Charlotte in the City: Laura Ashley Hotel

A few weeks back our City Gal Charlotte Vowden headed off to Hertfordshire to sample a brand new Afternoon Tea at The Laura Ashley Hotel. Here's how she got on:

Television and tea parlours do not go well together and at The Laura Ashley Hotel you might find a newsreader joining you at the table if you don’t ask the waiter to press the off button on the adjoining bar’s plasma TV. Once electronic intrusions are eliminated though, it becomes a peaceful venue that purrs with the conversation of fellow tea takers.

With only a sprinkling of chintz, the Tudor Manor in Elstree has been renovated, decorated and furnished by Laura Ashley and is the first hotel of it’s kind. The style is tasteful throughout and most items, from the tiered chandelier that hangs from the tea parlour ceiling to the cream rose pillar candles resting on the mantelpiece, can be found in one of the catalogues placed about the property. 

The afternoon tea steers towards the traditional with finger sandwiches, scones and sweets served on Royal porcelain chinaware. The tea pot is more contemporary however, and I liken it to a shiny silver UFO.

Recited rather than presented on a menu, I struggled to remember the varieties of teas on offer so think perhaps this practice needs a rethink. Plus, I do think perusing the choices of tea is all part of the ceremony, is it not?

The sandwiches looked a little lonely on the bottom, and largest, plate of the tea stand but I’m glad an attempt wasn't made to fill all the space with more savoury slices as the portion would have been too large. The scones, warmed through to give them a nice crumble, were served with just the right amount of clotted cream and tiny pots of strawberry Tiptree jam.

Top of the tier and always top of my hit-list was a plate of scrummy sweets. With a single blueberry as its crown, a micro chocolate tart with a bubbly light mousse-filling delivered a healthy bitter after-kick. The salted caramel macaroon had the perfect crunch to chew ratio but I would have liked to have had more buttercream on the carrot cake.

As the chillier weather sets in and the Chrtistmas decorations go up, head to The Laura Ashley hotel for a cosy teatime treat.

Afternoon Tea is priced at £16.95 per person and a festive tea menu is now available. For more information please visit http://www.lauraashleyhotels.com. 

Charlotte Vowden is a travel & lifestyle journalist who is as happy in the mountains as she is sipping champagne and indulging on cake. Writing for The Sunday Times and other national publications keeps her busy but she’s always looking for her next adventure or afternoon tea destination.

Twitter: @charlottevowden

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. 

Winter Warmers #1: Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

It's that time of year again! Bring on the winter woolies, cosy coats and of course seasonal menus at our favourite high street coffee houses. With so many to choose from this year, we thought we would make things easy for you by giving them all a test run to see which blends get the ATC seal of approval. Oh we are good to you! 

First on our hit list was Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. This autumnal treat has been around for some time now and is so popular it's racked up nearly 30,000 tweets since 2012 featuring its very own hashtag #pumpkinspice - impressive!

So to see what all of the fuss was about we headed to our favourite Starbucks shop and ordered ourselves a couple of these pumpkin themed delights. 

The latte is extremely frothy when taken with cream, so be careful not to spill - I think this was partly our fault due to spending so long taking photos!

The drink itself is really yummy. The pumpkin flavour is quite subtle but you can feel the spicy notes which warmed us up just nicely on what was a particularly cold Manchester evening. 

There's nutmeg and cinnamon in there too and for those of you with a sweet tooth the added cream will do just the trick, adding a sugary finish.

We can see why the drink has so many fans and would definitely recommend as a classic winter warmer this Christmas. 

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is available at Starbucks throughout Autumn for around £2.50. 

Planning For the Future: The Afternoon Tea Club Gets Organised

Beautiful Original Patent Organiser  c/o Filofax

If you follow ATC on twitter (Ahem @TeacupReview) then you might've noticed us talking about all the exciting things we've got coming up over the next few months. Well, we thought it high time to let you in on the secret and reveal a bit of what's ahead for the Afternoon Tea Club. 

Over the last couple of months we've made a conscious effort to get organised and plan for the future, filling up our beautiful new Filofaxes with lots of lovely content ideas, and although we're biased we think you're really gonna love what's coming up.

Getting Organised

Reviews

In November you can look forward to round-ups from IC Westminster and Betty's York - we really enjoyed our visits to both of these lovely tea rooms and can't wait to share our pics with you. In addition to this we'll also be relaunching our 'Coffee Break' feature, giving you a sneaky peek at our daily coffee shop experiences from both high street chains and smaller independent venues. Not forgetting our lovely City Girl Charlotte, we'll also be posting lots more of her reviews from the big smoke, including a very special round-up from the new Laura Ashley hotel and a wintery Christmas special.

Competitions

Who doesn't love a good competition? We've teamed up with two fabulous companies to give you the chance to win some amazing goodies. We won't say too much just now, but they're two of our biggest giveaways to date and we can't wait to get you involved. Lets just say if you like free tea and cake, then you'll want to check back here over the coming months.

Needless to say our Filofaxes are full and we love it!

What would you like to see us do on the blog? Comment below with your recommendations or get in touch with us on twitter at @TeacupReview!

Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester Autumn Afternoon Tea Launch - Allthat Jazz

Last weekend we were invited to a special afternoon tea launch at the Radisson Manchester. With Earl Grey on tap and a Jazz trio to set the scene, it's safe to say that we were in for a delightful afternoon...

If you're an avid ATC reader, then you might remember our visit to Manchester's Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel last spring - if not, be sure to read all about it here. Safe to say, we had a fab experience and couldn't wait to return, so when their lovely manager Ryan got in touch last week inviting us to their autumn afternoon tea launch, we jumped at the chance.

Pic taken by the lovely Sarah of Sequin This

Bright and sunny, with a hint of music in the air, the Opus bar was exactly how we remembered, but with one notable difference - a Jazz band. Playing all of the standards and more, this little trio were the perfect accompaniment to our mini feast, really setting the mood for the afternoon ahead.

Although quite similar in its composition, the new autumn afternoon tea offers a few notable changes from its summer sister - particularly on the cake front. Moving away from the delicate fruit tarts, this new menu offers an abundance of good old fashioned comfort food, with delicacies such  as carrot cake and chocolate éclairs playing a starring role.

For us the gentleman's tea was another big highlight of the afternoon, offering a quirky take on the traditional tea with mini fish and chips, a yummy Yorkshire pudding and pork pie, crowning the top - If you're not in the mood for a sugar rush, then this is definitely one to try!

All in all we had a fantastic time at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester and can't wait to go back again soon for more of their fabulous food.

Afternoon Tea at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel Manchester start at £18.95pp. Please visit their website for more information and booking.

Charlotte in the City: The Fish Market Afternoon Tea Review, London

Last month our City Gal Charlotte Vowden headed off to London's Fish Market to sample their special afternoon tea with a twist. Here's how she got on:

Fish Market Afternoon Tea

Normally I take my Tetley with two sugars, but when I went for an afternoon tea fix at Fish Market my cuppa came chilled, scooped and topped with two wafers.

On paper, Tetley tea and milk flavoured ice cream doesn’t sound that delicious, I can’t stand a luke warm brew let alone one at minus degree temperatures, but as part of the East London restaurant’s £12 afternoon tea deal I was obliged to give it a go. A few spoons in and I’d made up my mind – it worked.

Housed in the capital’s oldest surviving warehouse built by The East India Trading Company, Fish Market serves produce solely from British shores and it’s menu is exceptional - the sharer platter overflows with seafood and is just as impressive to taste as it is to look at. But until very recently, one thing was missing – afternoon tea.

Served between 2pm and 6pm Fish Market’s mid-afternoon meal comes with the quirky Tetley tea sundae as well as an ‘FLT’ fishwich and a cup of absurdly delicious pink lemonade (or tea served caff style in a mug if you prefer).

After an evening of cocktails the day before the ‘FLT’ fishwich was just what I needed, the bread was doorstop thick with extra crusty crusts and spread with rich yellow butter. Filled with crispy fishfingers of the homemade variety it was satisfyingly stodgy yet mayonnaise-free, making it the poshest fishfinger sarnie I’d ever had. If I’d wanted to though, I could have smothered it in mayo or ketchup because the condiment tray was laden down with different sauces.

The white and blue striped crockery reminded me of deckchairs and predictably the coastal theme didn’t stop there. The interior of the restaurant was a little trawler-esque with large metal pillars and exposed piping, while the courtyard outside was a little more delicately done with pretty white garden furniture. It was warm enough to sit outside when I visited but its location down a narrow lane meant that the view, of the building opposite, was far from breathtaking. 

Grumbles about the lack of city vistas aside I thoroughly enjoyed tea at Fish Market. It was a no-frills affair but the unusual and simple fare made it a tea to recommend. And, the service came with a smile. 

For more information please visit: 

http://www.fishmarket-restaurant.co.uk/

Charlotte Vowden is a travel & lifestyle journalist who is as happy in the mountains as she is sipping champagne and indulging on cake. Writing for The Sunday Times and other national publications keeps her busy but she’s always looking for her next adventure or afternoon tea destination.

Twitter: @charlottevowden