Time for Tea....The Swan Restaurant

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we have another fab guest post to share with you! This time the lovely Victoria is sharing her recent themed afternoon tea at The Swan Restaurant in London. Over to Victoria....

 Having been to The Swan Restaurant (next to the Globe Theatre) for lunch, I was keen to return for afternoon tea.  My husband, Ian, volunteered to come with me for this treat!  The restaurant has the most incredible view of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and we were lucky enough to have a window table.   

There is a choice of either a Midsummer Night’s Dream themed tea or a gentleman’s afternoon tea, but seeing the list of sweet treats we both plumped for the themed tea.  This costs £26.50, plus a little extra for either bubbles or a “Love Potion” cocktail.  In the interest of this review, I felt that I must sample the cocktail.  A special mention must go to the beautiful crockery, all designed specifically for this themed tea.

All the tea is leaf tea and we were both given a decent sized pot.  Ian plumped for the English Breakfast tea, whereas I had the flowery “Fleur d’Orient” – a hint of jasmine for this theme!  I must mention that my cocktail was far too enjoyable and was a perfect complement to the savoury section of the food.

The Love Potion at The Swan

So, on to the main event.  The savoury plate at the bottom was the place to start, of course.  Only the egg and watercress sandwich was in a traditional finger, but the crusts were off!  The wild mushroom and truffle tart was incredibly flavoursome, the chicken bun was scrumptious and that salmon pancake was divine.  Although the majority were not traditional, they were all delicious so we did not mind that they were not all finger sandwiches! 

Midsummers Night Dream Afternoon tea
at The Swan Restaurant, London

The scones were beautifully warm and consisted of one fruit and one plain scone each.  These were served with raspberry jam and clotted cream in just the right amount for two people for afternoon tea.  Having had the jam or cream first debate, we agreed that it all ends up in our tummies far too quickly.

Midsummers Night Dream Afternoon tea
at The Swan Restaurant, London

Up to that top layer, we were in for more of a treat.  I think that Puck would have approved of the hibiscus and apricot shot in those glasses; maybe that’s what was in the potion he popped into those eyes!  Hopefully, Titania would have approved of the lemon and rose cake whereas Oberon’s favourite would have been the chocolate and violet chouquette (profierole as Ian called it!).

I’ve already sent a photograph to my afternoon tea buddy who lives in Dubai, so she’s hoping to visit The Swan Restaurant when she’s back in London.  In the meantime, I’d recommend the afternoon tea in this ideal setting.

We'd like to give Victoria a huge thank you for sharing her latest afternoon tea adventure with us - it certainly looks and sounds like a delightful experience! What great flavour combinations and just look at that view!

We always love hearing about our readers afternoon tea adventures - if you've visited anywhere recently (either in London or further afield) drop us a line and let us know!

If you'd like to read more about The Swan, pop by their gorgeous website!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Halloween 2016 Round Up - Spooky Afternoon Teas!

Hello there,

With Halloween just around the corner we thought we would share with you some of the spooky afternoon teas we've discovered this year....

Let's start with The Milestone Hotel in London....

Their selection of spooky pastries including....

Wickedly witchy cupcake,

Garishly ghoulish

Orange & chocolate macaroon,

Morbid mummy / deadly Dracula éclair

Spider's web vanilla cheesecake

£40 per person

The Park Lane Hotel is offering a slightly different Halloween afternoon tea this year...

Yes, it's a magic themed afternoon tea (for people like me who don't really like magic this is quite horrifying!!). To celebrate Halloween, The Park Lane Hotel have crafted a magic Afternoon Tea to pay tribute to Harry Houdini on the 90th anniversary of his death in this menu available 28th - 31st October. 

Diners can indulge in a complimentary elusive cocktail alongside a range of themed treats while enjoying some top class close up magic from magician Tony Middleton, who has appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool us and is the star of the hit London show, The Magic Hour.

Or how about the Halloween edition of the Lancaster London ARTea....

How amazing does that look...let's see what it includes...

