Lady Meets Pierre Herme in London

There are few better ways to spend a weekday afternoon than eating Pierre Herme macarons. One of them is to eat said macarons with Pierre Herme in London. I had the opportunity to do so yesterday, and I spent a while with the famous French pastry chef while sampling his new limited-edition macaron collection. Yum.

Pierre Herme in London

The Pierre Herme collection features one delicate macaron for each month of the year.

It consists of an imaginative array of flavors, from January’s grapefruit with cloves and nutmeg to August’s mandarin orange with red berries and olive oil.

Pierre Herme Macarons

As I sat down to sample the macarons from Pierre Herme in London, I first tried October’s chocolate-and-smoked-salt macaron. It was rich and redolent of autumn.

Afterwards I couldn’t resist sampling July’s light, pretty lime-and-red-berries macaron. It was miles away in flavor, but equally good.

Interview with Pierre Herme in London

But the event wasn’t just about eating macarons (although I wouldn’t have minded if it had been). It was also about meeting Pierre Herme in London. The man himself soon came by and sat down to talk with me.

I first asked him about his inspiration for the collection. He said each one was inspired by something entirely different, but that they all related to fragrances.

I then asked if he had a favorite, to which he responded “always the next one I will create”. Good answer.

When another guest asked what the most unique macaron he ever made was, Pierre Herme explained that a private client commissioned him to make a macaron that tasted like the smell of a cigar.

Having never smoked a cigar himself, the chef set off to do some research. The end result was a macaron with a lovely blend of tobacco and whiskey flavors.

More Macarons

After the interview with Pierre Herme in London, I sampled another macaron, a special Valentine’s Day creation that blended jasmine tea cream, mango compote, and candied grapefruit.

It was a bit bitter and not to my liking, but June’s apple, mint, cucumber, and rocket macaron made up for it.

Like many of the others, it was beautiful to look at and contained a great balance of flavors, which was a theme that ran throughout the whole Pierre Herme macaron collection.

Pierre Herme in London

I wanted to stay all day sampling macarons and talking with Pierre Herme in London, but my dessert stomach eventually reached satiety.

I said au revoir and went home, happy to have had the chance to meet the famous macaron maker and excited to sample the ones in the goody bag I left with.

Given there are Pierre Herme shops in central London locations like Seven Dials, I’m sure it won’t be long until I pop into one to get my next fix.

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