BIRLEY Bakery has opened a festive shop in Burlington Arcade, bringing chocolates, panettone and hot chocolate to Mayfair. The seasonal address at House 51 joins Birley Bakery and Birley Chocolate on Chelsea’s Cale Street, with Christmas presents and treats for the table filling its shelves.
Founded by club owner Robin Birley, the bakery draws on traditional French boulangeries and pâtisseries, with Vincent Zanardi, director and executive head of bakery and pastry, overseeing the collection.
Birley Bakery at Burlington Arcade
Inside the 15 sqm shop, birds gather for a hot chocolate ceremony across walls decorated with scenes inspired by 19th-century Japonisme and Birley’s ingredients. The fanciful interior is at home in the covered arcade, which first opened in 1819, with crimson chocolate boxes sharing the shelves with a Chocolate Christmas Tree, a milk chocolate Father Christmas and a Snowman made with Swiss Inalpa white chocolate.
Classic and deluxe Advent calendars each conceal a handcrafted chocolate behind their doors, while chocolate-coated nuts, marrons glacés and chocolate candied orange make tempting additions to a present, or post-supper deliciousness.
Birley Bakery at Burlington Arcade
The panettone selection includes Classic, Three Chocolate and the new Cinnamon & Caramel, with its Ceylon cinnamon-infused blond chocolate and candied orange. The Macallan x Birley Bakery Whisky Panettone also returns for a second Christmas, alongside Christmas cake and mince pies made to a longstanding secret Birley recipe. New Christmas crackers continue the chocolate theme, with dark chocolate Christmas-tree treats tucked inside with a paper crown and the obligatory joke.
“Christmas is always a special time for us at Birley Bakery, so I’m delighted that we’ll be at Burlington Arcade this year. In the heart of Mayfair, it feels like a very natural setting for our Christmas collection, panettones and Birley Chocolate,” says Zanardi.
Birley Bakery at Burlington Arcade
Visitors can assemble their own hampers from the collection or stop for a hot chocolate between shops, choosing from dark, milk and blond varieties served in festive red and gold cups. For guests at neighbouring hotels, orders can be placed through the concierge and delivered directly to their suite, making room for a little Christmas shopping without stepping outside.
by Felicity Carter
Birley Bakery, House 51, Burlington Arcade, Mayfair, London, W1J 0QJ. Open daily, 10am-6 pm, birleybakery.com.