#BeeProud Afternoon Tea at The Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Manchester

This week we revisited one of our favourite Northern afternoon tea spots for a new Manchester-inspired menu in aid of the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund in partnership with the British Red Cross and the Manchester Pride Charity.

Served in the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel's contemporary Opus One bar which looks out onto Peter Street from the city's Free Trade Hall, the high ceilings adorned with bespoke crimson fixtures and ebony furnishing mean you will feel just at home sipping a cocktail as you will sampling its latest tea.

The theme is #BeeProud. Think Manchester, the symbolic bee, local favourites and you might have a good idea of what this tea consists of. But think again. The Radisson Blu has truly gone all out with this one, swapping out its traditional offering for a selection of thoughtful, artisan bites that will leave you needing around 30 minutes just to take enough Instagram-worthy photos - or maybe that’s just us.

To start, the sandwich selection is very good; honey roast ham with mustard on brioche, smoked salmon with lemon butter on rye, roast beef with horseradish on sourdough, and cheese and red onion on soda. A mix of breads always wins points with us and extra thumbs up for the delicious salmon filling (the cheese and red onion was a close second!).

Then to the scones, a plain and fruit scone each, served warm with strawberry jam and cream. As always, they were delicious and when we opted to leave a scone each to ensure we had enough room for cake, we were given an extra pot of jam to take home with our leftovers - a very nice touch.

Finally, the dessert selection is where the Manchester theme shines through. This included a classic Manchester tart, Eccles cake, honeycomb shortbread with cream (black and white of course), and cheesecake with caramel spiral art and pop corn on top. An impressive arrangement of sweets and a really sophisticated way of incorporating the #BeeProud theme without going over the top. Our favourites were the Manchester tart and the cheesecake which was as tasty as it was pretty.

To accompany, we each opted for pots of tea, earl grey and English breakfast, which were generously refreshed throughout, and also a glass of champagne - we are celebrating Afternoon Tea Week after all! 

Special mention must go to the great staff at the Opus One who made sure we had everything we needed for a lovely afternoon and kindly boxed up the few cakes we couldn’t manage, to go (it’s very unlike us to be defeated by cake!).

Overall this is a fabulous tea and the fact that proceeds are going to a great local charity makes it all the more worthwhile. If you’re looking for somewhere to indulge in tea and cake this Afternoon Tea Week or perhaps during the Manchester Pride big weekend, we can't recommend this tea enough.

The #BeeProud Manchester afternoon tea at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Manchester is available from now until 31st August priced at £22.50pp or £29.50pp with Prosecco. 

For more info and to book visit https://www.radissonblu-edwardian.com/

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

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: Matilda Tea at The Radisson Blu Edwardian

Matilda Afternoon Tea

Last weekend we made what's become our yearly pilgrimage to London, the capital of Afternoon Tea, to try out a very special Matilda-themed tea at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Mercer Street Hotel. Here's how we got on ...

To start, there's a pleasant busy atmosphere to the restaurant, a refreshing change to some more traditional Afternoon Tea venues. Plus the number of little hands tucking into stands of cakes and mini pastries showed that these Matilda-themed goodies make for the perfect attraction whilst Roald Dahl's Matilda musical brings a touch of magic to the stage at the Cambridge Theatre next door.

Kicking things off, a good selection of savouries filled the first tier including a generous amount of cucumber finger sandwiches, mini salmon bagels, egg and watercress, and ham and dried tomato baguettes. A really nice selection and the salmon bagels were deliciously moreish.

Next we indulged in two fruit scones each, both a good size as not to fill you up too much before the most important bit of afternoon tea, the cake! The scones were soft, fresh and served with just the right amount of jam and cream - it's always so sad when you run out!

Saving the best 'til last - the cake! Our sophisticated sweet selection included a fluffy Victoria sponge, strawberry tart, chocolate and orange cake and somewhat of a Radisson Afternoon Tea staple, a jelly shot made with elder flower and prosecco. The chocolate cake was definitely our favourite - though we couldn't help but feel a rich piece of chocolate fudge cake (a la Bruce Bogtrotter) might have lent itself more to the Matilda theme!

Overall we enjoyed our afternoon at the Mercer Street Hotel however we couldn't help but notice that this tea was very similar to the menu we're used to seeing at our local Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel which takes the magic away just a little. Perhaps if the Radisson were to include a few more unique pieces or some Matilda-themed accents to this classic selection, it might really stand out from the crowd.

Matilda The Musical Afternoon Tea at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Mercer Street is priced at £32pp for adults and £16pp for children (including a special Matilda gift). For more info and to book visit: www.radissonblu-edwardian.com

Afternoon tea was provided to us for review purposes, but as usual, all thoughts and opinions are our own. Prices correct as of August 2015. 

Christmas Afternoon Tea at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester

We're pretty much game for anything that comes with the promise of a festive twist so when one of our favourite Manchester tea rooms asked us to come and sample their Festive Afternoon Tea, let's just say we were a little excited. 

Festive Afternoon Tea

Decorated with seasonal red and green, this chic city restaurant looks even more inviting with a Christmas makeover and The Radisson Blu Edwardian's Opus One's street side views provide the perfect setting for a warm break away from the Christmas hustle and bustle. 

Christmas makeover.

Their traditional tea menu has been given a sprinkling of festive cheer with seasonal treats taking centre stage on the tea stand. 

The Radisson's fabulous double layer finger sandwiches now feature some new flavours including a very Christmassy, roast turkey, cranberry and stuffing. Yum!

The scones have even had a touch of Christmas magic in the form of a new cranberry and orange flavour. And we can confirm, they are delicious!

Turkey, Cranberry, Stuffing Sandwiches. 

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without fruity Christmas cake and the Radisson has really stepped up its game with a selection of rich seasonal patisseries to top off their tea. Guests can expect; chocolate pudding, cream twirl and a lovely winter berry jelly. 

Winter treats. 

If you're looking for something extra special to treat yourself with after visiting Manchester's famous Christmas Markets, you really can't go wrong with Opus One. 

The menu is available until 24th December 2013 at £18.95pp. 

For more information and to book, please visit: http://www.radissonblu-edwardian.com/