Afternoon Tea News....Valentines 2016 at The Lancaster, London

Hello there,

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

With Valentines Day just around the corner we thought we would share with you some of the more romantic afternoon teas that we have discovered this February. We are staring today with a look at the Valentines Afternoon Tea on offer at Lancaster London.

Lancaster London

Guests can enjoy this romantic afternoon tea between Wednesday 10th February and Tuesday 16th February 2016, everyone will be greeted by Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne, a hand written menu and a beautifully laid table, scattered with rose petals.

Priced at £45 per head, the Valentine’s Afternoon Tea features romantic sweet treats including heart shaped macaroons, Champagne & chocolate opera cake, passion fruit & raspberry lollypops; and freshly baked scones with rose & strawberry jam.

Lancaster London - Valentines 2016 Afternoon Tea

The menu also includes savoury classics with a romantic twist such oyster beignet topped with caviar, asparagus and spiced tomato tarts; and a selection of fine finger sandwiches accompanied by specially blended, rose infused tea.

Valentines Oysters - Lancaster London

The Lancaster London are also holding a competition with this afternoon tea - all Valentine’s bookings will automatically be entered into this exclusive competition, for a chance to win a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne with two official glass flutes.

In order to be entered the Afternoon Tea booking must be made between Wednesday 10 February and Tuesday 16 February 2016.

The Lancaster London Valentine’s Afternoon Tea will be served in the hotel’s elegant first floor Lounge Bar between 2pm - 5.30pm. For more information pop by the Lancaster London website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....Squire's Garden Centre, Badshot Lea

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

I have officially "broken up" for Christmas now (yes, I'm aware I sound about 8 years old right now) and to celebrate my friend Kirtsy and I went to Squire's Garden Centre in Badshot Lea for a spot of afternoon tea. A bit of an odd choice of location for an afternoon tea adventure maybe, but we had seen the teas advertised previously and decided to try one. Squires is a family-owned garden centre group with 15 centres across West London, Surrey, Berkshire and Sussex.

We opted for the standard Champagne afternoon tea rather than the festive option which is currently available. We had to pick the sandwiches we wanted and whether we wanted a fruit or plain scone when we booked our afternoon tea, we also had to pay a deposit of £5 per person.

When we arrived at our table, it was dressed with a red table cloth and we had crackers and plain white china waiting for us. Each table also had a reservation sign....

Once we had our 1/4bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne and choice of tea from the menu, the afternoon tea stand was served....

Champagne afternoon tea
Squires Garden Centre

When we booked our tea we had to each choose a sandwich filling from the following choice....

Coronation Chicken

Egg Mayo & Cucumber

Gammon Ham & Dijon Mayo

Smoked Salmon & Dill Crème Fraîche

We were told we could pick one filling each and we would get four finger sandwiches. We decided to be a bit clever and pick the coronation chicken and the egg mayo between us and then we would share....this plan of action worked very well and gave us some savoury variety....

Afternoon tea sandwiches - Squires

Both sets of sandwiches were served on soft, fresh bread and were filled generously. There was the odd bit of crust still on the bread, but generally these were great sandwiches. The egg mayonnaise and cucumber was a little odd served together...I would have preferred just egg if I am honest, but it was still enjoyable. The coronation chicken was so good - big chunks of chicken combined with a creamy, curry sauce....perfect!

Next we moved onto the scones....take a look at the size of these....

Afternoon tea scones - Squires 

We got one each....but you wouldn't have wanted anymore!

The scones were served with Roddas clotted cream (one mini tub each) and a pot of strawberry preserve each. The scones weren't warm, but they were fresh and a lovely consistency. 

On the top tier of the cake stand we had two pieces of cake each....

Afternoon tea cakes - Squires

The cherry bakewell was nice, but it was the chocolate and cherry cake that really stole the show. It was a little gooey and really chocolately......really, really scrummy!

It's worth noting that you receive one 1/4 bottle of champagne between the two people, this gives you a glass each. 

You will also not be given any extras with this afternoon tea...what you see is what you get....however at £29.95 for two people I couldn't fault the value. The food is a good quality and very fresh and the service was professional and friendly. All in all a great afternoon tea, in a relaxed environment....perfect for catching up with friends.

Afternoon tea - Squires

For more information about this afternoon tea please visit the Squire's website. 

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel