Macaron Day In London 20th March

At last ! London finally has a day dedicated to the heavenly macaron and its about time too, Macaron Day celebrates the tasty macaron while raising awareness for a cause Ambitious About Autism. London's macaron day is inspired by and coincides with the Jour du Macaron in Paris, created by la Maison .Pierre Hermé Macarons have taken the world by storm in the recent years, and if you have tried one you can understand why. These babies are not only beautiful to look at, but are also delicious to eat. How could one resist? Pierre Hermé Paris is offering each visitor to the Selfridges or Lowndes Street stores a free macaron, in return for a donation to Ambitious About Autism.

On Macaron Day, Pierre Hermé fanatics like me will have a chance to sample a selection of flavours Pierre Hermé has created over the years,

Ambitious About Autism is a fantastic charity that helps support children and young people with autism at TreeHouse School, what a fantastic way to gain awarness for the organisation.

For more info, visit: www.pierreherme.com and Ambitious About Autism.

The Wardorf Hilton, Hotel: Tea Dance.

The Waldorf Hilton, London Tea Dance

Afternoon Tea Review for : www.afternoontea.co.uk

Katie: I love to try new things, and I love learning new skills. In recent times I have found myself become increasingly addicted to a popular TV show in the United Kingdom- Strictly Come Dancing
For those of you viewers who are not aware this show features celebrities learning how to perform many classic dances, such as the Tango, Rumba and the Waltz. The beautiful dresses, the electricity, stamina and shire grace is something to behold and I must confess I have been highly keen to replicate this. Thankfully, afternoontea.co.uk had the remedy, and sent Chelsie and I as guests to the bedazzling Waldorf Hilton to review the Tea Dance. The Tea Dance takes place on selected Sunday's within the month, and combines my favourite past time afternoon tea with the opportunity to practise ballroom dancing.

The Waldolf Hilton is located in the heart of London's West end, and is very close to the cosmopolitan Covent Garden. This beautiful five star hotel first opened its doors in 1908, and has an intimate connection to luxury and in many respects England's social history. I think the most impressive fact perhaps is the link to the infamous doomed luxury The Titanic.  It is rumoured the interior of the vessel is based on The Waldorf's original Palm Court and tragically many of its doomed prestigious guests spent the night before the voyage at The Waldorf. 

Chelsie: Kate and I were so excited to be reviewing the tea dance. The delicate touches of such a prestigious hotel were evident, for example a well dressed doorman greeted us as we entered the hotel. The Tea Dance began with a strawberry fruit tea in a lovely glass and the first, astonishing view of the beautiful Palm Court. I cannot adequately explain to you, without taking you the beauty of the court.
Palm Court without doubt is the centrepiece of the hotel, gleaming white and spotless with delicate gold throughout with beautiful bygone decor. If I shut my eyes; just for a moment I could imagine what it must have been like in the Titanic era.

Each guest was shown to a table pre allocated to them, the seating was arranged to form a 'U' with perfect vision of the dance floor and the five piece band playing throughout the Tea Dance. As we took our seats fellow diners began to fill the room, each dressed beautifully and this reminded us of an era that unfortunately is not as prominent as it once was. The service offered at the Tea dance was faultless from the word go, our waiter Atul gave us a detailed overview of the tea dance, the hotels history, the afternoon tea and always made sure our happiness and satisfaction were maintained.
It is worth me noting that despite this being a Tea Dance, and many of the guests that attended tended to be well practised to say the least the atmosphere was very relaxed. This encouraged everybody regardless of age, and experience to have a go. For me it was truly lovely to watch everybody dancing and listen to the live band; it is near on impossible to not be swept away in such a magical enviorment for just one afternoon.

Katie: The dancing, although admittedly a lot more tiring then it appears on TV was great fun, and Im so glad I tried it. The nice novelty about the tea dance, is you can get up and dance whenever you like, however for me afternoon tea beaconed..

The Waldorf Hilton has an extensive range of teas from which guests can select from, these include tea bagged and loose leaf. Chelsie and I both selected Darjeeling loose leaf, which is an Indian tea with a mild taste. The afternoon tea itself offered a very traditional selection of sandwiches with both white and brown bread options, plain and sultan infused scones with complementing strawberry jam and clotted cream and finally a mouth watering array of mini cakes. What Chelsie and I particularly enjoyed about this tea was the endless top ups of any tier throughout the tea dance with no additional charge. The Waldorf Hilton is also extremely flexible in terms of what it offers guests, this ranges from minor requests such as a bitter dislike for egg mayonnaise sandwiches to full dietary requirements such as diabetes.

Chelsie: The combination of a gorgeous timeless location, beautiful dancers, great service and scrumptious food really makes for a great and memorable experience. Firstly, we must thank the very attentive and welcoming staff, they truly are an asset to the hotel, the electric atmosphere created by the five-piece band and of course all the guest that looked so wonderful on the ballroom floor . The Waldorf Hilton Tea Dance is truly magical. We have already booked into some ballroom dancing lessons and trust us we will be back! I truly urge anyone to Dance a sunday afternoon away at this fantastic event . So dont forget your dancing shoes!!

What great pleasure do do this review! see the blog post on Afternoontea.co.uk website 

  

The Oxo Tower 'Not Afternoon Tea'

Katie: The Oxo Tower is part of the highly exclusive Harvey Nichols family, and is an iconic, 'where to be seen' hot spot. The Oxo Tower is also a prominent member of the London Skyline especially at night when the 'Oxo' is lit up in red. The Oxo Tower is located in central London between the South Bank of the River Thames and between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. Due to the fabulous location of the Oxo Tower views that diners are treated to are amongst the very best in the city, which only adds to the over all satisfaction of the experience- as both myself and Chelsie can testify.

Chelsie: As our readers know I love Afternoon Tea. The vast array of teas, delicate sandwiches and mouthwatering top tier of cakes makes for a great experience; but sometimes (and I hope i'm not in the minority here) you just fancy something a little different. The Oxo Tower Brassiere has the solution to this- Not Afternoon Tea. Intrigued? So were we! Not Afternoon Tea is your choice of a themed pudding (essentially the top layer of the afternoon tea) and a choice of cocktail. This take on afternoon tea is pure indulgence. 

Katie and I visited in August 2011, and this was our first visit to The Oxo Tower and we were so excited! The decor inside the tower is much like the other parts of Harvey Nichols we had visited, immaculate, modern decor everywhere and a warm welcome from staff. Our waiter showed us to our table, and unfortunately due to England's sometimes temperamental weather we sat inside rather then outside. This however and I must make note did not adversely effect our views, and the views were fantastic.

Katie: After much deliberation (the options all looked so good!) we both selected Taywell Preserved. This consisted of a white chocolate strawberry lolly (Literally to die for, our favourite hands down), cherry, rum and chocolate frangipani, blueberry jam, pistachio shortbread and finally a clotted cream tayberry and vodka trifle. The service was extremely prompt, and within a short space of time we had our beautifully presented plate of luxury.

Chelsie and I would highly recommend this, both the food and surroundings are worth every penny. This highly indulgent alternative to traditional tea, Chelsie and I believe would be perfect for a few hours out with friends, a birthday treat, or simply because!

The menu at The Oxo Tower Brassiere Not Afternoon Tea has since changed since our last visit, so we have included the new details below. Trust us if it was anything like our experience you will really enjoy it!

The Not Afternoon Tea will be available daily as of 9th January 2012. 

I Believe in Pink: A tasting plate of four mini desserts from our Not Afternoon Tea menu

A glass of pink Champagne

Tea or coffee

Bag of homemade pink treats to take away

£30 per person

Hopeless Romantic: Not Afternoon Tea for two with accompanying cocktails

Tea or coffee for two

Box of homemade truffles to take away

A romantic red rose

£70 for two

Something to Celebrate: 2 glasses of Perrier Jouet 98 (Vintage Champagne)

Buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto bruschetta

Your choice of Not Afternoon Tea sharing plate for two (8 mini desserts in total)

Two cocktails of your choice from our Not Afternoon Tea selection

£95 for two

Not Afternoon Tea is served in the OXO Tower Brasserie between 3:45 and 5:15pm seven days a week. For further information or to book a table, please email oxo.reservations@harveynichols.com or call 020 7803 3888


In addition, all of the packages are available to purchase as vouchers so that your nearest and dearest can choose the perfect date to come and enjoy. If you would like to purchase a pre-paid voucher please email katie.snell@harveynichols.com or call 020 7803 3805

The Chocolate Bar Harrods, London

With more than a million square feet (90,000 sq m) of space, Harrods sells luxury and everyday items across seven floors and 330 departments.

Its motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique - All Things for All People, Everywhere - and the store attracts 15 million customers each year. The Knightsbridge store was established in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod. Beginning in a single room and employing two assistants and a messenger boy, it mainly sold tea and groceries.

Harrods steadily expanded, and by 1880 was a thriving department store, offering everything from medicines and perfumes to clothing and food and attracted wealthy customers Known for its grandeur, when the store reopened it had a palatial style, featuring a frontage clad in terracotta tiles adorned with cherubs, swirling Art Nouveau windows and was topped with a baroque-style dome. During World War II, the store transformed itself from selling luxury goods to making uniforms, parachutes and parts for Lancaster bombers.

You can smell this café before you can see it. The delicious aroma of sweet, melted chocolate filled the air, turning the heads of a few curious shoppers passing by. Situated on the second floor, hidden behind the busy gifts section, the Harrods Chocolate Bar is a welcome break at any time of the day.

The café offers everything from light snacks, to satisfy to the early-morning shopper, right through to a heavier choice of treats to suit tired shoppers at the end of a long day.

The strong chocolate theme is evident in everything from the decor to the menu, and even in the aprons of the waitresses. Brown leather stools surround wooden tables and a granite stone bar sits in the middle of the bar at the front of the café.

The food is delicious served warm,The menu, however, boasts numerous chocolate treats, all served with an essence of luxury and class. The bakery offers chocolate cookies, peanut butter brownies and the toffee and pecan cookie is highly recommended by staff.

The patisserie section describes the clotted cream cheesecake and chocolate fudge cake as the perfect snack, as well as the molten lava chocolate cake. 

There are also luxury offers to indulge in, in the way of a chocolate fondue, to be shared between two people. This includes strawberries, bananas and loaf cake to be served with a choice of milk, white or dark chocolate at £25.00 and a triple chocolate option for £27.50.

Harrods Chocolate Bar proved to be the perfect stop-off for any passing shopper.

www.harrods.com

Fleming's Wicked Martini Soirée, London

Katie: Chelsie and I decided to indulge further and take part in Fleming's Wicked Martini Soirée (Well it was a Saturday night after all!). The Martini Soirée is located in the same vicinity as the Afternoon Tea, but maintains a respectable distance for both parties (those enjoying cocktails and those enjoying afternoon tea's) to not be disturbed. It is also worth noting that in a recent pole voted by visitors conducted by World's Best Bars.com, Fleming's bar came 62 out of 100 for the city of London. 

The Martini Soirée is a special deal offered exclusively at Flemings. The deal involves two fragrant signature martinis accompanied by a slate of canapes. Our waiter talked us through our first martini, and we were allowed to selected either a vodka or gin based combined with either an olive or a lemon twist. We both opted for the olive option and the martini was extremely strong to say the very least! The canapes selection which was presented at the same time as our martini's was divine. Again like the Afternoon Tea, the service at Fleming's was very good and we were talked through each of the canape. 

 Chelsie: The second drink we had was a Baileys Martini a suggestion by our waiter, he was a god send! If you enjoy sweet, highly indulgent Martini's this one is for you! We were then left to chat and enjoy the rest of our drink in our own time. What a lovely end, to a lovely day! 

Final Thoughts:

The bar is gorgeous, infact quite a few times we commented on how much we wished our future homes could resemble this room. The Martini Soirée was very enjoyable, our waiter was very helpful and 10/10 for his second choice. We enjoyed the food, but would have liked a little more because they were so yummy! Chelsie and I think this would be lovely for a couple on a romantic break in London.

Book a table at one of London's most dramatic cocktail bars:

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7499 0000

Email: cocktail&tearooms@flemings.co.uk

www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk

Cake War's!

Which cake is the creme de la creme

Its the big cake off but which comes out on top ?

Cupcakes, Macaroons, Eclairs

For the Love of Cake!

This post is inspired by an article I read in The London Evening Standard in 2010.

I completely agree with Lydia Slater, not since Marie Antoinette's day has patisserie stirred such passion! Increasingly (as Katie and I can testify from this blog page!) hotels, restaurants and cafes are competing against one another to serve the 'creme de la creme' to its guests! I for one am keen to indulge in this; so with the knives, forks and spoons at the ready lets go!

Without doubt this revolution began with the cupcake. The cupcake came from the USA; being big, bold, over iced and smothered in delicious buttercream.. this truly had detrimental affects for the English fairy cake and dare I say nearly banished the cake forever. The media also helped to play a role in the cupcakes popularity, Magnolia Cupcakes for example were praised in Sex and The City and helped to secure a tag line of 'must have'.

We have done a post before about Magnolia cupcakes and they are simply the best. Although there are many cupcakes that are worthy opponents, in London for me at least it would have to be Lola's cupcakes. Personally I have always thought the holy grail of cupcakes would be the combination of Lola's sponge and magnolias icing.. but one can dream!

The next challenger in the search for the 'creme de la creme' is the highly popular and ever so delicious Macaroon! Up until very recently the macaroon was regarded as a sickly coconut cake, however macaroons now boast a whole host of flavours (pending on your preference of course!) and are regarded as very fashionable. You're either for Ladurée or Hermé and if you read this blog you will know its Hermé till I die ....

So why exactly has the macaroon become so popular? Without doubt there is just so much to love about them! Essentially macaroons are two cookies sandwiched between either ganache, jam or buttercream- Yum! The macaroon's real impact though comes for the visual delight it offers to its customers. As previously mentioned macaroons are fashion icons, especially at the moment and exclusive brands and companies work tirelessly to combine the packaging to match its intense flavoursome taste. A word of warning on the macaroon though. Macaroons are notoriously difficult to make, requiring both planning and precision, even patience does not determine a complete success rate.

The final contender is the éclair. Like the macaroon, the éclair has undergone a transformation and is no longer just a simple custard- filled choux. I will be honest here. After years of being put off from after game's tea at school, It took me awhile to pluck up the courage to try these again. Quite simply- thank god I did! Ok so it might have involved a trip to Selfidges (London), hand held by my sister for me to FINALLY try one, and it is extremely hard to admit when your sister is right.. but on this occasion I must let her take full credit. It was love at first bite! If you are in London you must pick up a chocolate eclair- Bliss!

So what gets my vote well.......

ITS HAS TO BE

MACARONS ! Assuming the quality is good, anything that looks so cool and tastes so divine is a very worthy winner in my eyes .

Chelsie x

The Grand Dame of Butter Cream, Sylvia Weinstock

Hailed as the “Leonardo da Vinci of Cakes,” Sylvia Weinstock is one of the nation’s premier cake designers. Known for her realistic sugar flowers, fresh ingredients, and buttercream finishes; Sylvia transformed the cake industry by developing a delicious AND beautiful cake.

Sylvia started her career as an elementary school teacher in Long Island, but she soon found herself increasingly proficient in the kitchen. During a trip upstate with her family, Sylvia and her husband Ben met chef Andre Soltner. Soltner introduced Sylvia to a retired pastry chef George Keller who had worked at some of New York’s best restaurants. Sylvia trained under Keller and soon started supplying local Hunter Mountain restaurants with her desserts.


HOW IT ALL BEGAN. . .
While on a family ski trip to Hunter Mountain, Ms. Weinstock was introduced to retired pastry chef George Keller. He took her on as an apprentice and it wasn't long before she was supplying desserts to Hunter area restaurants every weekend while her husband and three daughters skied.

THE AWE-INSPIRING CAKES OF SYLVIA WEINSTOCK

ABOUT THE CAKES

All Sylvia Weinstock Cakes are custom designed and created according to the specifications of her clients. Not only do the cakes look beautiful, they taste delicious, because only the best available ingredients are used. Below are various options that you may select for your cake, and you may choose any combination as well. Please note that this list is not all-inclusive. Any type of cake can be made by request.

www.sylviaweinstock.com

Chocolate Delight Workshop

Katie: I'll admit it, I have a VERY sweet tooth. I love all the things that are very bad for you, and chocolate is probably my biggest weakness. So when Chelsie found the Chocolate Delight Workshop I jumped at the opportunity to learn for myself how to make some of my favourite treats!

Chelsie and I attended The Chocolate Delight Workshop in January 2012. The Class we attended was held in London at the highly prestigious Queen's Tennis Club. Every Summer Queen's Tennis Club hosts the mens warm up to Wimbledon Tournament and is a really beautiful club. We were warmly welcomed to the class and assigned to our designated table, where we donned our plastic aprons ready for some messy chocolate creations! 

Chelsie: The class begun with a highly experienced chocolatier giving us a neat introduction into the art of chocolate.  We were told how chocolate is actually good for us, unfortunately by this he means dark chocolate rather then the confectionary chocolate which Katie and I are more accustomed too! The chocolatier demonstrated in different stages how we would create our very own truffles, with stage one completed we grabbed our cooking utensils and began our own creations!

Katie: Stage 1 consisted of us mixing chocolate and fresh cream, rather naively I thought this would be rather easy. It is not. The chocolate and the fresh cream smell heavenly when combined, but is very difficult to mix. However with lots of giggles, alternative stirring and 'we need to hit the weights' remarks we achieved the correct constancy. The next stage required a further demonstration and involved the art of piping. This stage was so much fun, we had a few teething problems in the beginning but it was pretty easy to get to grips with, and I think ours went rather well! The third stage, required us to cut the chocolate paste into roughly thumb sized chunks as these will be our truffles. 

Chelsie: Kate and I both have very cold hands. We found out from our chocolatier that this put us at a serious advantage when making truffles. Due to the temperature of the human hand, truffles can sometimes melt, which is not only messy but also not very visually pleasing. In most cases this is overcome by using the fingertips for rolling... However with us we were able to use the palms of our hands without any problems. We now had our basic foundation for the Truffles. 

Katie: The final stage. This stage was my favourite, it was both a combination of extreme messiness and fun! We were provided with a big tray of the following toppings; cocoa powder, icing sugar, coconut and chopped mixed nuts. Chelsie was assigned 'dipper', by which I mean she placed our truffles into yet even more chocolate to provide a coating (and managed to get herself coated in chocolate in the meantime) and I was the 'coater'. The coater applies the four toppings to the truffles, my favourite flavour without a doubt was coca powder, but Chelsie's preference rested with Coconut.  

Chelsie: At the end of the course we put our little truffles into the bags provided and tied with a ribbon of our choice. This was a lovely ending to a great course. We left with lots of truffles which was not only good for us (yum!), but we had plenty to give to family and friends.  I look forward to replicating the class at home for my friends in the very near future! 

The Chocolate Delight Workshop Guide Ranking

This was our first chocolate course, and we really enjoyed it! The course was well structures and the staff were very supportive and helpful during our chocolate creating quest! However the course due to its size did make it feel a little crowded, and in cases of demonstration for example it was in difficult to view which was annoying. We also felt that class was very fast paced, and in some cases not everybody had finished when we moved onto the next stage. This would be a good class to go on for a hen party, or even mother/ daughter day out.

Staff 10/10                                  Staff 9/10

Setting 7/10                             Setting 7/10

Food 9/10                                  Food 9/10

Overall 9/10                              Overall 9/10

Chelsie                                         Katie

DURATION

The course lasts 2 to 2.5 hours and is set in a relaxed and friendly environment.

RECOMMENDED FOR

Chocolate Delight workshops are perfect for any chocolate lover! Suitable for individuals, couples, groups and hen parties.

INGREDIENTS

• 64% dark chocolate (certified wheat and gluten free, product may contain traces of nuts)
• Cream
• Cocoa powder
• Icing sugar
• Desiccated coconut
• Chopped mixed nuts 

Bookings online :

www.chocolatedelight.co.uk

Andaz Liverpool Street, QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE AFTERNOON TEA

QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE AFTERNOON TEA

Kate: 2012 really is a massive year for England, and London in particular as we will be hosting not only the prestigious Olympic games but also The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The Diamond Jubilee will mark 60 years of her glorious reign (The Queen's coronation took place on the 2nd of June, 1953), it is also worth noting Queen Elizabeth II's reign is the second longest reign in British history.

For those viewers who are not aware, Queen Elizabeth II is regarded by many of our citizens as a national treasure, and is a very popular monarch. The Queen is the Head of State for Great Britain, and is also currently the Head of the Common wealth. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries, with the vast majority at some stage in their history being under British rule. Queen Elizabeth was the third child in line for the throne, and therefore was not intended to be Queen, but due to her uncles abdication took up the role at the tender age of 25. In 1947 Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh and together they have had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. It is her eldest son Prince Charles that will become our next King.

Buckingham Palace is responsible for coordinating all the events for the Diamond Jubilee central weekend (2nd–5th June 2012). Details of The Queen’s programme will be announced in due course.

Chelsie: With the Diamond Jubilee just around the corner what could possibly be a better way to celebrate the occasion then embracing traditional English culture and indulging in an Afternoon Tea? I am sure that her majesty the Queen would approve of our decision!

Andaz, In London (Liverpool Street), has just the answer! In honour of the Diamond Jubilee, Andaz
has designed 4 fabulous different afternoon tea's. We have already booked our place for June (So Excited!) but the Tea run's through February to June with one of the four different themes each month. The tea is inspired by the five longest serving British Queens and ends with our current Queen Elizabeth II.

February 2012: ‘BLOODY MARY’ Afternoon tea 

Queen Mary I (reigning monarch between 1553 and 1558) was the daughter of King Henry viii and is first wife Queen Catherine of Aragon.  Queen Mary was the first woman to successfully claim the throne of England.  Mary married Prince Philippe II of Spain in 1554, and attempted to restore England back the Roman Catholic Faith. 1901’s afternoon tea for this Monarch is inspired by her connections to the Catalan nation, tinged with Spanish delights.

• Selection of sandwiches
• Chorizo and squid in pimento bread, Spanish tortilla with garlic mayo, mini fish and anchovies burgers in bocadillo
• Selection of pastries
• Churros with chocolate and lemon saffron crème, catalan cream, seasonal scones with clotted cream,
   jams and marmalade
• Specialty tea: Organic Rooibos
• Specialty cocktail: Spiced mix shaken with tomato juice and Ketel One Vodka

March: ‘THE VIRGIN QUEEN’ Afternoon Tea

Queen Elizabeth I, Good Queen Bess or the Virgin Queen (reigning monarch between 1558-1603) was the daughter of Henry viii and his second highly controversial wife Anne Boleyn. Ironically initially deemed as a failure (because she was not male) turned out to be one of our most loved and successful monarchs. Elizabeth is remembered for her greatest achievements beating the Spanish Armanda, and sponsoring Sir Walter Raleigh, who made the first English attempt to colonize the New World.  This afternoon tea is an ode to Elizabeth I’s American connections.

• Selection of sandwiches
• Pastrami and pickled gherkins, mini burger, mini hot dog, fish tacos verde
• Selection of pastries
• Chocolate brownie, peanut butter cookies, seasonal scones with clotted cream, jams and marmalade
• Specialty tea: Organic Darjeeling
• Speciality cocktail: Appleton Estate Rum, mandarin and passion fruit purée, ginger beer and a dash of grenadine

April: ‘BRANDY NAN’ Afternoon Tea

Queen Anne’s rule (reigning monarch between 1702 and 1714) had a lasting impression on Britain. Her indelible mark left us not only with the “Races at Ascot” but it was also during her reign that John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, defeated the forces of Louis XVI at the Battle of Blenheim. The Treaty of Utrecht ended the War of the Spanish Succession, saving Vienna and the whole of Austria.

• Selection of sandwiches
• Sauerkraut and white sausage with sweet mustard, Fleschkase with fried onion and salmon with lemon mayo and pickled vegetable
• Selection of pastries
• Coffee Bavarian Cream, apple strudel and seasonal scones with clotted cream, jams and marmalade
• Specialty tea: English Breakfast
• Specialty cocktail: Hennessy Fine Cognac stirred with red fruit tea, honey, Orget and cherry syrup, with a dash of Pernod and Bitters

May: ‘EMPRESS OF INDIA’ Afternoon Tea 

Queen Victoria’s reign (reigning monarch between 1837 and 1901) coincided with truly remarkable industrial invention, economic growth, and colonial expansion that gave the average Englishman hope for advancement, and a deep national pride in being British. The highest point in Victoria’s reign was her coronation as Empress of India, for which this afternoon tea takes its theme.

• Selection of sandwiches
• Chicken tikka massala, cured curry salmon with lettuce and raisins, curry vegetable on naan bread
• Selection of pastries
• Coconut and milk chocolate, sweet samosa with spice mango, seasonal scones with clotted cream, jams and marmalade
• Specialty tea: Organic Assam
• Speciality cocktail: Bombay Sapphire gin shaken with
• Darjeeling tea, strawberry syrup, cacao, and coffee liquor

June: ‘THE DIAMOND QUEEN’ Afternoon Tea

From the start of her reign in the 1950’s, Queen Elizabeth II has been popular at home and abroad. She is the Head of State of the United Kingdom and of 16 other Commonwealth States. During her reign,  she has made many official visits abroad and has travelled all over Britain. This afternoon tea is quintessentially British, in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee taking place in June.

• Selection of sandwiches
• Coronation chicken on white bread loaf, cured trout sandwich with leek and onion marmalade,
   mini sweet corn fritters with mayo
• Selection of pastries
• Trifle, millionaire shortbread, seasonal scones with clotted cream, jams and marmalade
• Specialty tea: Organic Earl Grey
• Specialty cocktail: Earl grey tea stirred with Dubonet, Bombay sapphire gin and bitter

We will be visiting in June for the ‘THE DIAMOND QUEEN’ but they all look fantastic ! If you could choose one which would it be ?

Priced at £45 per head and available Monday to Friday from 3.00pm – 4.30pm, reservations can be made by contactinglondon.restres@andaz.com or +44 (0)207 618 7000.