Blast from the past (part 1).....some of our favourite tea experiences!

Hi there,

So, we have another afternoon tea booked very soon...but just in case you fancied some tea and cake before then we thought we'd share some of our past favourite experiences with you!

An afternoon tea that is dear to our hearts is the tea served at The Savoy in the beautiful Thames Foyer. We've indulged in a spot of tea here no less than three times, with the most recently being for Lorna's 30th Birthday when we visited with a group of friends. This is most definitely a luxury afternoon tea, an occasion to dress up for. The finger sandwiches are delicate, there is a fine selection of teas and of course the cakes and pastries are to die for! A good point to remember is that you can also buy some of the cakes served at tea from Savoy Tea - the cute tea shop situated just outside the Foyer.....a chance to take a little bit of luxury home with you.

A selection of cakes and pastries served in December 2012

 

Another favourite tea is Pret a Portea served at the Berkeley, a must for all you fashionistas out there! Each season the Berkeley creates a wonderful new tea inspired by the themes and colours of the fashion world...take a look at the tea we had earlier this year.....

 

Not only does this tea look spectacular, but the food served all tastes good too - not a case of style over substance here I am pleased to report! We had a delightful afternoon, eating yummy treats and the service was really friendly too.

 

Finally I wanted to share with you something a little more affordable, a weekend treat rather than a payday treat! Last year a fabulous little tearoom opened by in Farnham, Surrey, called The Vintage Cake House. It's right up my street with a wonderful shabby chic feel to it, yummy cakes and of course mismatched china! On my first visit (yes there have been more than one!) I enjoyed the wonderfully, friendly service and a cream tea (even though it was only 11am!!). Here is what I got for my money.....

 

 

 

Not bad at all for under £6!! The scone is served warm and it was huge! There is a good selection of tea to pick from too. If you happen to be in the area, you should definitely pop in for some cake!

 

Anyway, that's our first blast from the past - we hope to see you again soon, we've got lots more to share!

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

 

Time for tea?

Hello there and welcome to our new blog!

Our names are Rachel and Lorna and we love nothing better than having afternoon tea with friends and family. Its something about the pretty china, the yummy cakes, a cup of tea and the natter of good friendship that just makes us smile!

Vintage themed tea

Over the last couple of years we have experienced rather a lot of different afternoon teas...from the Savoy and the Ritz to Browns or the Berkeley .....sometimes it was just us, other times we'd drag our friends along and we always take mum somewhere fancy for her annual Mother's Day afternoon tea. We've enjoyed our experiences so much that we've also started hosting afternoon teas at home for our friends - using our collections of vintage china to serve our friends yummy cakes and treats!

Halloween themed tea

On this blog we'd like to share our experiences with you.....sharing our favourite places for tea....our favourite recipes for cakes and a little gossip.

Our most recent afternoon tea experience was one with a little twist...Lorna treated me to a burlesque afternoon tea as a Birthday treat. She wanted to find an afternoon tea with a difference...and she met that challenge rather well! We recently visited Volupte in London on a Saturday afternoon for their Voluptea - a wonderful afternoon of burlesque entertainment and a tasty afternoon tea, complete with a glass of fizz.

Enjoy a Voluptea!

We enjoyed wonderful cocktails served in large teapots (additional charge), a selection of finger sandwiches (pictured above), tasty cakes and delicious scones served with cream and jam.....and of course a good selection of tea. The service was attentive and friendly, and we were entertained by burlesque beauties. The cost for this afternoon is £49 per person and I think its exceedingly good value as we left nicely full and well entertained!

That teapot is full of a fruity cocktail!

 



As well as all this yummy goodness and the brilliant burlesque entertainment, all guests are encouraged to dress for the occassion...taking inspiration from the 1920s-1950s. Lorna and I need no encouragment and both dressed for the part....Lorna is beautiful 1920s and me in my 1950s full circle skirted dress. Nearly everyone there had some kind of vintage dress on - whether it be in their clothes or the red lipstick they were sporting! It really added to the fun of the afternoon.

We'd highly recommend this tea...brilliant for celebrating a Birthday or for a hen party. And if you are worried about any nudity...don't be....the ladies are amazing and although clothes do come off, its all very respectable! We enjoyed this tea so much that we're actually going back in a couple of months with another friend!

We hope that you've enjoyed our first post and hope that you pop back for more reviews, photos and recipes...we've got lots to share!

Thank you for popping by,
Rachel & Lorna