Time for Tea.....The Berkeley

Hello there....I hope you've enjoyed national afternoon tea week and had the opportunity to indulge in a little tea and cake at some point this week! I also hope that you've enjoyed our various afternoon tea posts this week - have you joined in with our scone debate yet?

This post is a rather lovely one as Lorna and I have recently sampled the delights of the Berkeley's fashion afternoon tea Pret a Portea. As the name suggests this is a themed tea, which is inspired by the themes and colours in the fashion world. The tea changes twice a year to reflect the new season, and this is our second Pret a Portea.

As you enter the Berkeley in London its as if you're entering a different world, far from the bustling London streets just outside, the Berkeley oozes elegance from the moment you arrive . Once through the main doors you are welcomed into the Caramel Room where tea is served. You are greeted by a table that looks something like this.....

 

Your name is printed onto a bright pink shoe (I love this attention to detail), and you are surrounded by really pretty bespoke china and a wonderful menu which illustrates the delights ahead of you. Each sweet element of the tea is inspired by a fashion item and once it all arrives at your table the more than helpful waiting staff will describe each item to you.

 

I'm pleased to report that not all the attention has been given to the sweet items of this tea...the savoury lovers amongst you will be delighted by the freshly made sandwiches and other savoury items that are presented to you.

 

 

The sandwich selection included an egg mayonnaise roll, a salmon sandwich, a smoked cheese sandwich, a beef and horseradish sandwich and a cream cheese and cucumber sandwich. All were delightfully tasty, and the bread was extremely fresh. As well as these items you can also enjoy a prawn cone and various taster spoons. As with all good afternoon teas you are invited to eat more (if you can fit it in), however my advice would be don't get carried away with these wonderful savoury items....there is so much more to come!

 

 

Here is the full selection of tea (minus the warm scones, cream and jam that were served a little bit later), on the bottom tier you can see the other savoury items. Above the savoury layer there are two tiers of the most amazing sweet treats (and you might be able to see a very happy Lorna in the background of the photo!).

 

There is a wonderful selection of teas on offer, including a selection of fruity teas which are served in tall latte glasses. As you can see from the photo there is also the option to include a glass of bubbles with your tea...which of course we indulged in (well it would be rude not to!).

 

 

Now I thought you might like a closer look at the sweet treats on offer! In amongst here you will find a chocolate biscuit heel inspired by Manolo Blahnik, a pistachio and vanilla pannacotta inspired by Dolce & Gabbana and a white chocolate and Grand Marnier treat inspired by Prada. This only covers a few of the sweets, the amount of different sweet creations is very impressive. Its a truly amazing experience (whether you love fashion or not) and I think there is something for everyone here.....plus a lot of things that you'll have never tasted before!

 

The Berkeley has an amazing attention to detail and the staff are all so friendly and helpful. As returning guests we were welcomed back with a wonderful chocolate plate.....

 

 

I really liked this touch as it made the tea all that more personable.

 

A Pret a Portea will cost you £39.00 per person, which may seem like an expensive treat, but considering the detail and the quality of the food and drink I think is a reasonable price. If you want to add a glass of champagne it will cost you £49.00 per person and your tea will include a chilled glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne.

 

All in all this is a very enjoyable experience - a perfect afternoon tea for you and your girlfriends. They also offer you a doggy bag to take home some of the sweet treats that you might not have room for - so you can continue the experience at home!

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

 

 

There is always time for afternoon tea!

Afternoon All!

Just a quick post to demonstrate that there is always time for a spot of afternoon tea....

This week I took a collection of pretty teacups into the office with me, along with a selection of homemade mini Victoria sponge cakes...then mid-afternoon yesterday me and my colleagues brewed ourselves a cup of tea and starved off the afternoon hunger pangs with some scrummy cake!

 

 

So, although its wonderful to linger over a traditional afternoon tea feast...its also good to set down tools for five minutes to enjoy a quick cuppa and a piece of cake!

Happy Afternoon Tea Week!

Rachel

Create your own!

Hello there,

So, with National Afternoon Tea week well under way this week Lorna has started the great scone debate....have you joined the argument yet?? Does the jam or cream come first??

While you're thinking about that I thought I'd share a little bit more of our afternoon tea adventures with you. Now as you'll know if you have read more of our blog we really do love a spot of afternoon tea and we have been lucky enough to sample tea in some amazing places!

