Afternoon Tea News - Flower Afternoon Tea, Lancaster London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we have some afternoon tea news to share with you as Lancaster London is launching their new floral afternoon tea!

As London starts to bloom with summer flowers and the annual Chelsea Flower Show amazes guests, the chefs of Lancaster London will be switching bags of flour for flowers and the butter for buttercups as they present the ‘blooming marvellous’ Flower Afternoon Tea. 

Lancaster London Blooming Afternoon Tea

A beautifully botanical arrangement of sweet delights includes:

a creamy Lavender chocolate mousse cake;

White chocolate macaroons topped with crystallised violets;

a tangy Lime and elderflower trifle with edible flowers.

The Flower Afternoon Tea features both traditional and raisin scones with classic toppings of strawberry jam and clotted cream, plus a delectably nectar-sweet orange blossom jam.

The savoury treats also have a wild theme with:
Lancaster London home-smoked salmon roses on rye bread,

Coronation chicken served on sweet cranberry bread,

a warm tartlet of English asparagus, with saffron and sun-blushed tomatoes

Sunflower seeded choux buns with wild mushroom, truffle oil and cream cheese are full of wild British woodland flavours. 

Lancaster London Blooming Afternoon Tea

The blossoming tea is served in the hotel’s Lounge Bar from 2pm until 5.30pm, Wednesday 3 May until Wednesday 31 May 2017. The tea is priced at £30 per person and £45 with a glass of Pommery Champagne included. The Flower Afternoon Tea is also available as a Flower ARTea, priced from £35 per person. For more information pop by the Lancaster London website.

This certainly looks like a beautiful afternoon tea experience - if you give it a try during May we would love to know what you think!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Back to the Classics Afternoon Tea at The Langham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - this week we were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the new afternoon tea created by newly appointed Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham, London, Andrew Gravett, and his team. Reverting ‘Back to the Classics’, the new tea showcases classical recipes made with fresh ingredients, skilfully produced by a team of passionate patissiers with a contemporary twist. Just look how beautiful the tea stand looks.....

Langham London Afternoon Tea

With reduced sugar and lighter textures, the tea reflects tastes that are easily recognisable but lighter to enjoy...... so when you have finished your afternoon tea feast you are not left feeling too stuffed. Its not a "healthy" afternoon tea, but the treats are lighter.

The Paris Brest is made with Crunchy Choux pastry, lightened pecan cream and caramelised pecans. Babalicious features blackcurrant and star anise soaked baba, Jivara whipped ganache and crunchy pearls. The Decidedly Madeleine offers the classic Madeleine sponge, passion fruit jelly wrapped in a coat of Itakuja. Spherically Challenged comprises of creamy coconut, liquid raspberry and Manjari mousse. Last but not least, the One in a Million showcases a caramelised puff pastry with vanilla infused mascarpone.

Langham London Afternoon Tea

I think my favourite sweet was the "One in a Million" which features the lightest, puff pastry - crisp and buttery! Although the "Spherically Challenged" was also amazing - full of the lightest coconut mousse which dances about on your tongue before disappearing. Lorna was rather partial to the Paris Breast - crisp and crunchy with a light pecan filling.

Accompanying sandwiches devised by Executive Chef of The Langham, London, Chris King include:

Burford Brown egg, marinated artichoke, rosemary bread
Classic English cucumber, cream cheese, chives,
Beef Pastrami, sauce ‘Albert’, watercress, caramelised onion bread
Scottish smoked salmon, Sarawak pepper and preserved lemon cream
Classic ‘prawn cocktail’, iceberg, potato bun, tomato powder

Langham London Afternoon Tea

A classical plate of well balanced savouries. My favourite was definitely the prawn cocktail - the dusting of tomato powder on the top of the roll is pure genius! I wasn't a fan of the artichoke in the egg sandwich, but that was purely down to personal taste rather than anything else.

At the launch we also met various members of the team and saw some of the sweets being put together. Everyone we met was passionate about the afternoon tea, explaining the various items.

The Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood is served in Palm Court with a selection of scones and a choice of blended teas. The tea is priced at £49 per person, £59 with a glass of N.V Laurent-Perrier Brut champagne, £64 with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rose champagne.

Seatings are available daily between 12.15pm to 5.30pm.

We can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this new classical afternoon tea experience!

Thank you to everyone at The Langham for inviting us to sample this new afternoon tea. Please note that all opinions expressed in this article are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Cotswold House Hotel & Spa

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Today we've got some afternoon tea news from Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, who is stepping into the summer season with the launch of a decadent afternoon tea in partnership with Twinings, to coincide with the hotel’s re-launch.

In the heart of the Cotswolds, the Grade II listed hotel is idyllically located in Chipping Campden, one of the UK’s most picturesque market towns. Boasting sumptuous rooms and suites, some of which have a private garden and hot-tub, a bustling bistro and fine dining restaurant, as well as a secret spa reached down a meandering path through the hotel’s glorious gardens; the hotel offers a quintessential British boutique experience to guests and locals alike.

In celebration of a truly British tradition, Cotswold House Hotel & Spa’s new afternoon tea menu has been created in partnership with Twinings. Teatime at Cotswold House now comes complete with a menu of loose leaf teas, which can be touched, smelt, tasted and even paired with different courses to offer an enhanced afternoon tea experience. Unique teas on the menu include a Nutty Chocolate Assam, an Elderflower and Blossom Darjeeling and a Rosy Fig White Tea.

Enjoyed in the sumptuous surrounds of the hotel’s restaurant or spectacular gardens, the Cotswold House Full Afternoon Tea is served as an indulgent array of freshly baked scones complete with clotted cream and strawberry jam, homemade cakes, fancies and a selection of finger sandwiches; for £21.50 per person. To add a touch of sparkle, afternoon tea can be taken with a glass of prosecco for £26.50 per person or a glass of champagne for £30 per person. For a lighter bite, a Cream Tea of scones, clotted cream and jam can also be enjoyed with Twining’s selection of teas for £8.50 per person.

For further information about this new afternoon tea please visit Cotswold House Hotel & Spa website. If you sample this afternoon tea we'd love to hear all about it - drop us a line....or better still a photo or two!

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon tea news - ARTea Afternoon Tea from Lancaster London

Hello there,

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

Today we are excited to share with you a brand new afternoon tea launching this week! Lancaster London has devised an Afternoon “ARTea” for those who know their Monet from their Picasso, launching on Thursday 14 July 2016. 

The innovative afternoon tea, from £35, will be served to guests in The Lounge, where the work of emerging and local artists grace Lancaster London’s walls in celebration of the hotel’s affinity with London’s thriving art scene.

The eclectic ARTea menu will be edible, as will the canvasses within the afternoon tea, while waiters will serve guests in whimsical painting aprons. Dishes will be delivered to tables in painters boxes, revealing a delectable take on painting essentials. Delicate delights on offer will include: Finger sandwiches, pastries and freshly baked scones, all of which will be served on painting slates alongside jam & clotted cream concealed in 30ml paint tubes.

Not only does it sound amazing ..... take a look at this.....

ARTea Afternoon Tea from Lancaster London

As someone who enjoys both afternoon tea and being creative....I can't wait to try this afternoon tea adventure!

The hotel’s current art exhibition displays distinctive scenic paintings by modernist Irish artist Norman Teeling’s. The ARTea experience, which is in collaboration with Pommery Champagne, will feature continuous reminders of his work, with menus printed alongside replicated paintings from the exhibition. Mini edible images of the art will also be printed onto the creative ARTea pastries. 

To create the unique ARTea, Lancaster London partnered with Pommery Champagne due to their constant involvement and support of art and culture – from sponsoring Frieze Art & Art 16, to hosting an all year exhibition in their cellar in Champagne, France.

The hotel also works closely with art curator Barbara Stanley, whose gallery showcases contemporary Irish artwork and sits across the street from the hotel.

Look out later this on the blog for more information about this new afternoon tea!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Wedgwood Afternoon Tea, The Langham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - you may remember that recently Lorna and I attended the fabulous launch for Executive Pastry Chef Cherish Finden's new afternoon tea at The Langham in London. It was a tea-riffic event where we got to sample the afternoon tea treats, meet Cherish in person and hear all about the new afternoon tea creation. As promised here is a little more information about the food on offer....

The Langham, London is delighted to launch its new Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood collection, created by Executive Pastry Chef, Cherish Finden and her culinary team.  The collection is inspired by classic Wedgwood collections, featuring butterfly and daisy motifs, heralding the start of spring and the changing season. 

Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood collection

The palette is prepared with a pre-dessert of apricot and natural yoghurt panna cotta before being greeted by: 

The ‘Paisley Parcel’; a moist chocolate offering enhanced with Kahlua and double espresso. An amaretto taste is also incorporated and the ‘icing on the cake’ represented by white chocolate buttons with a bespoke white and blue paisley Wedgwood design.    

The ‘Butterfly Bloom’ takes inspiration from the Wedgwood collection of the same name, featuring a buttery shortbread tower with salted caramel. Two hand crafted butterflies at its peak represent the bloom of spring and the new florals blossoming.    

Sweet treats - Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood collection

The ‘Yuzu for You’ offers an exciting mixture of the sweetness from the Langham No. 150 chocolate balanced with the acidity of the ‘yuzu’, a citrus fruit originating in East Asia. A kick of chocolate is added with the Langham’s bespoke ‘No. 150’ chocolate. The taste is rounded off with a crunchy chocolate sable. 

The Wedgwood Wild Strawberry comprises of a wild strawberry ‘pâte de fruit’ and pistachio cream macaroon, replicating the ‘Wedgwood Wild Strawberry’ design. The final pastry of ‘Hathaway Rose’ incorporates Lemon Victoria sponge, with a raspberry and jam.   

Pastries are accompanied by plain and raisin scones in addition to delicious sandwiches conceived by Head Chef of The Langham, London Chris King and team. These include Truffled duck egg brioche, Smoked salmon asparagus and rye, Cucumber with cream cheese and chives, Peppered beef pastrami with red Leicester coleslaw and Corn-fed chicken with golden sultana on carrot bread. 

Savoury selection - Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood collection

The new collection is priced at £49 per person, £59 per person including a glass of N.V Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne and £64 per person including a glass of N.V Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne Rosé. Available from 6th April with sittings at 1.00pm, 3.15pm and 5.30pm.  For more information about this afternoon tea please visit The Langham London website.

Pop back tomorrow when we'll be meeting Executive Pastry Chef Cherish Finden to find out a little more about how she created this beautiful afternoon tea.....and the most important question of all....which way does she dress her scones?

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for.....a tea-riffic afternoon tea launch at the Langham

Hello there,

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

Lorna and I were very lucky this week - we were invited to the launch of the new afternoon tea at the Langham London. You may have seen Head Pastry Chef Cherish Finden on the TV recently as she is one of the judges on Great British Bake Off Creme de la Creme. Well, it's an exciting time for Cherish as the Langham is launching a scrummy new afternoon tea on the 6th April.....

Afternoon tea - Langham London

Guests at the launch were treated to tea, soft drinks or bubbles, all served in the conservatory. As we mingled with other guests, trays of the savoury items were served...

Afternoon tea sandwiches - Langham London

The fillings included duck egg, cucumber, pastrami and coleslaw, salmon and coronation chicken - served on a variety of breads. The bread was all soft and fresh and as expected there wasn't a crust in sight.

My favourite filling was definitely the chicken, and Lorna really enjoyed the coleslaw and pastrami.....

Once we had enjoyed the savouries, Chrish joined us in the room to introduce the all important sweet treats. Cherish spoke with such passion about her creations, it was a real pleasure to listen to her talk. She described each pastry in turn, describing the flavour combinations and the textures that we would find when we bit into the pastry.

Head Pastry Chef Cherish Finden
describing her new afternoon tea creations

After Cherish had described each piece we were treated to something rather special, as the Duchess of Bedford joined us for tea.....

Just in case you're wondering .....the real Duchess of Bedford is best remembered as the first person to enjoy afternoon tea, as she requested tea and cake in the afternoon between lunch and dinner to help with the "sinking feeling" she used to experience.

Cherish then mingled with us as the pastries were served. As well as all the treats on the sweet plate, we were also offered scones with cream and preserve....

Afternoon tea sweets - Langham London

The most amazing Victoria sponge

Everything looked so pretty, each piece so detailed and unique. But even better than a pleasing plate of treats, everything tasted amazing too. From the well flavoured Opera Cake to the tiny strawberry and pistashio macaroon, everything was so scrummy!

Cherish spent time with all the guests, talking about the afternoon tea and also the GBBO Creme de la Creme. 

Cherish Finden with a plate of Opera Cake

We also got to meet Cherish's fabulous team....

We had a wonderful evening as guests of Cherish and the Langham and can't wait to see this scrummy new afternoon tea appear on the menu in early April. For more information about afternoon tea at The Langham please visit their website.

We'll leave you with one last look at those scrummy savouries and sweets....

Afternoon tea - Langham London

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna