Afternoon Tea News - Valentine' Special 2017

Hello there,

We are just days from Valentine's day 2017 and we thought it was perfect time to take a peek at some of the sweet treats being served in hotels this year....prepare to drool!

The Love Knot's Valentine's afternoon tea from Conrad St James....

The sweet treats include a Chocolate & red velvet cake, a Frosted rose & vanilla viennese, a Strawberry & yoghurt marble mousse and Sweet vegetable cake with a "love letter", meringue kisses & petals.

Valentine's at The Langham....

Diners can indulge their sweet tooth with:

White chocolate mousse, mango and passion fruit jelly and dark chocolate sable

Strawberry and white balsamic

Victoria sponge

Heart shape cinnamon shortbread cookie

English rose and lychee log

64% dark chocolate, raspberry and almond

How about the Valentine's Wyld Tea at the Mondrain....

This feast includes a glass of Perrier Jouet Rose on arrival and a Gin and raspberry macaroon to take away with a Valentines note.

Valentine's at the Hilton Bath City....

This sweet afternoon tea adventure is accompanied by a glass of Sparkling Rose.

I love the afternoon tea stand!

Fancy something a little bit different, how about afternoon tea at the Daawat Indian Restaurant...

The savouries here include: 

Beetroot gravlax in malted bloomer

Tomato wrap filled with chicken tikka and mint chutney

Paneer pakora on potato-stuffed flatbread

Cucumber and cream cheese on white bloomer

I love how colourful this afternoon tea is!

Finally we have the Valentine's afternoon tea at Amba Hotel, Marble Arch...

The sweet treats here include heart-shaped chocolate sponge, raspberry mousse cake, strawberry shortbread and macaroons.

We hope you've enjoyed our round up of some of the Valentine afternoon teas on offer this February. If you enjoy a Valentine's afternoon tea anywhere this year we'd love to hear all about it!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Six Tips for Valentine’s Day Cocktails from Bohemia Bar

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we're talking cocktail making!

If you’re contemplating spending Valentine’s Day at home this year, why not romance your other half with some spectacular cocktails......or maybe you want to enjoy a scrummy cocktail or two at home with your friends? Whatever your reason, the mixologists at Bohemia Restaurant and Bar in Jersey have lent us their top tips for creating home-made cocktails!

Whichever cocktail you chose to create, learn from the professionals with these six top tips:

1. Glasses Galore

If you’re out to impress (friends or lovers!), it’s worth investing in good quality glasses to add a touch of class and elegance to your home-made beverage. If you opt for a stemmed glass, you could also tie a pretty ribbon or flower stem around the base. 

2. Shaken vs Stirred

As a general rule, any drink that contains only alcohol should be stirred, while any drink which contains a mixer should be shaken. 

3. Ice Ice Baby

A little-known tip is to boil water before pouring it into your ice-tray as these means no bubbles will form whilst your ice cubes freeze.

4. Sweet and Sour

The perfect formula for achieving the sweet and sour balance is 2:1:1. That's two parts alcohol, one part sour, and one part sweet. Use sour ingredients such as lemon or lime juice; and a sweet ingredient, such as simple syrup or triple sec. 

5. Make a big batch 

If your guest is a fan of straight-spirit cocktails, why not create a batch of your drink ahead of time. You can then chill this in the fridge in an empty wine bottle and pour individual drinks when you’re ready.

6. Garnish

A garnish is more than just pretty decoration— it's often what brings the whole drink together and is worth doing well! It’s the first part of the drink that our customers judge so we put a great deal thought into this part of the cocktail process. Green garnishes look wonderful with clear drinks, and can even be added to ice for an extra wow-factor.  

I don't know about you, but I don't need any excuse to buy new glassware! I'll definitely be putting these tips into practise....who is joining us for a cocktail??

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Looking for a tea-riffic Valentines Gift??

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Today we are sharing with you a tea-riffic Valentines gift idea.....perfect for the tea lover in your life (or maybe just for you!). The lovely folk at Piacha have put together the sweetest tea gift, perfect for your tea-addict Valentines!

Inside this box you will find eight different Piacha teas (yes eight varieties - told you it was perfect for the tea-obsessed individual in your life!), each stored in a cute little heart shaped tin....

Tea Gift from Piacha

How sweet are those tins?

The tea selection includes some of Piacha's most popular blends -  English Breakfast, Earl Grey Vanilla, Moroccan Mint, Ginger Chilli, Chamomile Citrus,  Rooibos Choc Cinnamon, Rooibos Rhubarb Fudge and my personal favourite Apple Green Tea.

Each tin contains enough tea for between 5 - 10 cups.

I know I would definitely love to receive this little black box this Valentine's Day (hint, hint Joe if you are reading!). For more information about this gift pop by the Piacha website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Valentines Afternoon Tea at Lancaster London

Hello there,

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

With February just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about all things heart shaped....yes Valentine's Day is nearly upon us. It's a time when pastry chef's across the country can get creative with shades of pink and red heart shaped cakes and scones and romantic sandwich fillings! Over the coming week's we'll be sharing with you some of the Valentine themed afternoon teas you could be enjoying this year.

Let's start with a Tea With Me and Friends favourite......Lancaster London, who have created the HeART Afternoon Tea:

The hotel has reinvented its much-loved ARTea Afternoon Tea to offer an exclusive Valentines edition of the tasty treats. 

Settle into the comfortable armchairs of the hotel’s Lounge Bar and enjoy a romantic afternoon. The afternoon tea will be delivered to tables sealed in a charming case with an array of sweet and savoury treats including oysters with salmon caviar, adorable heart-shaped white chocolate and strawberry macaroons, and Love You honey éclairs. 

What’s more, the hotel will be offering a surprise gift for diners to take home. 

We think this afternoon tea looks and sounds scrummy! Another tea-riffic creation from Chef Ben and his tea.

The HeART Afternoon Tea will be available from 8-14 February 2017, from £40 per person. To read more about this afternoon tea, pop by the Lancaster London website.

Pop back over the next couple of weeks to see what other Valentine themed afternoon teas we can find for you.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel and Lorna