Yorkshire Day is an annual celebration of the British county, held on August 1st, and of course we’re using it for an olfactory celebration – this time focussing on fragrant ingredients the region is famed for. Think white roses, rhubarb, tea and biscuits (hey, we can’t think of a brew, even fragrantly, without biscuits!)
If you’re wondering the signifigance of the date, The Yorkshire Society explains: ‘The date alludes to the regimental anniversary of the Battle of Minden on 1st August and the wearing of roses in the headdress on that day. In the case of the Light Infantry, successors to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, a white rose. The date is also the anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, for which a Yorkshire MP, William Wilberforce, campaigned.’
The Yorkshire Post tell us that ‘the white rose came to prominence again during the Seven Years War, when the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry fought at the Battle of Minden in Prussia. They picked white roses from bushes on the battlefields as a tribute to their fallen comrades, and wore them in their buttonholes.’ Floris’ fragrance was a favourite of Florence Nightingale, no less – velvety roses dusted with soft iris, swathed in warm amber and grounded with earthy musk. At once strikingly elegant and wonderfully confident.
Floris White Rose From £17 for 10ml eau de toilette
Molton Brown are right on the trend for good-enough-to-eat fragrances, firmly rooted in cherished childhood memories of baking with rhubarb’s unique tartness sprinkled by just enough sweetness. In the eau de parfum, those seeking scrumptiousness can indulge with joyfully juicy raspberry and a vivacious kick of pink pepper enhancing rhubarb’s sparkle, as luscious lychee and the tender peony showcase rose’s powdered charm, with a soothingly sensual base of cedarwood and musk swathing you in a gossamer soft trail.
Molton Brown Delicious Rhubarb & Rose £120 for 100ml eau de parfum
An article on the BBC’s website explains the fascinating history of Yorkshire’s association with licorice. Dating back to 1760, when George Dunhill, an apothecary chemist in Pontefract, added sugar to liquorice (then used as medicine) creating ‘a chewable non-medicinal lozenge, inventing the sweet as we know it today.’ In fragrance, licorice adds an aromatic yet resinous stickiness, adding the ‘noir’ when used in wonderful juxtaposition against billowing gardenia, luminous jasmine and creamy almond.
Bvlgari Splendida Jasmin Noir £79 for 50ml eau de parfum
When perfumer and founder of 4160 Tuesdays, Sarah McCartney, moved her studio to Hammersmith, ‘she made Tea & Biscuits as a symbol of the British way of making friends and getting through a crisis’ – The biscuit-y notes feature wholemeal bran, lemon and ginger with toasted hazelnuts, while the tea is taken ‘black, with oat milk.’ Eyebrows might be raised at that by Yorkshire traditionalists, but we think they’ll be swayed by the sheer comforting deliciousness of the scent. It’s utterly addictive all year ’round.
4160 Tuesdays Hammersmith Tea & Biscuits from £25 for 15ml eau de parfum
We know how seriously people from Yorkshire take their tea, and we couldn’t agree more, but what if you fancy a little tot of something more bracing in your brew? The resinous warmth of oak-casked whisky is laced through this most potent blend of their black tea, rose and juniper aromatic sensation, and harks back to the heritage of this cheekily eccentric, British brand. Named for their original address of their flagship store, it’s the kind of scent that imbues you with a uniquely winsome character.
Atkinsons 24 Old Bond Street £99 for 100ml eau de Cologne
It’s remained an absolute modern classic since it was first launched in 1999 – but did you know the perfumer was wunderkind Francis Kurkdjian? Soothingly herbaceous and totally uplifting, drench your senses with rhubarb, mint and orange-infused green tea above the powdery sophistication of carnation, musk and a lightly glowing base of amber and oakmoss.
Deliciously nostalgic, this house was one of the leading lights for niche perfumery and way ahead of their time, with this being launched 18 years ago. Conjures memories of cosy teatimes, sipping cups of smoky lapsang and devouring plates of sticky gingerbread; cinnamon, ginger and anise spice up the proceedings while the honey and vanilla-drizzled base proves irresitably moreish…
Fancy a little tot of something more exciting in your brew? The resinous warmth of oak-casked whisky is laced through this most potent blend of their black tea, rose and juniper aromatic sensation, and harks back to the heritage of this cheekily eccentric, British brand. Named for their original address of their flagship store, it’s the kind of scent that imbues you with a uniquely winsome character.
Fourth in the ever-intriguing, leafily-inspired series for Bulgari, this one, by Daniela Andrier, pays homage to the tradition of Chinese oolong tea, and surrounds you in swathe of sophistication. Lavender and shiso mistily swirl amidst the heart of violet and tea and this woody floral concoction dries down to sheer trail of musk and lightly powdered iris.
‘How many times have you let yourself be well and truly enticed by a fragrance wafting from a cafe terrace?’ asks Jovoy owner and Creative Director, Francois Henin. Not nearly often enough for our liking, so give in on a daily basis to the seductive delights of milky chai tea spiced with cardamom and ginger, as the floral breeze of frangipani flowers drifts towards you on tendrils of sun-warmed airiness.
Miller Harris Tea Tonique £65 for 50ml eau de parfum
Molton Brown Blossoming Honeysuckle & White Tea £39 for 50ml eau de toilette
Annick Goutal L’ile au Thé £67 for 50ml eau de toilette
