Rainbow Cake, Hummingbird Bakery

I can't believe I'm 17!

In today’s (short) post I wanted to share a new discovery of my mine the delicious Rainbow Cake from the Hummingbird Bakery. It was my 17^th birthday a few weeks ago and of course there had to be cake :) This year I was well and truly spoilt rotten by my lovely friends and family. The highlight of the day was receiving this giant yummy cake from my favourite bakery. A lovely treat courtesy of my mum – thanks mum!

For those of you that don't know the Hummingbird Bakery is a unique American style bakery in London, which offers a range of American style cupcakes, brownies, pies and cakes.

The bakery only opened in 2004 and is celebrating its 10th UK anniversary this year. Unfortunately, they only have branches in the London area at the moment. I wish they would open a branch closer to where I live (sigh)...wait perhaps on second thoughts that’s for the best otherwise I would probably end up a couple of dress sizes larger!!

The Rainbow Cake is the yummiest cake I have tried from the Hummingbird Bakery soo far…

It had a bubblegum flavour in both the frosting and sponge!

There was plenty to go around - we even managed  a second helping in the day! 

I also received a copy of the Humingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe book and will be attempting to recreate some of the hummingbird magic at home soon, particularly the gingerbread cupcakes, which look amazing for Christmas - I will let you know how I get on!

Hope you enjoyed today's post :)

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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Afternoon Tea at The Bloomsbury Hotel

It's been a while since I’ve done an afternoon tea review, I'm at sixth form at the moment and unfortunately getting to grips with A’Levels hasn’t left much time for indulging in afternoon tea sittings. So during half term I headed into London for the day for a much deserved break and of course a spot of afternoon tea!

London has soo many choices when it comes to Afternoon tea, there really is something for every budget and every taste. This time we headed to the Bloomsbury Hotel, located just off Oxford Street. The Bloomsbury is a 4-star hotel in the heart of the Bloomsbury district, which is renowned for its literary tradition and is also a stone’s throw away from the shopping district. Culture, shopping and fine dining - the perfect Saturday afternoon!! What more could a girl ask for :)

Although, not the most impressive of Hotels from the outside (well in my opinion anyway), the Bloomsbury definitely does not disappoint on the inside. We didn’t get a chance to explore much of the hotel but the lobby was gorgeous. As you enter the hotel you are greeted by some gorgeous decor - very modern, elegant and chic.

Afternoon tea is served in the Lutyens lobby lounge, which is located in the hotel lobby – surprise surprise :)

FUN FACT:  The Lutyens Lounge is named after Sir Edwin Lutyens who has been referred to as the greatest British architect, who designed The Bloomsbury Hotel in the 1930's - his picture is behind the bar in the Lutyens Lounge.

Sir Edwin Lutyens

We opted for the Bloomsbury classic afternoon tea, which consisted of four scrumptious sweet treats, two freshly baked scones and an amazing selection of FIVE different veggie sandwich fillings!!

The selection of cakes and pastries consisted of:

• Seasonal Tart - This was topped with strawberries and blueberries and had a lovely creamy centre, but the tart itself was very hard and a tad difficult to eat.  
• Lemon Meringue – Mini lemon meringue – fresh tangy flavor and very very sweet. Best to save this treat until last!
• Victoria Sponge – A bitesize version of the classic Victoria sponge, with shredded coconut around the edges and topped with a cream and strawberry decoration. Would have loved a full size version of this!
• Fruit Loaf - This wasn’t really to my taste, I generally find fruit loaf to be a bit dry and bland, so this didn’t really do it for me!

The selection of sandwiches consisted of:

• Egg mayonnaise and cress on white bread 
• Smoked salmon with crème fraîche on malt bread
• Cream cheese, chive and cucumber on caraway bread       
• Pickles on brown bread
• Avocodo with sun-dried tomatoes on brown bread

I can honestly say all of these sandwiches were incredibly filling and delicious. We forgot to inform the hotel about dietary requirements in advance, so were pleasantly surprised by the selection of veggie choices offered. We did have to wait an extra 10 minutes though, which was tough given our growling stomachs, but well worth it :) 

The tea selection on the other hand was not as vast as in some hotels, there were only 9 options to choose from and disappointingly no green tea. I did however really like the way the teas were presented to us in a box by the waitress, which I thought was a really nice touch. 

In fact everything about the service was impeccable, there was always someone on hand to offer help and a refill but I didn’t feel like the staff were constantly towering over you, as I have in some hotels. 

The only downside to the whole experience was the location. The tea was served just off from the hotel entrance in the lobby, meaning you could hear traffic from outside and people coming in and out of the hotel - not the most relaxing place to unwind with a cup of tea! I also felt there were a lot of tables compressed into a small area, although it wasn’t at all busy when we went, at busier times I can imagine it feeling quite crowded.

Overall, I would rate the Bloomsbury afternoon tea as 4 out of 5 for food and service. But unfortunately, the environment was a bit of a let-down for me. I believe the décor and ambience of the surroundings play a big part in the whole experience, so for this reason only I probably wouldn’t opt for afternoon tea at the Bloomsbury Hotel next time. However, that said if you don’t mind being sat in the lobby area and close to the entrance then I would recommend checking out the Bloomsbury afternoon tea offering - it was delicous :) 

See you next time for more of my ramblings!

xx

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