What a Tea-riffic Year!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - sorry it's been such a long time since we last posted! We lost all concept of time in the last couple of months of 2017....but never fear....we're back feeling tea-riffic and looking forward to lots of afternoon tea adventures in 2018!

Looking back over 2017 we enjoyed some wonderful teas - we visited Lancaster London for their clever black and white themed Halloween afternoon tea, where every item was either black or white. It made for such an elegant afternoon tea....

We also enjoyed rather controversial triple-decker, triangular sandwiches at The Balcon at Sofitel St James....which Lorna didn't approve of....

In the summer we visited the rather beautiful Coworth Park to celebrate Alex's Birthday. We enjoyed walking around the grounds of the house and eating the cutest sweet treats (almost too cute to eat!)....

We enjoyed German and Austrian themed afternoon teas at the German Gymnasium in April, which included a rather magnificent Opera cake...

Sheree visited Cannizaro House Hotel in Wimbledon and shared her afternoon tea adventure with us, this tea included a variety of different savoury elements...

We began the year by visiting Jumeirah Carlton Tower, where we enjoyed a champagne afternoon tea which included some beautiful tarts and pastries...

And this is just some of the afternoon teas we've enjoyed! We also drank rather a lot of tea and discovered lots of new tea companies and blends.

Now we're looking forward to 2018 and all the sweet treats that are in store for us. We're looking forward to visiting some of the places we've already discovered and trying some new ones too! If you enjoy an afternoon tea or have a favourite tea blend please get in touch - we'd love to hear all about your afternoon tea adventures too!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Looking for a tea-riffic Valentines Gift??

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Today we are sharing with you a tea-riffic Valentines gift idea.....perfect for the tea lover in your life (or maybe just for you!). The lovely folk at Piacha have put together the sweetest tea gift, perfect for your tea-addict Valentines!

Inside this box you will find eight different Piacha teas (yes eight varieties - told you it was perfect for the tea-obsessed individual in your life!), each stored in a cute little heart shaped tin....

Tea Gift from Piacha

How sweet are those tins?

The tea selection includes some of Piacha's most popular blends -  English Breakfast, Earl Grey Vanilla, Moroccan Mint, Ginger Chilli, Chamomile Citrus,  Rooibos Choc Cinnamon, Rooibos Rhubarb Fudge and my personal favourite Apple Green Tea.

Each tin contains enough tea for between 5 - 10 cups.

I know I would definitely love to receive this little black box this Valentine's Day (hint, hint Joe if you are reading!). For more information about this gift pop by the Piacha website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea..... The French Tarte, Surbiton

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today. 

Are you ready to drool over some cakes? A couple of weekends ago Sheree and I treated ourselves to some scones and cakes at The French Tarte in Surbiton, Surrey.

It was a busy Saturday afternoon, with lots of people enjoying an afternoon tea, but we managed to nab ourselves a table for two. We'd already eaten that day and so the full afternoon tea wasn't that appealing (and we hadn't booked) .....but we decided to share an cream tea and have a cake each (mainly because I couldn't decide whether I wanted a scone or cake!!).

Although it was after lunchtime there was still quite a selection to pick from in the glass fronted counter. I opted for a raspberry cake and Sheree went for a black forest gateux to enjoy with our scones......

Time for Tea - The French Tarte, Surbiton - Surrey

We also picked a tea each from the extensive tea menu. The tea was served first, along with the two cakes. Now, although this was an afternoon tea adventure there was no way we were eating cakes before scones....so we waited patiently and finally these were delivered to the table....

Scones and clotted cream - The French Tarte, Surbiton -Surrey

The scones were served warm with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. They were a good size and cut easily.

Sheree wasn't so keen on her black forest gateux, which if I'm honest didn't really remind me of the traditional German treat. But my cake was lovely.....

Afternoon tea cake - The French Tarte, Surbiton - Surrey

The flavours were good and I just loved how vibrant it looked on the white china.

I'd definitely go back to The French Tarte to sample their full afternoon tea menu. The savouries that we saw on another afternoon tea stand looked amazing!

For more information about The French Tarte please visit their website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

The Friday Review - Bluebird Tea, the Summer Collection 2016

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends! We've been a little quiet on the blog recently, but never fear...we're back with lots more tea and cake!

Today we have a lovely summer tea review for you....fitting with the beautiful summer weather we're having in the UK (hmmmm...this is a bit of a fib...it's currently very wet in Surrey!!).

Bluebird Tea - Red Velvet & Jelly & Ice Cream

Yes, you've read that correctly....part of the Bluebird Tea Summer collection is Jelly & Ice Cream! The whole range includes Jelly & Ice Cream, Sangria, Strawberry Split and Red Velvet - perfect for the summer months! I was lucky enough to be sent the red velvet and jelly & ice cream teas to try!

Let's start with the red velvet tea....

Bluebird Tea - Red Velvet

This tea combines Sri Lankan black tea, cocoa shells, white chocolate sprinkles, beetroot slices (yes beetroot slices) and pomegranate flowers. The blend is very pretty with flecks of white, red and yellow mingled with the dark tea leaves and cocoa shells. It smells amazing....just like cake!

Bluebird Tea - Red Velvet

Add your boiling water and you get a very attractive, ruby red tea which has a chocolate aroma. This tea can be enjoyed with or without milk....not surprisingly I opted for no milk.

The tea has a rich, bold flavour....again very reminiscent of a slice of cake. It's a warm, soothing tea, which would satisfy a sweet tooth without being overly sweet. It's an authentic flavour, not at all artificial. A lovely cuppa!

The second tea is a rooibos blend called Jelly & Ice Cream....

Bluebird Tea - Jelly & Ice Cream

This blend includes rooibos, vanilla, strawberries and elderberries.....and really smells like strawberries and cream when you open the packet! The aroma made my mouth water and made me smile....surely a sign of a great beverage!

Bluebird Tea - Jelly & Ice Cream

This blend can be enjoyed hot or cold - on this occasion I opted for hot. The tea is a pretty amber colour when brewed and smells just like strawberries! It's a really fun tea, which reminds me very much of jelly and ice-cream. The flavours are strawberry and vanilla, with creamy hints. 

I can't wait to try this as a cold drink!

For more information about the Bluebird Teas pop by their website

Bluebird Teas - The Summer Collection 2016

I'd like to thank the team at Bluebird Teas for sending us these teas to try - it's always great to sample new and exciting blends. Please remember that this hasn't effected our taste buds though, and all opinions expressed in this post are our own.

Have you tried any of the summer collection yet - we'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch and leave us a comment below with your favourite!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for.....some really nice post from Baker Days!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - I hope you're well today!

This week Tea With Me and Friends Towers received some rather lovely post......now I know we are really lucky to receive lots of wonderful post (mainly tea) but this post was especially sweet....

Yes....that's the cutest little cake....and yes, it came through my letterbox!

Bakerdays specialises in personalised cakes, which come in a variety of sizes....one of which fits through a standard letterbox! The Bakerdays website lets you pick your own cake design, size and flavour and if you order before 2pm, they can deliver your cake the next working day, virtually anywhere in the UK! All their letterbox cakes come complete with candles and balloons and their large cakes come with cake slicer.

This all sounds like a great concept.....but is the cake any good??

The short answer to this is......yes! It's surprisingly good! 

I was sent the chocolate variety to try (there are six to pick from vanilla, chocolate, fruit, half & half, gluten free or dairy free).....and I have to admit that I didn't try the cake as soon as it arrived....but it was still fresh and rather scrummy!

The cake was moist and rich and covered in a layer of icing - not too thick, not too thin. 

-

The letterbox cake is 5" in size and serves 3-4 people and it is delivered in a small keepsake tin which keeps it safe in the post. There are designs for all occasions from Birthdays and anniversaries to new jobs, driving test or engagement designs.

This size cake costs from £14.99 for the vanilla sponge. 

For more information about costings and delivery please visit the Bakerdays.com website, or pop by their Twitter or Facebook page.