But we also love creating afternoon teas at home for our friends and family! When you look at photos of professional teas they may seem quite complicated....but really as long as you follow some simple rules anyone can make afternoon tea in the comfort of their own homes!

Traditional afternoon tea

 

So what exactly does a traditional afternoon tea comprise of? Well, you should start your feast with a selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches (preferably with the crusts removed), followed by warm scones served with cream and jam. Once that is all gone you will need to make sure you still have room for the cakes and pastries that follow! This should all be accompanied by freshly brewed tea (we love ours served in vintage teacups, but any cup will do!).

Vintage inspired afternoon tea

 

I really enjoy baking and therefore think nothing of putting on the oven and whipping up some cakes, and Lorna our resident scone expert is really rather good at making scrummy scones. However, if baking really isn't your thing you can still enjoy tea at home....just get yourself to the shops and buy the key elements!

 

If you do enjoy baking then the sky is your limit when it comes to afternoon tea! There are so many recipe books out there, full to the brim with all manner of afternoon tea recipes for you to try. You may like to try your hand at a traditional afternoon tea.....or you might decide to be a little more adventurous and try and themed afternoon tea.

 

One of my favourite times of year is Halloween as you can get really creative with afternoon tea then!

 

Halloween inspired afternoon tea

 

But there are so many different occasions throughout the year you can get your friends together and get creative in the kitchen!

 

Easter inspired afternoon tea

 

If you enjoy creating afternoon tea at home we'd love to hear from you - leave us a comment and let us know what you get up to in your kitchens! Is there a themed tea that you'd love to see creating...let us know...you never know we might give it a go!

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Which first? Jam or Cream?

This is going to be a short post.  Mainly because I'm right and if you disagree with me you're wrong.  However my co-blogger has kindly (read persistently) asked me to right this.  So here goes.

Which delectable delight should be piled on to your scone first?  The cream or the jam?  Think about it.  Think about it harder.

Did you say jam?  If you did then sadly we can no longer be friends.  In fact, maybe you should leave.  Ok, don't leave, but you're wrong.

The cream is needed first to form a firm base for the bright and glistening jam to sit upon.  The cream is needed first to lubricate the light and fluffy scone.  The cream is needed first to enthrone the regal jam, to hold it high for all to see.

In short, it looks better that way and it tastes better that way.

So now you all know how I feel, why don't you leave me a comment and let me know your opinions.  Tell me which should go first and, more importantly, tell me why.  You won't change my mind but it would be rubbish if we were all the same, wouldn't it?

Oh, but if you're one of those people who breaks their scones up into tiny little pieces rather than nicely slicing them in two then, seriously, just leave.

Lorna
Aka Scone Expert

Let's Celebrate!

Did you know that this week is national afternoon tea week?  A week to celebrate the wonderful tradition that is afternoon tea!

We all enjoy the delights of tea, sandwiches and cake in the afternoon (well at any time really!), but where did this fabulous tradition begin?

Although we have been drinking tea in England since the 1660s, when it was made popular by King Charles II and his wife Catherine de Braganza, afternoon tea did not develop as a concept until much later.

It is believed that afternoon tea was first introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the 1840s. At this time dinner was traditionally served quite late, somewhere between 8-9pm, and due to the gap between lunch and dinner the Duchess would feel hungry at about 4pm.

To ease her hunger pangs the Duchess requested that a tray of tea, bread and butter and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon. As time went on she invited her friends to join her for this afternoon feast. As more people experienced this wonderful meal other hostesses picked up this tradition, inviting their friends to join them for afternoon tea.

 

Afternoon tea became a fashionable social event, with ladies dressing for the occasion. This is something that me and my friends still observe today – there is nothing better than enjoying a spot of afternoon tea with your friends, dressed in your best dress!

Traditional afternoon tea consists of dainty finger sandwiches (crustless of course!), followed by scones served with clotted cream and preserves (warm scones are the best!). Small cakes and pastries are next and not forgetting that this is all washed down with freshly brewed tea served in delicate bone china teacups.

 

 

So whether you've never sampled the delights of afternoon tea before, or you indulge (like us) on an alarmingly regular basis....lets all celebrate National Afternoon Tea week this week with a cup of tea and something yummy...whether in a fabulous hotel, a cosy tea room or at home!

 

Pop back again later this week to see more afternoon tea inspired posts!

 

Thanks for visiting us today,

Rachel and Lorna