A collection of Sandwiches & Savoury bites...

Smoked in the fires of hell salmon on granary

Axe carved beef with horseradish

Smashed egg and crazy wild cress on blood bread

Cucumber coffins 

Devilled chorizo tartlet

Fried until dead veggie Scotch eggs

"Slate of the Art" Scones 

Plain and raisin the dead scones, congealed jam and blood clotted cream

Pumpkin scones with cremated blood orange marmalade

Artists tube of home-made strawberry jam 

Artists tube of Cornish clotted cream . 

When you have brushed the rest aside enjoy a gallery of devillicious sweet bites

Chocolate graveyard

Spider web lollipop

Shattered glass cupcakes

Frankenstein macaroons

Bloodied finger éclair

ArTea  is available at £26.25 Per Person

Bea's of Bloomsburys has created all kinds of spooky sweet treats...

A ghoulish Halloween gift box with 6 hauntingly creepy decorated cupcakes, including 2 Red Velvet; 2 double chocolate and 2 pumpkin vanilla.

Or how about these spiced pumpkin macaroons....

Not going to be in London this Halloween....never fear we've also found some spooky offerings slightly further afield!

If you fancy combining a day out at The Tropical Butterfly House in South Yorkshire with a spot of spooky afternoon tea, this October you can have an extra special Halloween themed Afternoon Tea for Two for £34 including admission to the Wildlife Centre.....

Monsters, ghosts and eyeballs.....something for everyone here!

Even Disneyland is getting a bit spooky with their  “Trick or Tea” afternoon tea...

The sweet treats include chocolate-dipped strawberries decorated to look like Jack Skellington’s suit and a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin!

If you enjoy a tea-riffic Halloween themed afternoon tea we'd love to hear all about it - send us a photo on Twitter or Facebook!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea - Coworth Park, Ascot

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends. Today we have another lovely guest post for you as we are joined by my fellow Farnham WI Vice President Lydia, as she enjoyed a recent afternoon tea at Coworth Park.

Coworth Park is part of the Dorchester Group, it's a luxury country house hotel and spa set in beautiful parkland in Ascot. Afternoon tea is served in the beautiful setting of the Drawing Room, and on Saturday and Sundays from 2.30pm guests can enjoy afternoon tea accompanied by live music from either the pianist or harpist.

The afternoon tea menu is seasonal and currently includes

Sandwich selection:

Oak smoked salmon, lemon sour cream

“BLT” Beef, lovage and tomato

Coworth Park Coronation chicken

Cream cheese with cucumber and mint

Egg mayonnaise with shallots and watercress

Afternoon tea sandwiches from Coworth Park, Ascot

Strawberry jam, seasonal compote and clotted cream

Pastry selection: 

Milk chocolate and hazelnut choux bun

Orange mousse on vanilla shortbread

Coworth Park carrot cake

Cinnamon and Bramley apple macaroon

Afternoon tea pastries from
Coworth Park, Ascot

Lydia told me how great this afternoon tea is, the service was great and there is a brilliant tea selection too. As well as traditional and herbal teas, there is also a great selection of seasonal teas:

THE AUTUMN TEA SELECTION

SWEET ALMOND TEA

 China black tea delicately infused with sweet almond.

Soft, mellow and soothing

MANDARIN AND ORANGE SPICE

The headiness of orange blossom infused with China black tea and hint of

cinnamon and cloves, culminating in a truly fragrant and revitalising tea

COCONUT

Classic Ceylon black tea combined with coconut creates perfectly sweet

and rich tea, with nutty flavor

THE CITRUS SENSATION

With a combination of cranberry, orange and rooibos,

this citrus blend mixes fruit sensations with a subtle floral bouquet,

to provide a truly fragrant tea

APPLE ORCHARD

A soft, round tea with fresh apple flavor, warm and calming blend

SUGAR PLUM

Green tea infused with plum and cinnamon

LADY GREY IN WAITING

Take on the Earl Grey tea, fragrant, bright and light black tea infused with

Bergamot oil and delicious citrus peel

I think the sugar plum tea sounds wonderful!

