Time for Tea.....BRGR.CO

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. Today we are asking the question...when is an afternoon tea not an afternoon tea?

Recently Lorna and I visited BRGR.CO in Soho London as a treat for our friend Sheree's Birthday. We were looking for something a little different to celebrate Sheree's Birthday, but we know she enjoys a spot of tea and so when we saw the burger inspired afternoon tea on offer at BRGR.CO we thought that would be perfect.

If you don't know about BRGR.CO they offer high quality gourmet burgers in Soho, London.....but we were there to sample their afternoon tea menu....

Afternoon tea with a difference - BRGR.CO

The purist out there will notice that although there is a savoury and sweet eleement to the menu, and also a tea (of the iced variety) there is not a scone in sight and therefore you may already be questioning the naming of this menu.

The drink refreshments come in the form of a glass of chilled Proseco and a goblet of homemade iced tea. Although there is a choice of flavours on the website we were not offered a selection to pick from.....

Bubbles and iced tea - BRGR.CO

In keeping with a traditional afternoon tea theme the rest of the items were all dinky in size. The savoury selection included three different sliders and the cutest portion of chips.....

The savoury selection
Afternoon Tea at BRGR.CO

The varierty of sliders included a butchers cut and cheese (mini beef burger to you and me), a chicken ceaser and a lobster BLAT. The fillings were fresh and generous, and the flavours were good. The brichoe buns were perfectly glazed and soft.

These were the perfect size for nibbling on as you had a gossip - but don't visit when you are really hungry as you will only be offered the one serving. My favourite slider was the lobster one, although the beef was also very good.

The tiny fries were sadly small in portion size. They were crisp and light, perfectly salted - if I am honest we all wanted more of them (but that could be the salt talking!).

Once we had finished with the savouries we moved onto the sweet selection....

The sweets....
afternoon tea at BRGR.CO

Now, this is where I felt a little let down in the afternoon tea .....yes they were all bite sized and yes everything was fresh, but it wasn't particulary inventive. The best bit was the vanilla milkshake which was rich and creamy. The small piece of chocolate brownie was also nice, but I have enjoyed better. The cheesecake was ok, but the salted caramel doughnut left us all cold....the caramel  filling either being non-existant (in Sheree's case) or it had leaked out from the doughnut onto the tray.

The service and ambience was also not in keeping with a traditional afternoon tea. We only saw the waiter when we ordered and when our food was brought out, we actually had to ask for our bill. However, at £17 per person you cannot argue the value of the experience.

BRGR.CO is ultimately a burger restuarant, they offer good burgers in a fun environment.....and they had a good go at an afternoon tea....but we were all left feeling that they had jumped on the band wagon a little here. If you want a fun experience then it was perfect...if you are more of a traditionalist I would probably go elsewhere!

For more information about the afternoon tea on offer at BRGR.CO please visit their website.

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for.....National Afternoon Tea Week

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. This time we are celebrating the launch of National Afternoon Tea Week with Afternoon Tea.co.uk. Running between 11th - 17th August, national afternoon tea week sees over 50 venues throughout the UK offering 25% of their afternoon tea when booked via the Afternoon Tea.co.uk website.

To celebrate I was invited, with a group of others, to indulge in a spot of afternoon tea on the BB Bakery bus - Rodney.....

Celebrating afternoon tea week on the BB Bakery Bus

Now, I have been eyeing up the BB Bakery Bus since it launched earlier this year, and so I eagerly accepted the kind invitation from the guys at Afternoon Tea.co.uk. I was also very pleased to meet the lovely Kat from Lady Loves Cakes, who found us brilliant seats on the top desk of the bus!

An afternoon tea feast lay ahead of us on the BB Bakery Bus

I had wondered how tea and cakes were going to be served as Rodney, the fabulous routemaster bus toured the sights of London, but as you'll see the china was limited and all cutlery was in fact plastic (but very pretty plastic!). As well as tea that was served in pretty flasks, we were also given freshly squeezed orange juice and water (all served in water).

Tea and Macaroons
BB Bakery Bus

I am going to be visiting the BB Bakery Bus later this year and so will leave a full review until then, but I thought I would tickle your taste buds by sharing with you some of the lovely food that we enjoyed....

The whole feast -
sweets & savouries on the BB Bakery Bus afternoon tea

A close up of the sweets on the BB Bakery Bus

The lovely savouries on the BB Bakery Bus

The hospitality to extended to us all while we were on the bus the was wonderful and I would like to thank Afternoon Tea.co.uk and the BB Bakery Bus for their kind invitation. I look forward to coming back later this year for another tour on Rodney!

For more information about afternoon tea week and to see which venues are offering the fab 25% of their afternoon teas between 11th - 18th August, take a peek at the Afternoon Tea.co.uk website.

If you enjoy afternoon tea during afternoon tea week don't forget to tell us about it!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....Chewton Glen

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. This weekend I was very lucky to be treated to a belated Birthday afternoon tea at Chewton Glen by my lovely friend Alexandra. Chewton Glen is a luxury country house hotel and spa set in 130 acres of Hampshire countryside on the edge of the New Forest National Park, and I couldn't wait to try their afternoon tea offering.

The day we visited Chewton Glen it was very hot...but this wasn't going to spoil our afternoon tea experience as we seated in one of the many beautiful lounges, in front of doors overlooking the croquet lawn. The doors were left ajar for us, allowing for not only a beautiful view but also the most amazing breeze.

Beautiful setting for afternoon tea at Chewton Glen

 Afternoon tea at Chewton Glen is served on simple white china, and the tea is served in silver teapots - all very elegant. There is a good selection of teas on offer, including an own blend which I opted for, which was a bold black tea - very enjoyable. Alexandra opted for green tea, which she also enjoyed.

Tea at Chewton Glen

Once we had settled into our seats and picked our teas, the tea stand was brought out to us......

Afternoon Tea - Chewton Glen

The stand was simple and elegant and the contents made our mouths water - everything was perfectly sized and very appealing to look at. As tradition dictates we began our experience at the bottom of the stand with the sandwich selection....

Afternoon tea sandwiches - Chewton Glen

The sandwich selection included a traditional choice featuring Scottish smoked salmon, rare roast beef and horseradish, Somerset brie and pear chutney and egg and cress sandwiches. The bread was so fresh and thinly cut, and the sandwich fillings generous without being overpowering. These were some of the best afternoon tea sandwiches that I have enjoyed in a while - in fact we might have enjoyed a second round of them! My favourite filling was the brie and chutney which was smooth and creamy and just a little bit sweet - a brilliant combination, served on fresh white bread.

Once we were full of sandwiches we moved onto the next tier of the stand....

Afternoon tea scones - Chewton Glen

The scones were a good size and a wonderful colour. They were served warm, but were not wrapped and therefore had cooled by the time we ate them. They were served with some wonderful clotted cream and fruit filled strawberry preserve. The scones were fresh and not at all claggy in texture. Alexandra particularly enjoyed her scones.

We then moved onto the top of the afternoon tea stand, which was filled with a wonderful selection of sweet treats......

Afternoon tea - the sweet treats at Chewton Glen

As you can see there was one of each item which meant that there was no awkward moments with the sweet treats....and the choice was brilliant...definitely something for everyone!

Included on the plate was a rhubarb and custard cupcake, a lemon macaroon, a mandarin slice, a mini pistachio loaf and an indulgent chocolate mouse cake. Each item was a good size...not too big and not too small...and all the flavours were wonderful.

Let's take a closer look at some of the cakes....

Sweet treats - Chewton Glen

I'm not sure which item was my favourite...possibly that indulgent, but light, chocolate mousse cake. The mandarin slice was also wonderful - so light in texture, but full of flavour. I didn't think I would like the rhubarb and custard cupcake that much, but it was really enjoyable.....and full of rhubarb!

All in all this was a lovely afternoon tea experience. 

A traditional afternoon tea costs £26.00 per person, or if you fancy a treat you can enjoy a champagne afternoon tea for £36.00 per person. I think this is really good value as the quality of the food and drink was wonderful. We were also offered more of every item if we wanted it and the hotel also offered to pack up any cakes that you didn't have room for so you can enjoy them at home (this is never a problem for us, but its good to know!). Tea was also free flowing!

All the staff that we encountered on the day were friendly and professional, nothing was too much for them. Chewton Glen itself offers a lovely setting for a truly relaxing afternoon tea experience. For more information please visit the Chewton Glen website.

A huge thank you to Alexandra for treating me to such a wonderful afternoon tea.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Tried and Tested....Tea So Tea

Hello there,

Welcome back to another tried and tested tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. Recently I was contacted by the lovely people at Tea So Tea, a tea company that is the product of a Sri Lankan family who has been trading in tea since 1943.

Tea So Tea's tea is certified Fair Trade, Carbon Neutral and forest garden grown - there are six teas in their range and in this post we have tried the five teas that come in bagged form.

Tea So Tea Range

We began our tea adventure with the Organic Jungle Chai which retails at £4.00 for 20 teabags. This is a warming tea, spiced with organic cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and orange peel with a base of organic black tea.

Organic Jungle Chai
Tea So Tea

This tea was a beautiful amber colour when brewed for a couple of minutes, initially we decided to try it made with water rather than milk. The brew smelt strongly of cloves, but we found that the taste was much more subtle. The cinnamon was very warming, and it reminded us all of Christmas time. This was Becca's favourite tea from the selection, although she didn't enjoy it as much when made with milk.

After this tea we moved onto the Organic Green Tea with Lemongrass & Ginger, again this retails at £4.00 for 20 teabags. This blend of lemongrass and ginger with organic green tea is designed to re-energise the drinker.

Green tea with Lemongrass & Ginger
Tea So Tea

A bright and cheerful blend, when brewed this tea had a very unique aroma, but we couldn't particularly taste the ginger in the blend. 

From here we moved onto another of the black teas, opting for the organic black tea which was infused with vanilla.  Again, this retails at £4.00 for a box of 20 teabags. I was interested to smell and taste this particular blend, as vanilla can often taste/smell a little artificial.

Organic Black Tea with Vanilla - Tea So Tea

Tea So Tea have taken their organic black tea and enhanced it by blending in organic vanilla grown in their forest gardens alongside the tea bush. The flavour and aroma are both very subtle and not at all artificial, making for a lovely cup of tea.

We then turned our attention to a tea that I am not so keen on generally - a mint tea. Tea So Tea have given mint tea a slightly different slant, taking their green tea and blending it with mint for their Organic Green Tea with Mint.

Organic Green Tea with Mint
Tea So Tea

Now I am a little biased here as I am generally not a fan of mint teas but this tea didn't really rock my world! The tea did have a nice minty aroma and was a pleasant colour when brewed, and I imagine a mint tea drinker would love this tea. The green tea and mint are grown together in the Tea So Tea forest gardens.

Finally we ended up a good old fashioned cup of black tea.....

Tea So Tea - Organic Black Tea

We finished on a really positive note with this charming black tea. It was a beautiful amber colour when brewed and tasted refreshing.....this was a clear favourite for Lorna. Again, this tea costs £4.00 for 20 teabags.

All in all this was a lovely selection of teas to try, all of which would make a nice addition to any tea lovers tea collection! I am particularly fond of the packaging, which can be taken apart and re-used as pretty  storage boxes....

Tea so Tea packaging

Every item of the package, from the bag to the pack, has been selected by Tea so Tea to minimise its impact to the environment and, where possible, to be reusable.

The transparent pyramid teabags are also 100% biodegradable.

I'd like to thank Tea So Tea for sharing their teas with us, we really enjoyed sampling the range. For more information about Tea So Tea please visit their website.

Have you sampled a tea that you think we should know about? Please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....Boyds London

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends, this week I was very lucky to be invited to the afternoon tea launch at Boyds Brasserie in London. I was a guest of both Boyds and Square Meals, along with a group of lovely food bloggers.

I had seen a photo of the new afternoon tea which launched on the 7th July and was keen to try it out for myself.....

Afternoon tea - Boyds London
Photo from website

Not your usual afternoon tea venue, Boyds is a restaurant located a very short stroll from Trafalgar Square on Northumberland Avenue. Boyds is very proud of it's British menu, sourcing everything from within Great Britain. It's interior is rather glamorous, but also relaxed - a nice environment to enjoy a spot of tea in!

Your afternoon tea at Boyds is served on plain white china and glass serving plates - which gives the tea a modern feel. The menu however, is quite traditional with a slight quirky start and finish!

Afternoon Tea China & Menu

The afternoon tea feast at Boyds begins with traditional sandwiches...but also a serving of potted shrimp. I have never seen this on an afternoon tea menu before, but I am pleased to report that it made a lovely addition.....

Afternoon Tea - Potted Shrimps - Boyds

The potted shrimp was light and flavoured well and the crisp bread made a perfect accompaniment. It was a rather fresh and scrummy way to start the meal. The potted shrimp was served alongside a traditional sandwich platter....

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches - Boyds

As you'll notice there wasn't a controversial hint of crust in sight....I can also confirm that the bread was soft and fresh. The fillings included a lovely egg mayonnaise and watercress served on white bread, smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill served on brown and salted beef with pickled cucumber and Dijon also on brown bread.

I really enjoyed the egg sandwich and also the salmon, unfortunately the salted beef wasn't for me - I am not a huge fan of pickled things or Dijon...but my fellow diners all seemed to enjoy it.

Once we had enjoyed the savoury elements, we were served the sweets on a two tier cake stand....

The Sweets at Boyds!

The scones are served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, these are followed by a lovely selection of perfectly sized cakes and pastries.

Scones ...dressed the Tea With Me and Friends way!

Although the scones weren't served warm, they were a good size and perfectly fluffy in the middle. Not claggy in texture at all. I enjoyed both the cream and dollop of jam and am pleased to report that there was plenty of both on offer! As you can imagine....bringing a group of food bloggers together brought about debate regarding the "correct" way to dress your scones. Regular readers will know which way I fought!

Perfectly Sized Afternoon Tea Sweets - Boyds

The sweet selection included a wonderful piece of fruit cake, which was full of flavour but not at all heavy. There was also a bite sized eclair, which was so light, a fresh strawberry tart and a piece of lemon drizzle cake. My favourite items were the eclair and the fruit cake - which surprised me! I made the mistake of leaving my piece of lemon drizzle to last, unfortunately this meant the air had got to the cake a little by the time I ate it and it was a little dry. The flavour however was wonderful. 

All of the items were a good size and easy to eat. I enjoyed all the flavours - all in all it was a very nice sweet plate!

Finally, there is one last item to finish the afternoon tea experience.....

Mini ice creams - Boyds

Yes, they are cute little ice cream cones! 

I really enjoyed the chocolate wafer combined with the vanilla ice cream....and the use of "hundreds and thousands" adds a fun element. They were really scrummy and a lovely end to the afternoon tea.

This afternoon tea costs £19.90 per person with tea, if you want a treat you can include a glass of champagne for £29.90 per person. I think this is a good value afternoon tea, full of scrummy items. For more information please visit the Boyds website.

A group of food bloggers....identifiable by the
amount of cameras/mobiles on the table!

I'd like to thank Boyds and Square Meal for their hospitality - we were all well looked after, and it was brilliant to talk to some other food bloggers. Although I was a guest at this event, this has not clouded my judgement and all opinions expressed in this article are my own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Meet the Pastry Chef....Zoe Wager

Hello there,

Welcome back to another blog post where we meet one of the amazing pastry chefs who create the scrummy afternoon teas that we enjoy! This time we meet Zoe Wager who is the Executive Pastry Chef at the Intercontinental Westminster in London.

Zoe was behind the recent Intercontinental Westminster hit, The Edible Garden, and we recently shared with you a sneak peek of the wonderful new seaside inspired afternoon tea created by Zoe. Here Zoe tells us a little more about the tea....

Our new afternoon tea is titled 'British Summer Holiday'.  It aims to take our guests through a typical day on holiday, starting with a picnic of prawn cocktail and pork pie with piccalilli, even on its own gingham rug!  There are also some delicious classic finger sandwiches such as egg and cress and coronation chicken.  We have used summer as inspiration for our scone flavours and have marmalade and strawberry & yogurt, served with our signature lemon curd, and, of course, clotted cream and strawberry jam.  The finale is a fantastic beach scene , complete with chocolate beach huts, sandcastles, bucket and spades and little windmill toffee chocolate tarts.  You can even eat the sand!

British Summer Holiday Afternoon Tea
Intercontinental Westminster

So what does it take to come up with these amazing afternoon teas......

Q How long does it usually take you to create new afternoon teas?

I’ve always got ideas in my mind and I‘m always making notes or taking photos of interesting things I see which inspire me - these could be food or non-food related.  Once I decide on the theme I would like to do for the next tea it's a few weeks of deciding flavours and developing recipes, as well as looking at presentation ideas before I am happy.  I also have to consider what is practical for my team to reproduce in its hundreds as there's no point doing something beautiful if it cannot be replicated exactly and consistently for each one of our guests.  It's really important to me that the flavours reflect the theme and vice versa. All the little details really count when it comes to afternoon tea.  

Q. Where does your inspiration for new teas come from?

Anywhere and everywhere!  I consider the time of year and any calendar influences - for example, next year I am really looking forward to developing something fun with the General Election in mind.  With so many great afternoon teas in London it is difficult to do something to stand out from the crowd, so I try to do something people would not expect.  I also consider our typical clientele and whether they would respond well to the ideas.  I scour the internet for photos rather than concepts or recipes as afternoon tea is very visual and I want to be able to recreate an experience through my teas.  I think the British Summer Holiday tea that we are doing right now really captures the essence of our childhood and gives people a sense of nostalgia, whilst also showcasing the best of British Summer (with or without the weather!)  

Q. What is your favourite part of your latest afternoon tea?

I think the sandcastles are so cute.  We spray them with chocolate and the texture is so realistic.  Once they have the little chocolate flags they really look the part. I think people on first sight people expect them to be quite dense, so the light peach mousse is refreshing.   

Those super cute sandcastles and buckets!

Q. Do you enjoy a spot of afternoon tea yourself and have you tried tea anywhere else?

I don't often get the chance to go out and try afternoon tea anywhere else, so it is a very special treat.  It always feels strange to be a chef outside the kitchen and I am particularly nosey so always want a little peak inside the kitchen and see what other chefs are up to!  Recently I was lucky enough to visit The Langham. The afternoon tea there is amazing and the pastry chef there, Cherish, is a master of her craft.  

Q. What is your favourite filling in an afternoon tea sandwich?

I love coronation chicken.  I know it's a bit old fashioned but that's the point these flavours which have stood the test of time - it's because they can't be beaten! A nice simple twist on classic cucumber is mint, which I also enjoy

Executive Pastry Chef Zoe Wager
Intercontinental Westminster

Q. The all important question - do you put cream or jam on your scone first?

I always used to put jam on first. Then, recently, I was talking to a friend who said the cream should be considered to be like butter, and therefore it should be spread first.  That made so much sense! I don't know why I never thought of it that way, so now I lashings of cream on first!

Q. If you could invite any guest to enjoy afternoon tea with you, who would it be and why?

Definitely my mum.  She died when I was much younger and never even knew I became a chef.  I would love to have the chance to take her out and spoil her. She would love the afternoon tea experience.  I don't think she ever did it.  

What do you know....Zoe is a "cream first" convert! I'd like to thank Zoe for taking the time to meet us when we last visited the Intercontinental Westminster, we loved seeing the new afternoon tea, and I'd also like to thank Zoe for answering our questions.

This seaside inspired afternoon tea can be enjoyed throughout July and August and is £37.50 per person. If you'd like to find out more about the British Summer Holiday afternoon tea, visit the Intercontinental Westminster website. 

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....Mrs Smith's Tea Room

Hello there,

Welcome to another guest post from Tea With Me and Friends - this time we are keeping it in the family as our cousin Neil and his wife Jenny share their recent visit to Mrs Smith's Tea Room in Banstead with us. Neil is very lucky - he won this afternoon tea in a recent competition run by the tea room.

Mrs Smith's Tea Room opened in 2010 and offers a whole range of foods, including Homemade cakes, Freshly Made Sandwiches, Homemade Soup and Baked Potatoes. Also opening soon is a tapas bar. I know Neil likes a spot of afternoon tea though and was keen to find out what he thought of his latest tea adventure....

The tearoom itself offers guests seating both inside and outside....

Mrs Smith's Tea Room - Banstead

The afternoon tea at Mrs Smith's consists of  a pot of tea, a selection of finger sandwiches, scones served with cream and jam and a cake selection. The portions are generous in size and according to Neil very tasty too.....

Mrs Smith's Tea Room - Afternoon Tea

In fact the portions were so generous (did you see the size of those scones??) that Neil needed a doggy bag to take some of his tea home with him! Neil commented that the tearoom offers guests a pleasant environment to enjoy their tea in, and the staff were all very friendly.

Let's take a closer look at those rather scrummy scones....I am pleased to note that there appears to be a nice amount of fruit in there.....

Afternoon Tea Scones on offer at
 Mrs Smith's Tea Room

Afternoon tea needs to be pre-booked at this particular tea room, and costs £14.95 per person. Also on offer is a cream tea which includes a pot of tea and either plain or fruit scones at £4.95 per person. There is also various cakes on offer, including gluten free varieties.

Neil and Jenny enjoying a spot of afternoon tea
at Mrs Smith's Tea Room

All in all Neil thoroughly enjoyed his afternoon tea experience at Mrs Smith's and would recommend it for anyone looking for a local tea experience. The tea room is open five days a week, for more information visit their Facebook page.

Thank you to Neil and Jenny for sharing their afternoon tea adventure with us, it's brilliant to hear about local tea rooms. If you have visited somewhere for a spot of tea recently and would like to share your tea adventure with us please get in touch!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....With Friends

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea blog post from Tea With Me and Friends, this time I wanted to share my recent tea adventure with you not because of the wonderful food, tea or service.....I want to share it with you because I had such a wonderful time with my friends.

Last weekend a group of us went to the Intercontinental Westminster to celebrate one of our Birthdays....the lovely Becca (or Becky as she is known by some) turned 21 (again) and we decided to celebrate with a spot of tea (and bubbles). 

The hotel served us wonderful food, all fresh and tasty and the service was friendly and efficient...

Afternoon tea sandwiches - Intercontinental Westminster

At the time we visited the hotel they were still serving their edible garden hotel, click here for a peek at their new seaside inspired afternoon tea.

Edible Garden Afternoon Tea
Intercontinental Westminster

The hotel catered well for Becca's dietary requirements, as she is unable to eat butter she was presented with separate plates of savouries and sweets that she thoroughly enjoyed....

A butter free sweet afternoon tea plate
Intercontinental Westminster

I was thoroughly impressed with the sweet plate that featured many different flavours and kept the Birthday Girl very happy!

The Birthday Girl!

As you will know if you have popped by our blog before, we have visited the Intercontinental Westminster several times now and have enjoyed their good service, relaxing surroundings and of course the wonderful food. The highlight for me this time however was something that a lot of people enjoy most about afternoon tea - time with friends and family. Time to relax, have a good natter and hopefully laugh a lot.

Everyone is so busy in today's modern world, that it is a wonderful experience to be able to spend a couple of hours with your friends or family with no external distractions, and this tea adventure really reinforced that for me. I have several photos from the afternoon that I will treasure as they remind me of the wonderful time we had....

But possibly my favourite photo from the day was this one.....

If you would like to know anymore about the current afternoon tea on offer at the Intercontinental Westminster please visit their website.

If you have any photos of you and your friends enjoying afternoon tea that you'd like to share with us we'd love to see them - please drop us a line on teawithmeandfriends@gmail.com 

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....Ham Yard Hotel

Hello there,

Welcome back to another fab guest post from Tea With Me and Friends - this time we are joining Jude on another of her afternoon tea adventures! This time Jude and her family visited Ham Yard Hotel, Jude has described this tea as her best afternoon tea ever!

Now after hearing that claim I just had to find out more! Ham Yard Hotel is part of the Firmdale Group, located in Soho. Afternoon tea is served in a number of places in the hotel, including the Drawing Room where Jude enjoyed her tea.

The drawing room is a large airy space and to begin with Jude and her family were the only ones in there, when another couple arrived later, they were seated so far away that tea remained a private affair and conversations couldn't be overheard. They were seated on comfy chairs for tea, and in Jude's opinion one should definitely be sat comfortably for afternoon tea (I couldn't agree more with this)!

The crockery was rather beautiful - better than just plain white china.....

Afternoon tea Crockery
Ham Yard Hotel

The hotel had only been opened for a week when Jude visited, but they experienced no first week teething problems and the waitress was fully versed in every aspect of the afternoon tea. All the staff were very friendly and offered a relaxed service - no snobbiness here at all!

The basic afternoon tea costs £18 per person, for an additional £2.50 per person you can opt from a larger selection of teas. Jude opted for a flowering tea, served in a beautiful glass teapot....

Flowering tea being served at Ham Yard Hotel

Now for the scrummy afternoon tea stand, it's worth noting that the hotel offers a weekly changing afternoon tea menu. Let's begin with the savouries.....as a vegetarian family, Jude enjoyed gorgeous veggie cheese and basil croque monsieur and other vegetarian sandwiches. 

These were followed by scones, both plain and fruit - as a party of three they were served six perfectly sized scones, served with cream and jam.

Afternoon tea
Ham Yard Hotel

Then onto the sweet tier (Jude's favourite tier!)......

Sweet treats - Ham Yard Hotel

 The sweet treats that Jude enjoyed included a banana mouse, chocolate battenberg and three different macaroons. All were really scrummy and good sizes.

Jude and Daisy enjoying afternoon tea at Ham Yard Hotel

All in all Jude had a fantastic afternoon tea at Ham Yard Hotel and would definitely return to the hotel again. Everything was beautifully served and all the staff were knowledgeable and could explain all aspects of the tea. At £18 per person for the basic afternoon tea, this also offers great value for money.

Afternoon tea treats are served throughout the day at the hotel, with a selection of sweet and savoury treats on offer to guests. For more information please visit the Ham Yard Hotel website.

I'd like to thank Jude for sharing her afternoon tea with us, I definitely think this is going on our wish list! If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea recently that you would like to share, please get in touch!

Many thanks for popping by today,

Rachel