Time for Tea.....Kensington Hotel, London

Hello there,

Welcome back to another fab guest post from Tea With Me and Friends....this time the lovely Becca has been on another afternoon tea adventure....this time she sampled the Fashion Forward afternoon tea which is currently on offer at the Kensington Hotel.

To celebrate the arrival of the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition at The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Kensington Hotel has created the Fashion Forward Afternoon Tea, which is currently on offer. The afternoon tea includes a collection of cakes, pastries and savoury dishes inspired by some of McQueen's most iconic designs.

Here's what Becca thought of her adventure in a fashion conscious afternoon tea....

Fashion Forward afternoon tea
Kensington Hotel

The afternoon tea was very nice, the sandwiches were my favourite part. The fillings included cucumber and cream cheese, chicken and bacon, egg mayonnaise and salmon - all were fresh and there wasn't a crust in sight!

Fashion Forward afternoon tea sandwiches
Kensington Hotel

Next came boiled quails eggs with edible gold leaf, which were lovely. This was followed by pastry cones filled with foi gras, which wasn't to my personal taste. There were also small shot glasses filled with fresh lobster mousse, avocado mousse and then another layer at the bottom (but I didn't get that far because I'm afraid I wasn't a fan of the top layers).

Savoury items - Kensington Hotel

The scones came next, the plain scone was very tasty - but crumbled into small pieces when you tried to cut it, making it very difficult to eat.

Afternoon tea scones - Kensington Hotel

The cakes were nice, although I was slightly disappointed, as what we were served was different to what was advertised when we booked this tea. Amongst the sweets were shortbread shaped as dresses, and a pana cotta mousse with passion fruit coulis. The mini macaroons were also very nice.

Fashion Forward afternoon tea sweet treats!
Kensington Hotel

The food was all very nice, but unfortunately the service was slightly lacking and you had to ask for things when they ran out (like more tea). We were able to take home anything that we didn't finish during the afternoon.

Kensington Hotel

It's shame that not all elements of this afternoon tea was up to par for Becca - it just goes to illustrate that all elements need to be right to make the perfect afternoon tea adventure. The Fashion Forward afternoon tea is currently on offer at £35.00 per person, and is available until 2nd August 2015. For more information please see the Kensington Hotel website.

A big thank you to Becca for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us, if you've experienced an afternoon tea recently that you would like to share just drop us a line!

Don't forget to pop by our YouTube channel today to see Lorna's latest post!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea...The Kensington Hotel

Hello there,

Welcome back to another lovely afternoon tea guest blog at Tea With Me and Friends - this time we are joined again by Sheree who has recently visited The Kensington Hotel in London.....

So hubby took me to afternoon tea at The Kensington Hotel for my birthday treat (before taking me to see Gary Barlow at The Royal Albert Hall). I was really excited for this day! Tea is served in the Regency-style drawing room with period features, magnificent bay windows, chandeliers and fireplaces. I can imagine it being cosy in the winter months.

There is a small choice of teas, which made it simple for us. We chose the English breakfast and chamomile flower teas. 

The treats arrived on two two-tiered cake stands and I was excited to see some perfectly sized and filled finger sandwiches, some large scones and some of my favourite sweet treats. The traditional sandwiches included cream cheese, chive and cucumber; honey roast ham; egg mayonnaise and cress; and, smoked salmon and lemon crème fraîche. Upon request, my salmon sandwich was replaced with an extra ham sandwich, no problem. 

Finger sandwiches and scones
Afternoon tea at The Kensington Hotel

We had a choice of fruit and raisin scones, so opted for both and, although we only received one of each, they were large and plump with a lovely glaze. I have to say that I'm not usually a big fan of scones, but these were perfectly baked and warm and soft inside. I would've eaten a whole one if it wasn't for the treats that lay before me! The scones came with clotted cream and strawberry preserve but, given the size of the scones, we had to request more for decent scone coverage. 

Sweet treats at The Kensington Hotel

The cakes include a Victoria sponge (my favourite) and carrot cake as standard, which were both light and delicious, and the menu also stated a 'selection of cakes and pastries'. That day they had a fruit tartlet, almond finger and mini fruit trifle on offer. Much to my hubby's dismay there was only one each of the tartlet and trifle and for fear of having to ask that awkward question, "which one do you want?" and knowing I have a penchant for fruity things, so he didn't stand a chance, especially as it was my birthday, hubby asked if we could have an extra one of each and his wish was granted. The tartlets were lovely, each with a different fruit topping and a light custard filling, while the rhubarb trifle was sweet and refreshing. As it was my birthday I was also presented with a special cupcake on a decorated plate - a vanilla sponge with a light coffee butter cream icing. This was a lovely touch.

Afternoon tea
The Kensington Hotel

For me, this was one of the best teas I have experienced. For the first time I enjoyed everything on the menu. The drawing room was a lovely setting and, as it was a week day, it was a calm and relaxed tea. The waiting staff did tend to leave us to it, but this added to the relaxed atmosphere and is better than being rushed. I would definitely recommend this afternoon tea.

Sheree ready to tuck into her sweet treats!

The Kensington Traditional tea costs £25 per person, while a glass of champagne can be enjoyed for just an extra £5. For more information visit the Kensington Hotel website.

Doesn't that tea look wonderful! I would especially like to sample a piece of that Victoria sponge! A big thank you to Sheree for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with her - we are so pleased to hear a glowing review like this!

If you have an afternoon tea that you would like to share with us please get in touch by leaving us a comment on the blog or emailing us at teawithmeandfriends@gmail.com

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel