Discovering Tea – Plate Restaurant, Shoreditch. The Afternoon Tea Academy takes place at Plate Restaurant at the Montcalm Hotel in Shoreditch. Seated on a mezzanine above a hotel lobby is an unusual venue for an afternoon tea experience, but the eats and tea pairing soon take one’s mind off the traffic passing by outside the […]
Sri Lanka: Jungles, mountains, tea and elephants
Esala Perahera and English Colonialism in Sri Lanka As well as the bustling cities and sweeping beaches there’s a lot happening away from coastal Sri Lanka. You can go on safari, escape to the jungle, hike through mountains and tea plantations or celebrate the country’s bounty at a beautiful thanksgiving festival. There’s something to inspire all […]
Afternoon Tea at The Ivy Market Grill
The Ivy Market Grill – Afternoon Tea in Covent Garden: An iconic brand with its own entry in Wikipedia, The Ivy closed for refurbishment recently, re-opening on 1st June this year. Meanwhile, Caprice Group, the holding company for a number of fine dining restaurants in London, have opened a couple of ‘outposts’ of the original […]
Sofitel London St James – Afternoon Tea with a French Touch
Le Tea en Rose – a French style afternoon tea in London: Waterloo Place is home to the five star Sofitel London St James, an unmistakably French styled hotel. I headed there a few days ago to preview a new floral afternoon tea, a limited edition French take on that most celebrated of English events, […]
Drama and Delights – Afternoon Tea – Ampersand Hotel
Ampersand Hotel – Science Afternoon Tea I suspect I am nothing more than a big kid at heart. Revisiting the Ampersand Hotel for afternoon tea recently with friend and Theatre specialist Natalie York, we both looked at the menu – and despite the thirty year gap both decided that we should order the ‘Science Afternoon […]
Christmas Afternoon Tea at the Intercontinental, London Park Lane
Twelve Days of Christmas Festive Afternoon Tea, Intercontinental London Park Lane: Who doesn’t need a treat before Christmas? Much as I love the holiday season, somehow life conspires to make me feel stressed. And that’s without kids to cater for and school holidays to deal with. Afternoon tea is one of those relaxing, recharging […]
Botanical Tea at the Intercontinental
Botanical Tea on Park Lane: All the way along Park Lane, the grand hotels serve afternoon tea. It’s a very British institution and there are certain elements that shouldn’t ever be changed. The scones should be just warm and fresh out of the oven, the sandwiches delicate and the cakes decadent. It is a treat, […]
Mari Vanna Knightsbridge
Russian Tea at Mari Vanna Knightsbridge: Already established in New York, Moscow and St Petersburg, Mari Vanna claims to be the apotheosis of a mythical woman who welcomed diners into her home with open arms, feeding them traditional Russian food on fine china and linen. The eclectic interior is packed with ornaments, jars of jams […]