Good Friday me and my hubby treated ourselves to a afternoon tea at the famous 5 star Claridge's hotel. I had to book it up about 3 months in advance and had been looking forward to going for many weeks.
It was expensive at £100 each but I have always wanted to go there especially after seeing the hotel on TV. As we could not afford to stay at the hotel I thought this was the next best thing !!!!!
The hotel was just a 8 minute walk from Oxford Street and bond Street station.
From the outside it was very big with lots of flags outside however the reception area was smaller than I imagined it to be .
As we approach the revolving doors we were greeted by the doorman . There were lots of expensive cars outside and I wondered if we would see anyone famous.
Inside it was very busy with lots of people waiting to go into the afternoon tea room which is opposite the doors as you walk in.
Before going in I went to the bathroom as I was dying to see what it was like. I was rather disappointed with the ladies bathroom as not very big and nothing special apart from the lady in uniform turning the tap on for me and then handing me the white flannel to dry my hands. The hand wash was in a frosted glass dispenser bottle so I do not know what brand it was but it did not smell of anything special.
The afternoon tea is served in the grand foyer. It's a large room with gold and silver pillars and mirrors. In the center of the room is a extremely large fresh flower display sat under a big glass very unusual modern style chandelier. There was lovely background music by a pianist and lady playing the cello.
It was very busy and only a few tables free. We was given the choice of two different tables and choose the one on the left side towards the back of the room.
Our table was nicely laid with crisp white tablecloth and napkin and green and white china made specifically for Claridge's. Next to our table stood a tall silver oblong shape stand.
The waiter pulled out the chair for me to sit on and took my jacket to place in the cloakroom. We were handed a menu each that was more like a booklet. It explained in great detail what the afternoon tea menu consisted off plus tips and fact to get the best experience. There was a large choice of teas with a full description of each of them plus a coffee menu including iced coffee.
The waiter explained that the price includes a glass of Moet champagne and proceed to pour us a glass each. He then checked for allergies and I just informed him that I did not like salmon so could I have an extra chicken sandwich.
We waited about 15 minutes for the sandwiches to arrive and was given a plate each. They consisted of the below.
Roasted chicken, baby gem lettuce and tarragon on granary bread
Honey glazed ham with orange and mustard mayonnaise on onion bread
Truffle egg mayonnaise and watercress on white bread
English cucumber with minted crème fraîche on white bread
They were very nice and really fresh with lots of filling. I liked the chicken with mayonnaise best 😋. We also got a tiny carrot and coriander tart each which was also nice and a bit different. Just before we finished our last sandwich the waiter brought my husband 4 salmon ones as he had heard him say how nice they were. He brought me two chicken sandwiches and two ham as these were my favorite. Once we had eaten these we were offered even more but we had to decline as wanted room for the rest of the food yet to come.
We ordered some tea each. My husband ordered the Claridge's Blend tea and I ordered the lemongrass herbal one. They were brought out in large china teapots and poured out using the silver tea strainer.
I could smell the lemon if my one and it tasted really good . It reminded me of a sherbet lemon sweet.
After we had finished all the sandwiches we ordered a extra glass of champagne each priced at £25 each, after all it is Easter weekend!!!!
Next to arrive on our table was a plate of two toasted hot cross buns with a silver dish of butter. I was not expecting this but it was a nice touch for Easter 🐇🐣
Sorry I forgot to take a picture of them before I had nearly eaten it
Our waiter was very attentive and brought us both a fresh pot of tea rather than just pouring the tea out that was left in the teapot.
The music in the room was lovely and relaxing and the champagne went down lovely.....in fact a bit too quickly.
Next our waiter brought out a plate of scones and large plate of little cakes.
We got a plain scone and fruit scone each plus a large pot of jam and clotted cream to share. The jam was a mixture of strawberry and raspberry. As you know I love a freshly baked scone and these did not disappoint.
We got 4 different cakes each. They looked nice but I was expecting a more fancy decoration to them or maybe an Easter theme would of been nice. However decoration aside they all tasted lovely.
We especially liked the chocolate peanut tart which was delicious 😋 . The coffee mouse one on a very crispy base was our second favorite.
We both had a lovely afternoon at Claridge's with excellent service and nice food. I do not remember our waiters name but he looked after us throughout the service.
At the end of the service I was handed a paper bag which contained a small box with two scones and two of my favorite cakes to take home plus a small chocolate Easter egg each in a box .
This was such a nice thing for them to give to us and much appreciated. It was lovely chocolate too as we eat them Easter Sunday whilst watching a movie
No comments:
Post a Comment