Birthday Cake in Lock Down!

Hello there cake lovers!

I hope you are all keeping well.

It's been a while hasn't it....all my blog posts seem to start like that at the moment! Well, it's now April 2020 and the UK has been social distancing and staying at home for three weeks now as part of the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Wow, it's like I'm writing a novel or horror movie, who would have thought that 2020 would start like this!

Personally I've worked from home for five weeks now and because I live alone, I've not seen any of my friends or family in five weeks too....its been an odd time, full of ups and downs. But I haven't started talking to my plants yet, which is always a bonus! But that's not what you're here for....you're here for the cake!

So, in the middle of all this I turned 41...

Yep....I decorated my house with balloons!

….those of you that know me, know that I love my Birthday. Its time to celebrate with friends and family, and have a good time. I had been dreading the day if I am honest, but on reflection it wasn't that bad at all and I managed to enjoy the day. I took the day off wort time crafting and talking to friends, I received lots of Birthday love.....plus there was cake!

Isn't that the most beautiful cake!

It comes from the BakeHouse Surrey a local baker called Rachel who is based in the Guildford area. I contacted Rachel via Instagram on a whim because I decided last minute that I wanted to enjoy some fresh cake on my birthday to cheer myself up and I'm so glad that I did.

Rachel talked to me about my cake requirements....size of cake, favourite flavours etc. I opted for vanilla cake with fresh berries and then sat back and waited for the big day. Rachel's cakes on Instagram all looked really pretty and so I was excited for the delivery.

When the cake arrived I was slightly overwhelmed, it was taller than I expected and so pretty. It was topped with fresh strawberries, pieces of fresh chocolate brownie and homemade passionfruit macarons. It also featured a drip finish and had tiny hearts around the bottom

The sponge itself was fresh and light, with a good vanilla flavour and the cake was filled with buttercream and jam. The perfect combination!

The Brownie pieces on the top are super delicious - they have the right gooey, dense texture and a great chocolatey taste.... I wish I had more! Rachel also makes traybakes and cupcakes as well as big celebration cakes. Information on getting in touch are all on the Instagram page (link above).

I had already decided to make myself an afternoon tea for lunch on the day and the cake took pride of place.....

I am so pleased that I reached out to Bakehouse Surrey, everything about the transaction and delivery was easy and efficient and the cake really made my day. 

I'm probably going to be living off cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a while now! 

I hope anyone else who is celebrating their Birthday at the moment has a lovely day....don't forget to eat cake!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel 

Time for Tea.... The Haymarket Hotel

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you've had a tea-riffic week! Today we are joined by the lovely Sheree who is sharing her recent afternoon tea adventure with us....

My hubby and I took his mother for a birthday afternoon tea treat at The Haymarket Hotel. Their Brumus Restaurant is bright, modern and comfortable, and the table was smartly dressed with unique crockery designed by Kit Kemp.

Included in the standard price was a choice of three teas. An extra payment allows you to choose from a selection of speciality and infusion teas, however we were happy to try the English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Second Flush Darjeeling.

The food was presented on a contrasting pink perspex cake stand. Starting with the savouries; these were lovely and varied and included the following:

Smoked salmon, cucumber and chive cream cheese on rye 

Egg mayonnaise and mustard cress on granary

Buffalo mozzarella, sundried tomato and basil on grilled focaccia 

Savoury choux bun with prawn, crab, chilli and coriander 

Chorizo roll, herb de Provence

Upon request, the salmon was replaced with cucumber and cream cheese. We were delighted to be offered more savouries, and were tempted by extra chorizo rolls, and the mozzarella and sundried tomato focaccia. These were a nice alternative to traditional finger sandwiches and were so flavoursome. 

Next came the scones - a plain and fruit scone each, accompanied by clotted cream and strawberry jam. The scones were big and plump and perfect on the inside and out. They were so good that hubby had a third scone!

Finally onto the sweets, which really excited me! They were so pretty, and I'm pleased to say they did not disappoint. 

On the menu were:

Mango posset with passion fruit macaroon 

Chocolate and hazelnut Battenberg 

Lemon and almond financier with summer berries 

Elderflower gateaux fraisier 

White chocolate and violet tart 

I should say that, thankfully, no sharing was necessary as we each had our own selection of sweets.

Overall I would definitely recommend the Haymarket Hotel's afternoon tea and would love to go back. The service was friendly and helpful, and catered for our dietary requirements. Oh, and they surprised my mother-in-law with a lovely birthday treat, which was the perfect touch. Doesn't she look delighted in the photo?! 

Those sweets sound and look so scrummy and the description of the scones is so mouth watering (Graham - I'm impressed that you ate three scones!!). A big thank you to Sheree for sharing her latest afternoon tea with us - we always love to hear where she has enjoyed tea.

For more information about the afternoon tea at The Haymarket Hotel please visit their website.

If you've had an afternoon tea adventure recently we'd love to hear from you - leave us a message or send us a Tweet!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....The Savoy

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. I am sorry that we have been a little quiet recently, but don't worry we're still here with lots more afternoon tea news and gossip to share with you!

Today's post has been written with a slightly heavy heart, as it's about a hotel which I have always said was my all time favourite afternoon tea experience. I have to say I was a little nervous about going back to the hotel, wondering whether it would live you to expectations and previous visits.....so here goes....we'd like to share with you our recent afternoon tea adventure at The Savoy in London.

Now, some of you will know that The Savoy holds a special place in our hearts as its the first place that Lorna and I enjoyed a real afternoon tea, and it was so wonderful. We have visited three times previously, both before and after their refurbishment. On this occasion we were visiting to celebrate Alex's Birthday.

Afternoon tea
The Savoy

Now, there are lots of things about the experience that remain the same - the beautiful china (so beautiful that I own some if it!), the wonderful house champagne, the quality of the food and tea and the attention to detail. However, as you will see there are some things that have changed....and unfortunately change isn't always a good thing!

After we had sipped our bubbles and picked our tea (from the 31 different teas on offer), we were presented with the first two courses of our afternoon tea. Presented on the beautiful stand was the sandwich selection and the scones.

Afternoon tea sandwiches - The Savoy

There were five different afternoon tea sandwiches presented to us, each was fresh and very tasty - not a hint of crust in sight. The sandwiches were also the perfect finger sandwich size - easily nibbled by ladies enjoying tea! The fillings included:

Wiltshire bone ham with wholegrain mustard cream cheese

Coronation chicken on olive bread

Scottish smoked and poached salmon with dill mustard

Egg salad with watercress

Cucumber, fleur de marquis and dried tomato

In case you are wondering....fleur de marquis is a type of cheese. The coronation chicken and egg were my favourite sandwiche fillings. 

Next came the scones......

Initially we were presented with four rather large scones - a mixture of fruit and plain. Personally I felt they were too large and several of the group found the texture a little claggy. The scones were served with clotted cream, strawberry preserve and a rather good lemon curd. 

During the first two courses we felt that our tea could have been poured slightly more often.

Now, this is where things strayed from the norm. The stand was removed and we were presented with clean plates and cutlery. Then a server brought around a tray of pastries for us to pick from.....

Afternoon tea pastries - The Savoy

There were five different pastries, all of a rather large size. The server described each one and then asked us to pick one of two to sample. To be honest, the descriptions were so long that I didn't really pay enough attention and so found it difficult to say which ones I wanted to try. I also can't really remember what they all were! I know I tried the two closest to us in the photo - the cherry basket which was delicious and a apricot and honey sphere which was wonderfully light.

I was rather disappointed with how the pastries are now presented to guests. Previously a selection of smaller sized pastries would be presented on a cake stand, which I think is a lot more appealing.

As we were eating these pastries we were also asked to pick a piece of cake - we could have lemon and poppy seed or a raspberry loaf cake. These were presented to us, as we were still eating the pastries - making the table full....

By the time we got to the cake I was rather full. When I enquired whether we could take them home with us, we were told no. This was accompanied by a rather sarcastic comment from the server, which was not really expected from a hotel like the Savoy. 

Disappointed that we would not be able to take the cake home, I tried a bite of my lemon cake....once again to be disappointed as it was rather heavy and lacked the punch of a good lemon cake.

Finally, Alex was presented with a Birthday plate from the Savoy....

It was a lovely gesture, but by this point Alex couldn't eat anymore and so this was a bit of a waste. 

At £61.50 per person for this afternoon tea (with a glass of champagne) this really is a treat and I am sad to say that I have experienced much better afternoon teas previously from The Savoy. None of us were keen on how the pastries were served and the comment from the server really changed the tone of our afternoon tea.

However, I cannot fault the majority of the food, and the extensive tea menu has something for everyone, but I feel that on this occasion The Savoy fell short of expectations.

For more information about the afternoon teas on offer at The Savoy please visit their website.

If anyone else has visited The Savoy recently we'd love to hear about your experience - please get in touch.

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....1920s style at Byfleet Manor

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends - this time we have a very special afternoon tea adventure to share with you.

If you have visited our blog before you will probably remember hearing about The Secret Tea Society which both Lorna and I are members of. Its a group of like minded ladies who meet at tea events across London and Surrey to indulge in our afternoon tea passion and have a good natter. I have been a member for a while now and have been to several events, I have to say that it's a wonderful group to belong to. Our tea leader Claire is wonderful and arranges the most amazing tea events for us.....and the other ladies are all so friendly and welcoming. To read more about The Secret Tea Society or to join us visit the website!

This particular tea affair was rather special as we were gathering together to celebrate the first Birthday of The Secret Tea Society....and what a wonderful experience it was. Claire arranged a 1920s afternoon tea party at Byfleet Manor in Surrey for us. Now if you are a fan of Downton Abbey you may just recognise the inside of Byfleet Manor, as it currently features in the TV programme as Dowager Violet's House.

The beautiful Byfleet Manor

Byfleet Manor is beautiful both inside and out, with extensive gardens. With the perfect theme and setting, the guests needed to look the part too dressing in 1920s style attire.....

Some of the gorgeous Secret Tea Society ladies
enjoying tea at Byfleet Manor

As it was a Birthday celebration each Tea Society member at the event received a gift - a beautifully decorated biscuit by Clare's Cakes and some wonderful loose leaf tea. Thank you Claire for such a thoughtful gift (I still haven't eaten the biscuit - its far too pretty!)......

Then the feast began....we were served tea in pretty vintage teacups and ate the daintiest sandwiches and pastries on vintage china. Here is the cake stand that was presented to the table.....

Afternoon tea at Byfleet Manor

Let's start with a closer look at those wonderful sandwiches.....

Dainty afternoon tea sandwiches

We enjoyed a wonderful traditional selection of afternoon tea sandwiches including cucumber, chicken, my favourite egg mayonnaise and salmon - served on both brown and white bread. The sandwiches were delightful - very fresh and tasty and no crusts in sight!

The scones were served on a glass cake stand, dusted with icing sugar and accompanied by fresh strawberries.....

Fresh scones - Byfleet Manor

We had one large scone each, which was generously fruited and served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. I enjoyed my scone very much - it was light and fluffy.

Moving back to the main cake stand we have a layer of pastries and cakes to enjoy....

Fresh fruit pastries - Byfleet Manor

The cakes with the blackberries on top were circles of light vanilla sponge sandwiched together with scrummy lemon curd (a personal favourite!). The treats with the raspberries on top were pastry filled with cream and preserve - also very nice.

At this point we may have been getting full, but we still had the top layer of the cake stand to enjoy.....

Sweet treats - Byfleet Manor

This layer included a wonderful selection of sweet treats, including mini toffee tarts, fruit tarts and mini pieces of chocolate brownie - all perfectly sized to be enjoyed by ladies!

Finally, we each had a mini strawberry trifle - served in a little shot glass....

The trifle was light and refreshing, and I thought it was a lovely addition to afternoon tea.

As I mentioned earlier I thoroughly enjoyed the vanilla sponge with lemon curd, which not only tasted wonderful but was also beautifully presented.....

I really enjoyed all the food which was served at this afternoon tea - it was all fresh and both looked and tasted wonderful. 

We finished the afternoon with an awards ceremony - celebrating our favourite venues and also some special members of the Secret Tea Society. The certificate below belongs to the lovely Monique Lowe from Toasted Glass (amazing hand painted glassware) who has rather impressively only missed one of the tea events since the beginning of the Secret Tea Society!

Award time - Secret Tea Society

The whole experience was so enjoyable and totally unique! Byfleet Manor is a beautiful venue, styled authentically and Julie the owner is a wonderful hostess.

Byfleet Manor is a private residence which periodically offers events to the public - the next being a 1920s Murder Mystery Afternoon Tea. For more information pop by their website.

A big thank you to Clarie for arranging this afternoon tea - I am looking forward to the next one!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....Pennyhill Park Hotel

Hello there,

Whilst looking on my timeline on Facebook yesterday I noticed that some of my friends Rachel and Hannah were at Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey enjoying afternoon tea. I've heard of Pennyhill Park, but have never been there myself and so decided I must find out what the afternoon tea on offer is like!

The hotel itself is a 5 star luxury country house hotel, set within 123 acres of Surrey parkland. As well as the hotel and Michelin starred dining there is also a 45,000 square foot spa to enjoy.

Afternoon tea is served throughout the year, either in the Ascot bar or weather permitting outside on the terrace. On the day Rachel and Hannah visited there was a pianist accompanying the tea in the Ascot bar, however they were seated rather close to the entertainment which made it a little bit difficult to hear each other.

There are several different afternoon teas on offer, with different "bubbly" accompaniments to enjoy with the set food menu. Rachel and Hannah enjoyed some champagne with their afternoon tea.....

Afternoon tea consists of a selection of freshly cut finger sandwiches which Rachel particularly enjoyed. Followed by freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream. Finally there were a selection of homemade cakes and pastries.

There is also an extensive tea menu to pick from.

Tea starts from £29.50 per person for the Traditional Ascot Afternoon Tea, if you would like to enjoy a Royal Ascot Afternoon Tea and add a glass of sparkling wine to your feast this is £39.00 per person.

Hannah reported that this is a good value afternoon tea - with lots of treats on offer.

Alfresco afternoon tea served in the summer months
 - photo from Pennyhill Park website

If you are celebrating a Birthday you can opt for a Celebration Afternoon Tea where you will enjoy a glass of bubbles with your afternoon tea and an individual birthday cake baked by the pastry chef. This afternoon tea costs £46.00 per person.

This sounds like a wonderful afternoon tea, set in lovely surroundings. Thank you to Rachel and Hannah for sharing their experience with me! If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea we'd love to hear about it - either leave us a message here or email us!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel



Time for Tea.....Volupte Lounge

Hello there....

Well yesterday Lorna and I took our friend Becca for a very special Birthday treat (a little late considering Becca's Birthday is in June, but definitely worth the wait!!). We spent the afternoon at the Volupte Lounge in London, experiencing their amazing Burlesque tea "Voluptea".

Now you'll have to forgive me for the slightly dodgy photos here...its a bit dark in the lounge! We arrived at Volupte nice and early to sample a cocktail in the bar upstairs (well it would be rude not to) ......

 

there is a wonderful selection to pick from - you'll be spoilt for choice. Ours were all very delicious!

 

Once seated by our host in the lounge downstairs, we enjoyed a glass of champagne and a selection of sandwiches...

 

 

including salmon bagels, hummus and tomato, pastrami, egg mayonnaise and the most amazing cheese and pickle I have ever tasted (yes I did just say that!). It was an interesting selection, and all very fresh and tasty.

 

As we nibbled on the sandwiches the first act of the show began and we were treated to wonderful performances from Tempest Rose, Jolie Papillon, Delores Deluxe and Felixy Splits. What a talented bunch of performers - all with amazing outfits and brilliant routines....you will definitely leave wanting to be a burlesque entertainer or least own some feathers! The brilliant thing about Voluptea is that the performers change regularly, and so if you go more than once (like we have) you will probably see different performers.

 

During the interval our sweet treats were served....

 

 

We had scones with clotted cream and jams, amazing mini cupcakes, fruit cake and a lemon syllabub. Again, it was all very fresh and tasty....I could have eaten those little cupcakes all afternoon! As you'll notice we all have gorgeous vintage teacups to drink from...these are filled with your choice of teas or for a supplement you can pick from a selection of tea-cocktails, which of course are served in teapots!

 

The second half begins and we are treated to more from the beautiful ladies, with fab routines, songs, magic and of course more nipple tassels! The team at Volupte made a lovely fuss of Becca, as the sweet course was brought out they sang Happy Birthday to her. She was also involved in one of the acts - dressing in a giant banana costume and being a backing dancer (sadly I haven't got any photographic evidence of this as I was laughing too much at the time to work my camera!).

 

The finale of the show was a brilliant performance from Madame Galina - I won't ruin it by telling you too much about the performance....but its not to be missed!

 

The lounge itself is beautifully designed, and suits a vintage-feel afternoon tea very well. Ladies - you must visit the toilets while you are there, they are so cute! I don't normally include photos of us....but you are encouraged to dress up for this afternoon tea, taking inspiration from the 1920s-1950s. Lorna and I rose to the occasion in our 1950s dresses, complete with petticoats.....

 

 

After the show you can retire back to the bar upstairs for another cocktail or two, you can also meet all the lovely performers...you should say hello, they don't bite!

 

This is a treat at £49 per person, however you get a champagne afternoon tea and brilliant afternoon of entertainment, so I would say its definitely worth it. Maybe this is not the right tea for the traditionalists out there....but if you love a bit of cheeky entertainment, some good cocktails and food (and of course tea)...and don't mind the odd nipple tassel or two then you should definitely give this tea a try! It's a brilliant afternoon out with the girls....we'll be booking our next one very soon!

 

Thanks for popping by today - please leave us a comment so we know you've visited!

 

Rachel & Lorna