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Treat yourself this Christmas…
The festive season is well and truly upon us and with Christmas shopping high on the to-do list, it’s well worth having a few relaxing treats up your sleeve to alleviate stress and celebrate the festivities in style, after all, it is the season to be jolly.
St Pancras station is a destination in itself, it’s fronted by the beautiful St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and behind the hotel, the giant train shed is elevated 5 m above street level and the area below forms the station and a chic shopping mall, with a good selection of designer shops and eateries.
I went along to the St Pancras Renaissance’s Hansom Room/Hansom Bar for a very special Festive Afternoon Tea, which added a real touch of seasonal glamour to my rainy Sunday afternoon.
This part of the hotel was once the Hansom Cab drop-off for St. Pancras Station passengers in the 1800s. The stunning neo-gothic architecture boasts high ceilings, beautiful arched windows, a glistening gold bar, upholstered bucket chairs and banquettes, large pots of greenery and twinkling fairy lights; it felt wonderfully glamorous and very Christmassy.
St.Pancras Renaissance’s Executive Chef Adam Ashe and his team have created the afternoon tea menu. They offer a special selection of savoury and sweet delights accompanied by a choice of traditional teas. And if you really want to do it in style you can enjoy, as we did a refined glass of Perrier Jouët champagne or alternatively a signature Hansom cocktail or spiced mulled wine from the a la carte menu.
As we took in our charming surroundings and sipped on champagne we browsed the tea menu. My friend choose a Sparkling rose petal tea – which was served in a champagne glass adorned with a flower, it looked divine – it came pink and chilled and was slightly effervescent, light and floral, I can imagine it to be the perfect summer tea. I went the more traditional route and chose a steaming hot pot of St Pancras afternoon tea.
We started with a selection of mouthwatering savoury finger sandwiches each with a distinct flavour – delicious egg & truffle mayonnaise with chives on spinach bread, slithers of tender roast Norfolk turkey, wild cranberry & thyme compote with watercress on crunchy walnut bread, creamy crayfish and avocado cut through with a citrus mayonnaise and Atsina cress served on cute golden brioche, succulent Chapel & Swan smoked salmon with lemon crème fraîche & dill on dark bread, and, the must-have at any polite afternoon tea, cucumber sandwiches with Maldon salt butter & mint on lemon bread.
The sweet selection was quite scrumptious. It looked extremely pretty and very festive with real attention to detail: a double chocolate fondant fancy parcel, a vanilla and raspberry celebration wreath, a strawberry and coconut bauble, an impressive dark chocolate and mandarin mousse Christmas tree and a smooth white chocolate and cranberry opera cake and finally some adorable freshly baked scones served with rich Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserves.
It was quite a magnificent spread, but if you can’t quite manage to eat it all the friendly staff are more than happy to provide you with a goody box to take home.
We had a delightful afternoon and it felt like a proper Christmas treat. So if you want to do something a little bit celebratory why not indulge in a Festive Afternoon Tea in the elegant surroundings at the Hansom St Pancras, and if it happens to be on a Friday, carol singers will join the magic at 7 pm to bring the festive cheer and entertain guests with the season’s favourite carols.
The Festive Afternoon Tea is available until 5th January priced at £38 per person or £50 including 1 glass of Perrier-Jouët champagne.
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
Euston Rd,
Kings Cross,
London NW1 2AR
Phone: 020 7841 3540
Looking for more festive afternoon tea options? We loved the Mandarin Oriental’s Christmas Afternoon Tea. Or, for something totally traditional, how about The Dorchester Festive Champagne Afternoon Tea
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