New launch: Fabulous Ritz London gift voucher
To give the gift of a luxury night’s stay at an iconic London five-star hotel is to give a memorable experience. Many of our Members already enjoy doing this through the Club—it makes sense to give a beautiful gift of real value and to take advantage of savings of hundreds of pounds
So to make this an easy, truly elegant gift to give family and friends, we are today launching our CountryClubuk Luxury Five-Star Gift Voucher. It means that Members can benefit from their exclusive hidden Club savings—and the gift recipient receives a beautiful gift pack and a luxurious five-star experience.
We are launching this with our Members’ favourite celebration hotel, The Ritz London. The gift includes an overnight stay in a Superior room for two, with a bottle of The Ritz Champagne on ice. Next morning there will be full English breakfast in the Michelin-star Ritz Restaurant. All this (except the price of course) will be detailed in a personalised voucher for two, presented in a CountryClubuk gift pack. To redeem the gift, the recipient will simply call us at CountryClubuk to organise the preferred date.
Fit for a Duchess: luxurious baby alpaca hat
The Lacorine Collection of gorgeous soft, thick and warm pure alpaca hats has arrived and they are fabulous. Named the Sumac, designed by Antonia Valentin Jacob for Lacorine and fresh from Peru, where they are beautifully made by hand, they are just in time to keep you warm in the current icy blast. They are the perfect hat to complete an outfit, from wintry Knightsbridge to Cheltenham Festival, a winter wedding or the slopes of Val d’Isere.
And, as it happens, the Duchess of Cambridge agrees. Her personal collection of Lacorine Sumac hats includes several colours—you may have seen her sporting black, grey and chocolate Sumac hats to add style and warmth on Royal duties amid the winter chills of Sandringham, Windsor and beyond.
Divinely soft, fluffy and warm, the great thing about this alpaca is also how light it is—you hardly know it is on your head—as well as sumptuously thick and breathable—you really feel as if you are enveloped in something fabulously expensive, toasty-warm and luxurious. As with all Lacorine products, this luxury alpaca hat is derived from natural herd loss in the bitter Peruvian winters, and handmade to Fair Trade principles. It is also hypoallergenic, with no lanolin content—fit for a Duchess, indeed.
The hat is fully lined and has a generous crown. It comes in 12 colours—chocolate, black, grey and champagne (the Duchess’s collection), cobalt blue, taupe, silver grey, white, red, black, copper and oyster. In three sizes: Small (55-56mm head size), Medium (57-58mm) and Large (59-60mm). Code SH19LA18. RRP £225. CCUK £169.
Order Lacorine Sumac baby alpaca hat.
Romantic pearl, diamond and gold Bow Bracelet
With its fabulous diamond and white gold bow, this new natural pearl bracelet from the South Seas is so romantic—as well as precious. The elegant gold bow features 24 glittering diamonds, creating a truly eye-catching piece, beautifully feminine and unique. The pearls are lovely—natural, round and lustrous, the perfect luminous glow to echo the beauty of the diamond bow. This is a bracelet any woman will adore, and wear often.
The piece is designed and hand made by our South Pacific pearl jeweller. The pearls are the perfect size at 8.5-9mm, individually chosen and hand knotted—and that gorgeous 14ct white gold bow, glittering with its diamonds, is a statement piece, adding beauty and style to this lovely, classic pearl and diamond bracelet.
It will arrive in a smart case, making a discerning gift, and carries a valuation certificate for insurance purposes as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. Code HB19CC04. RRP £865. CCUK £379.
Order Pearl, Diamond and 14ct Gold Bow Bracelet.
Tickets for England v Ireland at Twickenham
England’s win over Ireland in the Six Nations set up a great prospective contest in the Autumn Internationals—so much so that the match is already sold out. But here’s a chance for our Members to snap up these prized tickets, together with a night at a five-star London hotel, for £179 per person (two sharing).
The match is on Saturday, August 24, 2019. You and your guest can stay Friday night, August 23, in a twin room at Grange City hotel, enjoy a leisurely full English breakfast next morning, then take a train ride or drive to Twickenham for the kick-off at 2.30pm. You will have excellent match tickets: Category 1 in the West Stand, value £90. The rack rate for Grange City hotel is £335 per night for two sharing (and of course our Members enjoy exclusive Club rates year-round).
Please don’t delay as we have only a very few tickets for this fully sold-out match and they will be allocated on a strict first-come-first served basis. Code EI19CC04. CCUK £179pp (based on two people sharing).
Please book here now or call the Member Services team on 020 7399 2960.
Dom Pérignon 2008: ‘greatest in living memory’
Champagne connoisseurs are celebrating the release of perhaps the greatest Champagne vintage in living memory, the 2008—’The greatest Dom Pérignon vintage ever produced,’ writes the world’s leading Champagne critic, Tom Stevenson. ‘Phenomenal,’ say Berry Bros & Rudd. ‘Fabulous,’ says Antonio Galloni. The clamour for the 2008 is so great it is already in limited supply and ‘on allocation’ to wine retailers—so we are delighted to announce that Dom Pérignon have included CountryClubuk in their allocations, to make sure our Members do not miss out on the world’s greatest vintage Champagne.
Writes Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager at BBR, ‘Wow! The nose unravels gracefully, revealing lemon zest and greengage, with a richness of toasted hazelnuts underneath. Hints of spiced orange peel come through with a little aeration. Marked with crystalline purity, flavours of crunchy green apple and acacia bounce off the tongue, with a remarkably fine effervescence throughout. The mid-palate brings a wealth of red-apple-skin and white peach, lifted by lemon-infused acidity, flourishing with mineral notes of wet stones and oyster-shell. The finish is sensational, going on and on. Vivacious, powerful and tightly coiled, this is a phenomenal Dom Pérignon. A Champagne lover’s dream—beg, borrow or steal to secure a case.’
The retail price is already £150 a bottle, which adds up to £900 per case of six. Through the Club, not only can you be sure to acquire a case of this prized vintage Champagne, you can do so at the Members’ exclusive price of £689 per case of six bottles delivered (please don’t delay as our allocation is very limited).
Order six-bottle case of Dom Pérignon 2008.
Caviar Aquitaine: delectable gift at Club prices
Here is the delicious French caviar, Caviar Aquitaine, perfect as a gift for your favourite bon viveur. It will delight even the most discerning connoisseur, and it is particularly good with dry Champagne—this is the caviar the London Champagne bars like to serve, often rather eyewateringly expensive. As such it makes an extremely welcome gift, particularly at your exclusive wholesale Club prices from the UK’s top caviar importer.
Caviar Aquitaine is from south-west France, where sturgeon have swum in the rivers of the Gironde for centuries. Acknowledged as a subtle, elegant caviar, its delicate salting brings out the full expression of long hazelnut flavours on the palate. This is a generous, glossy, delicious caviar from the Acipenser Baeri, a major species of sturgeon from Russia. It takes 10 years to mature and the eggs are golden brown to grey and black. This is a fine caviar to give as a gift, as it suits every palate and is perfect alone with dry Champagne, or with your favourite caviar dish.
Chocolate heaven, crowned in 23 carat gold
Oh joy! A box of probably the world’s finest chocolate pralines, each crowned in 23 carat gold. They are named Gioia—golden chocolate pralines. How luxurious, how opulent, how utterly delectable—and how easy to give such an inspired gift.
As the world famous Amedei of Italy say of their latest precious delicacies, here is ’an invitation to the pleasure of chocolate without borders’, in which rich dark chocolate ‘encloses, like a casket, delicate hints of yellow fruit and small lemon peels, with peach and apricot. A fresh and slightly bitter praline in the finish.’ The finishing touch; a gilding in 23 carat gold.
These fine, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of heaven are handmade in the Tuscan town of Pontedera, by the world’s first lady master chocolatier, Cecilia Tessieri, who is dedicated to her art and to the finest ingredients—including cocoa beans directly from cocoa plantations. The all-natural flavours and extra smoothness are irresistible, and hence Amedei is found at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, Harvey Nichols in London and the top London Michelin Star restaurants, including Le Gavroche and The Ritz.
Cocoa, min 75%. Store in a cool, dry place, max 18°C. Taste at room temperature. Amedei of Italy Gioia Gift Box (12 x 9 x 2.5cm), six pralines finished with 23 carat gold leaf: Code AG19KG01. CCUK £19.
Order Amedei Gioia 23 carat pralines.
¶ See also the sublime Amedei Passione, dark Rum Truffles: 80 chocolates, approx 1 kilo: RRP £200, CCUK £89.
Click for details.
New limited edition bronze: Otters Tumbling
The spirit, grace and athleticism of the English otter are captured here in a seductive new limited edition animalier bronze by leading figurative sculptor Michael Simpson. The sculptor has brought his wild subjects to life in a large bronze named ‘Otters Tumbling’. It’s an exhilarating piece of art: the sculpted otters’ long, sinuous bodies twisting and turning as they play together.
Michael Simpson is fascinated by the otter, returning to the subject time and again. His limited edition bronze otters precisely capture the fluidity of movement and playful, inquisitive nature which makes these animals so captivating. This bronze exhibits pure joy in living Nature. It will look wonderful on a mantelpiece, or in a study or boardroom, spotlit on a plinth.
The best British rod carrier for the car
The car rod-carrier is essential for salmon and trout fishers whose water is a short distance away from home or hotel, and when moving up and down the beat in the car. We recommend Vacu Vac’s best-selling vacuum rod-carriers and magnetic carriers. They are originals, still the best, and are made in the UK. Well-made, sturdy, they fit any car and will not let you down. They attach instantly, stick like limpets, and hold up to four rods.
Here are the two best models:
Top of the range Vac Rac Vacuum Locking Rod Carrier for all vehicles, aluminium, steel etc. Code VR01GS19. RRP £65 plus delivery. CCUK £49.
Order Vacuum Locking Vac Rac.
Italian leather laptop bag: a snip at £98
This smart Italian leather laptop bag and briefcase is cleverly designed, effortlessly stylish and functional. The tactile textured leather, abundant storage space and sleek design make it a breeze to carry laptop, documents and more, without looking bulky.
With a wide zipped opening for easy access and an exterior zipped pocket, the Ferrara provides everything you need from a leather business briefcase. The interior has a laptop compartment at one side with containing leather strap, so when you are using the bag as a briefcase only you can fit more inside. An interior zipped pocket keeps valuables separate and safe. It has two sturdy, comfortable handles and a removable shoulder strap.
Hot Harry, cosy character for your favourite girl
To keep your favourite girl warm, and make her smile, give her this soft and adorable pyjama and hottie case. His name is Hot Harry and he comes from designer Jo Holland in the Fernie Hunt country in Leicestershire. Harry is the perfect bedfellow: cuddly, warm, and great fun with his cheerful smiling face, large round tummy, floppy ears and soft fleece. All the girls (young and otherwise) long to cuddle him.
Jo Holland was born in the Ludlow sheep country, and moved to the Fernie to set up her business, Jomanda, creating an entire flock for children to love. We spied Harry, and could not resist him. He lies back, all four feet outstretched, waiting for you to stuff his thickly padded tummy with your PJs or nightdress, or a hot water bottle (a great comfort), and you can use him as a pillow anywhere—in the car, on the sofa, wherever you like. You can personalize him too—just tell us his new name when you order.
Harry is large—47cm (1ft 5in) tall—and can accommodate a standard hot water bottle. He is machine washable, complies with all the UK standards, and is safe for any child, from birth upwards (little boys love him too).
Code HH02JT01. RRP £14.95 plus £3.25 postage. CCUK £14. Free UK mainland delivery.
Order Hot Harry.