Time for.....a cocktail or two!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends....today we have something a little different for you.....today we have no afternoon tea photos to share....but we do have some cocktails!

Recently we had a new bar and restaurant open in Farnham called The Botanist, and I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening party to enjoy cocktails, canapes and live music with the Botanist team.

If you've never heard of The Botanist before (they currently have 9 locations), then let me tell you a little more about them.....think rustic interiors with a pretty vintage feel, lots of live music and an extensive cocktail list.....oh and apparently their hanging kebabs are rather tasty too!

Opening night was a lavish affair with flower crowns, trays of cocktails and nibbles, live music and some bubbles to celebrate. As we enjoyed the gorgeous interior, marvelling at the attention to detail, live music was pumped around the building to entertain us. Live music is a big feature of The Botanist, with different acts performing throughout the week.

The Botanist Farnham - main bar area complete with chandelier

From the main bar area to the toilets - I loved all the fixtures and fittings.....it felt like somewhere I wanted to live! In the main bar area there is a fabulous chandelier that I could probably gaze at for hours, as its made of so many different objects!

The walls are adorned with all kinds of pictures and hangings. Everywhere you look there is something different to make you smile.

As for the cocktails....well there is something for everyone on the menu. I counted 15 different long cocktails listed, including delights such as the blueberry and apple cooler which features Blueberry purée, Ketel One vodka, Crème de Mure, apple juice, lime juice, ginger beer and sugar or The Botanist which is made of Ketel One vodka, Bacardi Carta Blanca rum, elderflower liqueur, red amaranth, mint, jasmine syrup, lime juice and topped with lemonade. 

There are also a selection of short cocktails such as the Chocolate Rose made with Ketel One vodka, rose liqueur, rose syrup, liquid chocolate, milk and cream or the Rose Mai Tai which features Dried pink rose buds, Bacardi Carta Oro rum, rose liqueur, almond and rose syrups and lime juice.

  

In addition there is also a wide selection of martinis on offer and also several different cocktails to share with friends....including the Raspberry and Sage watering can or the Rose Garden Punch Bowl. 

On the opening night we had the pleasure of sampling quite a few different cocktails, and although we enjoyed some more than others, they were all really well made by the bar staff. 

Don't worry if cocktails don't float your boat though as there is also a good selection of wines, bubbles, craft beers and spirits (including an impressive selection of gins). 

Cocktails and flower crowns!

 Although we didn't get to try any of the full menu on the opening night, I've heard really good things about the food on offer and look forward to returning to try out deli board (diners pick four items from a selection of meats, cheese and other items) and the hanging kebabs!

Opening night at The Botanist Farnham

It was very exciting to be part of the opening night and I'd like to thank The Botanist Farnham for inviting us. For more information about The Botanist pop by their website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....Quaglinos, London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Recently Lorna and I visited Quaglinos in St James, London to try their Prohibition Afternoon Tea. Dating back to 1929, Quaglinos has a 1920s look and feel, some the stylish interior to the uniform the waitresses wear, this place just oozes glamour.

Afternoon tea is served in the bar rather than the restaurant and be warned - it gets very busy. You need to book this tea in advance, and the restaurant will request credit card details from guests to guarantee the booking.

This afternoon tea begins with a cocktail from a selection of three...

I opted for the fruity "Raspberry Ricky", while Lorna went for the more masculine "Manhattan Under Smoke". Both cocktails were well made and enjoyable. 

The afternoon tea stand continues with the art deco feel...

The savouries included:

Egg & baby cress, disc brioche toast

Prawn cocktail & baby gem leaf

Chicken & basil on white bread

Smoked salmon rosti

Cured ham grissini

The fairly surprising thing about the savoury items was that the majority of the items came with a toasted bread element. The rosti and brioche toast we expected to be toasted, but the white bread in the square chicken sandwich was also toasted.....and the little roll that contained the prawns was basically rock hard. Although this plate looked attractive and very appealing, it was a bit of a let down. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with a good old fashioned finger sandwich on fresh bread!

Next came the scones....

We had one each, served with butter a small blob of clotted cream and one pot (yes just one) of preserve. What you see in the photo above is literally what you get! 

Ignoring the fact that there was limited dressing for our scones, once we tried to cut into them we came across another issue....they were so crumbly....

Lorna made a right mess of her scone!

Once we managed to cut into them, the scones were ok - nothing overly special though. We moved swiftly onto the sweet treats on the top tier of the stand, which looked a lot more promising....

The sweets included a varied selection:

Bitter chocolate marquise

Pear tart

Lemoncello posset

Macaroons

Crackled coffee choux

These were all ok, but probably looked a bit better than they tasted. The stand out item was the crackled coffee choux, which was light and delicately flavoured. It was so well made - I could have eaten loads of them!

This afternoon tea is available for £29.50 per person for cocktail tea or you can upgrade to a 

Veuve Clicquot champagne tea £34.50 per person (includes a flute of champagne per guest). There are no refills available and although the service was good when we first arrived it went rapidly downhill as the bar filled up.

For more information about this afternoon tea visit the Quaglinos website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea 2016 - Part 3

Hello there,

Welcome back to another Mother's Day afternoon tea round up from Tea With Me and Friends....today we're sharing with you the treats on offer at Lancaster London.....

Mothers Day afternoon tea
Lancaster London

Lancaster London’s Lounge Bar is offering a tea-riffic Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea created by Head Chef Ben Purton. The selection includes tasty miniature treats such as: Honey and Chocolate Lolly Pops; Pear & Ginger Cup Cakes; and White Chocolate & Passion Fruit Cheese Cakes.

The Afternoon Tea is served from 2pm until 5.30pm, priced at £30 per person, or £40.00 with a glass of Champagne. In addition, Lancaster London has created a cocktail especially for Mother's Day.....treat mum to a Pink Fizz...

Mother's Day cocktail - Pink Fizz
Lancaster London

To find out more about these afternoon tea treats pop by the Lancaster London website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea 2016 - Part 2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends where we're taking another peek at some of the afternoon tea experiences you can enjoy in London this Mother's Day!

Let's take a peek at The Modern Pantry in Clarkenwell first....

Afternoon tea - The Modern Pantry

The Modern Pantry offers guests a modern twist on the traditional afternoon tea with savouries including:

Coronation chicken sandwich, raisin chutney

Chia seed bread, parsnip, cumin & black garlic purée,

hazelnut & macadamia dukkah, sorrel cress

Spring onion & Aleppo chilli scone, Perroche goats cheese

Coconut & cardamom scones are served with gooseberry vanilla jam and clotted cream. The sweet teats on offer include: Passionfruit curd & turmeric meringue pie, Pic’s crunchy peanut butter cheesecake, caraway milk chocolate base

For something more traditional you could treat your mum to afternoon tea at the world famous Ritz hotel. On Sunday 6th March the Ritz are serving their Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea throughout the day

Afternoon Tea - The Ritz

The Afternoon Tea includes a choice of 16 loose leaf teas, finger sandwiches with a variety of traditional fillings, a selection of tea cakes and pastries as well as freshly baked scones with strawberry preserve and delectable Devonshire clotted cream.  This is a champagne afternoon tea and all mum's will recieve a Miranda Heldt opera CD as a gift.

Afternoon Tea - The Ritz

If you're treating your mum to afternoon tea this weekend we'd love to hear about your experience. Drop us a line and let us know where you went and don't forget to send us a photo!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Mother's Day Afternoon Teas 2016 - Part 1

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends. In the run up to Mother's Day in the UK this coming Sunday, we thought we'd take a look at some of the afternoon teas that have been created especially to spoil your mum with.

Let's start by taking a peek at Muriel's Kitchen who are serving a very cute afternoon tea on a mini picnic bench....and if you book this afternoon tea on 6th March Mum's will receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco!

This afternoon tea spread includes all the traditional items, including a selection of finger sandwiches, mini fruit scones with clotted cream & strawberry jam and a selection of sweet treats. All washed down with unlimited tea - you can pick from: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Camomile, Peppermint, Chai, Super Fruit, Green Tea, Jasmine Tea, Rooibos

This afternoon tea costs £31.50 for two people, and is available at Muriel's Kitchen in Soho, South Kensington and Richmond. Pop by Afternoontea.co.uk for more information about this offer.

Another Mother's Day afternoon tea feast can be found at Sketch in London, where on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th March  guests can enjoy Afternoon Tea & a gift for all mother's, a Dyptique scented candle, with a glass of Moussé Fils rosé Champagne for £68 per person.

This is a stylish afternoon tea....

The finger sandwiches on offer include coronation chicken, smoked salmon and Jacob's cream, cucumber and ricotta, Comte cheese panini and egg and maynonnaise, quail egg, caviar. Scones are served with clotted cream and preserve and the pastries include a passion fruit tartlet, coffee cake, pistachio choux, cassis cheesecake, chocolate and mint gateau, tangy citrus meringue and malabar marshmallow.

This afternoon tea features something for everyone!

For more information visit the Sketch website.

If you're taking your mum for a spot of afternoon tea for Mother's Day we'd love to hear all about it - drop us a line or send us a photo!

Pop back tomorrow to see some more Mother's Day inspiration!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna