National Afternoon Tea Week - 11-17 August 2014

Next week is National Afternoon Tea Week and in case you want to partake I have a little round up of suggestions of some fabulous tasting teas to tickle your taste buds!

Alfresco Afternoon Tea at The Goring 

During National Afternoon Tea Week, if the weather holds out, guests can enjoy tea al-fresco on the hotel's veranda - one of the few outdoor dining spots to be found in the capital - or even on a table in the large private garden. On chillier days, Afternoon Tea is taken in the warm and inviting Lounge, in front of the gently crackling open fire.

In 2013 The Goring was voted Top London Afternoon Tea by the UK Tea Guild. Serving Afternoon Tea since 1910, The Goring offers a wide range of teas and a delicious traditional Afternoon Tea of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries. In addition it offers a Bollinger Champagne menu. 

Afternoon Tea is priced at £42.50 per person with the Bollinger Tea at £52.50 per person
www.thegoring.com

The English Afternoon Tea at Threadneedles

Threadneedles presents a truly English Afternoon Tea, a homage to six of the Greatest Britons of all time, as chosen by the British people for BBC2. Drawing on this for inspiration, Executive Chef Stephen Smith and his pastry chefs have created a delectable menu filled with imaginative recipes in honour of Sir Winston Churchill (Dundee cake as ordered for his 80th birthday), Queen Elizabeth I (Lavender cupcakes), Princess Diana (England’s Rose cake), Sir Isaac Newton (Apple and Lemon Thyme Tart), Admiral Nelson (Rich Spiced Rum Cake) and John Lennon (Opera Gateau – inspired by the Beatle’s love of cornflakes and chocolate!). All these and plenty of traditional finger sandwiches, fruit and savoury scones and a selection of fine teas.

Afternoon Tea is taken in the Threadneedles Lobby, under the spectacular glass dome – and is available from £29 per person, served Monday – Sunday from 2:30pm to 5pm; Champagne Afternoon Tea £39 per person. www.hotelthreadneedles.co.uk

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych, London

One Aldwych is the official hotel of musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and celebrates the wit and wonder of the Roald Dahl classic with an inspired afternoon tea.

In creating the tea, Dominic aimed to capture “the story’s humour and fun” as well as satisfying children and adults alike – from the sophisticated tartlet and cured salmon to the witty flavoured candy floss and decadent Golden Egg made with vanilla cheesecake and mango purée. Other treats include Lemon Crackle Pops and Cocoa Bean Financier as well as warm scones accompanied by apple and meadowsweet compote. The afternoon tea is complemented with a selection of four Tea Palace infusions, or for those looking for something stronger the Cocktail Charlie. Presented in a spectacular smoking teapot along with three home-made chocolate truffles, Cocktail Charlie is a sensational mix of Dalmore Whisky, Cherry Marnier, Chocolate bitters and Champagne.

This afternoon tea has been on my to do list for too long, I aim to rectify this very soon!

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired afternoon team from £43.00 per person including a glass of Lallier Grand Réserve Champagne or a special Cocktail Charlie. www.LHW.com/oneadlwych

Sex and the City Par-Tea at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill

For those who are after something a little different this is sure to appeal, it has already gone onto my to do list!. 

One for the ladies I strongly suspect.. Whether you are a Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha or Miranda, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill’s new Sex and the City Par-Tea, is a total treat to complete a girl’s weekend in the capital.

Served on elegantly tiered stands, this Big Apple twist on traditional Afternoon Tea includes savoury dishes – Waldorf Salad sandwiches, New York bagels with pastrami, mustard and mayonnaise; smoked salmon and dill cream cheese bites as well as mini burgers (named after Jack Berger, one of Carrie’s ex-boyfriends) and hot dogs with a light drizzle of mustard and crispy onion. On the sweet side, a selection of pastries has been created with each of the girls in mind: Carrie – a cosmopolitan jelly decked with edible gold flecks in a mini martini glass; Charlotte – a diamond-studded red velvet cupcake; Samantha – a leopard print stiletto biscuit; Miranda – a mini New York vanilla cheesecake with hot lips

The Sex and the City Par-Tea is served Friday and Saturday from 3:00pm - 6:00pm and on Sunday from 3:30pm - 6:00pm and costs £38 per person or £47 per person including one cocktail. Email montagu.hrlondon@hyatt.com

The Importance of Being Earnest’ Afternoon Tea at Hotel Café Royal, Piccadilly

To celebrate Oscar Wilde’s much-loved play, The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Nigel Havers and Cherie Lunghi, at the Harold Pinter theatre in London’s West End, Hotel Café Royal, just round the corner on Piccadilly, has created a playful afternoon tea inspired by the play’s characters and the hotel’s own raffish history. Served in the historic Oscar Wilde Bar, which has been stunningly restored to its authentic Louis XVI detailing, guests can enjoy the glamorous afternoon tea in the very room that the great man frequented daily for lunch at precisely 1pm, ordering the same dish.

The witty menu features a selection of tea sandwiches, pastries (including a playful chocolate box ‘n’ ring; Lady Bracknell lollipop and Dandy raspberry regent), scones and cakes as well as additional ‘savoury terminus’ dishes – a double-entendre almost worthy of Wilde himself.

The Importance of Being Ernest Afternoon Tea is available until 10th September and is priced at £42 or £55 with a glass of Veuve Clicquot www.lhw.com/caferoyallondon