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

Time for Tea.....Scoff and Banter, Oxford Street

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you are well today. Last weekend Becca and I enjoyed a rather unique afternoon tea at a fairly new tearoom just off Oxford Street. Scoff and Banter was been open for about eight months now, and offers guests the chance to personalise their afternoon tea experience - picking items from a menu.

When we heard about this afternoon tea experience we knew we needed to give it a try, and our timing was perfect as Scoff and Banter were running an offer that gives guests enjoying an afternoon tea a bottle of Prosecco to enjoy too!

The tearoom itself is located just off Oxford Street, on the second floor of a hotel (perfect for a mid-shopping break!). It's a light and modern tearoom, with a lovely feel to it....

Scoff and Banter, London

Lot's of wooden furniture, pretty china and white linen

Afternoon tea at Scoff and Banter, London

Once hot beverages have been selected you are left to peruse the menu, which is split into four different sections - hot dishes, scones, sandwiches and desserts. Each guest can pick two options from each section of the menu. The hot dishes include items such as Lobster brandy soup with a warm cheese scone or Oysters Rockefeller and the scones include a savoury cheese scone and chocolate version. In the sandwiches you will find Rare venison, gin and tonic relish on rye bread or a traditional Cucumber on white bloomer. The desserts menu includes a fresh strawberry tart with whipped cream and a Chocolate whisky cake. You really are spoilt for choice with this menu!

Once you have ordered, the hot dishes are brought out first - served on plain white china. 

Hot dishes at Scoff and Banter, London

As you can see the portion sizes are rather generous! Becca and I both decided to try the warm caramelised onion tart (on the left in the photo above), which was scrummy. The pastry was buttery and rich, and the filling was creamy and full of onion. Becca had the Lamb cutlet (also pictured above) which she thoroughly enjoyed and I had a small bowl of Sticky Beijing fillet of beef which was rich and flavoursome - really scrummy!

Once we had finished the hot dishes, the afternoon tea stand was brought out. This contained the rest of our afternoon choices - the sandwiches, scones and sweets. And I think you'll agree...it's a pretty impressive stand.....

Afternoon tea stand
Scoff and Banter, Oxford Street

Let's start with the sandwich options....which frankly looked like mini masterpieces....no standard finger sandwiches here! Becca opted for the Chicken Caesar and rosemary focaccia, which was an open sandwich, and the Smoked salmon, crayfish and dill crème fraîche, toasted bagel. I enjoyed the Steak and balsamic onions on toasted multigrain and the Croque-madame.

Afternoon tea savouries - Scoff and Banter, Oxford Street

Everything was freshly made, was well balanced in flavours and a feast for the eyes too! I really enjoyed the little croque-madame, which was served warm with a runny yolk. We really liked the selection on offer, there is definitely something for everyone here.....although afternoon tea traditionalists might have frowned at the lack of finger sandwiches.

Next came the scones, and to be honest this is where the afternoon tea fell down slightly. The scones were of the mini variety and the flavours we could pick from included:

Pecan and apple (v)

Maple syrup and sultana (v)

Vanilla (v)

Seville orange (v)

Valrhona chocolate (v)

Cheddar cheese

They are served with pots of clotted cream and two homemade preserves.

Afternoon tea scones - Scoff and Banter

Becca had the pecan and apple and the cheddar cheese, while I picked the Seville orange and the Valrhona chocolate. Becca's cheese scone lacked cheesiness and she wasn't given anything other than the clotted cream and jam to eat with it! Both the Orange and the chocolate scones were bland too, and a tad bit claggy. Becca did however enjoy the pecan and apple.

Finally we moved onto the sweet selection, which included both cold and a hot selection. We could pick from the following:

Fresh strawberry tart, whipped cream 

Chocolate whisky cake, candied orange 

Lemon meringue, blackberry compote, lime syrup (v) 

Trifle, roasted balsamic strawberries 

Sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel ice cream, macadamia nut brittle (v) 

Poached rhubarb and custard, ginger bread biscuit (v) 

Dark chocolate crème Chantilly 

Raspberry and Prosecco jelly

What a fabulous selection....again there is something for everyone there!

This time Becca picked the lemon meringue and the sticky toffee pudding (which is served hot and brought to the table when you ask for it) and I went for the chocolate whiskey cake and the dark chocolate creme Chantilly.

All I can say is that I was very jealous of the sweets that Becca picked...just look at the meringue.....

Afternoon tea sweets - Scoff and Banter

Not only did it look scrummy, it tasted wonderful too! The flavours worked so well together, especially the lime syrup. 

The sticky toffee pudding was served in a little expresso cup and that was super scrummy too....

Sticky toffee pudding - Scoff and Banter

On top of the scrummy food and relaxed environment, all the staff we encountered were friendly, professional and very knowledgeable about the menu. They gave good suggestions on menu choices and we enjoyed the friendly service. 

The standard afternoon tea at Scoff and Banter is £34.00 per person, this rises to £39.00 if you want to include a glass of Prosecco. There is also the option to upgrade to a glass of champagne. 

All in all I think this is a great value afternoon tea (even with the slightly disappointing scones) - the food isn't limitless, but its great quality and very filling. I really liked the choice that we had, it made it a very personal experience.

For more information about this afternoon tea please visit the Scoff and Banter website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel