Grand Jersey bakes a warm welcome for their new neighbours

Moving house can be stressful, so last week Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa baked a special gift to help their new neighbours settle in.

Nicolas Valmagna, Executive Chef at the AA Five Star St Helier hotel and his team wanted the staff at First Names Group to be among the first to taste their new afternoon tea menu.

The 300-strong team from the finance firm has just moved in next door, taking over the entire second floor of the iconic waterfront office development Gaspé House at 66-72 the Esplanade. 

It was the perfect end-of-the-week treat for the team who tucked into a delicious spread including finger sandwiches filled with scrumptious smoked salmon, barbecue ham and tangy cheddar cheese and chutney. 

There was plenty to satisfy those with a sweet tooth too including mini Victoria sponges with passion fruit and raspberry, freshly baked lemon drizzle madeleines and tasty Jersey strawberry tartlets.

And no local afternoon tea would be complete without scones; these ones freshly baked less than a hundred metres away and served with Jersey clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Commenting on the gesture, Simon Miller, General Manager of Hand Picked Hotels Jersey, said: “We’re delighted to welcome First Names Group as our new neighbours. Grand Jersey is not only a great venue for out of office meetings but is also the perfect place to unwind and socialise after work. We hope we’ll be seeing lots of our new neighbours!”

The Afternoon Tea was delivered by Thusitha Sumanasekera, Hotel Manager at Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa, who said: “It was great to pop next door and meet some of our new neighbours at First Names Group. We really wanted to welcome them, and I think Nicolas’ delicious new spread went down a treat!”

Among those who enjoyed the Afternoon Tea was Ben Newman, Managing Director of First Names Group’s Jersey office. He commented: “What a wonderful surprise that was! Needless to say we were all delighted when Thusitha arrived on our doorstep laden with boxes and hampers full of mouth-watering goodies, ideal for a Friday afternoon. It all went down a storm and wasn’t long before only crumbs remained! It was a very kind and thoughtful gesture, so I just want to say a big thank you to the team at Grand Jersey.