Tag Archives: afternoon tea

Surrealist afternoon tea, Sotheby’s

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I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend an afternoon than viewing an exhibition of great Surrealist works and nibbling on an immaculate afternoon tea.

Ever been desperate to stare at a Salvador Dali in your salon or admire a magical Magritte? On Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th February Sotheby’s are holding an auction to send off a collection of crazy cool works into new homes and to mark the occasion they have been offering a wonderfully weird and wacky Surrealist Afternoon Tea in their civilised cafe. I was incredibly impressed with this special edition tea: a quaint and quirky mismatched assortment of food to tickle your imagination and tastebuds before enjoying the works on display.

Along with a pot of English breakfast tea guests are presented with a black slate platter of entertaining treats:

Savoury scone with tomato chilli jam and whipped goats cheese

Beetroot paint with pistachio and cheddar biscuit

Pickled cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches

Earl grey cup cake with vanilla mascarpone icing and sugar Dali clock

“I’m not a biscuit” biscuit

Clementine macaroon

Marshmallow clouds

Pink lemonade

Aside from everything tasting delicious, it all looks truly beautiful, little works of art in fact. Pickled cucumber sandwiches with dill and cream cheese are a lovely version of the English classic, the macaroons and cup cakes tasted fresh out of the oven and the biscuits and marshmallow clouds were clever sweet additions. Each element is artfully constructed and decorated with incredible precision. Mixing up the typical traditional tea and adding a touch of the absurd makes this a genius Alice in Wonderland-esque event.

Today is the last chance to taste the Surrealist tea but I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed that Sotheby’s design a tea themed around every major auction in the future.

More information here.

http://www.sothebys.com

London Underground Afternoon Tea at Park Lane Hotel

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To celebrate 150 years of our London Underground network, the Park Lane Hotel have whipped up a marvellously quaint themed tea.

A short walk from Green Park station, this beautiful Art Deco hotel feels strangely out of place on the busy main road. Inside the staff glide around quietly and guests chat in hushed voices. This allows the harpist’s music to fully fill the room and sitting on a plush sofa, the rippling tunes in my ear, it soon seemed like the ideal place for a nap.

Before the ‘tube food’ arrived we were treated to a Metropolitan 1863 cocktail – a blend of Beefeater 24 gin and blackcurrant tea. I found this concoction a little watery and flavourless, the gin seemed almost entirely absent. Jasmine peach flowering tea soon arrived, a much more pleasant and subtle accompaniment for teatime food.

First stop on our culinary journey… a plate of super cute sandwiches. Appropriately chosen flavours include a ‘London Bridge’ roll with egg, crème fraîche, sun-blushed tomatoes and rocket; Warm leek, asparagus and double ‘Gloucester Road’ tart (delicious); Saffron ‘Circle and District Line’ roulade with coronation chicken and spinach and mini ‘Royal Oak’ smoked salmon bagels.  With their hollow centres guests are reminded by a tiny flag to “mind the gap”.

After homemade scones with three varieties of jam, it was time for the cake. I was impressed with the out-of-the-ordinary flavours created by the Park Lane Hotel’s award-winning Pastry Chef, Sarah Hartnett. Scrumptious little sweet bites… and thankfully a conservative portion so we could almost finish the lot, I hate wasting such pretty cakes. Bank is a hazelnut pound Cake, Victoria is an orange Victoria sponge, Paddington presents itself as a honey, lemon and pistachio and Swiss Cottage is a very sweet white chocolate Oreo “roll”. The pastries are so immaculately made, its almost painful to demolish the handmade signs, but once you start it’s difficult to stop.

The tea is fresh, fun and fabulously “London”. And the ideal valentine’s trip for the discerning underground traveller…

The London Underground Afternoon Tea at the Park Lane Hotel will be served from 9th January to 10th March 2013 (3pm-6pm on weekdays and 2pm-6pm at weekends) in The Palm Court and costs £41 per person.  Bookings must be made in advance. Booking information here.

A festive afternoon tea at Dukes Hotel, St James

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Afternoon tea is a wonderful way to enjoy the Christmas spirit and I can’t imagine anywhere more romantic and cosy than Dukes Hotel in St James. Indulgent but sophisticated, this beautiful spread is presented in the PJ (Perrier Jouet) Lounge. Sit in the beautiful pink and green chairs and admire the plentiful bottles of champagne that surround you.

I have already tried the refined and delicious menu at the Dukes Thirty Six restaurant, and I was delighted to be returning for this special festive afternoon tea. The hotel sparkles with decoration and is an inviting venue especially in the chilly weather. After a day of Christmas shopping it is the ideal treat.

The Dukes Afternoon Tea is available from 1st – 31st December and includes:

Sandwiches: Smoked Salmon, cream cheese & cucumber, turkey & cranberry mayonnaise and roast ham & tomato.

Fresh Scones, tea cakes, madeleines and fruit cake with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Cakes: lemon meringue pie, chocolate brownie, plum pannacotta and chocolate eclairs.

A tea of your choice, and, of course a glass of Perrier Jouet champagne

All for £35 a person

I was very impressed with the freshness of every part of the Dukes tea. I find sandwiches are often a touch stale but these were delicious and soft with premium fillings. The scones were warm and smelt divine, just out of the oven I imagine. The picture perfect cakes were super sweet and I could only manage a few mouthfuls, I wished I could have taken them home and saved them for later, because it was all too delicious to leave.

The chilled glass of champagne was a refreshing and luxurious addition to the tea and my fresh mint infusion was soothing. Warm and comfortable, I could have stayed at the hotel all day.

Dukes Hotel may be small but it is just as special as the grandest hotels in London, and this festive afternoon tea proves it as a lovely venue, especially at this time of year.

More information here.

http://www.dukeshotel.com/christmas-afternoon-tea.php