Welcome to our blog....here we will share all our afternoon tea adventures with you...the good, the bad and the wonderful!

Sunday 8 July 2018

Afternoon Tea News - CUTcakes & Tea at CUT at 45 Park Lane

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we have some exciting news for you today. A brand new American style afternoon tea is coming to London from Wolfgang Puck's debut restaurant in Europe - CUT!

CUT is an American steak restaurant which is situated on Park Lane and this is an afternoon tea which differs from the norm as there is not a traditional finger sandwich in sight! Instead executive chef, David McIntyre, invites guests to enjoy delights such as Wagyu beef sliders and black truffle grilled cheese toasties. Just take a look at the savoury and sweet bites you can enjoy....

CUTcakes and Tea afternoon tea - CUT at 45 Park Lane

The savoury bites include...

Black Truffle Grilled Cheese
Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Bisquet, Honey-JalapeƱo Jam
Tuna Tartare ‘Sandwich’, Avocado, Ginger
Lobster Po’Boy, Homemade Brioche, Herb Remoulade
Wagyu Beef Slider, Garlic Aioli, Sweet Pickle

Lobster Po Boy and mini Wagyu beef sliders at CUT

While those with a sweet tooth can enjoy....

Strawberry Milkshake
Graham Cracker S’mores
Peanut Butter & Jelly Twinkie
Cola Cake & Caramel Corn
‘Cheeseburger’ Macaron
Scones, Clotted Cream, Strawberry & Huckleberry Compote
Pink Lemonade Cake Pop
Cookies & Cream Cake Pop
New York Cheesecake Pop 

Look at those cake pops and milkshake! CUT at 45 Park Lane

I think it looks and sounds so scrummy! I'm not even sure where I would start with either the savoury bites or the sweet bites! I think this is definitely one I am adding to my wish list!

You can find out more about this afternoon tea on the CUT at 45 Park Lane website. If you enjoy this afternoon tea we'd love to hear all about it!

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel & Lorna

Friday 6 July 2018

Time for something really different....all aboard The Murder Express!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a tea-riffic week!

Recently Becca and I attended an immersive lunchtime experience in London that I wanted to share with you. There is not a drop of tea in sight nor a single cake nor scone (although there was some clotted cream with pudding!) .....but we enjoyed it so much that I had to share the experience with you.

All aboard The Murder Express!

Pedley Street Station - get ready to board the train!

This immersive experience takes you straight back to the glamorous train travel of the 1920s. Guests are invited to dress in 1920s fashions or come in modern clothes, as it was the middle of the day we opted to stay modern, but I imagine it would be great fun to dress up!

You arrive at "Pedley Street Station" at your allotted time and are immediately whisked into the story as you order a drink at "Seven Sins" bar and wait to board the train. The story starts to unfold before you board as you meet some of the characters in the bar area - remember this is an immersive experience!


 

Once on board you are seated in the elegant dining car, which is made up of plush booth seating with all the period fittings.  During our lunchtime visit the dining car wasn't full and so we enjoyed a booth to ourselves, but dining with other guests would be just as much fun as the story of the Murder Express unfolds around you. The theme is brilliant - the train looks authentic and is very comfortable. We loved the booth seating!

Along the journey you meet characters such as Frank, an East End Costermonger, Tilley, a music hall star, Vera, a widow in search of adventure and Cliff, a local antique dealer as you all journey to the town of Murder. There was plenty of interaction with the cast as the story is told, you really feel part of the events

The story is well paced with the three course meal being served throughout the experience. The menu is designed by BBC One’s MasterChef 2016 finalists, Billy and Jack, and cooked by the Funicular kitchen.

The meal begins which a rich Mulligatawny soup which is flavoured with Indian spices and served with an Indian spiced open cucumber sandwich. The soup was really tasty and I enjoyed the light and delicate open sandwich, which complimented the soup well.

The main dish was steak and buttery scalloped potatoes. We were really impressed with the portion size and enjoyed the steak a lot. Finally we enjoyed an apple tart with a dollop of clotted cream - which was divine!

Starters - rich, flavoursome soup


So much steak!

Throughout your meal you can order more drinks from the bar. 
As we were celebrating a Birthday we treated ourselves to a bottle of bubbles.....just look at the ice bucket that we were given.... (I got to carry the suitcase as luggage as we boarded the train!)

Bubbles on the Murder Express - that ice bucket!!

Towards the end of the experience the story comes to an end, I'm not going to ruin the ending for you, but we thoroughly enjoyed the whole story. During the two hour slot we laughed, we were shocked, we sang and we ate really good food!

If you are looking for something different to experience with a group of friends I would really recommend a trip on the Murder Express. The cast are friendly and entertaining, the theme and styling is great and we really enjoyed our meal.

To find out more pop by the Funicular Productions website. I hear there are going to be more experiences later in the year and I'll definitely be watching out for them!

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel