Foodservice PR - Christmas 2015In the frantic world of foodservice the run up to Christmas is always a hectic time, so for the past few years the Jellybean Christmas party has been a January affair. The exact details of the party were a closely guarded secret up until the week before, with only a few clues to go on. We knew the menu looked amazing and we were in for some entertainment, but beyond that it was mainly all guesswork. Imagine our joy therefore when it was revealed on Thursday that we were heading to the world famous Cafe Royal, Regent St, nestled between the elegance of Mayfair and the creativity of Soho (very fitting we thought!). Not only were we to enjoy drinks in the Green Bar with an Absinthe experience (for those brave enough to take the challenge), but we would also be dining in the exclusive Domino Restaurant and then, the ‘pièce de résistance’, we were to be entertained by the Black Cat Cabaret in the legendary Oscar Wilde Bar. Well, to say we were excited doesn’t really do it justice. Even the boys were in deep discussions about what to wear for such a glamourous night ahead!

We couldn’t wait to don our glad rags and head up to the big smoke, so with sparkle, feathers and a fair amount of lippy (and that was just the boys) we headed up to ‘get the party started!’. Drinks in the Green Bar were accompanied by delicious canapés and for the adventurous few the resident mixologist demonstrated the Absinthe fountain and their exclusive range of Absinthes. Synonymous with the Parisian bohemian scene frequented by artists , poets and alike, the ‘green fairy’ (La Fée Verte) was once famed for inducing hallucinations, but thankfully this modern day incarnation didn’t seem to have the same effect. This aniseed concoction was quite an acquired taste, but one our Digital Director seemed quite apt at acquiring.

Once we had all mixed and mingled, with glasses in hand, we headed to the Domino Restaurant to enjoy not only a delicious meal from chef Andrew Turner’s team (who we had worked with previously for a client video) but also some truly astounding close-up magic from Laura London. Having wined and dined, we then tottered down the stairs to the Oscar Wilde Bar where lemon posset dessert and the evening’s main entertainment awaited!

Our host for the evening at the Black Cat Cabaret was the deliciously camp singer and performer Dusty Limits accompanied by Michael Roulston on the piano (along with his rather fetching moustache). The acts for the evening’s line-up included an array of comedy songs from Lady Carol, Dusty Limits and Jaz Delorean, a gentleman juggler – Matt Ricardo and even some twirling burlesque from Vicky Butterfly (which went down very well with the Jellybean boys, unlike Dusty’s foray into the crowd for some hands-on crowd participation). During the performance we found our group in for some special attention, as our lovely Laura was celebrating her birthday and therefore had a less than conventional birthday song dedicated to her (along with a number of asides).

Once the applause had died down and the cabaret was over, in the decadent spirit of the venue it was time to hit the bar and the dance floor. With shots for all, not to mention the gin and tonics, all on top of champagne and wine with dinner, it was always going to get a little messy, but everyone had a great time and made it back to their beds in one piece. Showing the youngsters how it’s done, Gary and Fiona (Our Creative Director and MD) were the last ones standing on the dance floor, throwing shapes and generally having a great time. In fact as the taxis arrived to whisk us home to bed all anyone could talk about was what an amazing time we had had and what terrible hangovers we could all look forward to – but hey! What’s a Christmas party without a hangover and some truly embarrassing photos (for the latter you can visit us on Twitter).

Thanks as ever must go to Fiona, our esteemed leader, for another fabulous Christmas party. What a wonderful way to see in 2015. The only problem now is, how will she ever manage to top this for next year?!

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.