Please note that although the lovely people at Bakerdays sent me this complimentary cake to try, it has not affected my taste buds and all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own. I'd like to thank Bakerdays for sending me some cake through the post - it certainly brightened my day!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

It's nearly time.....for Afternoon Tea Week!

Woo Hoo! It's nearly here again - no, not Christmas (although I do love that time of year too) that other wonderful week of the year that is dedicated to the fine art of afternoon tea! During 10th -16th August you will discover a week of teas, tastings and temptation....a must for all afternoon tea lovers out there!

This is the fifth year of Afternoon Tea Week, but this year it is bigger and jam packed with even more events and offers. There is even a dedicated website!

You might remember this time last year I enjoyed afternoon tea on a bus to celebrate the launch of Afternoon Tea Week 2014....this year I was invited to an afternoon at The Ritz, London. This was no usual afternoon though....as we had a fab behind the scenes tour....and got a sneak preview (and taste) of the new cake that The Ritz are launching as part of Afternoon Tea Week 2015! How fabulous!

Afternoon tea has been served at The Ritz since it opened nearly 110 years ago and today it's renowned for being the quintessential British experience - where the food and service is second to none. Afternoon tea is served at the heart of the hotel in the elegant Palm Court, but as we discovered on our tour the whole hotel is rather elegant. Among other things we saw the antique drinks trolley in The Rivoli Bar where cocktails can be made from bottles of spirits dating back to the 1950s and 1940s......

I wouldn't mind one of those!

We also saw the oldest item in the hotel....this elegant mirror....

Again....I'm sure I could find space for that in my humble abode!

The event spaces are truly stunning....

The ceiling in this room had previously been boarded up and The Ritz spent a year restoring it to it's former glory. Can you image dining in this beautiful space?

Even the floral arrangements are stunning....

Once we'd enjoyed the tour upstairs, we were taken into the kitchens to meet Head Pastry Chef Lewis Wilson, the creator of the new cake! Lewis took us on a tour of the kitchens and told all about the service and amount of people it takes to create afternoon tea at this iconic hotel before letting us lose on the new cake.

In total The Ritz serves approximately 400 afternoon teas a day (yes - 400), in five different sittings between 11:30am - 7:30pm. The tea is very traditional with 16 different loose leaf teas, five different finger sandwiches, scones and of course a selection of afternoon tea pastries and cakes.

Now onto the good bit.....the new Milk Chocolate and Almond Afternoon Tea Cake features Milk chocolate mousse, an almond insert, almond brownie base, milk chocolate feuilletine and salted caramel - I bet you are drooling already!

I bet you are drooling even more now!

Do you want a closer look.....

I know this cake took a lot of experimenting to get just how Chef Lewis wanted it.....but I have to say I think it was worth it....it is sheer delight for anyone who enjoys chocolate...and Carmel...and nuts! As complex in texture as it is in flavour, it is light as air with crunchy bits! I loved it!

When you take a look inside you can see the different layers....

From the glossy finish of the coating, to the smooth mousse and crunchy brownie base, every mouthful of this cake is a delight and will make a lovely addition to the afternoon tea menu.

So who is the genius behind this sweet creation....

Chef Lewis is passionate about his creations and it was a joy to listen to him talking about his latest creation. Chef Lewis has been part of the team at The Ritz for over eight years, starting as the Night Baker when he first joined.

We also enjoyed a glass of The Ritz bubbles and some of the other afternoon tea pastries and cakes currently on offer as part of The Ritz afternoon tea menu....

I tried the raspberry macaroons, which were light and chewy and delicately flavoured and the amazing coffee pastries. These had a crunchy shell and a beautiful coffee mousse filling - just divine!

To find out more about the different afternoon teas on offer at The Ritz take a peek at their website and visit the Afternoon Tea Week website for more information about the events taking place in August.

I would like to thank afternoontea.co.uk and The Ritz for inviting me to this lovely event.

We'll be featuring some more Afternoon Tea Week events over the next week....so don't forget to pop back! And if you enjoy any of the events we'd love to hear all about them!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel