As most of you are probably well aware, I'm something
of a self-confessed tea and cake fiend. As well as posting about my
adventures in baking , I've also blogged about some of my afternoon tea
experiences, including my own Jubilee themed sitting last year. You can
only imagine, then, how excited I was when I was invited along to a very
special sitting of afternoon tea at the Millennium Hotel in Knightsbridge last week. Only recently launched, Millennium's afternoon
tea is a dynamic fusion of the traditional and a more contemporary style
of cuisine, with Executive Chef Anthony Robinson creating a delicious array of food, all
served in Millennium's Tangerine Café Bar. After a long afternoon at
work and a rather stressful battle with London transport, it was lovely
to take the opportunity to unwind and have a good catch up with some of
my favourite blogging buddies, Sophie, Lily and Aisling over a cuppa or
two and some delicious food. Anyway, they say a picture is worth a
thousand words, so I'll stop waffling and let a few of the many pictures
that Aisling and I snapped take you through the evening as it unfolded:







After having a drinks reception and introduction to the hotel, we were then lucky enough to be given a tour. As something of a nosy parker (!), I loved having the opportunity to sneak a peek at a few of the rooms- the suite we were shown was breathtaking, with an amazing bedroom, bathroom and lounge area, as well as some spectacular views of Knightsbridge and central London. From there, we were whisked down to the Tangerine Café Bar where we indulged in a spot (or should that be a surge?!) of afternoon tea:







The
menu itself offered a really refreshing take on afternoon tea. Starting
with the sandwiches, we were served a delicious selection on a variety
of breads, including mozzarella and tomato bruschetta, chicken in a
brioche bun and salmon on a mini wholemeal baguette. From there, we
moved on to the scones- both sweet and savoury- served with clotted cream and jam.
Scones are by far and away one of my favourite things to make, so it was
really interesting to taste some different flavour combinations- I'm
sure I'll be trying to replicate the banana and chocolate variety before
too long! Finally, we moved on to the sweet treats- a selection of
cakes and patisserie in the shape of mini eclairs, profiteroles,
chocolate sponges and an amazing chocolate mousse served in a dark
chocolate teacup, topped with strawberries, blueberries and mint. All of
course enjoyed with a cup (or five!) of Earl Grey, Millennium's
afternoon tea is definitely something I'd recommend- at £17.50 for two it's
amazing value for money and a really lovely treat if you're in
Knightsbridge and need a break from shopping or some sustenance before
hitting the museums in South Kensington.
Whilst we enjoyed our sitting,
we were also treated to a really fascinating talk from Christine from Minding Manners, focusing on the history and ritual of afternoon tea. As well as giving us
some pointers on our etiquette (napkins always folded in half on your
lap, never break your scone with a knife!), Christine also amazed us all with
some pointers on how to make the perfect cup of tea, as well as finally
settling the raging debate about whether the milk should go in first or
not (only if you've got china which can't withstand the heat of just
boiled water apparently!) Overall it was a really lovely evening and
I'm sure I'll be popping in to the Millennium Knightsbridge for some
more afternoon tea indulgence very soon. A big thank you to the teams
at Millennium and Greenlight for hosting such a great event!
Where is your favourite afternoon tea haunt?
(Image credit: Sarah Farrell & Aisling Megan, please do not reproduce without permission.)
Where is your favourite afternoon tea haunt?
(Image credit: Sarah Farrell & Aisling Megan, please do not reproduce without permission.)
I'm drooling just thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteSophie
X
This was such a lovely evening! That chocolate cup was ammmmmmazing. x
ReplyDeleteah, all of the sweets look so yummy and darling! the views of the city are also wonderful!
ReplyDeletelindsey louise
hellomrrabbitblog.com
Wow everything looks amazing! I just blogged about an afternoon tea event too, they're the best :) xx
ReplyDelete