Park Room Magic Faraway Tree Afternoon Tea- Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel Park Lane London

 

We had a wonderful afternoon tea on Saturday to celebrate my mum’s birthday. This was our third visit and, once again, it did not disappoint.

I purchased a voucher from Buyagift during a discounted promotion, costing £107 for two people, compared with the menu price of £75 per person. The hotel is situated opposite Hyde Park and is around a 15-minute walk from Marble Arch station.

Afternoon tea is served in the Park Room lounge, which is light and bright, with green velvet sofas and cream fabric armchairs. Large windows overlook the street with views of Hyde Park opposite. The tables were beautifully set with bone china, crisp white napkins, and a single pink rose in a vase.

Our waitress checked for any allergies, explained the afternoon tea menu, and left us to choose from the extensive tea selection. I opted for the Raspberry and Peach fruit tea, while my mum chose a cappuccino.

The afternoon began with Silky’s Sparkling Granita – a crisp, refreshing, lightly spiced clementine granita, which was a lovely palate cleanser.

Next came the three-tier stand, packed full of delights – this is where the magic truly began.

The sandwich selection was generous, with offers of refills (which were very tempting!). Options included cucumber and garden mint, smoked Oakham chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche, roast Aberdeen Angus beef with creamed horseradish, honey roast Yorkshire ham with Coleman’s English mustard, and North Atlantic prawn with classic Marie Rose sauce. They also brought around a tray of open sandwiches featuring Foreman’s smoked Scottish salmon with cream cheese, and St Ewe’s egg mayonnaise with chives.

As we don’t like fish and my mum doesn’t eat mayonnaise, they kindly provided vegetarian open sandwiches instead. The staff were excellent at accommodating preferences and allergies.

After (reluctantly!) turning down more sandwiches, we moved on to the scones. They were still warm, generously sized, and we each received one plain and one fruit scone. These were served with clotted cream and a choice of five jams: strawberry, rose petal, rhubarb & ginger, gooseberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant. We chose raspberry, strawberry, and rose petal.

After finishing my fruit scone, I left the plain one to make room for the five cakes that followed – including the stunning chocolate tree topped with candy floss. We ordered more coffees to  enjoy alongside the cakes.

We started by sharing the Honey Pop cake, which had a soft, creamy filling with a pear and honey compote center. Next was the Moonface cake, sitting on a crispy biscuit base, with mandarin mousse and a hint of ginger.

We then eat the Land of Dreams, a rich chocolate mousse, followed by the Woodland Whisper – a toadstool-shaped cake and one of my personal favourites.

The Faraway Tree was saved for last. This was a chocolate shell filled with a soft chocolate cream and an orange jam in the base. It was a shame to break it, but it had to be done!

To finish, they surprised my mum with a large slice of chocolate cake, complete with a candle, and sang “Happy Birthday” – a really thoughtful touch that she greatly appreciated.

The extra cake is part of the afternoon tea experience, with two cakes displayed on the center table for guests to choose from. As my mum had the chocolate cake, I asked if I could take home a slice of the Victoria sponge. They kindly packed this up in a lovely box, along with our remaining scones.

There was no bill to pay as I had already paid with the voucher, and despite having two coffees each, there was no service charge added. I did leave a tip for the waitress, as the service throughout was excellent and they made my mum’s birthday feel truly special.

We hope to return again soon to celebrate another special occasion.

Nearest Station : Marble Arch Underground about  15 minute walk

Best bits : The excellent service and amount of food on offer.  Also the scones were very good and loved the choice of jams.    

Worst bits : Nothing      

Value for money :  Yes i think it was  as first class service and lots of food    

Would I go back? : Yes defiantly why not as enjoyed it very much. 

Festive afternoon tea and demonstration by 2024 Bake off Professional winners - Intercontinental Hotel O2 North Greenwich

 On Sunday, I took my mum to an amazing afternoon tea buffet and a cooking demonstration hosted by the Bake Off: The Professionals winners of 2024. It was held at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel, and we did a bit of shopping beforehand, which made the day even more special

I thought it was a great price at £65 each for three hours, including a welcome glass of fizz and canapés, a live cooking demonstration, and a wonderful afternoon tea buffet.

The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas, with a large Christmas tree in the lobby and an impressive festive scene created by the chefs, which was entirely edible.

The afternoon tea was held in the Kinaara restaurant which had lovely views over the Thames. 

Upon entering, the two chefs, Tanuj and Narayan, were waiting by the door to greet us. We were then seated at a table with our glass of fizz and offered two types of canapés. One was a whole grape coated in goat’s cheese and rolled in a pistachio crumb — it was delicious.

After about half an hour, we were invited into a small room set up with around 20 chairs and a camera crew ready to film the event. I counted just 18 guests in total, which made it feel like a really intimate experience. The chefs guided us through the steps of making a chocolate and cherry yule log, explaining and demonstrating everything clearly. We were able to ask questions throughout, and they even let us taste the chocolate ganache cream and a slice of the finished yule log.

After this, they showed us how to make the perfect scones, and everyone was surprised by how much they mixed the dough and treated it more like bread dough. They explained that it should be allowed to rest before being cut into rounds, and then rested again before baking to help form a crust on the outside.

I must admit, they rose beautifully and had lovely smooth tops. I’ve never been very good at making scones in the past, as I was always told not to handle the dough too much, so this was definitely something new that I learned on the day.

The demonstration and questions  latest about 45 minutes then we went back to our table and helped ourselves to the amazing afternoon tea buffet

Festive Christmas Edition Menu

Pastries

Stollen

Black forest yule log

Baba rum

Clementine tarts

Pistachio and cherry financiers

Bailys and toffee choux

Coffee and passion fruit pavlova

White chocolate and cardamom panna cotta

Christmas spiced maritozzi

Selection of scones

Figs and strawberry jam, clotted cream

Sandwiches

Chicken breast with chestnut and sage cranberries on white bread

Egg mayonnaise with truffle shallots and watercress on brown bread

Scottish salmon with horseradish cream, dill on basil bread

Smoked cheese with sun-blushed tomatoes chives on malted grain bread

Foie gras parfait with quince jelly on mini brioche bread

As you can see, there was a wide choice available, and every item on the table was clearly labelled.

To start with, I chose the chicken sandwich, egg mayonnaise sandwich, smoked cheese sandwich, and an Indian paneer cheese puff pastry parcel, which wasn’t listed on the menu. Everything was very fresh and generously filled.

Whilst enjoying the sandwiches we ordered a cappuccino each plus glass of tap water to wash it all down with.

Next i decided to have just one scone as wanted to leave room for the cakes.

I had the candid fruit scone with the jams and clotted cream.

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I  wanted to try all the nine different cakes but decided to get just four to begin with

Clementine tarts

Pistachio and cherry financiers

Bailys and toffee choux

Coffee and passion fruit pavlova

My favorites from this selection were the pavlova and the pistachio and cherry financier, while my mum enjoyed the choux pastry and pavlova the most.

Next, I tried the rum baba , white chocolate and cardamom panna cotta, and the Christmas-spiced maritozzi. This was the first time I’d tried the Italian maritozzi bun, and it was wonderfully light, filled with soft, fluffy cream. I really loved it and wished I’d had room for another one — sadly, we were both far too full to eat any more.

It was a shame they didn’t offer doggy bags to take leftovers home, as there were still a few cakes left at the end!

While we were enjoying our final few cakes, the two chefs came around the tables and handed each guest a small box signed by both of them. Inside were six lovely chocolates — such a thoughtful gesture and a wonderful keepsake to remember the day by.

It was such a lovely afternoon and my mum really enjoyed it as something a bit different. The food was all delicious and so much of it. We are hoping that they will do it again in the near future. 

Nearest Station : North Greenwich  about  18 minute walk

Best bits : Meeting the chefs and the demonstration plus all the lovely food and service was very good too. They made us feel very welcome.    

Worst bits : Nothing      

Value for money :  Yes definitely considering what it included   

Would I go back? : Yes if they do another demonstration on 

 

Library Lounge Christmas afternoon tea - County Hall Hotel Westminster London

Sorry its been such a long time since my last afternoon tea post. 

As its been so long i was looking forward to this afternoon tea with our friends. 

The hotel is by Westminster bridge and Big Ben and the windows look out over the London Eye and the Thames.

As i always do i got a Groupon voucher for this that cost £127.46 for 4 of us so only £31.86 each and it included a glass of bubbly each. However we did have to pay an extra £10 each for weekend booking but still good deal as the menu price is £85 each. 

I have been here before a long time ago with my husband and he liked the room that the tea is served in.

 It has dark wood paneling and lots of book selves each one topped with an ornate bust .  He thought it looked  like a old gentleman club.

   It was nice to see the Christmas tree in the corner 

The waiter checked if we had any allergies and brought over a wooden box filled with little glass jars of different types of teas. These were just for us to smell and decide which one we wanted. There must of been about 12 different ones and i choose the Bora Bora fruity berry tea that was lovely. 

We also got a glass of champagne each that went down very well and a bit too quick !!! 

When all the food arrived we were very impressed  

SELECTION OF SAVOURIES

Truffled ‘Burford Brown’ egg mayonnaise, Wholemeal bread

Whisky Cured Salmon by H Forman & Sons, Citrus crème fraiche, Beetroot bread

Roasted Norfolk Turkey Breast, Redcurrant butter, Classic white bread

Butternut Squash and ‘Rosary’ Goats cheese tartlet (V)

Pig in Blanket, Sage Crème fraiche, Butter Brioche bun

We all liked the little tart best it was still warm with thin crispy pastry,  So nice that when the waiter asked if we wanted anymore sandwiches we all had just another tart each.

FRESHLY BAKED SCONES
Cranberry, Cinnamon and Buttermilk Christmas Pudding
The Library’ Plum Christmas conserve, Dorset Clotted cream, Brandy butter

Loved the different scones we got one of each type and i tried both types of cream. The brandy cream was very soft and the clotted cream lovely and thick. They were generous in size and freshly baked.

By now i was on my second pot of the Bora Bora tea and started on the 5 very different cakes which we cut in half. 

PASTRIES

Queen Elizabeth Tower Mince Pie
Christmas Pudding cheesecake
Lime & Orange butter shortbread
Nutmeg and Mandarin tart
Chestnut & Pecan yule log

All the cakes were delicious but i especially liked the white Christmas pudding cheesecake and the Big Ben shaped one that was the yule log. 

It was a struggle to eat them all but my hubby and i both managed apart from leaving half a scone each

I finished it all off with a Cappuccino that we got charged £7.50 extra for that i thought was too expensive for just a coffee. 

Overall it was a lovely afternoon tea with good service and lots of delicious food .

Nearest Station : Westminster Underground  about  14 minute walk across the bridge

Best bits : The choice of teas and different flavor scones.    

Worst bits : The only I can think off is that they charged us £7.50 for my cappuccino      

Value for money :  Yes but only because i got the Groupon voucher.  

Would I go back? : Yes especially if i can get it on a good deal again. 

Secret garden afternoon tea at Kona Taj 51 for Mothers Day - London

 It's been a while since my last afternoon tea so I was particularly looking forward to taking my mum here for mother's day. 

This is my 1st time having the secret garden themed one but my 4th visit here for an afternoon tea. Priced at £75 each not cheap but I saved myself a bit of money by getting a buyagift voucher when they had 25% voucher code. 

The hotel and residence are set in a square with a lovely fountain and garden in the middle. The afternoon tea is served in the Kona restaurant.  

It was busy when we arrived and we had to wait outside as we were about 15min early and they had to set all the tables up ready.  

We had a nice table for 2 against the back wall and it was nicely laid with pretty flower print china. 

The menu was already on the table and had a metal door on the front that you open up and get a nice surprise when a butterfly comes out. My mum's paper butterfly ended up on the lap of the man on the table next to us. Mine unfortunately did not fly that far!!!! 

I had already mentioned when booking no fish for either of us and no mayonnaise or mustard for my mum. We had to explain again to the waiter and they said no problem. 

I ordered a herbal tea called  'Summer of Love, and my mum ordered a cappuccino. As we waited for the drinks to arrive the waiter brought over a wooden box each and said there was a treat inside and it was all edible apart  from the box. 

It had a layer of crumbled shortbread biscuit and chocolate soil with a large chocolate ganache shaped key that was to unlock the Secret Garden and the start of the afternoon tea. 

The Summer of Love tea was a green tea with a slight fruity taste and very nice The tea stand arrived within 10 minutes and it looked so lovely like a birdcage with some butterflies on it.

We  got two chicken sandwiches each (my mums made especially without mayonnaise) a beetroot one and a rolled up egg one with half a tiny egg on top. They were nice and very fresh. 

Next we started on the pretty cakes as the scones had not yet been brought out to us. 

The first one we had was the red rose shaped cake filled with raspberry ganache, white chocolate crunch and lychee mousse inside a light vanilla sponge.  

This was very nice and we followed this by having the equally nice tart baked with basil almond cream topped with mandarin citrus cream cheese.   

Two cakes down and the warm scones arrived served with mixed berry jam and large pot of clotted cream.  We got two berry scones each, they were small in size but by now we were both feeling rather full anyway. 

The scones were a bit too pudding and soft inside and  maybe they could of done with a bit longer in the oven. My mum could only eat one of them and I eat one and half topped with lots of jam and cream. Whilst eating them I ordered myself a cappuccino. 

We both had two cakes left to eat and decided best to take them home to enjoy later. 

I had mine in the evening and they tasted as good as they looked.

Chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, chocolate crumble in a chocolate pot, with white chocolate flowers

Moist olive oil and lime cake with mango ganache 

It was a lovely afternoon tea with such a pretty theme and well thought out. Before leaving we were handed a bill for the service charge that was optional but worth paying as the waiters looked after us. 

We also got a packet of wild flower seeds to take home with us. 

I am looking forward to seeing what theme they do next ...........

Nearest Station : Victoria Underground  about  14 minute walk. 

Best bits : The pretty cakes and the wooden box filled with crumbled biscuits and chocolate key   

Worst bits : The only I can think off is that were were not asked if we wanted any extra food      

Value for money :  At £75 its not cheap but it was very nice and a bit different.  

Would I go back? : Yes when they have a new theme