Last Updated on March 9, 2024

Memorable gift experiences

This year’s Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 19 March so there’s still time to plan something very special for the mums and other mother figures in one’s life. Experiences rather than physical gifts have become increasingly popular in recent years as people seek to build happy memories with loved ones rather than accumulate ever more stuff. Gift experience company Buyagift has put together an enticing range of treats to help us celebrate our mothers. These range from the downright daring – tandem skydiving anyone?  – to the relaxing and lots in between. 

I knew my own mother would kill me if I forced her to jump out of a plane, so I opted for one of the lovely Mother’s Day afternoon teas that Buyagift is offering in London. We met at Harvey Nichols’ famous Fifth Floor café for an afternoon tea feast of cakes and sparkling champagne.

On arrival we were presented with a three-tiered cake stand heaving with goodies and two glasses of crisp, well-chilled Harvey Nichols champagne – a welcome treat on a midweek afternoon. 

There’s a good selection of hot drinks to accompany the afternoon tea too. We both chose the Earl Grey. All the teas here are Harvey Nichols own brand and the coffees are Illy. Other teas include Assam and English Breakfast as well as a range of herbal teas including a tempting fresh mint. 

We started at the bottom tier with the savouries. Our helpful waitress pointed out that the tartlets should be eaten first as they were the only warm item on the day’s menu. These were delicious and dainty feta cheese, spinach, and butternut squash tarts with good light pastry. My mother was fantasising about taking one home for her supper but I wasn’t about to surrender mine and I could easily have eaten two.

We then worked our way through the sandwiches. I was most taken with the coronation chicken, which was juicy and slightly spicy in fluffy turmeric bread. We were glad to see that the classic cucumber sandwich was served on good old-fashioned white bread. The smoked salmon here comes in wholegrain with cream cheese and lots of dill. The only misfire for us was the egg mayonnaise, normally a favourite, but there was an ash-like texture to the charcoal bread. 

The savouries are all on the small and not over-stuffed side, vital when one still has two further plates of food to get through. You do not want to run out of steam halfway through your scones and have no room for cake.

Onto the scones, then, with clotted cream and jam. We were each challenged with two pretty huge scones, one brown and one with sultanas. I was slightly dubious about the non-traditional cranberry jam but my fears were misplaced. It went beautifully with the rich clotted cream as it wasn’t too sweet and had a strong flavour. The wholemeal scone was very popular with my mother as she could at least pretend she was having the healthy option.

Somehow, we were still going strong when we finally got to the top tier of the stand – a pretty plate of cakes and mini desserts. 

Sometimes one just wants cake and this is where the carrot cake came in. It was very good indeed and topped with a juicy clementine segment. The lemon meringue pie was surprisingly good too and I say this because my mother makes the world’s best lemon meringue, of course. The lemon element was pleasingly sweet – it hadn’t succumbed to the current fashion for sharpness.

My mother declared the sticky toffee pudding a bit too sticky and like a Christmas pudding but not as interesting. Meanwhile, I was very taken with the almond and cranberry financier, which had great texture and flavours. I could have eaten my mother’s one too but she wasn’t having it. The milk chocolate and chilli mousse was a lovely surprise. This looked like a small choc ice but was filled with lovely creamy mousse and a small hit of heat.

All in all, this was a well-balanced tea, and not too overwhelmingly creamy or sweet. Mother went home happy after a very enjoyable afternoon while I had a good browse around the rest of Harvey Nichols.

Other teas in this year’s Buyagift Mother’s Day selection include a Bottomless Prosecco Afternoon Tea at The Athenaeum for Two which temptingly offers 90 minutes of free-flowing Prosecco. For people who are looking for a healthier option or are simply in need of pampering, there are various spa experiences too, such as the Spa Relaxation with Two Treatments for Two at The Montcalm Royal London House near Liverpool Street.  

Celebrate Mum with a gift from Buyagift: www.buyagift.co.uk/mothers-day