Thursday 18 December 2014

REVIEW: Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London

Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Recently, I was invited to not one, not two, not three, but four hotels in one afternoon to sample their festive Christmas menus. This was the ultimate in luxurious afternoon tea tours with Nudge PR and Keith from AfternoonTea.co.uk - a national booking site for one of my most favourite of British offerings. Earlier in the summer I also enjoyed an unusual afternoon tea with these guys and the BB Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus, just another wonderful offering in the world of afternoon tea in London, should you need something a little out of the norm for your own celebrations or requirements. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London For this Christmassy tour we started out in Mayfair, meeting at Browns Bar & Brasserie, before moving on to the Chesterfield Hotel, London Hilton on Park Lane and finishing off at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. If you have a hankering for something a little different over Xmas and New Year, then these four beautifully creative afternoon tea menus are just the ticket to satisfy your cravings. For Christmas afternoon tea menus, these were all surprisingly so different, each one completely unique to the last, it was such a great afternoon and the goodie bags allowed us to take the leftovers home to enjoy with friends the next day - even better. Here, I share with you the four menus and some photos from our walking tour of these fantastic London hotels, each one highly recommended by Miss Sue Flay: Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Browns Bar & Brasserie: Browns Mayfair is set in a building that was originally Wells & Co, a gentlemen's outfitters; it is believed that Winston Churchill once was fitted here. It is from here that Rudyard Kipling penned many of his novels and it is believed that The English Tea Room was the inspiration for Agatha Christie's 'At Bertram's Hotel'. Here, the Afternoon tea is continuously replenished at no additional charge, so you certainly won't leave hungry! AFTERNOON TEA IN THE ENGLISH TEA ROOM A Selection of Finger Sandwiches Including: Smoked salmon and creme fraiche Egg and watercress Cucumber and cream cheese Fruit scone, served with strawberry jam and clotted cream A Selection of Mini Cakes Including: Salted caramel profiteroles Victoria sponge cakes Browns winter cherry Almond Eton mess Your choice of large loose leaf tea. As of the 29th November, Browns Hotel will be serving Festive Afternoon Tea at £47.50. Enjoy a glass of Ruinart NV with your Afternoon Tea for £57.50 or perhaps a glass of Ruinart Rose for £61.50. On Christmas Day, Ruinart Festive Afternoon Tea will be served from 12 noon at £67.50 per person On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Ruinart Festive Afternoon Tea will be served from 12 noon at £62.50 per person Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London A CHAMPAGNE AFTERNOON Afternoon Tea plus a glass of Mercier Champagne £26 for two (Add an extra person for £18)   A MOST UNUSUAL AFTERNOON Afternoon Tea plus a glass of Hendrick's and tonic with a slice of cucumber £24 for two (add an extra person for £17) All allergies and requirements catered for with 48 hours notice. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London The Chesterfield Hotel: The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel is a luxury hotel ideally located for Afternoon Tea when shopping in Piccadilly, Bond Street, Regent Street or Oxford Street. They are very proud to have received a special 'Award of Excellence' from the UK Tea Council in recognition of outstanding quality and consistently high standards of tea service in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Their Afternoon Tea is served in either their Conservatory (or candlelit at night, of which we enjoyed, just stunning!), which is flooded with natural daylight, set against the backdrop of the garden and fountain, or The Butler's Restaurant which is warm and intimate and provides a quintessential British dining experience. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London WINTER WONDERLAND AFTERNOON TEA Selection of Homemade Sandwiches Roast turkey with cranberry mayonnaise on white bread Honey roast ham with Cheddar cheese and tomato chutney on onion bread Scottish smoked salmon with cream cheese on brown bread Free range egg mayonnaise and watercress on basil bread Cucumber and cream cheese on white bread Freshly Baked Homemade Savoury and Plain Scones Served with Cornish clotted cream, homemade strawberry jam Selection of Festive Pastries and Cupcakes Mulled wine macaroon Christmas tree chocolate pot Cranberry and vanilla cheesecake Snowman cupcake Yule log Festive fruit tart £34.50 per person £41.50  for Champagne tea - Additional glass £12.00 / Bottle £59 Magnum £118 Vegetarian and gluten free afternoon teas also available. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Little Elves Afternoon Tea - £12.50 per child Peanut butter and jam sandwiches Scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam Cupcakes, hot chocolate or tea Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London London Hilton on Park Lane: Treat yourself to London Hilton on Park lane's delicious festive Afternoon Tea, led by Head Chef Alexandre Derouck, Podium Restaurant & Bar offers a relaxed atmosphere and is the perfect base from where to explore the many local attractions including Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, world famous Harrods & Selfridges. FESTIVE AFTERNOON TEA Sandwiches Forman's smoked salmon with horseradish Honey roast ham with Pommery mustard Prawn cocktail with baby gem lettuce Cucumber, cream cheese, chives Egg, cress Scones Freshly baked chocolate chip Plain and raisin scones Praline chocolate spread Clotted cream, strawberry jam Pastries Yule log made of chocolate Candied Cranberry cupcake Miniature fancies Ginger bread man White forest gateau Candied chestnut parfait Mandarin and spice curd in glass Mulled wine macaroon Harney & Sons fine teas selection of loose leaf teas £36 per person or £46 with a glass of Pommery Champagne. Valid 2nd December - 5th January. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park: This isn't a usual "Christmas" menu, they are in fact celebrating all things "Paddington Bear" with their most stunning afternoon tea menu. PADDINGTON AFTERNOON TEA Sandwiches Slow roasted Norfolk bronze turkey with sage and cranberry Smoked salmon tartar with creme fraiche and dill Cotswold egg and mustard cress St Tola goats cheese, roast pumpkin, red onion confit Portland crab and crayfish fondue on brioche Wiltshire cured ham and air dried tomatoes Pastries Find my Teddy brownies... (Crunchy brownie, Banana compote, jivara milk chocolate Chantilly) Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Pack your suitcase (Caramelised cinnamon and java pepper ganache, muscovado and chocolate sable) My favourite rolled marmalade sandwich (Rolled sponge, orange marmalade, candy ginger chantilly) Paddington pots (Saffron honey brule, pear and quince compote) Cakes and Scones Carrot cake Christmas cake Cranberry and plain scones Priced at £48 per adult and £28 per child, this is a luxury tea served in The Rosebery. This venue is just a few steps from Knightsbridge Tube Station and a short walk from Kensington Palace. Thank you so much to Gen & Keith (and to the hotels themselves for their hospitality) for the invitation to join this tour, they know me all too well - there was not a chance in the world that I would have said no to this experience and I'm thrilled to have been a part of this mini afternoon tea adventure. Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Visit www.AfternoonTea.co.uk for deals, offers & suggestions on afternoon tea offerings across the UK, should you be stuck for inspiration. Miss Sue Flay Logo   Festive Christmas Afternoon Teas In London Please note - This event was complimentary, following a visit to view this venue and meet the team. I am in no means obliged to blog or write about their offerings, but I simply choose to share their offerings with my readers, should I enjoy the experience. The service team that work on the day or duration of my visit are not aware of my reasons for visiting, to enable a fair review. Any questions or to discuss a "Secret Stay" or review, please do email:hello@misssueflay.com All images © 2014 Miss Sue Flay, these may not be used or reproduced without written permission from the owner, many thanks in advance.

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