MY PERFECT DAY
Patricia Michelson, owner of La Fromagerie, describes her perfect Marylebone day
Interview: Clare Finney
Breakfast
Here at La Fromagerie, they make porridge just how I like it. From the start, we wanted breakfast to be the most important part of the day.
Fresh air
There are certain walks that I do regularly around Marylebone. I love seeing how each little pocket of the area differs. We have lovely churches and more mews than anywhere in London. Each one is different and has some sort of story or scandal attached to it, and the people living there always make an effort to make them look pretty and unique.
Coffee
In the morning, when I can, I walk in Regent’s Park and stop at the little coffee stall, not far from the rose garden. It’s my favourite park. If I could, I would spend all my time there.
Shopping
One of my favourite shops is Perfumer H. It is a beautiful shop and so unique: it really reflects who the owner is, her design and character. Another is Madesil Pharmacie. It has a similar feeling to French and Italian pharmacies. They are so helpful and so much a part of the community.
Outfit
ME+EM isn’t particularly ‘me’, but I like their outfits. For myself, I go to Margaret Howell. In fact, I bought all the managers and the boys in the cheese room jackets from there. It’s indulgent, I know, but they’re well-cut and hardwearing. All the staff look lovely and smart.
Culture
I try to go to Regent’s Park theatre as often as I can. I love taking my grandchildren—the performances are so well done, they even enjoy the Shakespeare. Last autumn I took them to the Wallace Collection to see my favourite painting. When I was a teenager I used to go there as often as I could to see this Van Dyck, a self-portrait of him as a shepherd. I love that in all these years, it hasn’t really changed.
Pre-dinner drink
I love the Friday night bar here. All the lights are low, there is good jazz going, it’s not too noisy, and there is always something a bit special on the menu. I know many people have a drink and maybe a small bite here before going for a meal at Trishna or Jikoni.
Eating out
Fischer’s, usually, as I love the schnitzel. When we do late nights here at Christmas, we do take-outs from Tommi’s or I go to Il Baretto and order several pizzas.
Eating in
Here for cheese and veg of course, then I might go next door to The Ginger Pig or get a few bits from Waitrose. I also must mention Daylesford’s bone broth. I buy about seven at a time—goodness knows what people must think—for those days when I get home so late and the last thing I want is to start cooking.
Anything else?
I always stop off to look at the garden of the Royal College of Physicians and see how it changes through the seasons. The building itself is a wonderful example of modernist architecture by the late, great Sir Denys Lasdun and the gardens are truly magical, laid out beautifully, with clipped box hedges.