Tea for Tea....Hamiltons Tea House

Hello there, welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

Recently a new tea room has opened in my home town, Farnham, it's called Hamiltons Tea House and of course as soon as I saw it was opening I was intrigued. Farnham, like lots of towns, is packed full of coffee shops, both independent and commercial, but we are sadly lacking in proper tea rooms. I discovered that Hamiltons is a family run business, with a passion for great service and making afternoon tea accessible. So accessible that you don't need to book! 

Hamiltons bakes their own scones daily and uses local suppliers (including the lovely Ellie from Bakehouse) to offer a menu that includes breakfast, lunches, cream teas and of course afternoon tea. They have an extensive tea menu, a great range of coffee and hot chocolate and a martini menu....so you can enjoy a cocktail with their afternoon tea! Sounds perfect doesn't it! 

I've now had the pleasure of visiting Hamiltons on two occasions, once for a cream tea and once for the full afternoon tea experience. The cream tea was my first visit and we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the tea menu, the knowledge of the staff and the general wonderfulness of the scones, which were served warm, with clotted cream and strawberry preserve.....

You can pick a plain or sultana scone and a pot of tea from the menu. The tables have tea timers on them and the staff suggest how long your tea should brew for. The crockery, like the tea room, is modern and simple. 

This Saturday, my sister Lorna was visiting and we didn't have any plans for lunch. So on impulse we popped into Hamiltons to see if a table was available, as it was a busy Saturday lunchtime we had a 20 minute wait, but it was worth it! We decided to try the afternoon tea, to discover what a non-booked tea experience would be like. It's a set menu with savouries, scones, cakes and unlimited tea all for £17.50 per person. I wondered whether offering the tea as an walk-in option would effect the quality of what was being offered, would everything be pre-made and a bit stale? After ordering our teas we had a short wait, but when the food came out we were very happy....

Two fabulous stands full of fresh food were brought to our table! Just look at Lorna looking loving at the scones (she's actually scowling at me because she's hungry and I was taking photos!). The bottom plate housed the savouries and a vol au vent, the middle plate has the sweet treats on and the top has the cream and scones.

The sandwiches were so fresh and the bread to filling ratio was perfect. We enjoyed Cucumber, dill and cream cheese, egg mayonnaise, Ham and wholegrain mustard and rare roast beef and horseradish cream finger sandwiches on white and brown breads. There wasn't a crust to be seen, which always makes me smile. Then there was a huge vol au vent, packed full of coronation chicken. The pastry was flaky and the chicken creamy and mildly spiced. A real highlight for me!

The scone plate includes two scones per person, one plain and one sultana - both were generous in size. The scones are served with butter, clotted cream and strawberry preserve. I only ate the fruit scone on this occasion...but it was fresh, baked the whole way though and not at all claggy - perfect for getting cream and jam into my mouth! I can also confirm that the sultanas in the scone were plentiful. 

Sorry this is an awful photo (I was too excited by the cake)...but each afternoon tea stand included three sweet treats. I think the selection changes, on this occasion we had a mini apple crumble concoction in the shot glass (a crumbly base, topped with apples and cream). We also had a piece of chocolate brownie and a mini lemon slice (which I know is delicious as it comes from Bakehouse). Neither of us could finish the whole stand, but we were given boxes to take the extras home in (which always makes a lovely treat the next day!) 

Our tea pots were filled up regularly throughout the afternoon tea and we were encouraged to try more than one tea. Hamiltons had just launched their Christmas tea, which we decided to try. The Christmas tea was fruity and warming, full of cinnamon and clove - really Christmassy! 

The service we experienced on both visits was brilliant, everyone is friendly and knowledgeable about the products. Even though it was busy, no one was rushed and everyone got the same warm welcome. This is the perfect tea room in my humble opinion....simple, not fussy, serving great produce and with friendly staff. I'd definitely recommend popping by Hamiltons if you happen to be in Farnham, if you want to guarantee a table you can book ahead. More information about the menus can be found on their website. 

Thank you for popping by today, I hope you've enjoyed reading about our latest afternoon tea adventure!

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....CUTcakes and Tea....45 Park Lane

Hello there,

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

Last weekend we had the absolute pleasure of visiting 45 Park Lane to try their American inspired afternoon tea at CUT. The afternoon tea launched in Autumn of last year and I've seen lots of scrummy photos of the American inspired savouries and sweets....so we decided it was high time we tried out this indulgent afternoon tea adventure for ourselves.

CUTcakes and Tea is served in the hotel's lounge, which is modern and stylish. We were greeted by name on arrival and all the waiting staff very friendly and knowledgeable about the afternoon tea and also the hotel and it's large art collection.

After we picked our drinks (you can pick from a good selection of teas, coffees or hot chocolate), the savoury plate was brought out....

Now as you may have guessed, this isn't a traditional afternoon tea....and there isn't a single finger sandwich to be seen on the savoury plate. But I have to say it was a wonderful plate! The current savoury selection includes:

‘Guest Dog’ by restaurant Bubbledogs chef Sandia Chang Golden Corndog, Southern BBQ Sauce
Wagyu Beef Slider, Shallot Marmalade, Cheddar
Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Bisquets Coleslaw, Jalapeño Aioli
Tuna Tartare ‘Sandwich’, Avocado, Ginger
Crab Cake, Basil Aioli, Tomato Relish

Such a good selection of freshly prepared bites!

The aroma from the plate was mouth watering and it was hard to decide where to start first. Both fish dishes were fresh and the flavours within the mini dishes balanced well. I was pleased to discover that the crab cake was not stuffed full of potato like so many others.

The corndog was light and very tasty, I loved the Southern BBQ sauce which was sweet and spicy - my first ever corndog was a success! It's also very pretty to look at, with a golden tint to the batter!

The chicken in biscuit was also light....I've only had American biscuits once before and they were quite stodgy. These were fluffy in the middle and worked really well with the chicken. The piece of chicken was succulent and hot!

The mini slider was so cute....built exactly how a normal slider would be put together, complete with mini pickle! It took about three bites to eat and I loved every mouthful. We were asked how we wanted the slider cooking, which I thought was a nice touch.

I don't think I've ever taken so many photos of the savoury dishes!!

Next came a mini banana and toffee milkshake.....again extremely cute in appearance and big on flavour. I really enjoyed the milkshake, which was rich and creamy and had a wonderful banana flavour (which wasn't at all artificial).

Now came the nod to the traditional afternoon tea..... a scone, which clotted cream and strawberry preserve. The scones were served warm and we were given a mixed berry jam as well as the strawberry preserve, due to a strawberry allergy in the group.

Now this might look like all the other scones on our blog....but this is different....this was described as one of the best scones in London....and claim is actually true! Having eaten rather a lot of scones across London, we are often told that the scone we are about to enjoy is the best....but unfortunately it's often not! So often the scones are either under baked or over baked, with a claggy texture. 

This scone was light as air, didn't fall apart when cut and made the perfect base for the cream and jam! It was well baked, not at all claggy and had a wonderful glaze.

Finally we made it to the sweet selection.... sorry for the awful photo....

As you can see there is a good selection, again all inspired by American favourites:

Peanut Butter Pie
Crème Brûlée Doughnut
Red Velvet Cupcake
Graham Cracker S’more

There is also a Pink Lemonade Cake Pop, which I missed from the photos!

It was hard to decide which order to eat these in and by this point I was a little worried that I would get too full (I wanted to enjoy everything in the lounge rather than take it home on the train!).

As simple as it sounds - the crème brulee doughnut was so good, a fresh doughnut full of a crème brulee custard. I could have eaten several of them! I enjoyed the fresh raspberry with the red velvet cake. The peanut butter pie had a lovely berry jam in the middle, giving a sweetness to the peanut flavour. The S'more was messy, but very scrummy - with a layer of chocolate sauce. 

This is a more expensive afternoon tea, perfect for a celebration. But it's worth every penny....the food is fresh and tasty, the service unpretentious but attentive and the setting relaxed yet refined. It's what I look for in an afternoon tea - the whole experience. 

To find out more about this afternoon tea pop by the 45 Park Lane website. We'll definitely we back again when they refresh the menu.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....Vivi, Centre Point

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends, we hope you've had a tea-riffic week!

Recently Sheree and I visited a brand new restaurant and bar to try their afternoon tea. As it was still a soft launch period when we visited I thought I would share the photos of our visit, but this won't be a full review article. Soft launches allow new restaurants and bars to try out their menus and make tweaks before they formally open.

Vivi is a 60s inspired restaurant, located in Centre Point near Tottenham Court Road. They offer all-day dining in a beautiful setting, with four different dining / drinking areas. The styling is absolutely gorgeous, with lots of pinks, blues and gold.....I'd love to go back and enjoy a cocktail or two at the bar...…

Afternoon tea is served from 3pm each day and the menu, much like the main dining menu, features retro classics with a twist. Each guest is given their own afternoon tea serving in a funky box (so no fighting over the last cake!) which contains the sweet selection and savouries, scones are served in their own box and there is also a serving of candy floss each....



The savouries are a mix of traditional flavours from salmon to cucumber, from egg to my favourite....coronation chicken! The sandwiches include traditional finger sandwiches, a delicate pinwheel, an open sandwich and a Vivi club sandwich, the selection of shapes and breads is very appealing....



The sweets are served in the top part of the box and includes a mix of retro classics....from Battenberg cake to filled eclairs from Victoria sponge to carrot cake.... there is something for everyone!



You can opt to have a traditional afternoon tea, accompanied by tea from the tea menu. Alternatively you can also enjoy your afternoon tea with a glass of champagne.

Vivi officially opened on Monday 25th February following their soft launch. If you visit for an afternoon tea we'd love to hear your thoughts....leave us a comment!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

The Wednesday Tea Review - T2 Southern Sunrise

Hello there!

Happy Wednesday! We hope you're having a good week!

Welcome back to another tea review from the T2 tea party box! This week we're sampling a flavoured fruit tisane from the range called Southern Sunrise....

This blend includes hibiscus, lemongrass and grapefruit and is inspired by the Australian summertime. It's a tisane designed to invigorate, with a wonderful aroma and sunny colour to the liquor. 

First disclosure ….I have no idea why I have included a fake pineapple in the photo...there is no pineapple in this drink! Maybe I just wanted to make the photo more summery?? The teacup I have used is another one from the T2 collection - I love this cup and use it all the time!

As you can see the tisane has a gorgeous yellow colour once brewed and the aroma as its brewing is so summery....that alone should lift your spirits!

The flavour is really interesting as the lemongrass really comes through, making it not an overly sweet brew. Once again I tasted the tea both hot and cold and I think I preferred it as a cold drink - it was very refreshing, perfect on a hot day.

I think you could drink this tea at any time in the day - first thing it's a bright and zingy hot drink, but drinking it cold in the afternoon would be very refreshing.

Have you tried this T2 blend - if so we'd love you hear your thoughts! 

Thank you for popping by today and don't forget to pop back next Wednesday to see which drink we'll be trying next!

Rachel

The Sunday Chocolate Review - Montezuma's Black Forest Gateau

Hello there!

Another Sunday.....another chocolate review!

Last week we took you to New York, this week we're heading to Germany for Montezuma's Black Forest Gateau pudding bar! Black Forest Gateau originated in Germany (and the real deal is so so good), but became popular in Britain in the 1970s when families would enjoy a pudding of chocolate sponge, cherries and lashings of whipped cream. Montezuma celebrates this pudding within their Great British pudding bars (which also includes Eton Mess and Treacle Tart).

Unlike Godiva who we featured last week, Montezuma is a relatively new chocolate brand, starting its production in 2000. This is a small British family business of self-taught chocolatiers, who wanted to reinvigorate the British chocolate making industry. 

This chocolate bar is nice and simple and features only two things......dark chocolate and cherries! Two of my favourite things - I love making cakes inspired by black forest gateau so I was really looking forward to trying to this bar!

Slightly more robust than the Godiva chocolate from last week, this chocolate had a really good snap when you tried to break it.  I was pleased to see the cherries throughout the bar - this was both aesthetically pleasing (the pink against the dark chocolate) and also meant that the bar had a good chance of tasting of cherries!

The dark chocolate is rich and bold, something I really like in a dark chocolate and its really well balanced with the cherry flavour. Its quite reminiscent of black forest gateau….the only thing missing is the cream! The cherry flavour is authentic and doesn't taste artificial. 

All in all I really enjoyed this bar of chocolate and would probably by it again. I found this bar in the sweet aisle of my local supermarket, it was on offer at about £2.00 for the bar. Because its a rich chocolate you can't gobble lots in one sitting (I tried) and therefore it will last you a little while (unless you are sharing....but I wouldn't recommend that!).

Have you tried this chocolate bar or any of the others in the pudding range? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for popping by today and don't forget to pop back next Sunday for another chocolate review!

Rachel 

The Wednesday Tea Review - T2 Creme Brulee

Hello there,

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

Before Christmas I treated myself to "A Tea Party for Twenty" from T2 teas....but then I completely forgot to review the teas! Whoops! The box is a festive collection which includes twenty teas and tisanes from the T2 range. T2 is an Australian tea company who create innovative blends using real tea leaves (blends include banana bake and raspberry rush as well as a range of breakfast blends from around the world and more traditional teas) they have a real passion for tea and their shops are a pure delight to visit....which is where I found this pretty little box....

Inside the box...…just look at all those teas....

As there is only one Christmas tea in the collection I've decided to still feature these teas on the blog as you'll still be able to buy them in a T2 shop or on their website if you fancied trying them yourself.

I decided to start with one of the flavoured black teas - Crème Brulee. 

This is a black tea flavoured with a hazelnut praline flavour. It's supposed to be a decadent sweet treat - vanilla, hazelnuts and caramel flavours blended with a black tea. Enjoyed either with a dash of milk or black.

I decided to drink my tea black (as I usually enjoy tea without milk), and I followed the brewing instructions using boiling water and leaving the tea to brew for approx. three minutes.

Did I mention that T2 also have an amazing range of tea cups? This one was a gift from a friend, but I love all their china - worth popping into store just to marvel at the different colours and patterns!

Back to the tea....this is definitely a sweet treat...if you have a sweet crazing but want to avoid the calories this tea could provide the answer! You can taste the vanilla and the hazelnuts, which blend well with the black tea. 

I wouldn't drink this as a morning cuppa as it's too sweet, but it work perfectly as a guilt free afternoon treat. It also tastes good once its gone cold (I've got an awful habit of leaving cups of tea and coffee all around the house and finding them hours later!) - it was actually more refreshing once it had gone cold and I could imagine drinking it cold on a hot summer afternoon!

Have you tried this tea? If so we'd love to hear your thoughts....did you enjoy it black or did you try it with milk as well?

Thank you for popping by today....pop back next Wednesday to see which T2 tea we'll be trying next!

Rachel

The Sunday Chocolate Review - Godiva New York

Hello there,

Hope you've had a tea-riffic day!

We've decided to start a new feature on the blog.....one that is very dear to my heart! If you didn't already know I'm a bit of a chocolate fiend....I love the stuff, but I can be a bit picky (for example I hate the chocolate that Easter eggs are made from). There are so many different varieties and flavours of chocolate available now that it can be hard to know what to try next.....so we're taking the hard work out of it for you....any excuse to try new chocolates!

Our first feature is the limited edition chocolate from Godiva - their New York Apple and Salted Caramel chocolate. This is a blend of milk chocolate, apple and salted caramel and is supposed to take you on a flavour journey to America's Big Apple!

If you haven't heard of them before, Godiva are a luxury Belgian chocolate brand that has been making chocolate since 1926 (so they must be pretty good by now!). They now have stores in more than 80 countries worldwide and are quite famous for their fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate (which I am yet to try).

First off....the packaging is so pretty, both inside and out! If you're a sucker for packing like I am, then you will find this very pleasing! The illustrations are very sweet. They also have a London version, which is inspired by Eton Mess.....I've opted not to try that one as it has white chocolate as a base which I'm not really a fan of. 

