Alternative blog – masonry

Summer & Sociability at 12 Hay Hill

There was something wonderfully relaxed about our Summer & Sociability evening at 12 Hay Hill. With some guests already back from summer holidays and others counting down the days until theirs began, conversations quickly turned to favourite destinations, long lunches and plans still to come.

Despite another 33-degree day in London, the beautifully cool surroundings of The Bar at this historic Mayfair private members’ club offered the perfect retreat. Guests arrived to elegant long glasses of Tidal Rum cocktails, crisp, refreshing and unmistakably summery, before the room gradually filled with the warm hum of people meeting for the first time.

Our guests certainly embraced the dress code. Sharp, stylish and impeccably turned out, they looked every bit at home beneath the marble, soft lighting and beautiful interiors. Several guests even commented on how refreshing it was to arrive at an event where everyone had made such an effort.

The canapés, beautifully prepared by the team at 12 Hay Hill, were a real talking point throughout the evening. The Severn & Wye smoked salmon blinis with keta caviar and crème fraiche were a sophisticated twist on a classic, the Devon crab brioche rolls with avocado and pickled fennel were wonderfully fresh, while the truffle and parmesan arancini with black garlic emulsion proved dangerously moreish.

As always, it’s the messages we receive afterwards that tell the real story.

“Thank you for a super evening.”

“Meeting people this way is far nicer than dating apps.”

“A first-class event.”

“Thank you for being such an attentive hostess.”

What particularly delighted us this time was hearing from so many of the gentlemen afterwards. Several took the time to write simply to say thank you, others asked to join us again, and several guests left hoping to see each other again. We took that as a rather good sign that we’d assembled exactly the right crowd.

A huge thank you to Greta and the exceptional team, Botond, Dominic and Taylor,  at 12 Hay Hill. From the flawless organisation to the warm hospitality behind the bar, every detail was delivered with effortless professionalism and helped create the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere our guests enjoyed so much.

Judging by the messages we woke up to the following morning, quite a few conversations continued long after the evening had come to an end. Some evenings finish when the bar closes. The best ones carry on long afterwards.

When Everything Aligns: An Evening at The Sloane Club

Every now and then, an event comes together so perfectly that you almost don’t notice all the ingredients that made it so. As Goldilocks might have said, it was perfect in every way.

After a week of blistering temperatures, the city settled into one of those blissfully balmy June evenings when 24 degrees somehow feels just right. At The Sloane Club’s beautiful LILA Bar, the retractable glass roof slid open to reveal a cloudless blue sky, and we were reminded why London summers, when they decide to behave, are among the finest in the world.

Heritage, beautifully reimagined

Founded in 1922, The Sloane Club has entered an exciting new chapter following an extensive restoration. It has achieved that rare balance of respecting its history while embracing a thoroughly modern vision centred around wellbeing, community and connection.

More than a venue

What makes somewhere truly memorable isn’t just the design; it’s the people.

Of course, creating that atmosphere takes two teams working as one. Danusia welcomed guests on arrival, while Anna and Liv greeted everyone in LILA, helping those arriving alone feel instantly at ease. Hannah and I quietly orchestrated introductions throughout the evening, while Maclynn’s matchmakers – Joanna, Frankie and Ozora – were on hand, chatting to members and sharing their expertise.

Alex Rich, Head of Membership, welcomed guests with the sort of enthusiasm that can’t be manufactured. Beneath the polish is genuine curiosity and a real desire for people to enjoy themselves.

Behind every effortless evening is someone quietly orchestrating a hundred moving parts, and Emily did exactly that. Together with the LILA and Demob Bar teams, everyone worked seamlessly to make guests feel completely at ease.

Conversations over algorithms

Our first collaboration brought together Sloane Club members, the Rendezvous community and Maclynn’s matchmaking team.

One of the pleasures of hosting Rendezvous is watching people arrive knowing no one, only to leave wondering why they hadn’t met years earlier.

Long after the official finish, small groups were still chatting. Phone numbers had been exchanged, future dinners arranged and, in one particularly successful case, a first date already organised.

One guest later wrote, “I had such a wonderful time. I met two great women – a girls’ night is already being planned – and a charming guy who has asked me on a date.”

Perhaps our favourite comment was, “Good fun and bringing people together is always such a positive thing to do.”

That’s exactly why we do it.

Small plates, big impressions

Between introductions, I managed to sample the canapés.

The hand-rolled prawn spring rolls looked almost too elegant to eat; the beef onglet skewers with vibrant chimichurri were perfectly pink and melted in the mouth, while the pumpkin and scamorza arancini revealed irresistibly stretchy, molten centres with every bite.

Watching beautifully chilled martinis glide past to neighbouring tables eventually proved too much to resist. I ordered one myself, and it was the perfect way to end the evening.

As I left just after 10 pm, around fifteen guests were still deep in conversation in the Demob Bar, with no one in any hurry to leave.

For us, that says everything.

New friendships begin. Sometimes, so do romances. Every now and then, everything really does align.

The Fast Lane to Friendship

Vintage racing posters · Summer gallery party · 50s & 60s · Shepherd Market

There are worse places to spend a June evening than a small gallery in Shepherd Market with a cold glass of rosé in hand and a room full of interesting people.

The weather was doing its best impression of summer: warm rather than hot, but with that unmistakable London closeness in the air. Inside, however, nobody seemed particularly concerned. The gallery was packed, the rosé and Peroni were flowing, and those opting for clearer heads were happily working their way through Dash raspberry and cucumber spritzers and Nirvana’s alcohol-free beers. After all, if you’re hoping to make a good impression at a dating event, keeping your wits about you can be a tactical advantage.

The exhibition itself was extraordinary. Vibrant vintage motor racing posters, original artworks, limited editions and beautifully framed photographs lined the walls, glowing in the evening light that poured through the gallery windows. There was glamour, speed and nostalgia in every direction; reminders of an era when racing drivers looked impossibly heroic and advertising posters were works of art in their own right.

Guiding us through it all was William Lansbury, whose modesty somehow makes his achievements even more impressive. A racing driver, writer and producer, Will has competed and won across Formula First, Formula Ford and Formula Renault, before returning to competitive racing after taking time away to raise his son yet you would never have guessed this from listening to him. His enthusiasm is directed entirely towards the stories behind the collection, bringing each piece to life with the kind of insight that only comes from someone who genuinely loves the world he inhabits.

As conversations flowed, so did the canapés, arriving steadily throughout the evening and disappearing just as quickly. Guests drifted between artwork and conversation, discovering shared interests in travel, motorsport, London life and summer plans. New friendships formed easily, helped by the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that everyone had something beautiful to look at when they needed a moment to gather their thoughts.

The timing turned out to be impeccable. As the evening drew to a close, some newly formed groups headed off together to watch England’s opening World Cup match, proving that it is entirely possible to fit art, socialising, dating and football into a single evening if you put your mind to it.

Others lingered a little longer. My own evening ended next door at Noble Rot with a glass of champagne and a table of charming, funny people whose conversations had started in the gallery and showed no sign of stopping. We talked about summer holidays, favourite cities, future adventures and everything in between.

One guest wrote afterwards to say how lovely it had been to meet people face to face and how much they were looking forward to the next event. Another simply thanked us for a wonderful evening.

Which, in the end, felt like the perfect verdict.

The art may have brought everyone through the door, but it was the conversations, the laughter and the company that stayed with them long after the gallery lights were turned off.

The Hottest Ticket in Town

Cocktail party · 40s & 50s · Bentley’s, Mayfair

London was having one of its moments. The day before, Kew Gardens had recorded 34.8 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in May. By the time guests arrived at Bentley’s on Tuesday evening, nobody was interested in proving their resilience.

Fortunately, the Jameson Room was waiting. A private entrance, a private bar, blessed air conditioning, and iced water lined up ready for thirsty arrivals. Guests were greeted with chilled flutes of Blanc de Blancs, which seemed to improve everyone’s outlook considerably.

The room quickly found its rhythm. New faces mixed easily with familiar ones, conversations began, drifted, reformed and carried on. The best parties are rarely complicated; they simply give interesting people the space to enjoy one another’s company.

Bentley’s team were superb throughout. Maria, Joshua, Matt and Alex kept everything running with effortless professionalism, while Kathryn orchestrated the Rendezvous x Bentley’s collaboration with the kind of calm efficiency guests rarely notice, which is usually the sign it’s being done exceptionally well.

The canapés were substantial enough to make dinner plans feel superfluous: sweet potato samosas with tamarind, giant prawn tempura with aioli, and beef tartare balanced on potato crisps with oyster cream. More than one guest was spotted abandoning any pretence of restraint.

Also on hand was photographer Ben McNade, whose portraits have become something of a Maclynn tradition. Capturing someone’s best side is one thing; capturing something recognisably them is quite another. Ben manages both.

What lingered, as ever, were the conversations. One guest left hoping to continue a discussion about Amsterdam, European passports and skiing with a gentleman she’d met over a glass of wine. Others simply wrote to say thank you, describing the evening as relaxed, warm and great fun.

We held a memorable party at Bentley’s during that strange Covid summer when nobody could leave the country, and London felt unusually full of possibility. It has been talked about ever since.

This one may well join it.

Hello, Petal

April’s 30s & 40s Party, in Fine Hello Petal Form

There are spring evenings in London that feel as though the city has decided to show off a little, and this was one of them.

When we returned to The Other House this week for our latest Rendezvous x Maclynn mixer, the whole mood was transformed from our last gathering in January. Then it had been bleak, dark, and everyone arriving wrapped in coats. This time, there was still light in the sky, that soft spring brightness that seems to put people immediately at ease.

We were in The Keeping Room, which I can only assume is so named because it does precisely that: it keeps you in. The rooms seem to stretch on forever, unfolding into one another in a way that feels both intimate and expansive, exactly what you want when welcoming 85 guests.

And what a crowd.

Polished, bright, accomplished people in their 30s and 40s, all looking as though they had somewhere far more glamorous to be, and yet happily staying put. The atmosphere had that rare thing you hope for but can’t entirely manufacture: instant warmth.

The team at The Other House were, quite simply, superb. Ella and Fran handled the behind-the-scenes execution with the sort of calm efficiency that makes everything appear effortless. Jeanetta seemed to be everywhere at once, and the bar team ensured not a single queue formed, no small feat with that many guests and elegant drinks flowing.

The food played its part: Scottish smoked salmon blinis, beef croquette bites with horseradish cream cheese, falafel with sweet potato and red pepper hummus, filo-coated prawns with sweet chilli sauce. The sort of trayfuls that keep everyone happy while conversations gather pace.

And gather pace they did.

One of the loveliest parts of the evening was how many members of The Other House joined us. It’s such an unusually inclusive club, none of that lonely-laptop atmosphere that can make members’ spaces feels faintly joyless. Before the event had even begun, I was invited to join a members’ table at the bar, which felt wonderfully warm and entirely in keeping with the spirit of the place.

By all accounts, sparks were flying. The drinks rolled into dinner for twenty, and the evening stretched all the way to midnight because, quite simply, nobody wanted to leave.

The messages the next day were exactly what one hopes for: amazing conversations, a fabulous time, please do another one soon.

Which, of course, we will.

Hello Spring (The 50s & 60s edition)

Rendezvous has a bit of a reputation for being a +40s sort of affair, which is fair enough, as it happens, but it’s no longer the whole story. These days, we’re very much in the business of 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, neatly gathered into their own charming tribes, because life stages matter and so does meeting people who simply get it. Eleven years in, our original 50s crowd have glided, stylishly, obviously, into their 60s and feel less like guests, more like old friends. And with our partnership with Maclynn, we’ve been able to widen the circle still further, creating more room, more parties, more possibilities. Which is how we found ourselves hosting our very first evening just for the 50s and 60s, a sold-out, fizzing, rather fabulous night full of people all after the same elusive thing, and very much enjoying finding it.

And then there were the Dark ’n’ Stormy’s, long, gleaming glasses of deep, golden rum and ginger beer that were consumed with reassuring pleasure, exactly as a long drink should be. Made with Tidal Rum, this was no ordinary mix: a Caribbean blend finished in Jersey with wild coastal botanicals, which sounds faintly eccentric but tastes rather wonderful, smoky, saline, just a little bit intriguing. Guests kept coming back for more (always a good sign), drawn in by something that felt both comforting and quietly adventurous. Not your usual sugary rum situation, but something far more grown-up, the sort of drink you linger over, ideally with excellent company, which, as it happened, we had in abundance.
And then, of course, there was the setting, because a night like this rather depends on it. 12 Hay Hill, quietly doing its thing since 2015, is the very definition of quiet luxury: elegant without fanfare, softly lit, and effortlessly conducive to conversation. The room has that rare ability to put people at ease almost instantly, which, for a room full of people often meeting for the first time, is no small feat.
We were looked after brilliantly by the team throughout, orchestrated with elegant precision by Greta, and anchored at the bar by Botond, together with Taylor, Abi and Esme. Everything ran so smoothly, even the welcome at the door set the tone: warm, relaxed, and just the right side of friendly. Our own team, Anna, Hannah and Liv, were, as ever, a dream to have on the ground, making sure everything flowed exactly as it should, alongside a welcome appearance from Maclynn’s A-team, Sarah-Helen and Frankie, who spent the evening chatting with guests and adding an extra layer of sparkle.

The food, too, struck that perfect balance between elegant and reassuringly generous: truffle and Parmesan arancini that disappeared almost instantly, duck bonbons that were widely admired, and croques that felt satisfyingly indulgent in the best possible way.
And perhaps the most telling thing was the feeling in the room. Guests described it as “spot on”, “lovely”, “nicely relaxed” = that elusive combination of ease and energy that’s so hard to manufacture and so obvious when it’s there. There was a genuine warmth to the evening, a sense of people being open, engaged, and pleased to be exactly where they were. As one of the venue team observed, this is a group that shows up, thoughtful, well-dressed, and fully present, and it would be very hard to disagree. All in all, while Rendezvous has long brought every age group together, this was our first evening created entirely for the 50s and 60s – and we suspect, very much the first of many.

A Night for Curious Hearts

February in London is a threshold month. The cold hasn’t quite packed up, but the light shifts. Daffodils appear. Coats feel lighter. The city begins, quietly, to wake.

We leaned into that in-between moment with an intimate evening at The Italian Greyhound, and what unfolded was, frankly, rather lovely.

By early evening, the private room was humming. A welcome glass in hand, soulful music drifting but never dominating, and a steadily filling room of warm, intelligent, refreshingly open guests. An unseasonably glorious 18-degree day helped. People arrived smiling, slightly sun-flushed, shrugging off coats and any lingering February reluctance.

Within the hour, the room was buzzing. Seventy-five guests, new faces, easy laughter, and that rare, delicious feeling when a space simply works. No awkward clustering. No one glued to their phone. Just great conversations.

The food did exactly what it needed to do. The Italian Greyhound’s signature thin, crisp rectangular pizzas, light and unfussy, cut into perfect sharing slices, circulated efficiently and disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived. Wine flowed. Hunger of all kinds was satisfied.

Service was seamless. Hanna and her team, Helen, Auri and Kavita, handled the evening with calm charm and enviable efficiency. Meanwhile, Team Rendezvous x Maclynn, myself, Hannah, Anna and Liv, kept the door flowing and introductions natural, ensuring no one hovered awkwardly for more than a heartbeat.

Our collaboration with Maclynn continues to feel like a natural evolution. Their bespoke, psychology-led matchmaking paired with our curated in-person events creates something balanced, structured for those who like it, spontaneity for those who do not. Together, we support people at different life stages, from ambitious professionals to those re-entering the dating world, without it ever feeling forced.

The result? A room that felt considered, open and gently electric.

By the end of the night, there were countless number exchanges, new friendships forming, and a few couples slipping off into the Marylebone evening for dinner elsewhere.

Some nights feel like a turning point. This was one of them.