Time for....some tea and ice-cream!

Hello there!

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....it may be winter time in the UK and a bit chilly (read I've been wearing my big woolly hat!), but that doesn't stop me enjoying the odd ice cream!

Recently we paid a visit to Fortnum and Mason (I love a wander around the tea and china) and was tempted into The Parlour for a cup of tea and an ice cream! Based in the corner of the second floor of Fortnums, the ice cream display is on view to shoppers as they peruse the beautiful teacups on sale. It's a very tempting display!

The Parlour is home to award winning ice-cream creations, Fortnums tea and coffee and both sweet and savoury delights - the perfect place to spend an hour or two!

It's usually really busy, so imagine my delight when I realised we could get a table (probably something to do with the temperature outside!). Once seated we were left with the menu to decide on whether we wanted a piece of cake (perhaps a piece of carrot cake or a pear and orange marmalade tart), something savoury (amongst other items they have a spiced sausage roll and crab and prawn cocktails), one of the pre-designed sundaes (I'll tell you more about those later) or perhaps we wanted to create our own ice cream sundae - picking our favourite flavours and adding toppings such as whipped cream, fresh strawberries or chocolate sauce.

There are plenty of ice cream flavours to pick from, and if you fancy something lighter there are also sorbets as well. From salted caramel to banana split, from rum and raisin to mint chocolate chip - you'll be spoilt for choice! There are also three different vegan ice creams on offer, including a chocolate and cashew blend.

I opted to enjoy a two scoop ice cream with whipped cream, enjoying chocolate and cherrilossus flavours together. The chocolate flavour is smooth and probably one of the best chocolate ice creams I've had the pleasure of enjoying. The cherrilossus had a bitter dark chocolate base and featured cherry compote and nuts - although this was nice, the plain chocolate was better. I can also vouch for the honeycomb flavour which I had a sample of previously. 

The ice cream was served in a fun sundae dish and looked quite wonderful when it was served....it was also rather large.....

Just look at all that cream - they didn't skimp there! 

They also gave me the cutest heart shaped spoon to eat the ice cream with. 

The tea was served in a tea for one pot, with a really pretty bunting pattern. Each pot gave us about 2-3 cups, which was a really good serving.

Now I promised to tell you about the sundaes, although I didn't try one on this occasion I did drool over the descriptions in the menu for quite some time!

You can pick from five different sundaes, or alternatively there are two vegan sundaes on offer. The menu includes the traditional Knickerbocker Glory featuring strawberry and vanilla ice cream, with chunks of pineapple, raspberry coulis, Italian meringue and popping candy - designed to make you smile! The other one that caught my eye was "The Original Dusty Road" which included coffee and chocolate ice cream, butterscotch and chocolate Sauce, Chantilly cream, chocolate flakes and scrummy coffee beans! I think I'll need to revisit and try this one!

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to The Parlour, the service was quick and friendly and the staff were knowledgeable about the different ice creams. The menu includes a good variety of food and drink....if you don't fancy ice cream there will be something else to enjoy!

To find out more about The Parlour, pop by their website

Whilst we were in Fortnums on this occasion, I also found a rather beautiful tea set that I thought I would share....

The set is by Richard Brendon and was designed especially for Fortnum and Masons. I just love the colours and pretty chevron pattern.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for.....A Delicious History Tour

Hello there,

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

In this post we wanted to share a slightly different experience with you, as recently Lorna and I enjoyed a "Delicious History" tour around Fortnum and Mason in London. The tour takes you on a journey throughout the 311 year history of the store, including meeting some of the present day store employees and enjoying some delicious samples.

I'm a big fan of the food hall at Fortnums and the general shopping experience (even if a lot of the items are out of my price range) and I also love social history, so I've wanted to do this tour for a while.

 Tours take place about once a month and involve a small group being taken around the store over a period of approximately two hours. The tour is led by Fortnum's in-house historian and archivist, Dr. Andrea Tanner, who is extremely knowledgeable about the store and it's history. 

Fortnum's started as a small grocery shop in St James's Market in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, they built their reputation on supplying quality food, and saw rapid growth throughout the Victorian era. During its history Fortnum's has been an inventor (the Scotch egg), have been a provider to Royalty and soldiers alike, introduced Heinz baked beans to Britain and supported many British producers. Today the store sells products across various departments and prides itself on providing customers with an individual shopping experience.

The tour begins at the top of the building in the Diamond Jubliee Tee Salon and then moves down the store, spending time on each of the floors. Dr Tanner delivers the tour with humour and makes the time fly by as she tells tales from history and introduces the group to current store employees. The group also get to enjoy some delicious food and drink samples during the tour. 

Dr Tanner was happy to answer any questions that we had and we felt like to learnt a lot during the couple of hours we spent on the tour. There was also a special treat at the end of the tour, but I won't ruin the surprise!

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of this beautiful store. For more information pop by the Fortnum and Mason website.

Have you enjoyed an unusual foodie tour anywhere? We'd love to hear all about it!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Valentines Day Afternoon Tea 2018 - Round Up 2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends. Today we're back with another round up of the Valentine's afternoon teas on offer this year!

Let's start with Binswood Hall, Leamington Spa where guests can enjoy a Valentine's cocktail on arrival...

Binswood Hall Valentines Afternoon Tea

The afternoon Tea cakes on this menu include:

Red velvet gateaux

Macaroon with dark chocolate centre

Strawberry tartlet

Mixed berry Eton Mess

Chef Ben Purton at the Royal Lancaster, London has created a pretty afternoon tea especially for Valentines this year....

Royal Lancaster, Valentines Afternoon Tea

The sweet treats to enjoy at this afternoon tea include:

Strawberries & cream lollipop

Red velvet cheesecake

Raspberry love heart-shaped macaron

Hazelnut mousse on Sable Breton

Rosewater marshmallow tart

I can personally vouch for how good the lollipops are at the Royal Lancaster - always a highlight!

Lorna and I will be visiting our next hotel in April, but in the meantime here is the Valentine's afternoon tea from The Connaught

The Connaught - Valentines Afternoon Tea

I love the colours in this afternoon tea, all so bold and pretty!

The pastries on offer include:

Grapefruit & Lychee - Lychee Mousse, Grapefruit Crystalized Rose
Lemon Bergamot - Bergamot Mousse, Lime Cream Lemon Confit
Passion Fruit Tart - Passion Fruit Jam, Orange Blossom Cream
Coffee Éclair - Coffee Curd, Caramelized Pecan Nut
Rocher - Hazelnut Praline, Milk Chocolate

Finally we have this wonderful selection of Valentines themed afternoon tea treats from Fortnum and Masons....

Fortnum and Masons Valentines Afternoon Tea

Are you drooling just a little now?? Don't they all look wonderful?

If you enjoy a Valentine's themed afternoon tea we'd love to hear all about it! Drop us a line on Twitter or on our Facebook page!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Easter 2017 Afternoon Tea Round Up - Part 1

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends, we hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

With Easter less than a week away we thought we'd take a peek at some of the wonderful Easter themed afternoon teas on offer this year. Spring is such a pretty time of year, with flowers blooming and the sunshine starting to make a welcome appearance....we think this is reflected in this selection of afternoon teas.

Let's start with Fortnum and Mason - one of my favourite shops in London to wander around....

Fortnum and Mason - Easter 2017

Such pretty colours!

Or how about this super cure offering from the Lancaster London Hotel....

Easter ARTea - The Lancaster London Hotel

Chef Ben Purton has added some Easter cuteness to their usual ARTea afternoon tea menu! I'm not sure whether I could eat one of those chicks though - so cute!

Brandshatch Place Hotel in Kent has created this rather tea-riffic Peter Rabbit Afternoon Tea....

Peter Rabbit Afternoon Tea - Brandshatch Place Hotel

The themed menu is to celebrate 150 years of Beatrix Potter and is available between 14th - 17th April 2017. Just look at those edible carrots!

Are you drooling yet? Pop back later this week to see the other Easter themed afternoon teas we've discovered!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....Waterloo Gunpowder Blend, Fortnum & Mason

Hello there,

It's Friday morning....and that means one thing at Tea With Me and Friends towers.....so put your kettle on, make a cuppa and enjoy our Friday tea review!

Recently we were very lucky to receive something rather special through the post.....

