Coffee Break: Milk Jam, Manchester

With decadent 'heart attack' cakes and milkshake bars becoming increasingly popular, it only seems natural that Manchester's Sweet Queen Bake Orama should set up her own dessert shop.

Now, we've been following Charlotte O'Toole on twitter since our very first trip to Home Sweet Home back in 2013(ish) and have always been astounded by the beauty of her cakes, so when we heard that Milk Jam had opened just around the corner from Caroline's office, we knew we had to visit.

Milk Jam is not only the brain child of Bake Orama, but also Nicki of Lush Brownies and Claire from Ginger's Emporium, who together bring ALL of the desserts to Mancheser on a daily basis (around 18 varieties of Brownies, to be precise!)

As you can imagine the combination of these three specialities make for an incredible sugar rush, with a choice of cakes, brownies, ice creams and milkshakes available to satisfy even the sweetest of teeth.

With menus that change constantly, we'll leave the taste testing up to you, but rest assured you'll love everything that they have on offer. Oh, and if this isn't enough, the ladies are also putting together a hidden dessert banquet on Thursday 6th October as part of this year's Manchester Food Festival - be sure to book in if you'd like to have your cake and eat it - for EVERY course!

Have you tried Milk Jam yet?

https://twitter.com/milkjammcr

Coffee Break: Simone's, Manchester

If you live anywhere near Manchester, then you'll probably have heard about Simone's. It only opened a couple of weeks ago but has gathered momentum on social media at an incredible rate, with everyone and their uncle heading to Manchester's Arndale Food Market to take a look at their healthy treats - yes, you read that right, healthy treats!

Simone's speciality is healthy desserts and cakes for those with special dietary requirements, so think low sugar, low fat, vegan and gluten free. I first heard about them when my friend Sarah posted a photo of their Matcha cake on Instagram, and decided that I had to visit as soon as possible.

I don't know about you, but the concept of a healthy cake has always been something of a distant dream to me, and whilst these are probably still worse for you than eating a piece of fruit, anything that alleviates the guilt even just a little is good in my book.

For my visit, I decided to try a couple of Simone's free from cakes - Vegan Chocolate and Gluten Free Earl Grey Cake. Now, I'm not vegan or gluten intolerant but I've always wondered whether people with these requirements have to miss out on the joys of cake. It turns out that they absolutely don't. Both were delicious, and although perhaps a little denser than traditional sponges, they certainly weren't lacking in flavour.

If you're into full on health then Simone's also offer a good selection of 'raw' cakes which can be found in their retro Smeg fridge, whilst those sugar fiends among you can also indulge in the shop's 'naughty corner' which is full of all the calories and lemon drizzle you could wish for!

With updates like this an almost daily occurrence, it's fair to assume that Simone's is going to be here for some time to come - go and check them out before they sell out!

https://twitter.com/simonesmcr

https://www.instagram.com/simones_mcr/ 

Coffee Break: Buckingham Palace Garden Cafe, London

Last week I came over all touristy and decided to take a trip to Buckingham Palace for the day!

Unfortunately, good old Liz wasn't available for afternoon tea, but I did manage to fit in a tour of the palace before heading out to the garden to try their cream tea. 

During the summer months, tea is served in a gazebo at the back of the palace, with a selection of treats available, including: Fraisier Cakes, Mille Feuille, Strawberries and Cream and the classic Cream Tea. Now of course, we wouldn't be the Afternoon Tea Club if we didn't opt for scones at every given opportunity, so my choice was an easy one.

At just over £7 for a cream tea, prices are fair for the food quality (delicious!) and experience of dining in the Buckingham Palace gardens, however I think that it would've enhanced the day even further to have proper crockery to use instead of disposable paper plates. 

This is definitely one of those experiences worth trying once in your life, so if you do happen to be visiting the palace in the near future, do give it a try. Oh and incase you're wondering, the Queen takes her scones with cream first, followed by jam with a top layer of strawberries - yum!

5 Alternative Afternoon Teas

Looking for an alternative to traditional tea fare this Afternoon Tea Week? Here are five teas that have ditched the classic scones and finger sandwiches in favour of some unique combinations that are inspired by regional cuisine or simply just a bit quirky. 

Italian

Marco Pierre White’s New York, Italian Restaurant in Sheffield serves two types of Afternoon Tea but it’s the Italian choice that’s got our vote. Presented in a vintage wine box, the bruschetta and pastrami savouries are a welcome change to the traditional tea menu. Be warned, this Italian fare does away with traditional scones but there are so many sweet treats from cronuts to biscotti with dipping chocolate, you'll wonder why you ever thought you needed scones in the first place!

Price: £16.00pp or £19.95 with a glass of champagne. 

www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk

Punk

The Baltic Social in Liverpool’s hip Baltic Triangle offers an Afternoon Tea that’s about as far removed from traditional finger sandwiches and scones as you could imagine. Think meaty sliders, hot dogs, salted pretzels and pic ’n’ mix all served on cake stands made from vinyl plus a ‘boozy teapot’ and you’ve got just about the most punky Afternoon Tea ever. 

Price: £19.95pp www.thebalticsocial.com

Sushi

For sushi fans out there, Australasia in Manchester has got you covered. Served in two waves on minimalist pyramid stands, you’ll find no cucumber sandwiches in sight. Instead guests can sample a medley of Asian bites including tuna, salmon and mushroom sushi, noodles and vegetable spring rolls before a selection of unique sweets including sweet spring rolls and chocolate and coconut roll. Plus you can team it with a cocktail - we recommend the flaming (literally) Bush Fire. 

Price: £25pp www.australasia.uk.com

Dim Sum

Another Asian-style tea but specialised in dim sum and regional Cantonese cuisine, this alternative tea is served at Le Chinois, a restaurant inside the Millennium Hotel, Knightsbridge London. Here you’ll find crispy shredded duck, wasabi prawns and red bean and panda mochi cake served with a selection of Chinese teas. 

Price: £25pp www.millenniumhotels.com

Gentleman

Prefer your sandwiches a little chunkier or is a pie your pastry of choice? Then the gentleman’s Afternoon Tea at The Milestone, London is for you. Oozing old school glamour, this tea comes loaded with savoury bites including a mini toad in the hole, chicken lollipop and a trio of whiskeys to finish. 

Price: £36.50pp. www.milestonehotel.com

Have you tried an alternative Afternoon Tea? Let us know on Twitter @TeacupReview.

Coffee Break: Crosstown Doughnut & Coffee Bar

On our visit to London last week for our Hello Kitty Afternoon Tea, we made sure we stopped off at a few spots for some extra sweet treats and one we just couldn't walk past was Crosstown Doughnut & Coffee Bar in Soho.

Even your classic glazed or chocolate rings have been taken up a notch here to make these doughnuts extra special. We picked up some raspberry jam doughnuts that were oozing with Crosstown's homemade seeded raspberry jam - amazing, we wish we'd picked up some more for the train home!

Crosstown's doughnuts are freshly made every day at the London bakery and they've got some really unusual flavours like Chilli Chocolate and Watermelon and Lime. You can even order for delivery within Central London - so if you want to score some points at the office today, look no further. 

Have you ever tried Crosstown Doughnuts?

Visit the website for details and locations:

 www.crosstowndoughnuts.com