Afternoon Tea is served in the modern and intimate surroundings of the Berry Bar and Lounge. Tea service starts from 2:30pm – 6pm every day, we opted for a slot at 3pm which probably turned out to be a wise decision as groups that arriver later than us were having to wait some time to get service.
After being seated in a secluded spot toward the back of the lounge we were informed by our waiter how the tea service would work and what our package included (£29.50 per head):
- A signature cocktail made from Beefeater 24 gin or a glass of champagne each
- A selection of finger sandwiches
- Freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves
- An assortment of cakes
- A selection of 12 speciality loose teas
A good selection of loose tea was promptly presented and we made our selection to go with our cakes, opting to have our cocktail first and tea later. My friend went for a ‘Watermelon Medley’ – non-alcoholic cocktail of simply fresh pressed watermelon and lime juice, garnished with fresh mint, a watermelon slice and lengthened with a splash of soda. I opted for ’Blossom’ - a sweet and sour signature cocktail apple blend made with Williams Chase Gin is complimented with elderflower, raspberries and lavender syrup…very refreshing!
Shortly after our drinks arrived out came the cake stand. I tend to be mostly interested in the sandwiches rather than the cakes as I lack a sweet tooth. I have to say the sandwiches were quite a disappointment and lacked any excitement at all. All were very simple and didn’t look like much expense had gone into them. The smoked salmon sandwiched seemed to be in what seemed like a bitter chocolate bread it was absolutely foul. The cake selection was good and cater for all tastes, included was a berry flavoured macaroon, strawberry and custard tart, chocolate mousse slice and a Victoria sponge. There was also a fruit smoothie shot which looked like it would be nice but tasted rather cheesey. The freshly baked scones were definitely the best part of the experience. We got a plain and a fruit one each and they were delicious, just perfect.
Thankfully we had each others great company and didn’t look too much into the mediocre food. The couple seated next to us with angry faces were waiting 45 minutes just to get their tea, when they finally managed to get a waiters attention to get their cake stand there was no apology, the waiter actually got defensive and started firing excuses at the customer which just enraged her further. I suspect they did not have a good experience.
Overall, I would say that afternoon tea here is pretty average, definitely not worth £29.50 a head, luckily we got a deal from TravelZoo which was £35 for two people so £17.50 each is not so hard to bear. The setting and atmosphere are nice but the food could be improved.