Waterloo Gunpowder Blend
Fortnum & Mason

To commemorate the Battle of Waterloo Fortnum & Mason have introduced this special blend of tea. Now I didn't know this....but throughout the Napoleonic Wars, Fortnum & Mason supplied officers of Wellington’s army with the comforts of home, including tea.

I decided a tea from Fortnum & Mason needed to be tasted in my gorgeous Fortnum & Mason cup....

Waterloo Gunpowder Blend Tea & cup from Fortnum & Mason

Before we look at the actual tea I think we should take a closer look at the beautiful packaging, from the italic script to the wax seal...it's quite a theatrical tea....

Let's take a look at the tea leaves.....

Waterloo Gunpowder Blend - Fortnum & Mason

The blend is largely made from the robust Gunpowder green tea, but also contains It is then equal portions of golden Yunnan leaf and Keemun, giving a slightly lighter finish. This is a punchy tea, with a smooth finish - perfect for a morning cuppa.

Waterloo Gunpowder Blend tea from Fortnum & Mason 

I brewed my tea with freshly boiled water for about two minutes and I enjoyed it black, however it can be enjoyed with a splash of milk if you prefer.

The tea is available from Fortnum & Mason at £9.95 for 150g. For more information please see the Fortnum & Mason website.

I'd like to thank Fortnum & Mason for sending us this wonderful tea to sample. Please note that although we have received a complimentary box of tea, this has not affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Have you tried any of the Fortnum & Mason teas? Which is your favourite?

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea...The View From The Shard

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends, recently Lorna and I enjoyed a rather special sky high afternoon tea adventure that we would like to share with you. We enjoyed our afternoon tea spread 800ft (244m) up in the air on the 72nd floor of here....

The Shard, London

This summer The View From The Shard has created London's highest garden on their open-air sky deck, and they have partnered with Fortnum and Mason to offer a rather special "hamperlings" afternoon tea experience. Think posh picnic....with great great, friendly service and amazing views and you'll get the right idea.

Once you have made your way through the security at the bottom (allow plenty of time) and been shot up into the clouds in the lifts (they are so quick) you will find yourself near the top on level 69 which is enclosed, take the stairs a and you'll make it to the dizzying hits of the 72nd floor where you will be ushered to your table by the wonderful Fortnum & Mason servers.....

Tea With Me and Friends enjoying tea in the clouds
The View From The Shard

Your picnic afternoon tea will be brought over to you and you can have a choice of tea or coffee. The spread is served in recycled cardboard packaging, but don't be fooled by this....the quality is still amazing and just as good as the food served at Fortnum & Mason....

Fortnum & Mason afternoon tea

Fortnum & Mason afternoon tea at The View From The Shard

If you can tear your eyes away from the wonderful views for a moment you will see that the afternoon tea spread has a very traditional feel with sandwiches, scones and wonderful sweet treats.

As you can see, each "course" is served in it's own little box. Let's take a look at those finger sandwiches....

Fortnum & Mason afternoon tea sandwiches

In the box you will find salmon, cucumber, egg mayonnaise and (my favourite) coronation chicken sandwiches, cut into perfect bite sized sandwiches. The bread is soft and the fillings tasty. Initially each guest will receive one round, but the servers keep a close eye on their guests and are on hand to provide more sandwiches if you'd like them.

Once we'd enjoyed our sandwiches we moved onto the scones...

Afternoon tea scones from Fortnum & Mason

We each had a good sized plain and fruit scone, accompanied by clotted cream and Fortnum & Mason strawberry preserve. The scones were fresh and not at all claggy. Once again, once we had enjoyed these we were asked if we would like anymore.

Finally we made it onto the sweets....

Sweet afternoon tea treats from Fortnum & Mason

So, these little beauties were scrummy....they were patisserie quality sweet treats, which were very delicate. My only slightly negative comment from the whole experience was that it was a little hard to take the sweets from the box as they were so delicate. However, they are in keeping with the whole experience and I wouldn't have wanted anything more robust....so I will stop moaning...but prepared to get a little messy!

As you can see...I did manage to get them out of the box in one piece...

The raspberry macaroon was light and chewy, the sponge was soft and light and the strawberry tart just melted in your mouth. The white chocolate and pistachio sponge was divine....but my favourite was the Opera cake which was like a little slice of heaven! 

Again, if we wanted more we could enjoy more!

A special mention for the Fortnum & Mason servers who were really friendly but professional, and kept us in tea and cakes the whole time. It can't be easy serving tea up there, but they did a brilliant job when we visited.

Once you have enjoyed the afternoon tea spread you are free to enjoy the views and roam the two viewing decks, this is included in the price of the package. It would be very wrong of me not to share some of the amazing views....

The View From The Shard

The View From The Shard

The sky deck itself is beautifully finished with over 2000 flowers and plants and if you can ignore the other people who are there for the views (but are staring rather jealously at your afternoon tea spread) then it's a rather wonderful setting for an afternoon tea.

To be honest the other guests did take a bit of getting used to....not only did they stare at your food, they are also trying to see the view that you have right in front of you. I did have one person nudge the top of my head as they tried to take a photo of London Bridge!

The other thing to remember if you visit...as well as looking out and down at the views....take a look up as well....

Don't forget to look up -
it's open air!

This afternoon tea experience is booked via The View From The Shard website, and packages start at £85 for two people. This includes admission, and so I think is amazing value...especially considering the quality of the food. This is a limited package though and so if you want to have tea in the clouds you need to book soon.

We had a thoroughly lovely time when we visited....your tea might be served in a paper cup rather than china....but I think you'll agree it's still a rather special afternoon tea....

Fortnum & Mason tea...with a view!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea...Fortnum and Manson

Hello there,

Welcome back to another fab guest post from Tea With Me and Friends. This week we are joined by my lovely colleague Jenna Osborne who mentioned to me last week that she had recently enjoyed afternoon tea in The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum and Mason in London.

I have wanted to try tea at Fortnum and Mason for a while now and was keen to find out more....

Afternoon tea
Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon - Fortnum and Mason

Afternoon tea at Fortnum and Masons is served in The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon which was opened by Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge On March 1st 2012.

The iconic china used to serve tea is their own which is decorated with an18th-century-inspired Chinoiserie design in eau de nil and gold, which I think looks just beautiful with the daffodil table flowers.....

Afternoon tea China - Fortnum and Mason

If you are unsure of what tea you want to try never fear as Fortnum and Masons have expert ‘Tearistas’ on hand to help you with your selection.

Once your teas have been picked, your afternoon tea stand is served and the adventure can begin.

Afternoon tea sandwiches include:

Cucumber with Cream Cheese

Coronation Chicken

Rare Roast Beef with Gherkin & Caper Dressing

Fortnum’s Smoked Salmon with Lemon Dill Butter

Rare Breed Hen Egg with Mustard Cressess

Afternoon tea stand
Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

I don't know about you, but those sandwiches look rather perfect to me and not a crust in sight!

Both plain and fruit scones are on the middle tier of the stand, they are presented to guests with Somerset clotted cream and a choice of Fortnum & Mason preserves from the following:

Apricot, Lemon Curd, Raspberry, Strawberry, Wild Blueberry

Jam and cream tower at Fortnum and Mason

I love the presentation of the cream and preserve, I also love the fact that you can pick which preserve you would prefer with your scones making it a more personalised experience.

Finally, you make it to that top tier....the beautiful cakes and pastries.....

Afternoon tea cakes and pastries
Fortnum and Mason

The variety of sweet treat on offer will vary depending on the day when you visit.

Jenna thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon tea adventure at Fortnum and Masons and commented on how plentiful the food was - they definitely didn't leave hungry!

Afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason is priced depending on your tea choice:

Fortnum’s Classic Blend Tea £40.00 per person

or

Fortnum’s Single Estate Tea £44.00 per person

If you haven't got that much of a sweet tooth you might be interested in the savoury afternoon tea which includes finger sandwiches, savoury scones and delights such as Trout Mousse on Almond Shortbread and Tomato Madeleine, Black Olive Tapenade. Alternatively there is also an extensive High Tea menu on offer. For more details please visit the Fortnum and Mason website.

A big thank you to Jenna for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us.....a little birdie told me that her and her husband really enjoy a spot of afternoon tea and therefore I hope they will be sharing more adventures with us in the future!

Jenna enjoying her Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea

So, over to you....have you ever enjoyed afternoon tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon? If so we'd love to hear what you thought about it, please get in touch!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel