3 Festive Afternoon Teas in London You NEED To Try
3 festive afternoon teas in London that you NEED to try! Words & pictures by Jenni...
3 FESTIVE AFTERNOON TEAS IN LONDON...
AMBA HOTEL CHARING CROSS
INTERCONTINENTAL PARK LANE
K WEST HOTEL & SPA
T H E P E R F E C T W A Y T O S P E N D A C O S Y A F T E R N O O N . . .
Afternoon tea in the capital is one of the ultimate luxuries and what could be better than indulging in one with a festive twist? Check out FMIF’s favourite three to have you feeling seasonally spoilt (it’s the perfect way to spend the afternoon catching up with the girls and makes a great present too).
T H E C O O L K I D S A F T E R N O O N T E A . . .
Confession time: It wasn’t until checking out the K West Hotel & Spa’s ‘Rock n Cocktails Afternoon Tea’, with its current festive spin, that I’d associate the word ‘cool’ with a cake stand. But oh sweet Jesus, this hotel is just dripping in rock glamour – and the tea infused cocktails (oh yes, cocktails) are second to none.The vibe of the restaurant is spot-on, with the likes of Drake and The Weeknd playing in the background. As the hotel is situated close to Shepherd’s Bush Empire it’s often frequented by musicians too (and hey, if it’s good enough Rihanna it’s ten thousand times more than enough for me). Side note: on Sunday to Thursday the hotel even run a late night tea service in the Studio Bar, from 10pm to 12am. How good?! Prices of the festive afternoon tea range from £24.50 to £36.50 depending on how boozy you want to get, which is great as it means you can customize your afternoon to perfection. We went for the Rock n Cocktails Tea at £36.50 which included a glass of fizz, plus cocktail from a list of six. I can highly recommend the Wig-Wam Bam, a blackcurrant treat with green mint tea leaves. The attention to detail to the rock-theme is amazing too, with placemats made from old record sleeves.The savory options at the K West Hotel & Spa’s Festive Afternoon Tea are super creative, with a menu including halloumi sliders (ideal for a vegetarian like me), smoked salmon on rye bread, roast peppers on focaccia and of course, sliced turkey on cranberry bread. All delicious – we polished them off in ten minutes flat, without a crumb to spare.And the sweet options were equally as divine. We’re talking macaroons, tiny mince pies, baby Christmas puddings with brandy cream, rocky road fudge slices and – my personal favourite – orange and cinnamon panna cotta shots. Honestly, I can’t praise this place enough. Get involved!Perfect for: A Christmas catch up with the girls that has potential to last all night (head down late afternoon and stick around for drinks, the DJ starts early evening and spins until 2am).Options available include:Festive Afternoon Tea £24.50 per personFestive Prosecco Afternoon Tea £31.50 per personFestive Rock N' Cocktails Tea £36.50 per personTo book email bookit@k-west.co.uk or call 020 8008 6631
T H E C H O C O L A T E L O V E R ' S P A R A D I S E . . .
Beautiful festive décor? Check. A menu created by world-famous chocolatier Paul A Young and top resident chef Ashley Wells? Check. Decadence beyond belief? Oh hello, full house – check! If you’re seriously committed to chocolate and quite fancy unlimited champagne with your afternoon tea, then the Christmas Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental London Park Lane is the one for you.Ready, steady, luxury: The top tier included the most incredible walnut and stilton vol-au-vents I’ve ever eaten (honestly, I could’ve eaten about 20) and our ever-charming server, Andrei, happily recommended tea pairings for each course. Finger sandwiches included turkey and sage stuffing, or my personal favourite, an egg mayo on carrot bread (I know, who knew that was a thing?!).The scone course was a dream too, with two varieties each paired with either classic clotted cream and strawberry jam, or a festive orange curd. Which was b-e-a-u-tiful.And of finally, the piece de resistance: the chocolate course. Everything you see on the plate (bar the cinnamon sticks) is completely edible, even the little chocolate ‘pebbles’. Warning: it’s intense. But if you can’t finish it all in one sitting, the hotel will happily let you take any leftovers home in a carry box.Perfect for: Spoiling the person in your life with a sweet tooth (or yourself… any excuse really)Prices start from £42 pp and includes unlimited champagne for an hour and a half. Prices increase depending on your champagne preference.THE OFFER OF CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON TEA AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL LONDON PARK LANE ENDS 8 JANUARY 2017 (BUT AFTERNOON TEAS RUN ALL YEAR ROUND)
T H E B R I T I S H C L A S S I C . . .
FMIF’s third and final favourite is festive afternoon tea at the Amba Hotel Charing Cross – a quintessentially British, Grade II building in the heart of the city centre. Not only will you be treated to an enormous list of teas to choose from, Christmassy treats (such as the mincemeat and gingerbread macaroons pictured, which were incredible) and delicious chutneys in the sandwiches, but dreamy views of the capital too.The staff in the Amba Hotel Charing Cross were so attentive and really knew their stuff, offering us recommendations from the comprehensive reel of tea varieties – we settled on a Pai Mu Tan (a sweet Chinese blend) and an organic Darjeeling, both of which got the thumbs up from us. After a glass of sparkling wine, of course (priorities, people).The finger sandwiches here didn’t include anything overly festive (although that’s not to say they weren’t lovely; the onion chutney and farmhouse cheddar on oatmeal bread was a perfect combination) but the dessert tier, which followed the fantastic scone course, more than delivered in seasonal cheer. Hello mini yule logs, macaroons with hints of ginger and mincemeat and praline Swiss roll!Perfect for: A refined afternoon with stunning views of the city – this is one your mum is guaranteed to loveFestive afternoon tea is £35 pp. The hotel’s standard afternoon tea starts at £24.95 pp.THE OFFER OF FESTIVE AFTERNOON TEA AT AMBA HOTEL CHARING CROSS ENDS 24 DECEMBER 2016 (BUT AFTERNOON TEAS RUN ALL YEAR ROUND)
Will you be trying out any of these festive afternoon teas in London? Which one would you go for? Have you been to a festive tea that we need to try?