The Quarterly Afternoon Tea Club at Ham Yard

 

Last weekend The Quarterly Afternoon Tea Club struck again, after a 6-month hiatus (waistlines had to shrink before we could indulge again...). The venue was Ham Yard in Soho, a recently opened hotel by the very stylishly eclectic Firmdale people. Oh, how I love to discover all the details in a Firmdale interior!

Anyhow, it was my birthday, and we settled in for a late-afternoon treat. We were very comfortably seated (a fact my beloved consort commented on several times: "I love a high-backed sofa", a good start) in the main restaurant area, surrounded by a lot of details in orange. I discovered that not only is orange a warm colour, it helpfully stimulates the appetite.

Our waitress took us through the afternoon tea menu (it's funny how they do that - it seems so formal, but it does create a lot of anticipation) which included an avocado mousse with lobster (this was very very good) and a lobster thermidor tartlet (delicious), deep-fried macaroni-cheese cubes (a bit 'bof', to be honest) and two very tasty sandwiches of the classic kind, to balance everything: Egg & Cress and Ham & Tomato. I sometimes think the skill lies in making the classic sandwiches memorable, and these were.

On to the scones, led by my friend who doesn't like anything sweet (yes, that is what she says). These were small and fluffy, plain and raisin, and to be honest I often think small scones are the best, it helps you maintain that dainty look whilst scoffing something incredibly rich. I always prefer strawberry jam, but there was another jam too, possibly blackcurrant, which was left untouched.

Then the sweets, which were really quite sophisticated. The dark chocolate & salted caramel pot was unanimously loved. I tried a chou filled with lemon-scented whipped cream, which was lovely but too large and too rich for me and slowed me down considerably. After that a feeble attempt at a strawberry macaroon (again, rather large), but I had to give up. The rest is a blur...

The service was a bit erratic unfortunately, but redeemed by our chief waitress, who was impeccable. She encouraged me to try Assam tea which I brewed in a one-cup glass pot at the table, to be replenished three times. And it was excellent. But my husband waited too long for his second round of savouries, and so did my friends when they ordered more tea. However, afternoon tea at Ham Yard is a mere £18. Where else would one get such a delicious afternoon tea at that price, including lobster? Nowhere, I should think.

To add to this, Ham Yard is a thourougly great venue, large and superbly decorated, with a great atmosphere. We rounded off the evening with a few hours in the bar, which was equally good.

Would we go again? Well, their afternoon tea menu changes every week, so we will have to, won't we?

Afternoon Tea at The Connaught Hotel

Ah, The Connaught. One of my absolute favourites in the afternoon tea world. I had my last social gathering as an unmarried woman there and a couple of weeks ago it was the venue for my third and ultimate afternoon tea in four days.

Having just arrived by train from Bath my friend C and I met up with the charming G&A in the surprisingly warm Espelette conservatory. It was a 'hot hot day' as Enid Blyton would have called it - it truly was. Our waiters were charming, and quickly filled our table with three-tier stands full of stylishly reinvented sandwiches plus a tea pot for each of us. Sandwiches are generally among my favourites at afternoon tea, and we certainly had some very tasty ones (but I would personally have preferred more of the traditional ones instead of quirky mini-focaccias and brioches). Their finger sandwiches with a hint of pineapple were particularly good, and we were offered a second round of them without even having to look in the waiter's direction. The scones arrived, and they were exceedingly good. These were served with home-made jams from France, which we chose from a dinky little selection on the menu, and the clotted cream was generously adorned with fresh berries. Then came the pastries which were like miniature desserts and, almost overwhelmingly (we were by this stage struggling a bit in the heat), a selection of beautifully made sponge cakes.

It feels like a crime not to try everything when it is so beautifully made and presented, but there was such an abundance that we simply couldn't eat everything. This is where the Connaught service really shows; our waiter quickly transferred our leftovers to smart little pastry boxes and handed them to us as we left.

Price: £38

Tea list: A good selection of black and non-fermented teas.

Atmosphere: Stylish and very cosseted.

Afternoon Tea at The Royal Crescent Hotel

A recent weekend trip to Bath included a well-earned rest in the gardens of The Royal Crescent Hotel whilst taking afternoon tea (the second such treat for me that week). We started off on comfortable sofas inside The Dower House at the end of the garden, but as the late afternoon weather was so beautiful we moved outside, aided by an attentive waitress carrying our three-tier cakestand and teapots, to enjoy the sun.

The sandwiches were nice and traditional, with a particularly good ham and tomato version. The scones were a little bit on the compact side, but they were redeemed by a lovely miniature Bath Bun which was served in tandem with the scones. Sadly, it was far to hot for us to truly enjoy the rich selection of pastries, which lingered and lingered on our plates.

It was a beautiful afternoon, with attentive service and the amazing sight of hot-air balloons floating past above The Crescent's roof line. Quite magical.

Price: £25.

Tea list: A good selection of alternative teas, but very few black teas to choose from.

Atmosphere: Very relaxing, rather informal yet probably also quite romantic.

Afternoon Tea at the Corinthia

A couple of weeks ago I went for afternoon tea with friends three times in 4 days...

I started quite modestly, with what should really be called 'cream tea' at the Corinthia Hotel in London. My friend C and I decided to sneak away to the very stylish Corinthia lobby lounge for some of their divine scones and a cup of tea.

I know from experience that the sandwiches at Corinthia are perfectly tasty, traditional, finger sandwiches. And I have never had the occasion to take full afternoon tea here, so I don't know what their cakes are like, but their scones are truly lovely. Petite and still warm from the oven, they are just the right side of moist (I am always very disappointed if I am served a dry scone, and sadly it does happen). Served with clotted cream and two types of red jam (strawberry & raspberry) on chic silver & white china designed for the hotel, no less. And, as C remarked, 'these scones are so dainty that even though I have had three it only really counts as one'.

One day I will return and have the full works, including the beautiful cakes and patisseries - which are a Corinthia speciality.

Price: £21 for cream tea (which we virtuously shared) plus a few pounds extra for a second pot of tea

Tea list: A good selection of black and non-fermented teas.

Atmosphere: Quiet, stylish, grand. One almost expects Hercule Poirot to appear from behind one of the columns which lines the wall...

More Afternoon Tea!

I'm afraid my beloved and I committed another crime to our waistlines yesterday. It started out as an innocuous little stroll around Windsor. The town had a festive and somewhat retro air, awash as it was with military service personnel in their parade uniforms following the jubilee event for the Queen at Windsor Castle earlier in the day. As we were 'walking off' our lunch we strolled down to the bridge leading across to Eton, and this was our downfall - here lies the delectable little 'Chocolate Theatre', which we were unable to walk past without having a modest Cream Tea shared between the two of us. On the surface this might seem perfectly restrained; a pot of tea and two scones for two. But of course, once a clotted creamed and jammed scone of superiour quality has passed one's lips, well, another will always have to follow.

'Demain, régime sec!' as my former French mother in law would have said. Indeed, I feel so guilty I may just have some chicken broth with rice noodles for dinner today. I may - or I may not.

http://chocolatetheatrecafebar.com

The Quarterly Afternoon Tea Club - Soho Hotel

Last weekend, having gawped at the hulking great HMS Ocean in Greenwich and squinted at the underwhelming Olympic Park in Stratford, we went to The Soho Hotel for a bit of sustenance with a good friend. Despite having had a full lunch a few hours earlier we valiantly ordered the Great British Afternoon Tea and sprawled on a hot pink sofa for a few hours.

Verdict: Very good. Perhaps not so much for the food itself, which was good, but for the relaxing atmosphere and attentive waiter. We were served miniature versions of welsh rarebit, quiche, an egg-mayonnaise roll and asparagus rolled in ham. Not bad at all, though I personally love traditional finger sandwiches. The scones were handsomely sized and crumbly, served with clotted cream (of course) and raspberry conserve. Hm.. by the time we reached the cakes we were struggling, it took us hours to work our way through everything. Which is of course perfectly normal. Gallons of tea later we collected our coats to leave and were handed a neat little parcel of cakes left over. Now that is service.

Don't go to The Soho Hotel if you want traditional sandwiches and mouthwatering scones with (yes, I admit I prefer it) strawberry jam. But if you've been out for a walk and don't look chic yet you'd like to relax in what feels like someone's large and fabulously eccentric drawing room where you will be well fed and looked after - this is your place.

The Quarterly Afternoon Tea Club

Last Saturday I was taken to St. Ermin's Hotel for afternoon tea to celebrate my birthday. My beloved had invited a few of my friends as a surprise and we all snuggled up in beautiful armchairs for a couple of hours, chatting and eating. It was lovely. We decided to do it more often. So we started The Quarterly Afternoon Tea Club, which will provide us with an excellent excuse to indulge in afternoon tea on a regular basis.

Now, an afternoon tea club should review, as well as delight in, afternoon tea consumed in glamorous surroundings. Here, therefore, is my review of St. Ermin's...

The Good:

- Beautiful interiors (I wanted to steal everything)

- Pleasant staff (though no one offered to take my coat)

- Reasonably priced

- A very very tasty honey & goat's cheese tiny sandwich

- Our teapots were refreshed several times

- We were given a 2nd round of sandwiches at no extra cost when we asked for it

The Not Quite So Good:

- We waited a long time for the food to be served

- The sandwiches were dry around the edges (and there were few of them)

- My scone was handsomely sized, but so dry that I only ate half of it

Would I go again? Yes, but not for afternoon tea.

(I should add that upon leaving one of my friends tempted us to go to Bassoon at The Corinthia for drinks, and it was very. very. good.)

Orange Pekoe

One of my absolute favourite things to do is to end my working week by spending Friday afternoons at Orange Pekoe on White Hart Lane, where Barnes meets Mortlake. 'OP', as my beloved and I call it, is a beautiful tea salon where the emphasis is very much on excellent teas (one can choose from a whole wall of them), coffees (they will tell you which is best to revive you in the morning, and which is best for a mellow afternoon cup) salads & sandwiches, plus amazing cakes to trip up your diet intentions.. When I grew up in Oslo we used to refer to gems like Orange Pekoe as a 'konditori' - and they were always a treat.