Recently our Partnerships department (a.k.a the elite squad who source and contract all our exciting experiences and maintain relationships with each partner) went out and about for a bit of team bonding.

We cornered Andy Ling, who heads up the team, to get the low-down on their day out far away from the desks at RLD Towers. Here is our Q & A…

Tell us about your team day out Andy, how did it come about?

It’s been a fantastically busy year for the team and they needed a break. Everyone likes a tipple, and I thought I could put them to the test with a gourmet themed day out, with an emphasis on learning about the alcohol they would be consuming!

So your first point of call was The Botanist Brewery. Tell us more.

We caught an overland train to leafy Kew. Actually, breakfast (to line stomachs) was the first consideration, before heading to the picturesque setting of The Botanist Brewery to learn all about the process of brewing beer.

What was the process and did you get to taste the products you made? 

Simon, our master brewer showed us the huge kettles in which beer is made and talked us through the method. Then we each got involved by having a stir. As the full process takes a couple of weeks to ‘cook’ ready for drinking, we were offered tastings of six very different beers to compare.

What next? 

All that hard work called for more food and an array of tasty tapas was laid out on a big round table for all of us to tuck into. Then armed with our free keg of beer, we hopped on the tube to the South Bank.

Next stop was Vinopolis – World of Wine. As earlier, we were treated to an informative talk about the making of wine and what makes each one different. Then we were let loose with a plethora of drink tokens so we could enter the hall and choose from the hundreds of different wines available, originating from all over the world, even Thailand!

The classy girls of the team got together and headed for the champagne corner of the venue.

Phillip, one of the staff, was extra helpful and explained the finer intricacies of absinthe drinking, involving heat, a spoon and some sugar. Apparently not for the faint hearted!

Looks like a fun day was had by everyone? Absolutely, and it didn’t end there. We went along the Embankment to the wonderfully restored Globe Theatre and finished our day at The Swan at The Globe, with a bar and brasserie, whose second floor offers glorious views across the river.

It’s great that the whole team could go out and walk in customers footsteps, experiencing the things we sell in the same way that customers do.

Thanks to the Product Team for sharing your day out with us. We hope you didn’t suffer too much the next morning!

Images courtesy of RLD