Afternoon Tea News: Coronation Afternoon Tea - London Hilton on Park Lane

Enjoy a right royal tea's up this summer at the Hilton, Park Lane, London

As self confessed cake-lovers and part time royal fangirls, we can't think of anything more perfect (or British) than a Coronation themed afternoon tea - So join us in our excitement as we present to you the Park Lane Hilton's brand new Afternoon Tea extravoganza!

Here's a little of what you can expect:

Guests can raise a toast to The Queen’s Coronation, celebrating 60 years since she was officially crowned Queen of the Commonwealth, with a  regal Coronation Afternoon Tea at London Hilton on Park Lane. Located on Park Lane and overlooking Hyde Park, the landmark hotel is only a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, making it an ideal location to celebrate the coronation weekend.

To commemorate this historic event, Podium Restaurant at London Hilton on Park Lane has created a limited edition Coronation Afternoon Tea. Created by Executive Chef, Anthony Marshall, this delicious variation of the hotel’s celebrated afternoon tea includes an elderflower jelly diamond presented on a purple cushion made of chocolate mousse and praline; a vanilla and blueberry macaroon; a dark chocolate edible picture frame encasing an image of Her Majesty’s coronation; a 1953 Queen’s Coronation stamp on a cupcake; a crown-shaped sable biscuit iced with the royal colours and a blueberry cupcake finished with gold leaves.

Now we don't know about you, but we think that sounds pretty marvellous - especially the edible Chocolate Mousse and Praline. What do you think? Will you be toasting her Majesty with a glass of bubbly and blueberry macaroon? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below or at @TeacupReview!

The Coronation Afternoon Tea is available from 11 – 14 July 2013, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, priced at £32 per person or £40 including a glass of Champagne. For more information or to book the Coronation Afternoon Tea, please visit hilton.com/londonparklane, call +44 20 7493 8000 or email reservations.parklane@hilton.com

Afternoon Tea News: Mon Beau Papillon Afternoon Tea by Eric Lanlard, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London

Eric Lanlard has launched yet another beautiful afternoon tea collaboration with the Jumeirah Carlton Tower!

Mon Beau Papillon

If you've read the blog before, you'll know that we're massive Lanlard fans - so you can imagine our excitement upon hearing the news of his brand new Chelsea Flower Show Tea!

Here's a little about what you can expect:

London’s iconic Jumeirah Carlton Tower continues its collaboration with master patissier and star of Channel 4’s Baking Mad series Eric Lanlard with the launch of his new Mon Beau Papillon afternoon tea.

Eric’s new afternoon tea is inspired by his observation of butterflies flitting between beautiful flowers and the different petals they select to land on, inspiring him to include a variety of flavours and colours to replicate the mixed beauty of nature. Working closely with Executive Chef Simon Young, the two have united their creative culinary minds to deliver an inspiring take on afternoon tea, which will be available in the Chinoiserie from 8th May.

The menu begins with a section of savoury delights including a mini raspberry macaroon with smoked duck and smoked chilli jelly, a mini brioche bun with thyme blossom and grain mustard smoked chicken and jasmine smoked salmon and goats curd tart, finished with an asparagus and pea shoot wrap. Then, to satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth, a selection of pastries, cakes and desserts that combine elegant and subtle flavours to delicious effect. From a mini raspberry and basil tart with white chocolate, dark chocolate spoon with morello chocolate mousse, white chocolate macaroon with strawberry marshmallow ice cream and a pear and walnut choux bun, the Mon Beau Papillon afternoon tea is a decadent and memorable experience. With remarkable attention to detail, Eric ensures there are miniature white chocolate butterflies on the dark chocolate spoon and white chocolate macaroon, to combine his initial inspiration with the complete afternoon tea experience.

Commenting on his new Mon Beau Papillon afternoon tea, Eric Lanlard says: “Every year one of the most beautiful temporary exhibitions in the world takes place in London, The Chelsea Flower Show. For a short time the most beautiful flowers and plants are on display to the public. This afternoon tea is inspired by an elegant butterfly, hopping from flowers to plants, enjoying their delicate scents, taste and textures.”

Will you be popping over to the Jumeirah Carlton Tower to sample these summer delights? Have you been already? Let us know your throughts!

The Mon Beau Papillon afternoon tea by Eric Lanlard will be available at Chinoiserie from 8th May and costs £40 per person or £50 per person with a glass of champagne. To book, visit www.jumeirahcarltontower.com or call +44 (0)20 7858 7181

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: Leaf on Bold Street, Liverpool

Back in March we named Leaf on Bold Street as one of our top picks in The Independent's 50 Best Tea Rooms. Last weekend we were invited back to spend an afternoon at Liverpool's coolest venue and indulge in their gorgeous Afternoon Tea - here's why we love it...

Environment

Laura: 

Leaf is the ideal spot for creative types. It's arty, modern and home to crafty events like the arts fair taking place during our visit. It's also a great venue for Afternoon Tea with apt space for dining and various seating options to suit large families and casual diners.

I love the huge windows in the upstairs dining area, they let in great natural lighting give the venue a real fresh feel. The blue walls and high ceilings are just gorgeous and they're accented with beautiful grand plasterings, toned down by rustic chips in the paintwork which make it all the more loveable. 

It should be impossible for ceiling glitter balls to look good but somehow Leaf pulls it off - and completely affirms it's cool. 

Caroline:
Fully adorned with nineteenth century cornices and accented beautifully with an array of glitter balls, Leaf's first floor tearoom is a triumph of contemporary and traditional fusion. Personal highlights include their lovely full length windows and subtle blue decor which create a wonderfully calm environment, perfect for relaxation and a gossip with the girls!

(As a little added extra, there was also a lovely craft fair running on the day that we visited, providing a great opportunity to support local enterprise whilst indulging in our favourite past time.)

Food

Laura:

Presented on pretty cake stands with a cute Swallow decoration on top, this is a very attractive Afternoon Tea - and it's super reasonably priced.

To start there's a selection of 4 sandwiches; hummus, cheese, chicken and tuna. The chicken was gorgeous, really chunky and served on wonderfully soft bread. My favourite however was the hummus, a rather unusual sandwich filling but worked really well.

Instead of traditional scones our second tier was filled with strawberry shortcake. Topped with fresh strawberries and filled with jam and cream, these were a great alternative to classic fruit scones.

Finally our dessert selection had just the right combination of creamy cakes, chocolates cakes and well, cakey cakes. We had; a traditional Victoria sponge which was gorgeous and light, two mini profiteroles, again really light cream and the chocolate was a real winner for me, and finally a mini lemon posset topped with blackcurrants. Fantastic selection and just the ideal amount of food. 

The tea selection was also presented really nicely in cute cornflower blue wooden boxes with labels for each flavour. I chose Blue Sapphire Earl Grey - partly because it smelt lovely but largely because the name sounded cool. Topped with milk and sugar, it was wonderful and my pot was consistently refreshed.

Caroline:
Afternoon Tea at Leaf offers a good selection of cakes and sandwiches, at an exceptional rate - £10.95 pp. Upon arrival guests are presented with a beautiful wooden tea caddy full of leaves to smell and sample, offering an exciting start to the meal. I very much enjoyed the caddy experience and loved having the teas on hand to help with the tough decision making process. On this particular occasion I opted for the Cherry Blossom tea which was wonderfully fragrant and fruity.

Presented on a lovely ornate stand, the tea itself comes equipped with all of the essential afternoon tea ingredients. To start we were treated to a finger sandwich selection which included: Tuna; Chicken; Cheese & Pepper; and the unusual Hummus. Being the cheese fiend that I am, the cheese & pepper sandwich was always going to be a clear winner, but as Laura said, the Hummus was a welcome addition and added an interesting slant to the meal.

The strawberry short-cake-scone twist was similarly surprising but incredibly delicious. I particularly liked the presentation of the second tier with each scone being decorated with whipped cream, jam and a half strawberry - just the way I like it.

As with everything else on the menu, the cakes were also delicious, offering a good selection of flavours and variety. The choice included a zesty lemon posset, Victoria Sandwich and profiteroles - my favourite by far was the posset which was fabulously refreshing!

Service

Laura:

The setup at Leaf is great as the downstairs area is primarily a bar space and upstairs is reserved for food and bookings so staff are readily available to assist diners. Our server was really friendly, leaving up with enough time to select tea options and checking our table regularly. 

Caroline:

The service at Leaf was swift, efficient and knowledgeable, with the staff being readily on hand to explain the menu and offer top ups as required/desired - very pleasant!

Overall Thoughts

Laura:

I really do like Leaf. It's modern yet very relaxed at the same time and has so much going on which keeps it vibrant and fresh. It's a popular venue and the prices are great. If you're after city chic and a value for money Afternoon Tea - look no further than Leaf on Bold Street. 

Caroline:

I really enjoyed our afternoon tea at Leaf and wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. Its off-beat environment is ideal for anyone in search of an informal tea with a hint of glitz.

Cupcake Rating:

Leaf is located on Bold Street Liverpool. Afternoon Tea is served from 12pm-5pm Saturdays and Sundays. Booking essential. £10.95 or £13.95 with a glass of sparkles or Iced Champagne Cassis. Please visit their website for menus and more information.

DISCLAIMER: As is common in the catering and leisure industry, we were provided with complimentary services for review purposes. Whilst this has not influenced our review, we believe in the full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. 

Afternoon Tea News: Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea, Browns, London

If you're still looking for the perfect Chelsea Flower Show tea, then look no further. Visit Brown's today to celebrate the centenary in style!

Here's a little about what you can expect:

The English Tea Room will be serving a specially created Traditional Afternoon Tea with a Chelsea Flower Show twist. Indulge in warm scones with rose and strawberry jam, a selection of home-made pastries including violet macaroons, carrot and jasmine cakes, raspberry and white chocolate mousses, rosewater éclairs and Pimms jellies along with a selection of freshly prepared sandwiches. This will be served with a choice of 17 different teas which include both Rosebud or Jasmine Tea. 

You had us at Pimms... 

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts or tweet us at @TeacupReview!

The cost of this special afternoon tea is £39.50 per person and will be available from the 21st – 27th May 2012 from 3pm - 6pm Monday to Thursday, 2pm - 6pm Friday and 12noon – 6.30pm Saturday and Sunday.

Afternoon Tea News: Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea at the Corinthia,London

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show at the Corinthia!

Ever wondered how the garden would taste if it were made of cake? Of course you haven't, but now you don't have to because the Corinthia has created a an Afternoon Tea garden for your delectation. Celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show in style with a chocolate bamboo skewer and edible flower pot.

Here's what you can expect:

In celebration of the RHS Chelsea Flower show our dedicated pastry team at Corinthia Hotel London have created a unique Afternoon Tea with a floral theme.Almond and poppy cake raspberry mousse will take the guise of the delicious “Wild Meadow Garden” or a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate frosting and fresh cherries, decorated with a trowel and hose pipe will be referred to on the menu as “Potting shed”.You will be sure to leave the experience feeling very floral indeed!

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or at @TeacupReview!

For more information and booking, please visit the Corinthia website at:

http://www.corinthia.com/en/London/chelsea-flower-show/