Prestat
Encyclopedia
Prestat Ltd is one of London's oldest chocolate shops. It has been awarded two Royal Warrant
s: from Her Majesty The Queen and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
in Chambéry
in France in December 1895 but it only became widely available when the new creation was brought to England by Antoine Dufour with the opening of the first Prestat shop in South Molton Street in central London.
Antoine Dufour, for reasons uncertain, named his business Prestat after Pierre Prestat who was his wife's first cousin and some of the earlier packaging has the company's name as P. Prestat. Antoine Dufour opened a further two shops, one at 405 Oxford Street and a second at 28 St Swithin's Lane in the City of London financial district.
Antoine Dufour passed the business on to his son Tony Dufour who ran Prestat through to the late 1950s. The difficulties of trading during the Second World War led to the closure of the Oxford Street and St Swithin's Lane stores and Tony Dufour eventually sold the business to brothers Neville and Maxwell Croft.
The company received royal warrants as purveyors of chocolates to Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 and to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1999.
Nominated as one of the world's top three chocolate shops by The Economist
in 2003 Prestat's current flagship store is at 14 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly
, and in March 2009 Prestat opened within the Chocolate Hall of Harrods
. Its current range of packaging is the work of designer and artist Kitty Arden, who in 2000 collaborated with Lulu Guinness
, the handbag designer, to create a limited edition handbag in the design of the Prestat shop.
Prestat is currently owned by half-brothers Nick Crean and William Keeling who bought Prestat from the company's third owner Stanley Cohen in October 1998. The company products are now sold in leading stores (including Harrods, Selfridges
, Liberty & Co. and John Lewis Partnership
) and fine food shops throughout the UK. Prestat exports its chocolates to countries including Japan, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany and Holland.
. For Easter, 2011, a new range of 'Easter Parade' boxes was designed by Kitty Arden; it is part of the company's tradition that it presents the monarch an Easter egg each year.
in the 1910s through to Sir John Gielgud
and Dame Peggy Ashcroft
in the 1950s, Princess Diana in the 1990s and Stephen Fry
, Adrian Lester
and Peter Mandelson
today.
Roald Dahl
, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, made Prestat truffles central to his racy novel My Uncle Oswald
. In this novel, a scheming temptress seduces numerous geniuses and royalty of the 20th century with a love-potion inserted into Prestat truffles.
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
s: from Her Majesty The Queen and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
History
Prestat Ltd was established in 1902 by French émigré Antoine Dufour. The Dufour family created the chocolate truffleChocolate truffle
A chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder, usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape...
in Chambéry
Chambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
in France in December 1895 but it only became widely available when the new creation was brought to England by Antoine Dufour with the opening of the first Prestat shop in South Molton Street in central London.
Antoine Dufour, for reasons uncertain, named his business Prestat after Pierre Prestat who was his wife's first cousin and some of the earlier packaging has the company's name as P. Prestat. Antoine Dufour opened a further two shops, one at 405 Oxford Street and a second at 28 St Swithin's Lane in the City of London financial district.
Antoine Dufour passed the business on to his son Tony Dufour who ran Prestat through to the late 1950s. The difficulties of trading during the Second World War led to the closure of the Oxford Street and St Swithin's Lane stores and Tony Dufour eventually sold the business to brothers Neville and Maxwell Croft.
The company received royal warrants as purveyors of chocolates to Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 and to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1999.
Nominated as one of the world's top three chocolate shops by The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
in 2003 Prestat's current flagship store is at 14 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, and in March 2009 Prestat opened within the Chocolate Hall of Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
. Its current range of packaging is the work of designer and artist Kitty Arden, who in 2000 collaborated with Lulu Guinness
Lulu Guinness
Lucinda "Lulu" Jane Guinness, OBE is a well-known British accessories fashion designer.Lulu Guinness OBE famous for her unique and quintessentially British handbags and accessories, launched her company in 1989. Instant praise in the fashion media paved the way for Lulu Guinness shops in London,...
, the handbag designer, to create a limited edition handbag in the design of the Prestat shop.
Prestat is currently owned by half-brothers Nick Crean and William Keeling who bought Prestat from the company's third owner Stanley Cohen in October 1998. The company products are now sold in leading stores (including Harrods, Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
, Liberty & Co. and John Lewis Partnership
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
) and fine food shops throughout the UK. Prestat exports its chocolates to countries including Japan, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany and Holland.
Products
More recently in November 2007 Prestat's history launched the Choxi+ range of chocolate bars. These are uniquely processed to preserve cocoa's natural antioxidants. In February, 2011, a box featuring a billowing Union Jack with gold bunting was launched to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine MiddletonWedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
. For Easter, 2011, a new range of 'Easter Parade' boxes was designed by Kitty Arden; it is part of the company's tradition that it presents the monarch an Easter egg each year.
Notable Customers
Prestat has had a long history of celebrity customers from the actress Sarah BernhardtSarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
in the 1910s through to Sir John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
and Dame Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
in the 1950s, Princess Diana in the 1990s and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, Adrian Lester
Adrian Lester
-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
and Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
today.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, made Prestat truffles central to his racy novel My Uncle Oswald
My Uncle Oswald
My Uncle Oswald is an adult novel written by Roald Dahl.The novel stars Uncle Oswald, a character who previously appeared in "The Visitor" and "Bitch", two short stories also written by Roald Dahl .In his 1980 review, Vance Bourjaily said Christopher Lehman-Haupt called it "a festival of bad taste...
. In this novel, a scheming temptress seduces numerous geniuses and royalty of the 20th century with a love-potion inserted into Prestat truffles.