The Friday Review....Peppermint infusion by Sainsbury's

Hello there,

It's time for another Friday review and this week I thought I'd show you that we're not all fancy-pants all of the time!  You know that we love nothing more than a luxurious brew with loose leaves and precision timers but let's be honest, sometimes we don't have time for all of that.  Sometimes we just need something simple, warm, comforting and quick.

So with no further ado I would like to introduce you to my trusty Sainsbury's peppermint infusion.  Ok, I'll give you a moment..  have you all picked your jaws up from the floor?  I know that it is not "proper" tea and that it comes in a bag but I don't care - in fact, that's one of its charms.

You boil the kettle, poor the water over your teabag, brew it for three minutes and Bobs-your-Uncle, you have a delicious hot beverage!

It is light and refreshing, not full of caffeine so can be enjoyed at all times of the day and at the grand price of £2 for 80 teabags, you don't feel guilty if you leave half a cup because you saw something on Pinterest, got distracted and wandered off!

So now I've let you in on my secret everyday brew, how about you?  What's your favourite everyday brew?  We'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for popping by today,

Lorna & Rachel

Time for Some Sweet Treats....Canelé from Yvonne & Guite

Hello there,

We hope you're having a Tea-riffic Teas-day!

Recently Tea With Me and Friends towers were the lucky recipients of this gorgeous little box from Yvonne & Guite....

We had been in contact with Caroline from Yvonne & Guite who had asked us to try their canelés.....neither of us had heard of canelés before but were keen to discover these little known French treats.

We peeped into the little box and discovered the little, glossy sweet treats inside....

So..we hear you cry...what exactly is a canelé??

Well, we're glad you asked....as Caroline told us...they are French treats, which originated over 300 years ago in Bordeaux, characterised by a unique texture - a soft interior with a thin caramelised crust, traditionally flavoured with vanilla and rum.

The caramelised crust gives them a rather irresistible glossy finish.....

We followed the instructions that came in the box.....serving them warm...we added the cherries to try and get some of our five a day!

These truly are a unique treat, like nothing we have tried before. 

I think these treats could be enjoyed at any time of the day, as the rum is very subtle (due to the small amount used and high baking temperatures). In fact they taste rather fruit like, and have a lovely almost custardy middle which is not exactly runny nor a traditional sponge.....

The other lovely thing behind these beautiful little morsels is the company that makes them...or rather should we say the person. Caroline founded Yvonne & Guite in September 2014 based on her love of baking from her family recipe book (which she did from a young age) and her love of canelés which she could not find in London (she moved there from France in 2011). 

The book was full of family recipes....including lots from her Grandmothers...Yvonne and Guite who were passionate about their baking. Caroline started baking canelés about four years ago after her mum gave her some traditional moulds to use. There has been lots of perfecting the canelé recipe that Caroline uses but now she is introducing this traditional French treat to London!

 If you would like to try them for yourself or would like to find out more pop by the Yvonne & Guite website.

Alternatively you can find these treats on the Bonativo website.

We'd like to thank Caroline for introducing us to these lovely French treats. Please note that although we have received a complimentary box of canelés this hasn't affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed her are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....Wimbledon themed tea at The Ampersand

Hello there,

Welcome back to another guest post from Tea With Me and Friends...this week the lovely Becca shares with us her recent Wimbledon themed afternoon tea adventure at The Ampersand in London. Regular readers will know that we love the Ampersand, Pastry Chef Ji Sun is so creative and passionate about developing sweet treats that look and taste amazing! We haven't visited in a while so we were keen to see Jo Sun's latest creation....

Wimbledon tennis themed afternoon tea
Ampersand, London

In the background of this scrummy photo you will see Sam....Becca's sister....and this folks is her first afternoon tea! It was Sam's Birthday and she loves the tennis at Wimbledon so this made a wonderful gift! Let's find out what they thought.

The feast begins with the savoury gougeres....

Savoury afternoon tea treats - Ampersand

Becca said they were delicious and she had forgotten how filling they were. Her favourite was the cheese and fruit chutney, but they were all tasty! The other fillings included Glouster old spot ham; smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese and Coronation chicken (my favourite!). Becca commented on how well filled each gougere was.

