Living La Dolce Vita: Skye McAlpine's Italian-inspired pop-up opens in Belgravia
Her new tableware shopping experience in central London showcases the writer and founder of Tavola's love of Venice.


Skye McAlpine, best known for bestselling cookery books — A Table for Friends, A Table in Venice and A Table Full of Love – has a new pop-up shop in Belgravia.
The Sunday Times recipe columnist is best described as a kind of wholegrain It-girl. Take, for example, her Instagram feed. There's pictures of ruby-red rhubarb lined up neatly on sheets of pastry near a bunch of miniature daffodils; strawberry-patterned teacups dangling from hooks above a sink the size of a small bathtub, filled to the brim with flowers; enough floral-patterned midi-skirts to clothe a small, and extremely fashionable, army. It’s a digital buffet of wholesome luxury.
A post shared by Skye McAlpine (@skyemcalpine)
A photo posted by on
Underneath one of the posts, someone has commented: 'It's like you live in heaven', so it's easy to understand why people might be eager to buy a slice of McAlpine’s life.
The chef's Tavola brand sells ‘tableware for the everyday, for parties, celebrations and those deliciously long lazy lunches with friends'. Born in London, but brought up in Venice from the age of six, it is McAlpine's love letter to Italy, combined with her British roots.
The pop-up is open now until June 7, 2025, on 48, Elizabeth Street — in between Sloane Square and Victoria Station —and stocks Tavola’s full collection, alongside a selection of antique homeware, including vintage wicker picnic baskets, sourced by McAlpine herself. There's space too for some C.Atherley products — the new scent and bodycare brand from Cath Kidston Padgham, the undisputed Queen of florals.
McAlpine has also designed the interiors — and it's like stepping inside a dollshouse. Potted plants line the entrance where some of the first customers through the door were greeted by McAlpine proffering iced-coffee, tea and an array of cakes, pastries and fresh fruit.
One of McAlpine's aims going into this pop-up was to ensure that the collection felt summery and my favourite pieces are the quirky ice-coolers — vintage and shaped like various fruits. 'I think we talk a lot about celebration in winter — Christmas, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving — but actually summer is such a celebratory time of year,' she says, highlighting how special a long lunch in the garden is to her. A tablescape set with fresh flowers and plates each adorned with pale yellow and pink petal detailing — 'ice-cream colours' — illustrates her point perfectly. 'I like colour because it lifts my mood. I would love it to lift people's moods.'
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Unsurprisingly, McAlpine is a self-confessed 'more is more person', but admits that the charm of making everyday meals magical may have worn off on her nearest and dearest —her husband struggles with their ever expanding plate collection.
Tavola dates for your diary
- May 10: A children’s art workshop by sustainable childrenswear brand Forivor
- May 23: A floral design seasonal tablescaping workshop with Skye McAlpine & Minnow and Wolf
- May 25: A watercolour workshop to paint your own floral menu cards with Imogen Partridge
- May 27: Spring menu planning and table decoration led by Skye McAlpine
- June 1: A menu card illustration design workshop with Imogen Partridge
- June 3: A panel discussion hosted with the interior designers Salvesen Graham
Plenty of the shop's products are exclusive to the pop-up and not available online and it will all be part of the upcoming Belgravia in Bloom festival — part of Chelsea in Bloom — which kicks off on May 19 to complement the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show. If you are in any way a wicker aficionado or a fan of chintz and beautiful blooms, we think a trip which be highly worth your time.
Tavola is open until June 7, 2025, from Monday to Saturday, 11am-6pm, and Sunday, 12noon to 6pm
The Country Life 'Outdoor Drawing Room' is at stand PW210 at the Chelsea Flower Show from May 19 to 24 May. For more information, visit the Country Life Chelsea Flower Show hub or the RHS website
Lotte is Country Life's Digital Writer. Before joining in 2025, she was checking commas and writing news headlines for The Times and The Sunday Times as a sub-editor. She got her start in journalism at The Fence where she was best known for her Paul Mescal coverage. She read English Literature at The University of Cambridge and has an MA in Magazine Journalism from City St George’s, University of London. She reluctantly lives in noisy south London, a far cry from her wholesome Kentish upbringing.
-
A 10-bedroom manor house in the heart of the Cotswolds with all the trimmings
Waterton House sits on the edge of Ampney Crucis, and is as elegant as can be.
-
Bye bye hamper, hello hot sauce: Fortnum & Mason return to their roots with a new collection of ingredients and cookware
With products sourced from around the world, the department store's new ingredients and cookware collection is making something of a splash.
-
Behind the secret garden door at 10, Downing Street
But don't expect to meet Larry the cat, or like him, for that matter.
-
Game, set, match: Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti join the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic line-up at London's Hurlingham Club
The Danish player, ranked number nine in the world, and the Italian, ranked 11th, will both take to the courts at the 150-year-old Hurlingham Club in London.
-
Lights, camera, country house, action: The gorgeous estates where The Gentlemen and Bridgerton were filmed
Badminton House in Gloucestershire, seat of the Dukes of Beaufort, is rarely open to the public but has had plenty of screentime in hit TV shows.
-
Chelsea Flower Show 2025: The first garden designed by a dog
Monty Don and his dog, Ned, have collaborated on a show garden at this year's Chelsea Flower Show.
-
Open house: How to join in the fun at Britain's finest country homes
Here are 40 events being held at country houses this summer, from jousting to Shakespeare, birdwatching to motor-racing and horse trials.
-
Chelsea Flower Show 2025: What else to do in SW3 if you're coming to the world's greatest flower show
There's more to Chelsea than just the Flower Show so we've rounded up some of the best places to eat, stay and shop.
-
Betty is the first dog to scale all of Scotland’s hundreds of mountains and hills
Fewer than 100 people have ever completed Betty's ‘full house’ of Scottish summits — and she was fuelled by more than 800 hard boiled eggs.
-
'A delicious chance to step back in time and bask in the best of Britain': An insider's guide to The Season
Here's how to navigate this summer's top events in style, from those who know best.