I love Christmas, and I love afternoon teas. Put them both together under the eye of an expert head chef and set them in the beautiful Lancaster London hotel overlooking Kensington Gardens, and you have the recipe for a truly awesome afternoon!
Just over a year ago, Selena of Oh The Places We Will Go started the fabulous #LDNBloggersTea. This was my third of the quarterly afternoon teas, each held in a glamorous location and filled with fantastic bloggers to meet and afternoon tea goodies to sample. Melanie of Sunny in London has picked up Selena’s organisational mantle and with her and Chef Ben, formerly of Royal Horseguards fame, at the helm we knew we were in for a festive treat.
We were guided through a champagne tasting by Ashley from Laurent-Perrier champagne, who had rapt bloggers in the palm of his hand as he talked us through the various tastes, scents and vintages of the different champagnes. It was hard to choose a favourite although I’m always a sucker for a good rosé!
I can never decide if I enjoy the teas more for catching up with my blogger buddies or meeting new ones, but as always there was a great mix of bloggers present – and cameras and cameraphones were out in full force! There was a vast quantity of tea soon on offer, as is only proper at an English afternoon tea, and I opted for the White Pear and Ginger, which I sipped throughout the meal (and alternately with champagne at times!).
My lactose-intolerance is dealt with in a variety of ways that go from charming to charmless by eating establishments, even those that have been pre-warned. On this occasion the Lancaster handled it with ease. I particularly loved the emphasis on mushrooms as a substitute! The first course was ideal as the flavours were tasty and it was beautifully presented, without being stodgy or overpowering.
Next up, the scone course. Sadly the lactose-free scones are not quite up to service standard yet, but having tried them under Chef Ben’s charge at the Royal Horseguards I’m sure they will be delicious. My substitute of ginger cake was very tasty, as were the scones judging by the chorus of mmm’s around the table. In addition to the usual plain and fruit scones the Lancaster London is currently serving a Christmas Pudding scone, and for those who liked the flavour of that traditional dish, it was a massive hit!
Chef Ben and his able staff bearing scone gifts
Bloggers hard at work
And finally, the sweet course. As usual, my eyes were proving rather bigger than my stomach by that point, but I can say that the macaron in particular was delectable. Fortunately Chef Ben gave us the opportunity to walk a little more room into our stomachs by giving us a private tour of the back kitchen, which provides the breakfasts, afternoon teas, and round-the-clock room service to the hotel. It was fascinating to get an insider view!
Chef Ben explaining the logistics of room service, including maintaining the perfect food temperature all the way to the 18th floor!
Still can’t believe they left me alone with this beauty – fortunately I was too busy drooling to have nefarious thoughts…
Massive thanks to Melanie, Chef Ben, Lancaster London and Laurent-Perrier for a lovely festive afternoon tea, I’m now truly in the Christmas spirit! If you’d like to head along to the Lancaster for your own festive goodness, click here for all the details!
What’s your favourite way to get that festive feeling?
