The Afternoon Tea Club's Top 10 Festive Teas

If you can’t indulge at Christmas, when can you? Grab a cuppa and get into the Christmas spirit with our picks of some of the best festive Afternoon Teas from around the UK.

The Wellbeing Farm, Bolton

The Wellbeing Farm Festive Tea

Having visited this gorgeous tea room a few months back we were really excited to see what its Christmas tea offering would be – we were not disappointed! From mini Christmas puds to shortbread stars, this tea crams all of the best things about the festive period onto one tea stand. 

Price: £15.95pp.

More Info: www.thewellbeingfarm.co.uk

Conrad London St James, London

Snow Scene Afternoon Tea

This Snow Scene Afternoon Tea comes housed in one of our favourite tea presentation stands and equipped with edible snow. With snowflake macaroons, mini meringue snowman and free-flowing Laurent-Perrier Champagne, this tea is sure to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

Price: £37pp.

More Info: conradhotels3.hilton.com

Corinthia Hotel, London

Festivi-Tea

Aptly named the Festivi-Tea, indulge in a selection of classic festive fancies and all important savouries such as roast turkey and stuffing with fresh cranberry compote finger sandwiches. Top this off with a well-deserved glass of champagne. 

Price: £55pp.

More Info: www.corinthia.com

Oxo Tower, London

Festive Not Afternoon Tea

For something a little more contemporary, why not go for the Festive Not Afternoon Tea? Including a mulled wine taster on arrival, this festive NON-Afternoon Tea will have you feeling merry with mincemeat strudel and of course a good old Christmas pudding. 

Price: £38.50pp.

More Info: www.harveynichols.com

Four Seasons, London

Four Season Festivities

Packed with the usual components but with added Yuletide twists, this tea adds some extra special courses with Spiced Mandarin Whipped Ganache, Crumble and Milk Chocolate Sauce and Chestnut and Stilton Tart with Tea Soaked Raisin Syrup. There’s also a fabulous veggie option too! 

Price: £53pp.

More Info: www.fourseasons.com

Lanes of London, London

Lanes of London Gingerbread House

Getting into the Christmas spirit with free-flowing Moet and Chandon Brut champagne, this tea has undergone a fully festive makeover with a gingerbread house, coffee and mascarpone yule log and warm eggnog with spiced foam. 

Price: £23pp.

More Info: www.lanesoflondon.co.uk

Great John Street, Manchester

Classic Great John Street Afternoon Tea

As one of our favourite Manchester Afternoon Tea venues, we highly recommend taking an hour or two to relax in the luxury surroundings and sample this merry menu filled with Bailey's cheesecake, orange and cranberry frangipane and chocolate and ginger mousse, topped with a glass of mulled wine. Price: £28.50pp.

More Info: www.eclectichotels.co.uk/great-john-street/

Radisson Blu Edwardian, Manchester

Christmas Carol Afternoon Tea

What’s Christmas without a few carols? Enjoy a festive Afternoon Tea in the cosy setting of the Opus One Restaurant joined by carol singers at selected dates throughout the festive period. Choose between the traditional or a gentleman’s tea menu – trust us, they’re both fantastic! 

Price: £18.95pp.

More Info: www.radissonblu-edwardian.com

The London Carriage Works, Liverpool

London Carriage Works Tea/

Starting with a Merry Berry Bellini, this Fabulously Festive Afternoon Tea, comes with Xmas must haves including; turkey and Christmas spiced chutney, mince pies with brandy butter and chocolate yule log. 

Price: £19.50pp.

More Info: www.thelondoncarriageworks.co.uk

Bettys Christmas Teatime Gift Selection, Bettys York

Bettys Festive Tea at Home

Perhaps you fancy Afternoon Tea whilst cosying up to your own fire. Why not grab yourself a Bettys gift set and bring one of the UK’s best tea rooms home for a relaxing Christmas Eve treat? This gift set includes a Bettys’ cake tin, Christmas fruit cake, spiced Christmas shortbread and 80 Tea Room Blend Tea bags. 

Price: £25

More Info: www.bettys.co.uk/christmas

Been for a festive tea? Tweet us your pics and let us know your faves at @TeacupReview #FestiveTea

Afternoon Tea News: Theo Fennell Bijoux Afternoon Tea by The Langham Hotel, London

Last week the Langham Hotel London announced its latest Afternoon Tea collaboration with top jewellery designer Theo Fennell. Here's a little of what you can expect:

The Langham Hotel is renowned for its high class afternoon teas and you can't get much classier than a tea inspired by diamonds and pearls. Designed by the Langham's in-house Pastry Chef Extraordinaire, Cherish Finden, in association with Theo Fennell, this tea will offer guests a taste of the high life, with fusions of eclectic flavours and fabulous colour schemes.

Inspired by Fennell's exclusive Jewellery range, the decadent menu will include delights such as: Foie Gras and Smoked Duck with Mandarin, Beetroot Cured Scottish Salmon with Grey Goose Vodka Cream plus Pearl Las and Broccoli Quiche with Piquillo Peppers, Salted caramel Pearl and Pistachio Fudge and the Kentish Strawberry with White Balsamic Macaroon.

Sounds great. Here's what the Langham had to say about this exciting new menu:

The Langham, London is delighted to announce its annual Bijoux Afternoon Tea collaboration with luxury jewellery designer Theo Fennell. The partnership celebrates Theo Fennell’s love of fine craftsmanship and eclectic design alongside The Langham’s illustrious past as Europe's first 'Grand Hotel' and the birthplace of the afternoon tea tradition over. Award-winning Head Pastry Chef Cherish Finden, recently voted ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ at the Craft Guild Awards, has created a selection of irresistible treats, inspired by Theo Fennell’s exquisite jewellery collection.

Served in the glittering Palm Court, the centre piece of The Langham, London since 1865, The Theo Fennell Bijoux Afternoon Tea is a modern day interpretation of the classic British tradition. Decadent savouries include Foie Gras and Smoked Duck with Mandarin, Beetroot Cured Scottish Salmon with Grey Goose Vodka Cream plus Pearl Las and Broccoli Quiche with Piquillo Peppers. 

Cherish’s inspiration for the pastries derive from Theo’s exuberant use of colour as well as his attention to detail. The Salted caramel Pearl and Pistachio Fudge is inspired by Theo’s intricately crafted 18ct Yellow Gold and Pearl Tropical collection, a handcrafted homage to our most beloved ocean dwellers. Cherish also celebrates Theo Fennell’s signature Art Pendants in her Kentish Strawberry with White Balsamic Macaroon. Other pastries include Victoria Plum with Sakura Sponge Mango and Passion with shortbread plus Royal Gala Apple with Champagne.

We think it sounds fabulous and can't wait to try it for ourselves. Have you booked? Let us know what you think - we always love to hear your thoughts!

The Theo Fennell Bijoux Afternoon Tea, priced at £49.00 pp, will be served at the Langham from 8th April until November 2013. For more information and how to book, please visit their website, HERE.

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: The Radisson Blu Edwardian, Manchester

Last week the Afternoon Tea Club headed off to the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel in Manchester to sample some of their lovely afternoon tea in the Opus One Bar. 

Environment

Caroline:

Located in the historic Free Trade Hall on Manchester’s Peter Street, the Radisson Blu Edwardian is a building of grand proportions. From its beautiful Victorian exterior to its undeniably modern interior, this hotel is bubbling with ambiance and has a certain je ne sais quoi which makes for a wonderful afternoon tea.

The striking red themes which run throughout, create a vibrant and luxurious atmosphere, whilst the side room where tea is served extends this theme, also offering a lovely bright aspect onto the street outside, through the inclusion of wonderful feature windows. The furniture is also very comfortable and includes brilliant red-velvet swivel chairs which were an absolute delight and a personal highlight of the afternoon (who can resist a swivel chair?!)

Laura: 

Any unabashed Twi-hard would delight in the fab decor inside the Opus One Bar . Cool and classy, it's kitted out in patent black and red with huge chess pieces dotted around the bar. A very good start and there’s a noticeable contrast moving through to the afternoon tea area as the atmosphere changes, positively of course, as we find ourselves allocated a window table – this is definitely a place to watch the world go by.

There's a lovely feel to this section of the restaurant as the large windows invite great natural lighting and give the illusion of outdoor dining - without having to brave the cold!

The layout is pristine and crisp with white table cloths and super slim fire places. I absolutely loved the scarlet, rotating chairs which made it incredibly easy to get in and out of our seats without any tea spillages - more places should invest in these!

The Radisson Blu Edwardian is modern yet quite understated and certainly makes for a perfect afternoon tea location.

Food

Caroline:

The food at the Radisson was delicious and offered a good selection of traditional classics served on a three tiered silver stand, including: a selection of Finger Sandwiches in a variety of flavours (Beef, Ham, Tuna, Cheese, Prawn and Egg), Plain and Fruit Scones (with Clotted Cream and Tipton Strawberry Jam) and a wonderful array of Cakes and Pastries (Strawberry Tart, Banoffee Pie, Chocolate Cake and Summer Fruit Jelly)

The sandwiches in particular were quite special, being served as a double layer for twice the taste sensation - very impressive. The cheese mayo was my personal favourite - so much so in fact that I also claimed Laura’s for my own! The scones were also lovely and light, being served warm with a dusting of icing sugar for extra effect, whilst the patisserie crowned the stand, taking pride of place at the top. The selection here was very impressive and offered a real focal point to the display. Of this choice, my favourite by far was the Strawberry Tart which had the hidden surprise of a cream filling, which was a very welcome alternative to the usual crème patissiere and got me in the mood for summer!

Laura:

This was the dessert selection I had been waiting for. But before I get down to cakey business, let’s look at what else was on offer.

There are 3 different types of afternoon tea available at the Radisson Blu with one particularly exciting option - a Gentleman's Afternoon Tea. As tempted as I was by the sound of mini Yorkshire puds and pork pies - my sweet tooth got the best of me and I chose to sample the Traditional Afternoon Tea.

There was a great selection of sandwiches with a good mix of fillings including beef, prawn, tuna, egg and ham. My favourite was definitely the beef - simple and not overdone by other toppings that might otherwise make it too fussy.

Next up were the scones. I was very happy to find we were given a fruit scone and plain scone each and both were incredibly soft and still warm with a good amount of jam and cream.

And finally, the the final tier, the fabulous dessert selection. Oh my. Picture this; banoffee pie, chocolate cake, strawberry tart and summer fruits jelly - perfect. The banoffee pie was lovely and fluffy and the chocolate cake was just delicious.

The fruit jelly was certainly very different and made for a great refresher at the end of our tea.

These desserts were all quite rich which might be a bit much for some diners when presented together - but if you can't manage to finish it all, the lovely staff will box anything left over for you to take home.

Of course we found no problem in finishing the entire thing!

Service

Caroline:

I always feel that I tend to say the same things when reviewing service, but once again the waiters at the Radisson worked to a very high standard. All staff were very attentive and made sure that we were well looked after, whilst the personal welcome from the charming bar manager was also a nice touch. On a purely aesthetic note, I really loved the fact that everyone was wearing suits - It gave the place an executive/business feel which I liked very much. Great Job!

Laura: 

The service here was carried out to such a high standard. Our server took extra care to explain all of the different tiers and was very attentive when it came to topping up our hot drinks.

Each member of staff we encountered was friendly, with one lovely lady engaging in a joke with us when collecting our coats. This gave the service a much more genuine feel yet still remained top class.

Overall Thoughts

Caroline:
I really enjoyed our afternoon at the Radisson Blu Edwardian and would recommend it to anyone wanting to experience a traditional tea in a relaxed environment. The food is lovely and the service impeccable. Overall a very enjoyable afternoon, that I wouldn’t hesitate to repeat - Next time I'd love to try their Savory/Gentleman's tea which sounds fabulous!


Laura:

This was definitely one of my favourite afternoon tea menus. I would go back here simply for the choice and the service. It's an impressive space and you are made to feel extremely welcome. I think next time I will have try the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea, such a unique idea and certainly one to look out for. Just a delightful afternoon.

Cupcake Rating:






 

The Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel is located on Peter Street, Manchester City Centre. Afternoon Tea Prices start from £16.95pp. For more information please visit their website HERE