Ladurée, the famed Parisian macaron company and luxury sweet choice of bloggers everywhere, has made a frequent appearance on my Instagram feed for as long as I can remember. The perfect afternoon tea accompaniment, their appeal has stretched across the globe, with the brand extending its presence from Paris to a total of 28 different countries worldwide - including four Ladurée houses in London.
With them being such a major player in the patisserie world, it may come as a surprise to learn that until last Saturday, I'd never been lucky enough to try out one of their macaron's for myself. So after a conversation with my friends about how 'amazing' they are, I decided to make a bee-line to the nearest Ladurée cafe with the full intention sampling some of their delicious treats in house.
Unfortunately, time was against me and the cafe proved to be so popular that finding a table was nigh on impossible. Not one to be defeated, I decided to head over to the shop instead to pick up a selection to enjoy at home.
A little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice available, I asked the lady working there for recommendations. She responded with a resounding 'caramel for sure' before hesitantly adding 'there's just so many great ones to choose from though'. After a brief think she pulled out a selection of favourites which included; Vanilla, Pistachio, Chocolate and Cognac for an extra kick.
Having never tried Ladurée before, I didn't really know what to expect. I mean how different could they be?
In all honesty, I wouldn't say that there's a lot to differentiate these macarons from the others that I've tried before, but with the resounding opinion being that Ladurée are the best on the market, it's good to know that afternoon tea venues across the UK are striving to match their high standards. The textures were exactly how good macarons should be: crisp on the outside, giving way to a soft centre, filled with butter cream, whilst the overall flavours were intense, with the perfect amount of sweetness.
At around £13.00 for six pieces, Ladurée are definitely at the luxury end of the spectrum, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this won't stop me from returning again soon to try out the cafe for myself.
- Caroline
Have you tried Ladurée Macarons yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
For more information and cafe locations, visit:
I didn't know Ladurée had cafes in the UK - this is very exciting!
ReplyDeleteThey do indeed! I think the main one is in Covent Garden, but I believe they also have a cafe in Harrods. Excited to visit them properly soon :)
DeleteI recently got into macarons. I'm not sure about Laduree. One of their Paris shops looked amazing. The ones with the AT at Grafene in Manchester are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I was pretty impressed with the ones I got from their London store, but I'm off to Paris in May so am going to try and buy some from there too!
DeleteWe've not had a chance to try the Grafene afternoon tea yet. I visited for dinner during the soft launch and was a little underwhelmed, but will definitely return if you can recommend the afternoon tea! - Caroline