boutique Hotels in Cornwall

Hands up… Cornwall is only the second most popular county in the Historic UK office. It would be #1 if Devon didn’t have its beautiful and relatively untouched northern coastline, but nevertheless we are all agreed that Cornwall is the home of boutique hotels in the UK!

With miles of lovely sandy beaches and an interior of idyllic rolling hills, it’s not hard to see why Cornwall is the most popular holidaying county in England. However, what if you’re after a more relaxing and romantic break in the county? Perhaps you’d like to relax in a spa, or dine in a restaurant overlooking the sea? Luckily, we think we’ve found just the places.

Top 5 boutique hotels in Cornwall

Our first choice is Upton House in Fowey. This five star boutique hotel is 1920’s themed and includes all of the vintage glamour you’d expect. For that little extra touch, the hotel offers a suite with a French antique bed and a Jacuzzi bath overlooking the sea. There is also a four poster suite with a roll top bath in front of an open fire.

Fowey itself is a lovely small fishing town situated at the mouth of a river. It is full of pubs and restaurants, and has a boutique feel all of its own. The town comes alive in the summer when the Fowey Regatta takes place in August.

 1920's glamour at Upton House

Our second choice is the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay, if only for the amazing coastal views! This four star hotel dates back to the latter half of the Victorian age and is within a 5 minute walk from Newquay town centre. Every bedroom offers sea views, and the hotel boasts Cornwall’s only sushi bar. The main restaurant has been awarded the ‘Taste of the West’ Bronze award in 2009.

 

The view from the Atlantic Hotel

The Bay Hotel in Newquay secures the third place in our list due to its lovely spa and ‘mood enhancing’ swimming pool. The four star hotel also offers visitors lovely sea views, a Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Best of all, at the time of writing Laterooms are offering standard double rooms for some very competitive prices. Follow the link below for more information and to book.

The lovely swimming pool in the Bay Hotel

For more of a ‘home away from home’ experience, try the Hotel Penzance. Situated in (surprise surprise) Penzance, this four star townhouse hotel is extremely customer focused and only has 25 bedrooms. Afternoon tea is complementary, perfect after a day of exploring or simply lazing by the beach. The hotel’s restaurant offers an award winning menu, and in the summer there is a small outdoor heated swimming pool.

Just as a side note, if you are staying here we recommend requesting a room with a sea view.

The swimming pool at the Hotel Penzance

We’ve saved the quirkiest for last, as at number five on our list we introduce Artist Residence Hotel & Gallery in Penzance. This Georgian building now hosts a guesthouse with 8 completely unique rooms, designed by artists from across the country. From the ‘Jo Peel’ room with it’s urban design to ‘The Gallery Room’, you’re guaranteed to remember this hotel! Don’t take our word for it though… the hotel has been awarded Woman & Home’s “Top 10 most unusual places to stay”.

Read this article on the Historic UK History and Heritage Accommodation Guide 

www.historic-uk.com/Blog/Boutique-Hotels-in-Cornwall/

David Beckham in Cornwall!!

Wowowowoww as if the Olympic Torch relay starting in Cornwall this weekend wasn't BIG enough we now get David Beckham too!! 

Starting in Lands End at 7am the olympic torch starts it's 70 day torch relay of the UK tomorrow.

Touching down at 7.30pm tonight David Beckham is bringing the torch to us here in Cornwall.

We're hoping Beckham arrivals in his Underwear range!!

Beat Those Monday Morning Blues!!

They say the scientific explanation for why we feel so crumby on Monday mornings is because our internal clocks naturally operate on a day that’s longer than 24 hours. This means that when Monday rolls around, we've built up a sleep deficit of at least an hour, So to put it simply we are just plain old tired!!

We find it easy to beat our Monday morning blues by having a little cheeky lie-in even just by 15minutes (we go to bed earlier too), we plan something fun to do in the evening to keep us going oh AND lots and lots and lots of coffee!! 

Bye-bye Morning blues..

A.R Playlist!

This week we have been obsessed with Midnight City - M83!! 

We are loving the French Electric vibes.

You must must must must give it a listen...

