Festive Afternoon Tea at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London

The winter months are a fabulous time to indulge in Afternoon Tea - whilst it is cold outside inside you can enjoy a warming and filling tea full of festive treats.

The menu from the Mandarin Oriental (where incidentally I have experienced and can highly recommend afternoon tea) has caught my eye -

Taken in the hotel's delightfully cosy Rosebery Lounge you can enjoy the following

THE HARRODS TEDDY BEAR AFTERNOON TEA £53 (price per person)

A Selection of 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 goat cheese with roasted pumpkin and red onion confit 

Portland crab and crayfish fondue on lemon and thyme bread

Wiltshire cured ham and heritage tomatoes 

Freshly baked cranberry-raisins & plain scones accompanied by Devonshire clotted cream, strawberry jam, rose petal jelly and homemade lemon curd. 

A Selection of Handmade Pastries 

Gingerbread, pear and caramel cake

Figgy pudding bauble

Chestnut, chocolate and vanilla Opera gateau

Cranberry, orange and yoghurt Yule log 

Mandarin and spiced prune tartlet

Pumpkin and pecan cake 

Traditional stollen 

The tea comes with a wide selection of teas to choose from.

Children are also welcome and well catered for with their very own and special menu

KIDS TEDDY BEAR AFTERNOON TEA MENU £28 (per person) 

A Selection of 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 goat cheese with roasted pumpkin and red onion confit 

Portland crab and crayfish fondue on lemon and thyme bread

Wiltshire cured ham and heritage tomatoes 

Freshly baked cranberry-raisins & plain scones accompanied by Devonshire clotted cream, strawberry jam, rose petal jelly and homemade lemon curd. 

A Selection of Handmade Pastries 

Winter land snowball 

Snowman tart

Chocolate teddy bear

Grubby paw layer cake 

Christmas cracker

Teddy bear cupcake 

Christmas tree cupcake 

Pumpkin and pecan cake 

Traditional stollen 

To book call +44 (0)20 7201 3828 or visit The Mandarin Oriental website

*Images courtesy of The Mandarin Oriental 

November Glossybox - What's Inside Mine - Lips & Lashes Edition

November's edition of Glossybox has the theme of Lipsticks to Lashes so as you would expect it contains items for both purposes...

What's inside ?

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick £7.99 

This month there is a full size lipstick from Revlon promising one of their best selling shades - As I already have the very popular red 'Fire & Ice' I was hoping for another shade to try, however I was sent the red. It is a gorgeous and full impact shade and I have worn it for Christmas Day in previous years as it is such a lovely festive red.

MUA Eyeshadow Palette £4 

This cute palette from MUA is called 'Undressed' and features 12 wearable shades of nudes and metallics. Perfect to adorn your eyes.

Eylure Natural Lashes £5 

These lashes do look luscious, voluminous and flutterworthy but personally I don't wear lashes so I shall be gifting these to my lucky sister.

Emite Diamond Heart Primer full size £25.90

I have got the 15ml travel size version of the primer. I love trying new primers so will be trying this shortly. It smells nice, has a peachy tone to it which promises to boost radiance and create a smooth finish. It also has a cream rather than silicone texture.

Royal Apothetic Body Lotion full size £14.50 

Once again this is a travel size version but it is a rather generous tube. I absolutely love the scent of this - Venetian Grove. Lactic acid will gently smooth skin and milk proteins will hydrate the skin. I am looking forward to applying this to my skin after bathing this winter... Gorgeous and light!

Final thoughts 

Although there are a couple of  items I won't be using, I think this month's box is really quite good. Makeup lovers will adore it and those who like to focus on skincare will appreciate it. I personally enjoy discovering new brands so this box gets a thumbs up from me.

What did you think?

Popchips Mature Cheddar & Onion Potato Chips - Review

I am already a huge fan of popchips as a snack of choice and this new flavour  - Mature Cheddar & Onion does not disappoint

With just 95 calories in the individual pack it is light but packed with flavour. The cheese is lovely and intense and the onion is the perfect match for it. Sometimes you taste cheese, others your mouth has a punch of onion. Oh and did I mention they are low fat?

The popchips are non messy - they do not leave a greasy residue on the fingers. Texture wise they are nice and crunchy but once in the mouth they almost melt.

Unfortunately they do contain milk so my dairy intolerant husband wasn't able to try them which happily meant more for me and the 7yr old who declared them 'absolutely yummy!'

Another winning flavour from the popchips gurus and a big thumbs up from this household.

*PR Samples

Tick Tock Vanilla Chai Tea - Review

I have only recently got back into drinking tea after going completely off of it in early pregnancy. Pre pregnancy I loved my chai lattes but as well as going off of tea (well everything food and drink really!) I also had an aversion to spices which to an extent still hasn't abated completely...

However, I was sent a box of Tick Tock's Rooibos Vanilla Chai and I am finally able to bring my review of this naturally caffeine free hot drink.

Tick Tock say

Bursting with exotic chai spices including cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, as well as smooth Madagascan vanilla, every cup of Rooibos Vanilla Chai promises pure pleasure.

An irresistible treat! Alive with inviting spice notes and a smooth natural sweetness, every cup of Rooibos Vanilla Chai promises pure pleasure.

Inspired by India’s vibrant tea culture, our Chai (spiced tea) balances traditional spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove with natural Madagascan vanilla and delicious Rooibos Tea.

Because Tick Tock Rooibos is gentle, low in tannin and naturally caffeine free, this deliciously indulgent blend can be enjoyed by the whole family, with or without milk, throughout the day and at bedtime.

My thoughts 

As mentioned above I was a little apprehensive about trying a spiced drink but as the weather has got colder I yearned for something warming. I needn't have worried... this Vanilla Chai is delicious. I like it best enjoyed with milk for a milky treat. It is spiced but not heavily so and is sweetened beautifully with the addition of vanilla. I don't brew it for too long and find it just perfect. I also love its beautiful golden shade that with milk added just looks like my normal cuppa!

I am delighted that this great tasting drink is caffeine free as being pregnant I am conscious of the amount of caffeine I am consuming daily and with this I don't have to worry.

Big thumbs up from this mum to be.

Tick Tock Rooibos Vanilla Chai costs £1.99 for 40 bags

*PR Sample