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!
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!
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!
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.
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