For more information about the Coworth Park afternoon tea pop by their website.

A big thank you to Lydia for sharing her tea-riffic photos with us! If you enjoy a spot of afternoon tea anywhere we'd love to hear all about it - drop us a line or send us some photos!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Belated Tea Review - Autumn at Bluebird Tea

Hello there,

We hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

Recently the lovely peeps at Bluebird Tea sent us a fabulous collection of autumn teas, including the ever popular Spiced Pumpkin Pie!

Not heard of Spiced Pumpkin Pie yet? It's only Bluebird Tea's limited edition Autumn favourite, which is a spiced Pumpkin Chai. The blend includes Ceylon black tea, carrot pieces, Halloween sprinkles, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, vanilla pieces, flavour......but don't be put off by the carrot, this is a scrummy tea!

Spiced Pumpkin Pie from Bluebird Tea

This tea is light brown in colour when brewed and has an amazing sweet, vanilla aroma. It has a really refreshing flavour which is sweet and warming. A really lovely cup of tea....no wonder it's so popular! Bluebird Tea also has a Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe that you can follow on their website.

Also in the selection was an intense and smokey Lapsang Chai....

Lapsang Chai from Bluebird Tea

Such a pretty blend! 

This is aromatic, pinewood smoked black leaf  and masala chai spices includes Indian Assam tea, lapsang souchong black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, red peppercorns. 

This tea has a beautiful amber colour when brewed and has a spicy aroma. The flavour is intense and smokey, perfect for the autumn months.

Looking for something a little chocolately? Why not try the Choco Pops blend....

Choco Pops Tea from Bluebird Tea

This blend smells amazing - assuming you all love chocolate as much as I do! 

This blend includes Sri Lankan black tea, Japanese sencha green tea, cacao bean, chocolate chips, toasted rice, chocolate sprinkles, and flavour. Once brewed it loses a little of it's chocolate aroma, but has a sweet and nutty flavour. 

The final tea in this selection is the naturally caffeine free Rooibos Earl Grey...

Rooibos Earl Grey from Bluebird Tea

This decaf earl grey includes Rooibos, mallow flowers, blue cornflowers and flavouring. The leaves have a really strong aroma - the bergamot smell is very strong. This however mellows when the tea is brewed. 

The tea is a warm brown colour when brewed and actually tastes just like earl grey! It is a very warming tea, with citrus notes. A very enjoyable cuppa when you don't want to drink caffeine. 

This is a great selection of teas for the aumtun months, as the weather is getting colder. To find out more about Bluebird Teas pop by their website.

We'd like to thank the Bluebird Tea tea for sending us this scrummy teas and if you try them we hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Sunday Scone Review - The Good Taste Bakery

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today.

It's another Sunday....so it's time to sit back and read about the latest scone that we've been trying out! This week we have a scone from The Good Taste Bakery, which I bought recently from a local garden centre along with some Dorset clotted cream and a jar of pineapple jam....

The Sunday Scone review with The Good Taste Bakery

Not heard of The Good Taste Bakery before? Well, Good Taste is an independent business, celebrating its first 20 years next year, which is owner-managed by Master Baker, Dean Wilsher, and Head of Confectionery, Debbie Wilsher. They currently produce over 40 different breads and rolls, and are committed to combining high quality ingredients with traditional craft baking skills, and twenty first century technology.

They aim to produce bread that tastes good, lasts well, is as healthy as possible – and is good value. The Good Taste Bakery is a modern, high tech space near Camberley, Surrey that is home to an impressive array of talented and proud bakers, each with their own specialities. And an interesting fact is that every single item they produce is made by hand!

So....what's their scones like I hear you say?

Well, as you can see I bought the fruity ones and I was pleased to see they had been generous with their sultanas. The scones were a good size and cut easily. 

The cream spread easily too, giving me a good base for the jam ...

The flavour of the scones were sweet, but not overly sweet - they let the flavours of the cream and the jam shine through. The texture was great too - not at all claggy. There were also only two in the pack, which I thought was great as nothing went to waste.

I also wanted to give a mention to the jam....

This is my new favourite discovery....its sweet, fruity and very tropical! The flavour is a true pineapple flavour and despite being sweet, didn't taste artificial. It also has small, delicious chunks of pineapple in the jam. It went really well with the clotted cream.....and also tastes great swirled in plain yogurt. I think its safe to say that I love this jam!!

All in all I was very pleased with these discoveries, the scones were tasty and made a great base for the cream and jam. I also loved that you buy these in packs of two - great for smaller households or if you just fancy one or two scones. If you happen to see these in a local shop I'd definitely recommend giving them a try. 

If anyone else has tried this jam and has a different way of enjoying it please can you let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

Spooky treats from Sweetheart Cake& Bake Shop!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

Sweetheart, Covent Garden’s newly opened Cake & Bake shop, is kicking off the autumn season with a spooktacular selection of cupcakes, biscuits and sweet treats during the run-up to Halloween. They are so cute we couldn't wait to share them with you.....

From 10th–30th October, the shop will be offering a line-up of devilishly delightful cupcake flavours, including Evil Pumpkin Oreo, Witchy Chocolate Orange, Trick or Treat Blueberry, RIP Chocolate Heaven, Ghostly Nutella and more. A spellbinding range of tasty cakes, biscuits, teas and beverages will be available for purchase as well.

Owner Polly Antoniadi said: “Halloween is one of our favourite times of the year, and we’re getting as creative as possible with our seasonal flavours and designs! Over 80% of our display will be Halloween-themed versions of our cupcakes, and the shop will be fully decorated, so be sure to visit us in Covent Garden to celebrate the occasion.”

Despite the supernatural theme, all of Sweetheart’s products are made from top quality, pure and natural ingredients such as British butter and fresh milk, handcrafted in-house with TLC and baked with a personal touch.

Cupcakes are available in-store or take-away for £3.80 each.

If you pop by the shop don't forget to take a photo - it sounds like a tea-riffic selection of bakes!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for.....a spot of porridge....with Piacha!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....I'm not sure about you but we're really feeling the cold in the autumn mornings! Well, the lovely Pia from Piacha is here to warm up your mornings! They've been taking their favourite tea blend and turning them into a porridge. Yes, really!

Tea infused porridges from Piacha

Piacha have been experimenting for their new menu and can now proudly present a colourful range of porridges to brighten up our mornings: a green coconut one based on Matcha Mint, a red berries version with Berry Mix and one for the traditionalists, with milk and English Breakfast.

Can't get to Piacha and want to try out a tea porridge at home? Piacha's top tip is to choose a strong blend and make your tea first, double strength. Add oats and then cook as usual. It's really very easy, and tastes marvellous!

This sounds like a tea-riffic idea to me - we can't wait to try this at Tea With Me and Friends towers! If you give this a go at home, send us a photo and let us know how you get on!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Let's celebrate Chocolate Week!

Hello there,

As you know.....it's currently Chocolate Week! Fuelling London’s love-affair with cocoa, a number of London venues have partnered with Divine to help chocoholics celebrate the occasion. During the week, cocoa bean connoisseurs will be able to indulge in an assortment of offerings across the capital.

Below, we have dipped into some of the capital’s sweet-toothed chocolate offerings:

Divine Chocolate ARTea at Lancaster London:

Having recently launched its hugely successful ARTea, Lancaster London will put a chocolate-y twist on the budding artists favourite with its Divine Chocolate ARTea. Inside the authentic painters box will lay an array of edible art, alongside tempting Divine chocolate treats.

State of the ‘Art’ Divine chocolate scones will be served alongside paint tubes filled with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam – giving you all the tools needed to devise a cocoa-creation. Lancaster London’s Divine Chocolate ARTea Afternoon Tea will be available from the hotel’s first floor Lounge Bar for £35.00 per person.

Chocolate Spa Treatment at K West:

K West Hotel & Spa has created a 'Good Enough to Eat’ Spa Treatment. The treatment will begin with a back exfoliation using a Mediterranean orange scrub, followed by a soothing sweet almond oil massage. A warm firming and hydrating chocolate mask will then be applied to the back, before moisturising it with a vanilla and cardamom oil. Available only during Chocolate Week, the limited edition K Spa treatment is priced at £90 per person, including access to the hotel’s award-winning Wet Spa facilities.

Guests will also be treated to the exclusive Chocolate Hopper Cocktail which will feature mint liqueur, white Mozart liqueur, double crème, Divine milk chocolate and dark chocolate Azteca bitters.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Chocolate Teapots!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....as you know we love tea and we also love chocolate....and since it's Chocolate Week we've found something that combines the two!

I Just Love It offers lots of chocolate goodies.....including a chocolate teapot!

Chocolate Teapot  £24.99

This product is about as much use as a Chocolate Teapot. Whether you’re using it to fuel puns or for its proper use, we won’t judge on either. It’s a life-size teapot featuring 600g of chocolate and can be eaten in two ways; piece-by-piece or fill it with hot water to create a gorgeous fondue.

Don't fancy a teapot.....never fear they have a whole range of beautifully crafted chocolates in range of designs including Handcuffs £16.99, Spanner £12.99, Horseshoe £11.99, Bottle Opener and Cap £10.99,Nut and Bolt £12.99, Shears £13.99, Secateurs £12.99, Padlock £12.99, Wing Corkscrew £16.99, Twist Corkscrew £14.99 and Key £12.99. 

For those with food intolerances, they’re also gluten free!

Chocolate Golf Iron and Ball £15.99

To see more of the chocolate goodies on offer take a peek at the I Just Love It website!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

London Steakhouse Co - Divine Chocolate Cocktail!

Hello there,

London Steakhouse Co. launches Divine Chocolate Cocktail for Chocolate Week 2016 and it sounds so scrummy......

London Steakhouse Co. has partnered with Fairtrade chocolatier Divine to launch a Toblerone cocktail (£8.00) for the highly anticipated National Chocolate Week 10th – 16th October 2016. 

The chocoholics dream is an indulgent concoction of Divine’s Milk Chocolate Toffee & Sea Salt and Milk Chocolate with Whole Almond. It will be served in a chilled Martini glass in Chelsea (The Toblerone Martini) and as a Shake (The Toblerone Classic) in the City.

Guests will be able to sample the limited edition chocolate cocktail at the London Steakhouse Co. Chelsea and the newly refurbished City branch, during National Chocolate Week only.

London Steakhouse Co. consists of two of London’s finest steak restaurants. The British Steakhouses are renowned for their steak cuts which are dry-aged for 28 days. The restaurant also serves a selection of fish and vegetarian dishes with every dish being made from scratch on site every day. 

Anyone else drooling slightly???

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Chocolate Week at Sopwell House

Hello there!

Sopwell House is amongst selected top venues that are collaborating with Divine Chocolate to make sure that chocoholics across the country are spoilt for choice. Shall we take a peek at what they have on offer this week....get ready to drool....

Led by Head Chef Gopi Chandran, the culinary team at Sopwell House have created three delicious chocolate treats for their guest to enjoy. 

For the duration of Chocolate Week, the hotel’s Traditional Afternoon Tea will feature a rich Dark Chocolate Delice made from Divine’s 70% dark chocolate. Afternoon tea is served in the Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge or Conservatory Bar from 1pm until 5.30pm, and is available from £23.90 per person.

The Brasserie is the vibrant, open-plan kitchen at Sopwell House, which provides guests with a relaxed location for both intimate dinners and large celebrations. It will feature a special dessert of a White Chocolate and Strawberry Brûlée, served with Traditional Shortbread Fingers (£6.75). The brûlée is made from Divine’s white chocolate with strawberries, one of their six signature flavours.

For a more formal, fine-dining experience, The Restaurant provides a sophisticated gourmet menu, which for one week only will include a specially designed dessert for Chocolate Week using Divine Chocolate. Guests will be tempted by a silky smooth Milk Chocolate Mousse, with a Cherry Griottine Gel and Pistachio Ice Cream, which features on the set menu (2 courses for £30 or 3 courses for £35).

I told you you'd be drooling!

Sopwell House is a stunning 18th century Georgian manor house located in the village of St. Albans deep within the Hertfordshire countryside. Located only 20 minutes from London St. Pancras, the hotel is the idyllic getaway just outside of the hustle and bustle of the capital. The hotel is the perfect place to dine boasting two restaurants, elegant cocktail lounge, and conservatory bar, all of which look out on 12-acres of beautiful gardens.

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel & Lorna 

Tea-rific News.......It's Chocolate Week!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends! We're really excited this week because it's.......Chocolate Week!

The UK's biggest Chocolate celebration runs from 10th -16th October 2016, culminating in The Chocolate Show on the 14th-16th October at Olympia National Hall, London. Hundreds of events are expected this Chocolate Week around the UK, with the country’s top chocolatiers and chocolate companies, as well as hotels, bars and restaurants celebrating by hosting talks, tastings, demonstrations and sampling, as well as creating exclusive products, new launches, offers, chocolate meals, cocktails and recipes using some of the best chocolate brands from around the world.

Chocolate Week aims to promote fine flavour chocolate, the independent artisan chocolatiers and the chocolate companies who work in direct partnership with cocoa farmers, encouraging consumers to pay a fairer price for their chocolate.

Chocolate Week is organised by Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet, founders and organizers of the Salon du Chocolat around the world including The Chocolate Show London.

We're celebrating Chocolate Week at Tea With Me and Friends towers with a host of dedicated chocolate blog posts! So make sure you pop back during the week!

For more information about Chocolate Week pop by the Chocolate Week blog!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Halloween ARTea Afternoon Tea at Lancaster London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends! As we make out way through October we're getting closer to that spooky time of year - yes Halloween! Today we're sharing with you a spook-tacular Halloween themed afternoon tea from Lancaster London.

This Halloween, indulge in a truly ghoulish experience at Lancaster London with the hotel’s exclusive Halloween-themed ARTea Afternoon Tea.

Halloween-themed ARTea Afternoon Tea - Lancaster London

Available from 17th until 31st October 2016 and priced at just £35 per person, the Afternoon Tea includes a host of spooky sweet treats such as: Spider web lollypops; Shattered glass cupcakes; Frankenstein macaroons; and Bloodied finger éclairs. Fresh-out–the-oven pumpkin scones will be served warm, with cremated blood orange marmalade plus artists’ tubes of home-made strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream.

The Afternoon Tea also includes savoury classics with a fantastically frightful twist such as: Axe carved beef with horseradish; Smashed egg and crazy wild cress on blood bread; Cucumber coffins; and Devilled chorizo tartlets accompanied by a selection of fresh loose leaf teas.  

The fun Afternoon Tea will be served in the hotel’s sumptuous first floor Lounge Bar from 2pm until 5.30pm. If you miss this afternoon tea never fear - Lancaster London offers tea-riffic themed afternoon teas throughout the year, tying in with special dates, movie releases and London events. 

If you try this afternoon tea you have to tell us what blood bread tastes like!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel& Lorna

The Friday Review - Oteas

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a tea-riffic day!

Ok....so it's not Friday (our lovely scheduling tool didn't fancy working!) but we are here with a new tea review for you!

A little while ago the lovely people from Oteas got in touch, asking whether we'd be interested in sampling some of their teas....and I'm sure you all know the answer we gave! Oteas is a UK based tea company who blend teas from around the world, including Sri Lanka. China and Japan.  Oteas have a desire to promote an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle and their teas come in seven different ranges including black, detox, fruit, green, herbal, organic and rooibos.

Oteas offer teas in both loose leaf form and also pyramid tea bag and they sent us the cutest individually boxed teas to try....take a look at these...

Teas from Oteas

Each little box has a tea bag inside...perfect for creating tea adventures for yourself or if you're feeling generous a tea-loving friend!

In my first selection I had Yasumi tea, ginger tea and an English breakfast tea....

The English breakfast is a full-bodied blend of Ceylon tea and Assam teas, perfect for starting the day! The Yasumi tea is a mix of traditional green tea with notes of berry and mint. This tea is like summer in a cup - a pretty yellow colour when brewed and quite fruity in taste.

Finally we have the Ginger tea, which is a sweet, fruity tea - good for cheering you up on a grey day!

The second set of teas included a lemongrass, ginger and cinnamon tea, Oteas Pure tea and a vanilla flavoured Rooibos...

The malty rooibos has been combined with a splash of sweet vanilla to create a soothing blend, which can be enjoyed at anytime of the day. The lemongrass, ginger and cinnamon tea is smooth but spicy, a wonderfully warming cuppa!

Finally the wellness tea - pure...

Believe it or not this is a white tea! The colour comes from the beetroot pieces in the blend! The tea itself smells very fruity, but doesn't taste as fruity as it smells! Its another comforting cuppa, perfect for the autumn months. 

I loved the little individual boxes, which you can buy individually from the website. It allows you to try teas you might not normally pick and discover new favourites. The Oteas range has something for everyone!

I'd like to thank Oteas for sending us these teas to try - if you'd like to learn more about the company or see the whole range pop by the Oteas website.

Have you tried Oteas? Which is your favourite? We'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for some sweet treats....Milky Mischief from Monty Bojangles!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Now before you read any further I feel I need to warn you about how addictive today's sweet treats are! They look innocent enough....but eat one and you'll be hooked!!

Milky Mischief Truffles - Monty Bojangles

These are milky and chocolately cocoa dusted truffles.....and my goodness they are good!

They are made by Monty Bojangles the company who have the tag line "curiously moreish" - which in this case is very appropriate! If you take a peek at their website you'll discover such delights as Pistachio Marooned truffles, berry bubbly truffles and cookie moon truffles....so these milky mischief truffles sound quite innocent. But as their name suggests.....these little treats are mischievious!

These are new to Monty Bojangles in 2016....

Each truffle tastes of wonderful milk chocolate, which just melts in the mouth. They are light, but decadent and full of flavour.....but they melt away quickly.....making you want to stuff another in your mouth right away! Amazing!

Not great if you are watching your waist line or have no self control (like me!), but they are truly wonderful and would make a lovely gift for that special someone (or yourself!).

For more information pop by the Monty Bojangles website!

But remember...you have been warned!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Sunday Scone Review - Sultana Scones, Rowan Hill Bakery at Lidl

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - Happy Sunday! And since it's Sunday, we're back with another scone review for you! 

This week we've tried to first of our mid-range scones.....these sultana scones from Rowan Hill Bakery,which I bought at Lidl....

Sultana scones - Rowan Hill Bakery, Lidl

These scones are the smallest scones that we've tried so far, although we did get six in the pack rather than four. The scones, although petite, are well risen and remind me of the scones my mum used to buy when we were little.

These scones cost only 75p for six.....

Although this photo doesn't really demonstrate it well, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of sultanas in the scone. The scones also had a pleasant aroma.

I also liked the shape of these scones....I'm not 100% why, but I found the these scones quite pleasing to the eye. So far so good!

I topped my scone with clotted cream and some homemade blackberry jam.

The scone cut well and held the toppings well too.

Sultana scones - Rowan Hill Bakery, Lidl

However, these scones were nothing special really - they tasted ok, and had a sweet flavour.....but they weren't really anything to write home about. 

They were also ever so slightly claggy in texture too.

Joe was disappointed by how small the scones were and after some debate we have decided to give these scones 2.5 stars out of a possible 5. If you want a bargain cream tea at home, they are a treat at 75p for six.....but make sure you have some good quality clotted cream and jam to top them with!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Joe