A.R XX

Who fancies a Cornish Cream Tea?

Guess who's serving Cornish Cream Tea's now! Guest's can now sit in our quirky Gallery space and enjoy a 'proper' afternoon cream tea - surrounded by art, fashion, home-ware...

Delicious home-made scones by our chef Nic

Rhodda's cornish clotted cream

Boddingtons Strawberry Jam

Clipper Breakfast Tea

All served with a smile!

Guest's can also pre-book this traditional treat via our online website at 

www.arthotelcornwall.co.uk/book

Free National Trust Weekend 21st - 22nd April!

This weekend the National Trust are offering Free entry to over 200 of their sites around the country. 

All you need to do is fill in this voucher and it will get you free entry and 20% off in their cafes. 

National Trust Voucher

So why not take full advantage of this offer and explore the beautiful sights Penzance has to offer such as

St Michael's Mount

And Many More.....

Happy National Trusting!!

Porthleven Food And Music Festival 21st April!!

We are very lucky to be so near to the Porthleven Food and Music Festival!!

It's a great day out to explore the new talent cornwall has to offer in the gorgeous town of Porthleven.

Get your taste buds ready for the 21st April!

Artist Residence Featured in Top 10 Unusual Places to Stay by Woman and Home

Wow we are happy bunnies today! Woman and Home have featured as the 2nd most unusual place to stay in the whole of the world! 

Artist Residence, Penzance, Cornwall - "Arty types will love this new Grade II listed boutique hotel with a difference. Each of the ten bedrooms at the Artist Residence in Penzance is uniquely decorated by a local artist. Doze off in Rachel Ella Taylor's dreamlike enchanted forest (left) of curl up with a book in Ben Gray's cosy nook overlooking the sea.

See who else is featured in Woman and Home's Ten most unusual places to stay at Woman and Home Online

Wine Tasting

Interested in Wine? We are.

Wine tasting parties are a great way to get together and learn all the different smells, tastes varieties of wines. It can be a great experience if your simply just a wine lover but don't know how to match to foods and situations or even for the wine connoisseurs.

We are looking to host a wine tasting evening in the near future so watch this space for updates :)

Happy Easter!

Artist Residence Hotel Penzance Featured in The Telegraph!

Yes, we are all smiles all dancing as Artist Residence Penzance Boutique Guesthouse has just been featured in The Telegraph Travel Supplement... as one of the top 15 places to stay in Cornwall!!

"Artist Residence Hotel, a new young, fun place in Penzance, sits behind the slate-hung facade of the Georgian House in historic Chapel Street. The breakfast room doubles as an art gallery, and each of the eight bedrooms are decorated by a different artist, each given free rein to depict a retro-romantic or psychadelic road trip".

Read more from the review at www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotel/Artist-Residence-Hotel

(note though that the review Gill Charlton did stay 1 year ago and since then we have progressed a lot - the breakfast bag went out the window and in came our fab chef cooking scrumptious Eggs Benedict, Omelettes... MMMM! (oh and yes, we have definitely filled out the Gallery since our early days!)

Trevarno Garden - Ultimate Picnic Destination!

We have been so lucky with the weather recently, so what could be better than a relaxed picnic in the sun? Trevarno Estate is the perfect spot, with a beautiful garden you can get lost in, delicious cakes served in a greenhouse-style cafe and free range peacocks! 

And how gorgeous are their organic beauty products? 

Make sure to treat yourself before you leave!

Home Made Easter Eggs

If your looking for a way to make your easter that little bit more unique we have found this egg-ceptional way to entertain the kids or to get your creative spirit out. 

You will need...

 6 Large eggs

A Needle

Food Coloring

Your Favorite Chocolate 

Method 

Using a pin, poke a hole in the bottom of a large raw egg; insert the tip of a utility knife, and turn to open the hole slightly. 

Insert pin into the hole to pierce and "stir" the yolk. Hold the egg, hole down, over a bowl, and blow air into the hole. Rinse out egg. 

Repeat to make 6 blown eggs

Submerge them in a pot of cold water with 1 tablespoon white vinegar; bring to a boil, then simmer, skimming foam from surface, 10 minutes. Let drain on a pin board. 

Mix 4 tablespoons vinegar and 12 drops of blue food coloring with 2 cups boiling-hot water in a heatproof glass or enamel bowl. Dip eggs in vinegar and the dye, 2 to 3 minutes. Pat eggs with paper towels to eliminate streaks.

 Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally. 

Place eggshells in an egg carton. Place a disposable pastry bag in a tall glass, and fold top down. Fill bag with chocolate

 Insert tip of bag into each egg, and fill with chocolate. Let set completely, about 4 hours.

Enjoy

Artist of the Week - Poppy Treffry

Poppy is a local artist based just outside Newlyn, and has a small shop in St Ives. She and her team of 13 create modern and funky ceramics, artworks, cushions, bags and leather goods - all in bright colours with a handmade vibe.

Aside from all of this hard work... Poppy also runs freehand machine embroidery and sewing courses. Maybe this could be a unique way to spend one of your days in Cornwall?

Little Miss Sunshine - A Ray of Happiness

Little Miss Sunshine has come out to play in Penzance. The sun is shining, the rays are beaming and everyone has come out to play! Nearly Spring now... :)

Recipe of the Week: American Blueberry Pancakes

Now... this has got to get those mouth's watering! Looking for something different than muesli or eggs for brekkie? We say this is one of our favourite dishes from across the pond!

"Light, fluffy and fruity, these pancakes are a US classic. Serve them stacked high with syrup and extra fruit"

INGREDIENTS                                            METHOD

200g self-raising flour                                     1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of 

1 tsp baking powder                                            salt in a large  bowl. Beat the egg with the milk, make a  

1 egg                                                                    well in the centre of the ingredients and whisk in the   

300ml milk                                                           milk to make a thick smooth batter.  Beat in the melted              

knob of butter                                                       butter, and gently stir in half the blueberries.

150g blueberries                                               2. Heat a teaspoon of oil or small knob of butter in a large 

sunflower oil or butter                                          non-stick frying pan. Drop a large tablespoon of the 

golden or maple syrup                                          batter per pancake into  the pan to make pancakes about 

                                                                             7.5cm across. Make three of four  at a time. Cook for
Makes 10 pancakes                                              about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles
Cook 1/2 hour                                                      appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn and
Low fat                                                                cookfor another 2-3 minutes until golden. Cover with
                                                                             ktichen paper tokeep warm while you use the rest of the  
                                                                             batter. Serve with goldensyrup and the rest of the
                                                                             blueberries.

Recipe taken from BBC Good Food ... Find more fab recipes at www.bbcgoodfood.com

Artist of the Week: Amy Lanyon

At Artist Residence Hotel and Gallery Penzance we have a new obsession! Abstract cornish artist Amy Lanyon's work evolves from a sequence of processes and exploration of media to produce primarily shape based and abstract compositions. It is always an interesting one with abstract art, as it can conjure up so many different notions and images in different peoples minds.  Our first thoughts... a fresh but hot summer in the colourful Mediterranean ... eating a cold juicy watermelon in the summer sun! What does it conjure up for you?

View more of Amy Lanyon's work at www.amylanyon.co.uk

Artist Residence Featured in The Guardian Top 10!

Artist Residence Hotel and Gallery have just been featured in the Guardian Newspaper in the Top 10 Travel Section (smiles are beaming on our faces)!

Featured as No. 1 on "10 great activity holidays in Cornwall", us & the guardian newspaper know that "there's a lot more to Cornwall than lazing on lovely beaches"!

Jo Peel room at Penzance Art Hotel

Art hotel in Penzance

Artist Residence, a quirky hotel which opened in April 2011 in an historic Georgian building, has eight rooms decorated by young Cornish and British artists. There's The Artist's Studio with a "floating" bed and blackboard doors for guests to add their own doodles, a nautical room with recycled furniture, and Urban Splash, a room designed by Jo Peel of The Scrawl Collective, complete with silver carpet. Its location on Chapel Street, Penzance's oldest street, is also home to some great galleries and antique shops – check out The Penzance Art Club, with its friendly cafe and live music, The Exchange and Stoneman Gallery. There's also the nearby Penlee House Gallery and Museum, which specialises in west Cornwall's art and history.
• 20 Chapel St, 01736 365664, artistresidence.co.uk. Doubles from £80-£140 a night

See which other places are recommended, from: 10 great activity holidays in Cornwall - from catching your own lobster to staying in a Romany caravan!
Read more from The Guardian's Cornwall Holiday Guide: A Holiday Guide to Cornwall

Baumhaus Hotel... Sleep in a Treehouse!

Wow... look what we just spied on the Unusual Hotels of the World Website! OMG! Guests get to choose from one of 5 cosy tree houses! Sleep 8m - 10m up in a tree in a fantastic recreational park outside Gorlitz. First open in June 2005, Baumhaus Hotel is the first tree house hotel (and the craziest) in Germany... now, who wants to go climbing?

(photo of Baumhaus Hotel: Unusual Hotels of the World)

www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/BaumhausHotel

Trereife Easter Fair

Trereife House will be hosting its 3rd Easter Food and Craft Fair this Easter 2012! Following the huge success of last year's Hidden Art Design Fair and Trereife's food and craft fairs held throughout the year, this arty foody cornish festival promises to be a fun weekend! Expect some of the finest local cornish food produce from gorgeous farm cheeses to smoked fish to locally produced beer, cider and wine. And then our other favourite thing, a selection of great cornish art and art and craft from cornwall's designer-makers! ooh ooh we are excited! From Friday 22nd to Monday 25th April at Trereife House in Newlyn. www.trereifepark.co.uk

Recipe of the Week - The Sandwich

Celebrity Chef Gizzi Erksine's delicious recipe for Smoked Salmon, avacado and brie on rye bread proves that sandwiches need not to be boring!!  Well, they need not to be if you fill them with exciting ingredients and experiment with different types of bread!

INGREDIENTS                     METHOD

2 pieces of seeded rye bread                             Lay the two pieces of bread out on the kitchen

1 tsp of butter, optional                                     surface and spread each with the butter. Lay on the 

50g smoked salmon                                          smoked salmon and avacado, then squeeze with 

2 slices of ripe brie cheese                                lemon. Top with Brie and then sprinkle with poppy  

1/2 avacado, sliced                                           seeds and a good grinding of black pepper. 

A squeeze of lemon                                          Belissimo!

1/2 tsp poppy seeds

NOW THAT'S WHAT WE CALL A SANDWICH!

Titanic The Musical Showing at Minack Theatre

Atlantic Theatre Company are pleased to present Titanic - The Musical showing at the spectacular open air Minack Theatre! Dates are confirmed as 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 & 14th April. Now theres a bank holiday Easter Event! For more info and to book tickets visit www.minack.com

Ed Sheeran & Dizzee Rascal to Headline Boardmasters Festival

Guess who's headlining boardmasters 2012 festival in Newquay this year!!! Boardmasters is thrilled to announce legendary Dizzee Rascal and Brit Award winner Ed Sheeran as the headliner acts, joined by Maximo Park, Maverick Sabre and Zane Lowe plus a whole load of other acts. This years Boardmasters - sponsored by relentless energy drink - is definitely gonna be whole load of fun and not to miss!!

www.boardmasters.co.uk

St Pirans Day in Penzance

St Pirans Day you wonder? St Pirans Day is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5th March every year - Saint Piran is the one of the patron saints of Cornwall and the patron saint of tinminers. How does Penzance celebrate St Pirans day? Well, through an annual performance of the the St Piran furry dance and procession through the streets by 500 children and annual St Pirans Schools Concert - of course!

Architecture & Interiors in Fashion

Greek Fashion Designer Mary Katrantzou pushes the boundaries by taking the idea of a living room to a whole new level. Luxurious interiors on avant garde sculptural silhouettes, combining interior and architecture within fashion. Don't you just love!? Now, wouldn't our artist decorated rooms look fab on a dress...

http://www.marykatrantzou.com/