When the Queens Hotel in the heart of Southsea was looking for a fitting way to mark the city’s centenary celebrations, they knew they needed the BEST design and tech expertise – and the University of Portsmouth was bound to have the answers.
Pastry chef Maya Palmer and Marketing Manager Aina Sutka hatched the plan to give the hotel’s famous afternoon tea a centenary flourish.
Aina explained: “We wanted to show our support for the city’s centenary celebration and thought it would be nice to work with the super talented staff and students at the University of Portsmouth.
“Maya came up with the concept of having a stencil made that would help us to add the perfect finishing touch to our macarons.”
A strong relationship exists between the Queens Hotel and the University of Portsmouth and after a short email discussion, the university jumped at the chance to be involved.
Aina and Maya were really impressed by the standard of entries. One design stood out – the one submitted by Vishnu Ellampallil Venugopal, a talented Masters student with a real eye for detail.
Vishnu said: “I really enjoyed coming up with a design and I’m delighted to be announced as the winner of the competition.
“I believe design is strongest when it tells a story, not just when it looks beautiful. For me, geometry and minimalism are a way of stripping things back to what really matters—meaning, memory, and identity.
“This concept brings together the 100-year story of Portsmouth and the Queens Hotel into one unified design. I was inspired by the city itself—especially the Spinnaker Tower, its architecture, and its coastal character—and how these elements shape its identity over time.
“By combining these influences with the heritage of the Queens Hotel, I aimed to create something timeless and intentional. A design that doesn’t just represent a place, but reflects its history, atmosphere, and emotional connection to people who experience it.”
A stamp has been created using Vishnu’s design and the pastry team is looking forward to adding the finishing touch to the afternoon tea.
Aina added: “Vishnu’s winning design is just perfect and we will be decorating our macarons using his stencil for the rest of the year. It is the perfect way to mark the centenary.”
The Centenary afternoon tea is available now and one of the first people to sample it will be a very important guest – Betty Cowley who recently celebrated her 104th birthday.
“We saw her lovely story in the Portsmouth News and we wanted Betty to be our VIP guest and receive the very first centenary afternoon tea,” said Aina.