The gold foil makes this feel like a luxurious bar of chocolate. However, I didn't have to go into a Godiva store to buy it.....I found it in the sweet aisle of my local supermarket, it cost me just over £2.00.

This chocolate bar includes Godiva's milk chocolate, apple pieces, caramel pieces and additional apple flavourings. The milk chocolate is so smooth and creamy, a really lovely chocolate....it's blended with pieces of salted caramel which are quite chunky in size and what can only be described as a bizarre apple flavour.

Its definitely an apple flavour, reminiscent of sharp green apples, but possibly slightly artificial. Its not unpleasant and it blends well with the chocolate and caramel flavours, but its just a bit bizarre!

As you can see from the photo the chocolate bar itself is slim and delicate and the fillings a good size - its nice to see good pieces of caramel throughout the bar!

Another slightly bizarre point is as you eat the chocolate, the apple pieces rehydrate themselves and you find yourself with real apple in your mouth after the chocolate has vanished.....do you think this counts as one of my five a day??

All in all a pleasant bar of chocolate, but it didn't leave me jumping for joy nor did it really remind me of my trip to New York. I'd eat it again if someone gave it to me, but probably wouldn't rush out to buy it!

Have you tried this chocolate bar - what did you think of it, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for popping by today, pop back next Sunday for another chocolate review!

Rachel 

Time for something cute from Peggy Porschen!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

I've finally made it to the Peggy Porschen Parlour in Belgravia and I wanted to share my experience with you. I've wanted to visit the Parlour for ages, it looks so pretty and the cakes so scrummy, I wanted to see whether it lives up to the hype and Instagram love!

Located on a corner, its pink exterior can be spotted from the end of the road....

I visited when they still had their Winter Parlour decorations up from the festive season, designed to compliment their Cosy Collection sweets and treats.

The interior of this tiny parlour has shelves full of pretty bakes that you can buy to enjoy at home - its really gorgeous!

The Parlour is a small space and because of this they do not take reservations (they also ask that you return tables after an hour), you just have to turn up and keep your fingers crossed! There is seating both inside and outside, but be warned.....it's cosy! If you arrive and there are no tables free and you don't want to wait, you can have any of the cakes available as a take away option.

As well as the standard menu of cupcakes, layer cakes and tray bakes, the Parlour also offers seasonal specials. Among others, the standard flavours include chocolate heaven and salted caramel cupcakes, lemon, raspberry and rose layer cakes and chocolate brownies. The menu is extensive, but all the cakes are on display and the staff are knowledgeable if you need some help picking your treat.

The Cosy Collection, which was available when we visited, included the Cosy Cashmere layer cake - an almond sponge layered with a smooth coconut buttercream. There were also starry snowmen cupcakes, either in a chocolate flavour or gingerbread and lemon flavour and a variety of cute iced biscuits.

We opted to try a slab of chocolate biscuit cake (and slab is the right word....it's a very generous serving!) and a gingerbread and lemon starry snowman cupcake. The chocolate biscuit cake was like a rocky road bake, it was indulgent and scrummy - packed full of pistachios and marshmallow. You could probably share it between two people though as it was very rich.

The cupcake was super cute to look at....just look at that tiny snowman!

The cappuccinos we enjoyed were also rather pretty looking....

But I bet you're wondering what the cupcake tasted like....was it all style and no substance? I'm please to report back that it was absolutely delicious! 

The sponge was moist but light, and full of spicy gingerbread flavour. The topping was a lemon cream cheese frosting, which again was light in texture but well flavoured. Together the flavours blended really well and made for a very enjoyable cupcake. 

Although it looked like a big blob of frosting, the ratio between cake and sponge was just right. Nothing was too sweet and I really enjoyed this cupcake. Plus it was really cute....just look at that tiny snowman....

I really enjoyed my visit to The Parlour, the prices are a little expensive but the quality of the food was great. I would also probably only visit with one other person as there isn't much space (we watched a group of five squeeze around a table the same size that we had for two).

If you'd like to see more about Peggy Porschen's Parlour pop by their website

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea.....St Martins Lane

Hello there,

Happy New Year!

We hope that you've had a tea-riffic Christmas and wish you a sweet new year full of tea and cake!

Afternoon tea at St Martins Lane, London

At the end of last year Becca, Lorna and I enjoyed a Narnia themed afternoon tea at St Martins Lane in London. You may remember that we've visited St Martin's Lane previously and we're always keen to revisit when they have a new theme.

Although the Narnia themed tea is no longer available, I still wanted to share the photos with you.

Afternoon tea at St Martin's Lane is served in the Den, which is a beautifully snug space....perfect for a winter themed tea. When we visited The Den was dressed with lots of cosy throws and we even had our own pretend wood burner!

Tea at St Martins Lane is served on pretty Ted Baker china.....which I just love.....

as well as the patterns, I love the art deco shapes of the handles. 

The afternoon tea sweets are served on a contemporary stand, with the savoury items presented on a separate plate. There is one item per person....so no need to share or fight over the best looking sweet treats!

Afternoon Tea Stand, St Martins Lane London

This was a serving for three people, the stand does look a bit full!

There were three savoury items on this afternoon tea menu.....however as you can see from the photo below there was not a sandwich (finger or otherwise) in sight:

Ham, mushroom and cheese turnover
Tuna, avocado, tomato and sweetcorn wrap
Spinach and parmesan swirl

Afternoon tea - St Martins Lane, London

I'm going to be honest here....this was not my favourite selection of savoury items.....I'm not really a fan of mushrooms, avocado or spinach....however I ploughed on anyway.

The turnover would have been lovely without the mushrooms, it was hot and the pastry was crisp. Becca, who loves mushrooms, assured me that the mushrooms were good. The wrap was nice (despite the avocado), but I would have preferred a sandwich (call me old fashioned!). The swirl was altogether too spinachy (spell check says that's not a word, but I don't care) for me, but the pastry was lovely. 

Moving onto the scones....there was one each....but they were massive....

Massive scones at St Martins Lane

The flavour of the scones was good, along with the cream and raspberry jam, but the texture was a little claggy for me. I think this was due to the size of them rather than anything else - you really needed a lot of cream on them!

The sweets looked good and included a pretty Aslan head which I couldn't wait to try:

Snowball chestnut, blueberry
Aslan chocolate & caramel bonbon
The wardrobe almond biscuit, pear & pecan cream
The Ice Queen's Crown coffee tart
Turkish Delights
Mini mince pies

There was a good choice of sweet treats, meaning there was something for everyone. However, they didn't all hit the spot.....

I loved the coffee tart (coffee is always a win for me), the Turkish Delights were refreshing to enjoy at the end of the meal and the mini mince pies were packed with flavour (again I love a mince pie). I also enjoyed Aslan's head (sounds a bit weird I know), but it was super sweet and a little too big to enjoy the whole head - I think we probably ate one head between all three of us. 

We couldn't really taste the flavours in the snowballs and the wardrobes were a little bit confusing with the biscuit textures and the pears.

The service as usual was friendly and professional and the waiters all knew the menu well. We could change our tea choice throughout our time in The Den, or decide to enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate instead.

As well as scrummy afternoon teas, St Martin's Lane has a beautiful lobby with lots of photo opportunities.....

All in all we enjoyed our latest visit to St Martins Lane and will no doubt visit again in 2019. To find out more about the latest afternoon tea adventures at St Martins Lane pop by their website

Thank you for popping by today - we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Rachel & Lorna

Welcome to our Christmas Cheer Blog Series!

Hello there,

I don't know about you....but we just LOVE Christmas here at Tea With Me and Friends towers. It might be November as I am writing this.....but I can confirm that I am sitting here in a Christmas jumper and I might have watched a Christmas movie or two earlier today!

For us Christmas is more than just a couple of days, its the whole season.....the build up is just as much fun as the actual day itself. As it gets darker and colder there is something wonderful about the sparkle and joy of Christmas. Don't worry though....my decorations won't be going up until December....I just enjoy dabbling in Christmas in November! Dabbling includes jumpers and movies, a new Christmas music playlist.......plus all the sweet treats and drinks you can enjoy. Which brings me onto this new blog series.....all about Christmas drinks!

As you can imagine we drink a lot of different Christmas drinks during November and December and this year we thought we'd share our discoveries with you.....the good, the bad and the ugly!

Whether it be Christmas drinks we enjoy on our afternoon tea adventures or drinks we enjoy in the comfort of our own homes!

In this first post we thought we'd ask you for your recommendations too....do you have a favourite Christmas drink we should try? Whether it be tea, coffee, hot chocolate....or something more cheerful maybe (I'm thinking Christmas cocktails!)....we'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment here or drop us a line.

Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks - Christmas cheer is all around you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....The Intercontinental at The O2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

We hope you're keeping well!

So, last weekend here in the UK it was Mother's Day and as some of you know, this blog exists from our family tradition of taking mum for a Mother's Day afternoon tea. One problem with last weekend though.....it also happened to be Country 2 Country - a three day country music festival that Lorna and I always attend. It's held at the O2 in London and there are music acts playing throughout the day and into the night.

We fixed our little problem though as we decided to stay at The Intercontinental hotel at the O2 this year.....and they offer an afternoon tea! So we dragged mum up to the O2 to listen to some country music with us and enjoy a spot of afternoon tea!

Intercontinental at the O2 serve their afternoon tea in the Meridian Lounge, overlooking the River Thames and Canary Wharf. We were given a corner table looking straight out onto the Thames, which was like a little oasis in the corner of the lounge....

The afternoon tea was a traditional affair, starting with a selection of finger sandwiches and savouries. The section included:

Honey roasted ham with wholegrain mustard mayonnaise on Pain de Mie
Mature cheddar cheese and pickle on carrot bread
Sliced cucumber and grated radishes with crème fraîche on beetroot bread
Smoked salmon with dill cream cheese on basil bread
Truffle egg mayonnaise on a brioche bun

It was a very pretty sandwich plate, with a variety of colours making it interesting to look at. There was also a variety of flavours to sample. I enjoyed the cucumber and radish more than I thought I would and I enjoyed the cheese and pickle sandwich. I wasn't really a fan of the egg mayonnaise on the brioche bun though, as the sweetness of the bun was rather overpowering.

The sandwiches were fresh and crustless....but take a look at the sizing....why is my ham sandwich so much shorter than the others??

At this point I'll note that our tea was refreshed regularly throughout the afternoon tea and we were given the opportunity to change our tea choice.

When we had finished our savouries the afternoon tea stand was served.....queue photo of Lorna waving at me through the top tier....

We started with the scones at the bottom of the stand, which were served with clotted cream and two different preserves. The scones were served warm, they were a good size and had a lovely colour - they looked very appealing against the white plates.

We weren't a fan of the preserves (one was strawberry and the other apricot), which seemed to lack flavour, but the scones themselves had a great texture and were not at all claggy.

We were served two scones each - one plain and one fruit. There was also plenty of cream and preserve for all three of us. 

Finally we moved onto the sweet treats, which were very pretty....

This pretty sweet selection included

Blackberry Bonbon Torte

Plum and Custard Verrine

Pear and Apple Tart

Spiced Chocolate Pyramid

Quince macaroon

The stand out item for me was the chocolate pyramid - the cake was moist and light, with layers of ganache. Each item looked beautiful, a lot of thought had gone into the presentation of this afternoon tea.

I also want to compliment the Meridian Lounge on how welcoming they are and how knowledgeable their staff were about the teas. One server in particular helped mum with her choice of tea, suggesting different ways to sweeten the tea. She also came back during the afternoon to see whether mum was enjoying her tea. It was refreshing to be served by someone who actually knew about tea and the different ways to enjoy it. 

Probably not the first choice for many people because of the location, but the Intercontinental at the O2 offers a well priced afternoon tea, with excellent service. If you'd like to know more about their afternoon tea, pop by their website

If you treated your mum to a Mother's Day afternoon tea last weekend, we'd love to hear all about it. Leave a comment on the blog, or get in touch on Facebook!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna