Afternoon Tea at White Rabbit Teahouse, Nottingham

Afternoon Tea is by far my favourite pastime and there are only two things that stop me indulging in this past time more often. First is the effect on my waist line and the second the effect on my purse strings. Afternoon Tea can be an expensive business, with some hotel's charging over £50 per person! This is why it is often a struggle to get my student friends who are less passionate for afternoon tea to come along. The other day when I was shopping in Nottingham City Centre with a friend we spotted a couple of signs saying Afternoon Tea for £15. This got us talking and we both agreed this is a more reasonable price for Afternoon Tea. This conversation gave me the idea for a new series here on 'Ramblings of a Devoted Tea Drinker' reviewing the best local Afternoon Teas priced at £15 and under.

So today I am kicking it off with a review of Afternoon Tea at The White Rabbit Teahouse located on Bridlesmith Walk in Nottingham. I have been eyeing up White Rabbit Teahouse for a while now but always thought it would be on the expensive side, that was until I looked on the website and discovered it was only £15 per person, making it the perfect candidate for my first post of the series. I also discovered on the website that they have two teahouses in Nottingham, with the other located on Hounds Gate. 

White Rabbit Teahouse is a very traditional looking tea house with a shabby chic vibe to it, while it is incredibly small it has a very cosy feel. 

The theme of rabbits even exceeded to the wallpaper! Their attention to detail really makes the whole afternoon tea experience 10 times better!  

The drawer on our table was stuffed full with napkins with notes from previous customers. I thought this was a lovely touch and the sort of thing you'd usually see in a film. It defiantly added to the intimate and 'special' vibe of the place. The only down side to this cosy intimate environment is that it can make private conversation's difficult.

The Afternoon Tea menu had a selection of 8 teas to choose from (I opted for the English breakfast tea...I know I am very boring!) There were 7 sandwich options which were Salmon, Cream Cheese & Rocket, Honey Roast Ham, Cream Cheese & Cucumber, Tuna Mayonnaise, Free Range Egg & Cress and Prawn Mayonnaise. We were told we could pick two sandwich options from the list which was a shame as I was actually rather hungry! We opted for Salmon and Cream Cheese & Cucumber. 

The scones consisted of one raisin scone each.The sweet treats included a rabbit shaped (of course) shortbread with jam , a small cup of sticky toffee pudding and a cupcake. All the sweet treats were delicious but if I had to pick one I would say the cupcake was by far my favourite! The scones on the other hand were a little on the hard side, I would of preferred the option of a plain scone and maybe more sandwich options. 

 Even the leaves in the cream and jam were placed to replicate a rabbits ears!

Overall, it was a pleasant Afternoon Tea for the price and I would recommend a visit to White Rabbit Teahouse, even if it is only for a cup of coffee and a chat with a friend. 

I will be doing another £15 and under afternoon tea review in a few weeks. So if any of you out there can recommend any bargain afternoon teas in the Nottingham area I'd love to know! 

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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Classic Afternoon Tea Cruise, Bateaux London

Today marks a very special day for Ramblings of a Devoted Tea Drinker; today I had my last A’level exam, yippee! So now I can finally dedicate more of my time to eating, preparing and writing about afternoon tea J To mark the occasion I thought I would share a very special afternoon tea with you. A few weeks ago (before I entered the revision cave) I took a trip to London to try the classic afternoon tea cruise on the River Thames on board the Harmony Vessel.

The cruise is operated by Bateaux London, who offer various different types of dining cruise experiences along the River Thames. The classic afternoon tea cruise that we selected costs £32 per person. The experience lasts for about 1 hour 15 minutes and allows you to soak up some of the famous sights in London such as the Big Ben and the London Eye. We even got to see the ITV This Morning Studio J All whilst enjoying a delicious afternoon tea spread!

The experience on board the Harmony was really enjoyable; there was a live pianist on board and the staff, were all very attentive and helpful and in my opinion provided a truly 5-star service. I have to say that there is just something very leisurely and luxurious about dining while sailing down a river J

The afternoon tea menu included a selection of fresh sandwiches, on white and brown bread. They were really tasty and we managed to polish them off pretty quickly between us!  So I was pleased when the waiter came over to offer us refills and to my delight not only did he come back with 1 or 2 extra sandwiches, but refilled the entire plate for us!

On the next tier were of course the scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam – the heart of any afternoon tea. There were two fruit scones- no refills or plain scones were offered, but to be honest they were pretty big and filling so I don’t think I could have eaten another one anyway.

The sweet selection included a Fruit meringue tart, a coffee flavoured Macaroon, a Lemon drizzle cake, a Jam filled Beignet and a chocolate éclair. The portion sizes were very generous and it was a struggle to finish the plate but I persevered J All the cakes and pastries were delicious but if I had to pick one I would say the fruit meringue tart was my favourite.

Finally, the tea selection consisted of Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Assam teas. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a wider selection of herbal and fruit teas to choose from…

Overall though, this was a lovely afternoon tea experience – great ambience and service combined with tasty food and a wonderful view. 

See you next time for more of my ramblings!

xx

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Cornish Cream Tea Hamper | Simply Cornish Hampers Review

Today I have a review of a Afternoon Tea Hamper from Simply Cornish Hampers. For a while I have wanted to try out an afternoon tea hamper, as I really liked the concept of a fresh Afternoon Tea delivered straight to your door. I was just awaiting a suitable occasion for an excuse!  

...and what a better excuse than mothers day! 

I originally had my eye on the Delimann hampers, but unfortunately they don't deliver on a weekend. I will have to try that another time :) So, after doing a quick google search I discovered Simply Cornish Hampers 

Simply Cornish Hampers have been open since 2005, they sell hampers as gifts for a special occasion or a special someone. All their ingredients are sourced locally in Cornwall from a range of food and wine suppliers. Their range includes gluten free hampers, alcohol hampers, cream tea hampers and chocolate hampers. I'm sure most people will be able to find something that takes their fancy! I chose the  'Family Cornish Cream Tea Hamper' option, 

Delivery costs a whooping  £7.55 for weekdays or £8.65 for weekend delivery. 

The hamper was priced at £35.95 and was delivered in a cardboard box. You can upgrade to a black gift box for £47.45 or if you pay £58.90 they will send it in wicker basket! However, the cardboard packaging alone was fine, I loved how everything was laid out and they all fit snugly in the box!

The hamper included 8 Butter Scones, a bottle of Healey's Pressed Apple Juice, Clotted Cream, Shortbread, Sisley's Strawberry Jam, Clotted Cream Fudge, Spiced Crunch Original Fairings, 4 Rodda's Clotted Cream and Furniss Gingerbread. Its a shame that the hamper doesn't include any tea!

Since we were having a bit off a mothers day family gathering we decided to set it up as a tea party...

For my mum instead of putting out a tea cup we decided to place the Grandma mug that my niece got her. 

The food was all really yummy and had a lovely home made feel to it. The scones tasted very fresh and I especially loved the addition of the fudge  and apple juice. 

I can't recommend this hamper enough, it's a great alternative to a hotel afternoon tea. With every order you get a free personlised gift card to send to your loved ones, yet our hamper included the wrong card. It said 'Happy Birthday' instead of the 'Happy Mothers Day' message which left my mum a bit perplexed to begin with! But since the food was soo lovely I'll have to let them off for the mistake!

Have you tried an afternoon tea hamper? Any recommendations for next time?

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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Traditional Afternoon Tea at The Goring Hotel, London

Today I am reviewing the traditional afternoon tea of The Goring Hotel in London .

The Goring Hotel can be found in Belgravia in London, less than a 10 minute walk from Buckingham Palace, perfectly located for sightseeing.  The Goring Hotel is a 5 star hotel that was opened by Otto Goring on 2nd March 1910. What makes the hotel unique is that it is the only remaining hotel in London that is still owned and run by the family that built it! With Otto Goring’s Great-Grandson, Jeremy Goring now running the hotel. When reading up about the hotel I also found that the Goring was the first hotel in the world in which every room had a private bathroom and central heating! 

Today, however the hotel is probably better known for it's royal connection, as the Queen Mother was a regular visitor and more recently the hotel came into the spotlight when Kate Middleton and family stayed there the days before the royal wedding in 2011. So unsurprisingly Afternoon Tea at The Goring  is indeed a posh affair. 

lets just take minute to appreciate how beautiful this wallpaper is!  

The afternoon tea is served in the Bar & Lounge area every day between 3pm - 4pm, and is priced at £42.50. 

We visited during the summer months so were lucky enough to be offered a table on the terrace overlooking the beautiful Goring gardens. On that particular day the sun was shining and there were people  playing croquet on the grass area and others taking strolls through the Goring Gardens. It was a lovely and tranquil environment for enjoying afternoon tea! The terrace is actually well heated so you might still be able to enjoy enjoy tea on the terrace on a more nippy afternoon!

I love the minimal look to the tables!

Our Afternoon Tea started with an amuse bouche to get our taste buds going. This was essentially a  small glass of Cheddar custard, cauliflower cream topped with toasted rice - it was delicious, and very flavoured. 

The waiter then brought out a 3-tiered cake stand containing...

• 8 sandwiches between the two of us.
• 2 Plain Scones and 2 Currant Scones 
• A selection of amazingly delicious desserts: Battenberg Cake, Mandarin Dome with Financier Base, Lemon & Bergamot Meringue Tartlet, Raspberry and Pistachio Choux, White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Jam on a Crumble Base.

I was really impressed with all the food especially the desserts, they all looked and tasted amazing. Shame we were so full by the end  that we were struggling to eat all the cakes! Maybe we should've started with the cakes :) My personal favorite was the White Chocolate Mousse, which contained jam and strawberry pieces inside - absolutely divine!

So, finally I can't talk about the Goring without mentioning the impeccable service, as you would expect from a 5 start hotel, the staff were very friendly and attentive. The waitress frequently checked on us and offered to fill our tea cups, so we were never short of tea! I must have had like 6 cups of tea in the 2 hours we were there!

The Goring's Afternoon Tea is definitely fit for a queen. The service, surroundings and food all exceeding my expectations. If you want to treat your self to a 'high end' afternoon tea, then I would recommend the Goring to you!  

See you next time for more of my ramblings 

xx

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Afternoon Tea at Byron's Brasserie, Colwick Hall Hotel, Nottingham

Back in October I decided to treat my sister (I know I'm too kind) to an afternoon tea because I'm just the best little sister ever (obviously)...plus (kill two birds with one stone and all that) Colwick Hall has been on my Afternoon Tea hit list for some time now, Colwick Hall was where my year 11 prom was held, and ever since then I have been in love with the place.  

Colwick Hall is a magnificent hotel in Nottinghamshire right next to the Colwick Racecourse. Colwick Hall dates back to the 11th century when Sir Reginal DeColwick owned it, the estate was then passed on to his daughters husband Sir Richard Byron after he died in 1362. The Byron family lived at Colwick for over 150 years (!!) before they moved to Newstead Abbey in 1660, when it was brought by the Musters family. After the death of Mary Chaworth-Musters the Hall was sold to the Nottingham Racecourse Company and became a public house.

It is the perfect setting for a very traditional and very English afternoon tea. It is worth arriving early, so you can have a quick stroll around the grounds, which are absolutely stunning! I particularly love the fountain around the back of  Colwick Hall.

The afternoon tea itself is served in Byron’s Brasserie, just right off the main entrance. It is named after Lord Byron who used to live at Colwick Hall.  

 

Byron's Brasserie's decor is absolutely magnificent it is fitted with a beautiful lace patterned ceiling and large portraits of the Byron family. 

There are also various poetry quotes displayed on the walls, which I thought was a nice touch that makes the room look special and adds a unique touch to the room. 

On the day that we visited the brasserie was relatively quiet, so the room felt very peaceful and intimate. In such magnificent surroundings I would of accepted the afternoon tea to be pricey, but on the day we visited there was an offer for 2 for £20 - what a bargain!

So what did we get for £20...

• A cherry and orange scone each - an unusual combination, but they somehow worked!
• A selection of three savoury treats - a mini quiche, a ploughman scone and a mini soft cheese bagel (for non-veggies it would be a mini salt beef bagel) > This was a pleasant surprise as not many places offer additional savoury treats other than sandwiches. 
• A selection of vegetarian sandwiches, which consisted of the bog standard cheese and onion, egg mayonnaise and just cheese fillings. > These were on the slightly unimaginative side, but considering we already gorged on the other savoury treats I'll have to let them off. 
• A separate tray of sweet treats, including a date & walnut cake, strawberry & blackberry tart, macaroons and a violet meringue with strawberries & cream. Although we were stuffed by the time the swet tray arrived, we didn't admit defeat that early, so carried on munching our away through the sweet tray as best as we could. They were all scrumptious, my favourite had to be the macaroons! 

Overall, the afternoon tea menu lived up to the magnificent surroundings, it was both unique and delicious. Unfortunately the service didn't live up to the expectations and the staff didn't seem welcoming or very informed about the menu. At the end when we asked the waiter to pack up the left over food he returned 10 minutes later with two GIANT pieces of foil, placed them on our table and walked away, This was a bit shocking as you would expect they would pack up the leftovers for us. Despite the service we did actually have a great time gossiping over a yummy tea in beautiful surroundings. 

Has anyone else visited Byron's Brasserie? What was your experience?

See you next time for more of my ramblings!

xx

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