The Afternoon Tea Club Cuts the Cake

Ah January, detox month – time to ask for gluttonous forgiveness and get over those overindulgent chocolate binges and festive drinks.

Whittard's Green Tea.

But if you’re anything like us, the chocolate pile from Christmas, doesn’t just disappear come the last verse of Auld Lang Syne. With all the good intentions of gym memberships, substituting orange Matchmakers for carrot sticks and fitting that 20 minute run into your lunch hour, it just seems a little bit sad, wasteful, criminal even, to throw away those untouched boxes of Malteasars.

So rather than punish ourselves, we declared February would be our realistic detox month – time to ditch the cake and start the detox!

Goodbye cake, hello fruit ... tea.

The lovely people at Whittard got us into the spirit with a detox package perfect for tea lovers like us. Bundled together with the Whittard seal of approval was a beautifully presented tin of green teas, caffeine free fruit tea and our very own Pao mugs equipped with infusers – suddenly, detox didn’t seem so scary!

Superior Green Tea selection.

Putting our new mugs to the test, we went for the loose fruit tea. There’s something about the smell of the Strawberry and Kiwi tea that just wakes you up. It’s refreshing and airy and though we did leave it to brew for quite a long time, it doesn’t hit you in the face which is good if you’re feeling a little bit un-enthused about the whole cutting-down thing.

Gotta love accessories.

From the green tea selection our favourites had to be the Strawberry and Rhubarb and Gunpowder flavours. On completely opposite ends of the tea spectrum, the Rhubarb flavour was subtle but pleasant, something to wind down with, whereas the Gunpowder was, as you would imagine a little heavier and smoky.

The verdict? If you’re hoping to battle the February fitness climb, these teas are the perfect companion to give you a little sweet fix and feel good about it. 

For more info visit www.whittard.co.uk and let us know how your tea detox is going at @TeacupReview!

Home Sweet Home, Edge Street, Manchester

Environment

Laura: Well when they named it ‘Home Sweet Home’ they got it spot on. Immediately we were welcomed into this lovely environment that felt like someone’s humble yet modern kitchen. A refreshing style based on home comforts sets the perfect ambience for an afternoon (or evening as it’s open ‘til late!) with friends. Little accents of household objects such as board games, books and even cereal boxes made me feel like I was dining in a really kooky B&B. I really loved it!

Caroline: This café is one of the loveliest places we've visited so far on our travels. Its off beat, homely style, blends the modern with the traditional, providing the perfect atmosphere to enjoy one of their numerous edible delights! This home from home is accentuated wonderfully with various quirky features, including book lined archways and an ever so cool Kit-Kat Clock!

Food

Laura: I was super excited about trying the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at Home Sweet Home. They take about 15 mins to be made but are most certainly worth the wait. Perfectly moist and still gooey warm from the oven, served with a glass of milk for dipping. For just £3 you get five cookies, now you can hardly argue with that! I also chose a cold drink to end our visit which came in the form of a retro Coca Cola glass bottle. A lovely touch and surprisingly cheap again at £2.20 a bottle.

Caroline: This week I moved away from cupcakes and opted for a traditional fruit scone with Jam and Cream - Needless to say it was lovely. I particularly liked the fact that it was warmed through before service, which made it extra delicious. Like the cookies, it was also very reasonably priced at just £3, and was definitely worth the money!

To drink I also had a bit of a change, opting for a sparkling water at £2 a bottle and as far as water goes it was very nice!

Service

Laura: I certainly felt right at home when we were greeted the minute we stepped through the doors. Our server was very quick to ask for our orders and made sure to inform of the wait time for my cookies. The friendly and enthusiastic staff were extremely polite and attentive to our needs. Smiles all round!

Caroline: The service at 'Home Sweet Home' was everything I could have asked for and more. All of the staff were incredibly friendly and greeted us as soon as we entered, offering prompt service and looking after us throughout our entire afternoon. Top marks!

Overall Thoughts

Laura: I will certainly be making another visit to Home Sweet Home. Where else can you get freshly baked cookies for such a great price in Manchester? Next time I’d love to try one of their fabulous sharer desserts which looked ever so tempting. Gorgeous place, a great mix of people, why wouldn’t I want to go again?!

Caroline: This has to be one of the best places to spend an afternoon in Manchester. Warm, friendly and comfortable - I can't fault it at all. I will definitely be back!

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