Ladurée Paris Macaron Moments

Ladurée, the famed Parisian macaron company and luxury sweet choice of bloggers everywhere, has made a frequent appearance on my Instagram feed for as long as I can remember. The perfect afternoon tea accompaniment, their appeal has stretched across the globe, with the brand extending its presence from Paris to a total of 28 different countries worldwide - including four Ladurée houses in London.

With them being such a major player in the patisserie world, it may come as a surprise to learn that until last Saturday, I'd never been lucky enough to try out one of their macaron's for myself. So after a conversation with my friends about how 'amazing' they are, I decided to make a bee-line to the nearest Ladurée cafe with the full intention sampling some of their delicious treats in house.




Unfortunately, time was against me and the cafe proved to be so popular that finding a table was nigh on impossible. Not one to be defeated, I decided to head over to the shop instead to pick up a selection to enjoy at home.

A little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice available, I asked the lady working there for recommendations. She responded with a resounding 'caramel for sure' before hesitantly adding 'there's just so many great ones to choose from though'. After a brief think she pulled out a selection of favourites which included; Vanilla, Pistachio, Chocolate and Cognac for an extra kick.




Having never tried Ladurée before, I didn't really know what to expect. I mean how different could they be?

In all honesty, I wouldn't say that there's a lot to differentiate these macarons from the others that I've tried before, but with the resounding opinion being that Ladurée are the best on the market, it's good to know that afternoon tea venues across the UK are striving to match their high standards. The textures were exactly how good macarons should be: crisp on the outside, giving way to a soft centre, filled with butter cream, whilst the overall flavours were intense, with the perfect amount of sweetness.

At around £13.00 for six pieces, Ladurée are definitely at the luxury end of the spectrum, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this won't stop me from returning again soon to try out the cafe for myself.

- Caroline

Have you tried Ladurée Macarons yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

For more information and cafe locations, visit:

https://www.laduree.com/

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: 60 Hope Street, Liverpool

Last weekend, I visited Liverpool with my friend Caroline to check out the city's new British Music Experience and take in a spot of afternoon tea at the ever-popular 60 Hope Street.

Located on the award winning 'Street of the year 2012', this beautiful Georgian Townhouse has an abundance of kerb appeal, with sweeping staircases, the occasional flower garland (we literally missed the latest display by a matter of days!) and a quirky luggage installation entitled "A Case History" just a stone's throw away.




Inside, the Georgian features have been largely stripped back to reveal an altogether more modern interior, with neat wooden tables and subtle grey shades across the walls, offering an ideal contrast to the restaurant's original open fire places.

The afternoon's crockery - a mish-mash of Cath Kidston, Royal Albert and Charity Shop chic - made for a wonderfully kitsch experience, complementing the renovated surrounds perfectly. I was particularly drawn to the lovely blue teapots with golden embellishments, that immediately stood out as a focal point on the table setting... before the cake came along to distract my attention!




Presented traditionally on a three tiered stand, the afternoon tea itself offers a good range of food for the reasonable price of £16.95 (without fizz) and includes favourites such as: Cucumber, Egg, Ham and Coronation Chicken sandwiches, Salmon Roulade wraps, Strawberry Scones and a cake selection.

Particular stand outs on the day had to be the seasoned Coronation Chicken sandwiches, which were freshly made to order on soft white bread, and the decadent chocolate and raspberry torte which provided a fitting finale to the afternoon.

The strawberry scones were another highlight which came ready prepared, to save time working out that Jam to Cream ratio or debating which goes first - 60 Hope Street are firmly in the cream then jam camp, by the way!




I have to say that I was really impressed by what 60 Hope Street have to offer and would definitely recommend them to anyone visiting Liverpool for the day. Their food selection is very reasonable and although it only comes with the generic options of tea or coffee, this takes nothing away from the overall experience.

It's a bit of a walk away from the main Liverpool One shopping areas, but this allows the perfect opportunity to really earn your cake - and believe me, the walk makes it taste all the sweeter!

For prices and more information about 60 Hope Street, please visit their website:

http://www.60hopestreet.com/

What's your favourite afternoon tea venue in Liverpool? Let us know in the comments below!
- Caroline

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: Menagerie, Manchester

An acrobatic aerial hoop, a catwalk down the centre of the restaurant and neon lights just screaming to be Instagrammed, Menagerie, Manchester is the epitome of cool dining.

A trendy hotspot for Manchester’s bustling nightlife, the real magic at Menagerie happens in the day when the home of ‘experiential dining’ puts its own quirky spin on the tradition of afternoon tea. We went along one rainy Sunday to see what the fuss is about.




The environment is stunning and in addition to the quirks mentioned already, the plush teal seating, low hanging lighting and flecks of gold show that the restaurant hasn’t let a single detail go untouched.

There are two types of afternoon tea on offer, traditional and Menagerie, the latter served with alternative 'social sharers’ rather than the usual finger sandwiches. For £10 extra you can opt to have a glass of Moet with either, so of course we obliged - Sundays are for champagne, right?




Afternoon tea is served in one of the most adventurous displays we’ve seen to date, with sandwiches and scones on separate dishes and an assortment of sweets served on a gold ferris wheel style-stand - so pretty!

Sandwiches are smaller than your average finger sandwiches, instead cut into squares with a nice range of quality fillings including ham and mustard, egg, thick cut beef and horseradish, cucumber and cream cheese, and salmon with lemon butter.

Next, the fruit scones are a good size, generously dusted with sugar and served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. As it's pretty much pure strawberry in a bowl, the jam was a little hard to handle due to its runny consistency but once dolloped on top, the flavour was tart and very tasty.




Finally the dessert selection was right up our street, each served in a colourful cupcake case, the cake-carousel included a marshmallow-filled donut, lemon meringue pie, triple layer Victoria sponge and chocolate cake. The Victoria sponge was one of the fluffiest cakes we have ever tasted and the marshmallow donut was an interesting but delicious addition to what was a well-balanced collection of desserts and yes, we did manage to finish them all!

For drinks, guests can choose from either English breakfast tea, mint tea or a range of coffees - it’s not a particularly extensive tea menu but for us it did the trick as we went for our go-to breakfast tea and latte.




Menagerie is a dreamy venue for a cool afternoon tea and at just a short five minute walk from Manchester’s Spinningfields complex, it’s definitely worth checking out, even just to admire the scenery. At £23pp (without champagne) it’s slightly more expensive than other tea venues in the city but the food is good and the presentation certainly gives it an edge. If you’re looking for afternoon tea with a playful twist, you’ll find it here.

For more information and to book visit: www.menagerierestaurant.co.uk

Trying our hand at Matcha Tea

We get a lot of green tea sent our way at ATC and sometimes, after several cups, they can start to blend into one. So we were rather intrigued to try something different in the form of Kanuka Matcha Tea based on the traditional Japanese tea ceremony known as ‘The Way of Tea’, said to invoke peace and harmony.




Complete with everything you need to create the ‘Chanoyu’ (ceremony) at home, the Kanuka Matcha Starter Kit includes a 40g pouch of Matcha tea powder, traditional bowl and whisk, and bamboo measuring scoop.

Making the experience as authentic as possible, the tea is sourced from an eco farm in Shizuoka, Japan and claims to be the best ‘ceremony grade’ tea around. So we put it to the test!



To serve one, you will need your whisk, bowl, measuring stick and tea powder.

• First, pop half a level teaspoon into the bowl. 
• Then, add around 40ml of cold water and mix into a paste until frothy.
• Heat around 150ml of water (not boiling, around 70°C) and stir into the paste.
• Then drink!

Alternatively you can make the tea into a latte by substituting the water with milk and adding honey to sweeten.



The ceremony itself is simple to perform and it’s a good way of taking a few moments out of your day to chill out. Straight out the bag the tea smells gorgeous and to taste, it has a slightly sweet but earthy flavour. It’s recommended that you take two servings a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon to provide you with a burst of energy as an alternative to coffee. I couldn’t tell if it was the act of preparation or the tea itself but I did feel rather peaceful after my little dish of zen.



Plus if you're on a health kick, in addition to its calming benefits, matcha tea, high in antioxidants, is apparently good for maintaining a healthy metabolism and combating high cholesterol - so it’s worthwhile dedicating 10 minutes out of your morning routine to give it a go.

If you’re a fan of green tea and looking for something new, whether it’s for the mind of the body, I would recommend giving matcha and 'the way of tea' a try - Laura

For more info visit: https://www.kanukatea.com/