Once they had finished the savoury treats Becca and her sister start on the scones...

Afternoon tea scones - Ampersand

Each guest is served two scones - one plain and one white chocolate, served with Devonshire clotted cream & homemade raspberry preserve (this is usually strawberry, but Becca has an allergy). They were served warm and I am pleased to report that Becca dressed her scones in the "right" way....

Scones - dressed the Tea With Me and Friends way!

The scones were a good size....so good that Becca only managed to eat the plain scone....as she wanted to make sure she had room for the sweet treats...

Wimbledon Afternoon Tea - Ampersand, London

This is where the Wimbledon theme really begins....just look at that cute little tennis racket! The treats include a coconut mousse and mango passion fruit jelly tennis ball on a lime sponge tennis court, a ginger bread tennis racket, a strawberry and cream tart, a cute little blueberry white chocolate ganache macaroon and a Pimm's cocktail shot.

Ji Sun has really created a lovely collection here and Becca confirmed that everything tasted wonderful too. She particularly enjoyed the tennis ball....

Sweet treats at Ampersand afternoon tea

In fact, she enjoyed it so much she was still talking about it the following weekend when I saw her next! Most importantly.....Sam also enjoyed her first afternoon tea adventure!

The Wimbledon afternoon tea can be enjoyed at the Ampersand until the 17th July and it costs £32.50 per person or £44.50 per person with a glass of Champagne.

You can enjoy a complimentary glass of Champagne Monday - Friday, when booking the Wimbledon Afternoon Tea Special offer on-line. Take a peek at the Ampersand website for more information.

A huge thank you to Becca and her sister for sharing her latest afternoon tea adventure with us - we love your photos!

Have you tried one of the Ampersand afternoon teas? Which has been your favourite? We'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....Peach and Rhubarb, London Tea Co

Hello there,

Welcome back to another Friday Tea Review from Tea With Me and Friends - it's tea-riffic to see you again!

As the weather has been rather hot recently we thought we'd tried and cool off with a bit of a cool brew! We were at Taste of London recently when we bumped into The London Tea Company stand, where they were offering tastes of their tea brewed with cold water. As well as a taste of the tea they kindly gave me a peach and rhubarb teabag to take home with us....

Peach and Rhubarb Tea
The London Tea Company

Following there instructions I put my teabag in the mug and then filled it up with cold water. I then put the whole thing in the fridge for about half an hour.

The result was a a sweet smelling, cold tea which was a beautiful pink/coral colour. I decided I didn't want to drink this in a cup, so I served it in a glass over ice. I even added some sliced peach.....

The flavour is neither overly peach nor rhubarb....it's really nice and refreshing...a little tart but not too much. A lovely summer drink.

The base of this infusion is Hibiscus and it can be made with hot or cold water - making it something you can enjoy throughout the year. They suggest adding a sprig of mint to a cold brew, which I will try next time.

Have you tried any of the London Tea Company Teas? Which is your favourite? We'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News....from Hong Kong

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends, today I wanted to share with you a brand new themed afternoon tea that I discovered while trawling the Internet last night....the Ferrari Red Afternoon Tea being served at Tosca in The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.....

Ferrari Red Afternoon tea
Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

On the four Saturdays in August guests can enjoy this creative afternoon tea inspired by Ferrari and its Ferrari Junior Collection, a line created exclusively for Asia.

The savoury selection includes Saffron rice wheels, Parmesan pops, Parma ham and grissini and Red tomato Prosecco with olive oil caviar. While the beautifully crafted sweet treats include Blood orange spheres, Red fruit macarons, Strawberry pistachio tartlets,  Italian flag panna cottas, Tiramisu, "Illy" gelee and "Cannoli," raspberry mascarpone cream.

There is also Mango, cherry gelato cones and guests can enjoy a glass of  NV Ferrari Brut Rose and coffee & tea.

Ferrari Red Afternoon Tea
Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

To bring the Ferrari feel to this afternoon tea Executive Pastry Chef Richard Long has created edible checkered flags, faux wheels and a car key made from white chocolate!

I think this is one exciting looking afternoon tea adventure - if anyone happens to enjoy it during August please do let us know what it tasted like!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel