Thursday 20 June 2019

Afternoon Tea at Honey, Hotel Gotham


I'm always conscious that I don't look up enough. Life can be busy and we're all often a little guilty of whizzing around, phone in hand, thinking only about getting from A to B, without stopping to take in what's around us. But Manchester, albeit one of the busiest cities in the UK, is a place where you should definitely take a moment to look a little higher.



That's particularly true around Manchester's former banking area of King Street, where the historic architecture provides some impressive details to the city's ever evolving skyline. We recently got a front row seat at Honey, located atop the boutique Hotel Gotham housed in one of the city's listed buildings, when we stopped by for afternoon tea.



Gotham has been on our hit list for quite some time after several failed attempts to reserve a spot (our fault as eternal late bookers) but this time, the Bat-Signal was calling, and undoubtedly worth the wait.

With the sun shining through Gotham's stunning arch windows, tables are dressed in black cloths and accessorised with rolled-up Gotham Bugle newspapers which double as a hotel guide, a subtle nod to the Gotham theme - though, Gotham City fans note, you won't find much evidence of the Dark Knight himself.



Diners can choose the Gotham Afternoon Tea or upgrade to a Champagne option. We went for the former, starting off with a traditional breakfast tea and Americano but if you peruse the menu, there are plenty of infusions and Gotham recommended teas to satisfy avid tea-explorers out there.

The food arrived on an elegant three-tier silver stand, loaded with colour and some of the most perfect-looking scones you could wish for.



To start, a selection of four sandwiches each, including; coronation chicken, smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber and crème fraiche, and truffled egg mayo. A dream combination of fillings and breads, all perfectly fresh, and each of our favourites ticked off. Good start.

Next, the scones. I can't remember the last time we came across an afternoon tea with such a generous scone tier; two plain, two fruit, and a nice size too. The taste test certainly matched up, delightfully soft, served warm with a spot of jam and cream - though we could have perhaps done with a little more of each topping (I don't know if that says more about us than the portion sizes?!).



Finally, the patisserie assortment was an eye-catching mix of classics, livened up by their bold and unexpectedly bright colour palette. We each had a miniature rhubarb cheesecake, strawberry tart, earl grey macaroon and Victoria sponge finished with a playful Barbie pink buttercream top. I couldn't honestly pick a favourite, and though traditionalists may miss a token slice of carrot cake or chocolate delice, you couldn't fault this selection of fun favourites.



As locals to the Manchester area, we're often asked what our go-to afternoon tea spots are around the city. The list has stayed pretty much the same for a long time with a number of Manchester venues some of the most dear to our hearts. But we must say, with its delicious food and unique setting, we'll be adding Hotel Gotham to that list in future.

Gotham Afternoon Tea is priced at £25pp. For more information and to book visit: https://www.hotelgotham.co.uk

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Sunday 21 April 2019

WIN Bettys 100th Anniversary Gift Set


COMPETITION TIME!

As well as being Easter Sunday, today (21st April) also marks the celebration of #NationalTeaDay 2019 - a day to honour the Great British Brew in all its forms. To celebrate, we're offering one lucky person the chance to win a Bettys 100th Anniversary tea and biscuits gift set worth £9.95. 

To enter, all you have to do is follow us over on Instagram at @TeacupReview and comment on our competition post, sharing what your favourite type of tea is - ours is Earl Grey.

The giveaway will close on 26th April, so get your entries in quick.

Good luck (and happy Easter!)

Laura & Caroline x



Open to UK residents only. Only one entry per person. Competition will close at midnight (BST) on 26/04/2019. The winner will be chosen and announced on 30/04/2019. The Afternoon Tea Club's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The Afternoon Tea Club is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied by third party connected to this competition. There will be no cash alternative. Winner will be notified via Instagram. By entering the competition the winner agrees to participate in such promotional activity on our website and Twitter. No responsibility can be taken for any entries which are not received for any reason. This is an independent competition and is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.

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Tuesday 19 March 2019

Afternoon Tea at The Ivy, York


You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to afternoon tea in York, so take this as fair warning, as we're about to make your next tea choice that little bit more difficult. Sorry, not sorry.


Right as you step into the centre of town, you'll spot The Ivy on St Helen's Square, a sophisticated restaurant that's both a relaxed retreat for lunch and ideal spot for evening cocktails. It also happens to offer a rather good afternoon tea, which we recently went along to try.


Cosy up on The Ivy's mustard yellow booth seating where the formalities of white linen tablecloths are offset by chunky patterned cushions and walls filled with botanical illustrations and contemporary colourful art. Not to mention the spectacular bar area which is wrapped in an old black and white image of York from years gone by and rows of slender mirrored panels which reflect the myriad of colours around the room. 


Once seated we were soon sipping on a glass of champagne each and perusing the tea menu. A great choice of traditional and floral flavours and extra points here for having a full description of the afternoon tea food menu too - ideal for bloggers like us who often forget to make notes about the sandwich selection due to being too distracted by pretty food. No? Just us then? For tea we opted for the Ivy 1917 breakfast blend and Ivy afternoon tea blend. 


First up, the savouries. The sandwich selection was good, if a little small, consisting of a delicious truffled chicken brioche roll, classic cucumber and dill finger sandwich, and open salmon and cream cheese on dark rye. While we would have liked to have seen a little more quantity on the savoury side, maybe a small pastry or another classic finger sandwich, you certainly could not argue with the quality of these afternoon tea favourites executed with a heightened sense of style.


For the scones, we won't lie, we found ourselves wondering for a moment if these were shop-bought or home-made, but it turns out The Ivy's perfectly proportioned fruit scones are in fact freshly baked. Presented on a separate cream tea stand and served with sizeable dollops of Dorset clotted cream, strawberry jam, and fresh strawberries, they did not disappoint.


For us, the top tier ticked all the important boxes of an afternoon tea sweet selection. You've got your fruit, something chocolatey, and traditional flavours done with a twist. First, we had been eyeing up those crème brulee doughnuts from the second the stand arrived at our table and they were so good, we wish we could have taken more home! Followed by the raspberry cheesecake which added a little crunch and refreshing dash of fruit, and finally, the chocolate and salted caramel mousse, presented like cappuccinos in mini espresso cups, which were a nice way to finish. 


Overall, our experience at The Ivy was great. The surroundings are beautiful and the staff were wonderfully attentive. Compared to some of our other recent excursions, it is quite a light afternoon tea offering, so we would probably recommend this more to regular tea-goers looking for a refined, yet informal pit stop whilst perusing York's cobbled streets. That said, where other venues might rely on novelties or themed teas to stand out from the crowd, The Ivy has certainly got the classics sorted and the style to go with it.  


Champagne afternoon tea is priced at £26.50pp. For more information and to book visit: https://theivyyork.com/

We were kindly provided with a complimentary tea for review, but as usual, all thoughts and opinions are very much our own!

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Wednesday 6 March 2019

Afternoon Tea at The Mount Royale Hotel, York


If you're heading into York for the day, you'd be forgiven for hopping off the train, heading straight into town for a wander through the Shambles and stopping along the way at a famous tea room. However, set your afternoon tea sights a little further and we promise, you will be glad you did, as we discovered last week when we were invited along to The Mount Royale, an independent hotel just a 10-minute stroll away from York Station, with an afternoon tea offering that should definitely be on your radar.


Pastel perfection awaits you inside OXO's on the Mount where its Royal Tea menu is served by appointment only in a lounge style setting that opens up right onto the hotel's impressive gardens. Created by the talented Karen Oxtoby, this afternoon tea is a beautiful blend of colour, flavour and design, filled with countless little details that make this a truly unique offering in a city that is already spoilt for choice when it comes to tea and cake.


To start, presented on a separate serving dish are a range of finger sandwiches with a good selection of breads and fillings including ham and tomato, creamy coronation chicken, tuna and cucumber, egg mayo, and cheese an onion. There is even a cute candy-striped bag of salted crisps to accompany. Hands down our favourite was the coronation chicken, but there are enough flavours to satisfy even the fussiest of palettes - though a couple did only have one of each, so you might have to fight it out!


Next up, the epicentre of any good afternoon tea - the scones. Not only did they look exquisite, perfectly proportioned and homemade with a dusting of sugar on top, the taste test definitely lived up to our high expectations. A very generous helping of jam and cream meant we could layer up on the good stuff to our heart's content and the personalisation of The Mount Royale's locally sourced branded strawberry jam really added that extra touch. However, don't go to overboard, as the best is yet to come.


Served on a two-tier floral stand, the sweet selection is so pretty and thoughtful, you almost feel bad for eating it. But the guilt lasts for all of two seconds when you tuck into this medley of afternoon tea classics and contemporary flavours. Are you a fan of peanut butter? Passionfruit? Amaretto? Take your pick, it's all here. 


The traditionalists out there may deem this array of flavour to be a little OTT, and on another occasion, we might be inclined to agree, but here it works and care has been taken to ensure each piece feels special. The selection includes macaroons, sugar cookies, battenburg, eton mess, mini cupcakes, meringue, and even a milkshake, served in a small bottle coated in rainbow coloured hundreds and thousands, to wash it down. Whether it's the gold dusting, marble effect fondant, or coloured tissue paper parcels, you simply cannot fault the attention to detail and for £19.95 per person (£26.95 with champagne), it's an absolute steal. 


To top it off, we each had substantial pots of breakfast tea and coffee paired with delicate mismatched teacups and saucers. For the tea connoisseurs out there, it might be good to have a tea menu for guests to choose from, particularly for those wanting to be a little more adventurous but for us, it was hardly a deal breaker.


Overall, we loved our time at The Mount Royale. The setting was relaxed, the sun was shining, and the afternoon tea was a real treat. More people need to know about this place. If you're planning a visit to York any time soon and looking for something a little special, this is where you need to be.  


For more information and to book visit: http://www.mountroyale.co.uk/

We were kindly provided with a complimentary tea for review, but as usual, all thoughts and opinions are very much our own!

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Sunday 20 January 2019

January Tea-Tox Guide


We’re just a few weeks into the new year and if you’re anything like us, you’ve just about finished off the mountain of chocolate you collected from various relatives and friends over the Christmas period and never want to see another Pringle again. So, that means it's the perfect time to start that detox you’ve been talking about but putting off since January 1st (you're not alone!). We’ve been trying out some healthy tea products that could give your detox the kickstart it needs and get you feeling re-energised. Time for a tea-tox!



JING Tea

Matcha, the traditional ceremonial Japanese green tea, has been hailed as somewhat of a super tea and with plenty of celebs and fitness influencers spotted sipping the stuff all over Instagram, it’s also become pretty fashionable. Health benefits and Insta-cred? Count us in. We’ve tried a fair few matcha teas in the past but found that often, we just didn’t have time for the full matcha experience. However, JING Tea has launched a new single-origin Matcha Japanese Green Tea sourced directly from a garden in Kagoshima, Japan, and matching Matcha Shaker, which allows you to enjoy matcha on-to-go. Simply pop in the matcha powder, add water, give it a shake and it’s ready. We fully recommend trying this matcha cold - full of antioxidants, super easy and refreshing.

JING Matcha Green Tea (30g) (£24) and JING Matcha Shaker (£30) available from https://jingtea.com


Matcha NOW

Speaking of tea on the go, Matcha NOW, offers a slightly different matcha experience. Packed with 137 times the antioxidants of regular green tea, Matcha NOW claims to deliver the potency and benefits which can be lost in premixed matcha. It comes served in a handy water bottle with special twisty cap, which releases fresh matcha into chilled purified water, right when you need a boost - ideal for carrying with you to the office or post-workout. We tried a few different flavours including ginger and turmeric, peppermint and 100% pure matcha. The ginger is incredibly powerful so certainly wakes you up, however our favourite had to be the classic flavour - great taste and just a really simple way to try matcha. Plus, for a bonus feel-good factor, Matcha NOW has just launched its #IQuitCoffee campaign and is donating 5% of all profits to the mental healthy charity, Mind.

From £2.99 each at https://www.matchanow.co.uk




Indigo Herbs

If loose leaf tea is more your style, Glastonbury-based Indigo Herbs offers a purifying Super Cleanse Tea made from pure botanical ingredients including fennel, liquorice and ginger. If you’ve been hammering the caffeine and feel a little sluggish, this tea is said to help you recover from the effects of those nasty toxins. Just pop a couple of teaspoons into a pot, leave it to brew for around 10 mins and let the natural ingredients do their job. It smells incredible and has a great sweet taste with an aniseed kick. Ideal for relaxing at home and boosting your detox diet. 

Available for £3.99 (50g) from https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk





OMGTea

If you’re looking for another easy way to try healthy matcha tea, OMGTea has created new single serve sachets of its Great Taste award-winning organic Japanese matcha. These are perfect for enjoying matcha at the office or even on your travels. Serve hot by mixing the powder and 80℃ water into a paste before topping with more water and whisking until frothy to deliver a rich, sweet flavour. Or try it cold by popping one sachet into a bottle with chilled water and shaking thoroughly - easy! For tea-tox points, OMGTea says the tea can help to burn calories and increase your energy levels.

Available in packs of 14 for £14.95 from https://omgteas.co.uk

Are you doing a January tea-tox? Let us know which teas you’re trying in the comments or on social @TeacupReview!
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Saturday 12 January 2019

Evening Tea at The Midland, Manchester



Afternoons full of tea and cake are the best (obviously!) but do you know what can be more fun? Evenings full of tea and cake … and cocktails too, otherwise known as our new favourite past time, Evening Tea.

We discovered this little treat a few months back after struggling to find a free weekend for our afternoon adventures and landing upon The Midland in Manchester, which on top of its traditional and Royal Afternoon Tea, offers the option of Evening Tea complete with gin and tonic. 

Served in its beautiful Tea Room, said to be Manchester's only setting specifically designed for afternoon tea, this is the perfect evening oasis to unwind in after a busy day (particularly good for those early January back to work blues).

First comes gin number one, a local Manchester Three Rivers and tonic served with apricots and rosemary. A refreshing start to the first tier, which came loaded with a range of sandwiches and pastries including ox cheek & blue cheese croquette, crab cakes, tomato & goats cheese tart, and salmon and crème fraîche, along with coronation chicken and roast beef with horseradish finger sandwiches, each served on various types of fresh bread. We loved the mix of savoury options, fitting for an evening menu, and were huge fans of the croquette and creamy chicken filling. 

Next up, we were given a choice of plain or fruit scones so decided to opt for one each paired with clotted cream and a selection of jams. The scones were absolutely perfect from the look to the taste and it was great to get a choice of jam (even if we did go for classic raspberry) to make them all the more special.


The second pairing of gin came in the form of a fruity Brockmans with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. This one was definitely our favourite, a really smooth gin bursting with fruity flavour. Even if you're not usually a fan of gin, we reckon this is one that could change your mind. 

On to the final tier, a slightly smaller cake selection than your typical afternoon tea but a balanced one featuring carrot opera cake and a berry and chocolate macaroon, offering a welcome dash of colour to the primarily savoury stand. Both were delicious and though we both consider ourselves to have a bit of a sweet tooth, this was plenty to satisfy our cravings.

Overall we had a fab first Evening Tea experience. Available between 5.30-7pm Thursday to Sunday, it's an idyllic post-work getaway. Even if you just fancy treating yourself and a friend at the weekend (because January can be fun too) it's actually pretty good value at £35pp including gin. With more late tea menus popping up around the UK, perhaps evening is the new afternoon. 

For more information and to book, visit: https://tearoomatthemidland.co.uk/

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