It’s a long while since I’ve had breakfast at the Ritz where we used to conduct a lot of business when I was at the NPG. We were choosing the winners of this year’s Mayfair Awards. I’m not the best person to choose a jeweller and am sadly unable to distinguish the qualities of the Savile Row tailors, but enjoyed the opportunity to find out about new pop-up coffee shops. Underlying a lot of the discussion was the distinction between new Mayfair – the many new shops which have opened in the last year – and the old Mayfair of grand hotels, auction houses and gun shops. Sad to hear that Dover Street Market may be moving out:-
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
Some years ago, on our way to see Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the Bond movies, I went with two German colleagues to have breakfast at the Ritz and was turned away on the grounds that my incredulous colleagues were not wearing ties. Nor did the Ritz – unlike the old-style Doric in Edinburgh- keep a stock of ties and linen jackets to offer their inadequately-attired supplicant guests
Looked like there were quite a few tieless people, including one at my table, so maybe the rules have been relaxed. Charles
September 2013 I think Charles …a long while !
Yes, you’re quite right ! But I used to have breakfast there much more regularly in the 1990s. Anyway it’s always a pleasure. Charles