Tag Archives: afternoon tea

Fashion Forward Afternoon Tea, The Kensington Hotel

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With the arrival of the Savage Beauty exhibition at The V&A, London has gone McQueen mad. The elegantly chic Kensington Hotel is celebrating the iconic fashion designer with a decadent afternoon tea inspired by the collection. Located just a short walk from the museum, it is the ideal place for a spot of tea following a trip around the show.

Walking inside this quietly regal hotel I was amazed I had never visited before. The hotel is decorated with appealing art work and attractive furniture and we sat in a light window table, in the corner of the hotel’s new Town House restaurant. Around us huddled guests were excitedly demolishing their stylish afternoon meal.

A range of exotic teas were on offer, but feeling patriotic we opted for classic earl grey, made with fragrant tea leaves. Happily settled in our comfortable seats and sipping our tea, we were delighted when the highly anticipated cake stand of treats arrived. The special tea includes traditional finger sandwiches, warm from the oven scones, savoury nibbles and immaculate hand-crafted cakes created with the McQueen designs in mind. I loved the pale blue pastel striped crockery which contrasts with the dark and glamorous cakes.

Luckily my guest for the day was an expert sandwich taster, and she nodded her head in approval as she tasted the soft and flavoursome cucumber, smoked salmon and chicken sandwiches. I am a sucker for scones and loaded them high with jam and cream. They tasted just-made and were the perfect crumbly consistency. Needless to say the other three scones didn’t last long! The mini pastries were truly beautiful, a selection of a few carefully made treats: a fondant iced cake in the form of one of Alexander McQueen’s must have studded clutch bags; Butterfly Chocolate cupcake presented in the style of the Butterfly Hat by Philip Treacy seen at McQueen’s Spring/Summer collection in 2008, and; a delicate hand-decorated biscuit inspired by a McQueen dress.

The waiters were attentive and accommodating ensuring we had enough clotted cream and jam at all times! They were happy to box up our remaining cakes for take-away when we couldn’t finish it all.

If you are looking for the ultimate fun girls day out in London, tickets to the McQueen show and a booking for the matching tea at The Kensington Hotel would make the perfect itinerary.

More information and book in your fashion forward afternoon tea here.

Gin & Jam afternoon tea, Hush Mayfair

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This Sunday, on Mother’s Day, Hush Mayfair launches the innovative Gin & Jam afternoon tea. A cosy refuge, tucked away from the chaotic Oxford Street, Hush Mayfair is the perfect place to enjoy a luxurious tea with your favourite girlfriends.

A lovely way to end a day’s shopping in nearby Bond Street, Hush’s Gin & Jam Tea has been curated to feature Hush’s own brand of gin, exclusively created by Hush’s own Bar Director, Pedro Solorzano.

In the grand tradition of Afternoon Tea, Hush’s Gin & Jam Tea features classic teatime treats, including elegant finger sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam, macaroons and Earl Grey Crème Brûlée, served alongside a selection of artisan loose leaf teas by H. R. Higgins of Mayfair.

Served in the beautiful surroundings of Hush’s Silver Room, the Tea is a quintessentially British experience, given a breath of life by Hush’s Gin & Jam cocktails, all featuring Hush’s London-distilled boutique gin. Each cocktail has been curated to reflect the more unusual elements of the Hush gin, whose flavours include Jasmine lotus, Tonka beans and lavender, each one paired with a jam base created exclusively for Hush by Wendy Brandon, who has been making handmade jams and preserves in the UK for over 30 years.

On arrival we were welcomed with a Pink Rabbit cocktail (Hush gin, lime, cranberry, vanilla, strawberry jam) served in a Tipsy Teacups martini glass (a pretty piece of crockery on a glass stem). Once all the foodies were seated a tray of mini gin cocktails circulated to accompany the teatime treats. Sweet drinks included the Violet Beauregarde (Hush Gin, Cranberry, Violet liqueur, elderflower cordial, Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam) and Pippi Longstocking (Hush Gin, Pineapple, Cinnamon, Ginger Beer, Rhubarb and Ginger Jam).

It was a colourful evening trying the afternoon tea, sipping cocktails and admiring the gorgeous teapots and cups from Pip Studio, with whimsical patterns which suited the theme of the event perfectly.

More information here.

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz, Madrid

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The Ritz is perhaps the most famous hotel in London. The Ritz in Madrid is part of the same brand, it may not possess the same iconic status but still has great prestige and glamour.

Situated on museum mile – among the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen – this hotel could easily be mistaken for another historic house of art. It has always received famous guests but those unable to afford the accommodation can still experience a little bit of glitz at the Ritz with the signature English afternoon tea, or the local speciality churros with hot chocolate. We opted for both!

Entering through the sun-soaked garden terrace, we were escorted to the Hall and Bar, an opulent lounge where guests and visitors can snack and chat whilst classical piano plays.

The tea is as you would expect, very smart and civilised, three tiers of crust-cut sandwiches, scones and cakes all prepared immaculately. Very soft petite, rectangular sandwiches contained classic fillings such as cucumber, salmon, egg and ham. The scones were warm and delightful, fresh out of the oven. The top layer of the stand was filled with bite-sized cakes, that were very pretty but a little too sweet for me. The food was accompanied with loose leaf Earl Grey tea, which was nice but I would have preferred a cold glass of Cava, which despite asking, never arrived.

Churros was the main attraction. Just made, the thin donut-style sticks were crispy and fresh on the outside, and puffy and airy inside. Served with a jug of hot, thick, milk chocolate, they looked, smelt and tasted delicious.

As we sat enjoying our sweet treats, I took in the magnificent surroundings and flicked through the inspiring book recently published to honour the hotel’s history.

More information and book a stay at The Ritz Madrid here.

Many thanks to the Madrid Tourist Board for their help with this trip, more information here.