Review: Hello Kitty afternoon tea, Cutter & Squidge, Soho


At the beginning of July I joined some of my favourite girls, Hannah, Sarah, Michelle and Lily, for an afternoon of eating lots of cake and drinking endless cups of tea at the Hello Kitty afternoon tea. On offer until 31st August, Cutter and Squidge is hosting the first ever pop-up cafe in Europe dedicated to the iconic character. At £40 it isn't a cheap afternoon tea by any means but you do get an awful lot of cake and savoury treats to savour with the option to refill if you wish. Which we did. Obviously. So, what did we get to eat?



Starting with a cute milk bottle of sweet pink lemonade, I opted for a pot of white peach loose tea to keep me refilled throughout the afternoon. My eyes grew as wide as saucers when the waitress put all our treats in the middle of the table. Following tradition we started in the selection of savoury sandwiches first. Cucumber and cream cheese, hummus and pepper, cheese and red onion and salmon and chive were all on the menu. The cheese and red onion sandwiches were divine and I made sure I asked for a second round of these. The generous fillings got a massive thumbs up from me.



After we had scoffed all the sandwiches it was time to try out the sweet treats. My favourites were the sweet strawberry milkshake biskie, rich white cake truffle and the decedent Kitty's chocolate mud pie. With so many sugar-filled concoctions, it was a welcome relief to try the savoury cheese scones with delicious red pepper relish and cream cheese. In fact, I think these were my favourite part. The scones had a lovely crunch yet fluffy middle and the subtle cheese flavour help to give them something a little special. A special shout out to the juicy strawberries with a creamy chocolate dip - they were the perfect end to a wonderful afternoon.



I'll hold my hands up and admit I'm not really much of a Hello Kitty fan and only went along because I wanted to spend some quality time with the lads. But I had such an amazing afternoon and completely got caught up in the moment. The staff were attentive and helpful, the sheer amount of food on offer was amazing and despite a 1.20 hour slot, I didn't really feel too rush as they moved us to a different part of the cafe so we could continue with our nattering. It's quite a lot of money for something if you're not into the hype but if you are, you really can't miss out!

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Review: Afternoon Tea at The Goring, Victoria


A couple of weeks ago I booked my mum and nan in for afternoon tea at The Goring hotel for my nan's birthday. As our birthdays are only a day apart, we always try to do something together. For the last five years it has been somewhere fancy for afternoon tea. This year I decided to pick the hotel where Kate Middleton stayed before her wedding because if it's good enough for royalty...




Now I can safely say that it's ranked second in my favourite traditional afternoon teas after Claridges. I emailed them beforehand to explain it was my nan's birthday and they very kindly gave us one of the best seats in the house AND a special chocolate birthday cake. How's that for good service? The little touches were what made it so great. Our server was attentive without being suffocating. She offered great advice about the teas and made sure we were topped up with plenty of sandwiches and cakes. We didn't even have to ask!





So onto the most important part. The food! We had an unexpected starter in the form of a cheesy, cauliflower soufflรฉ topped with some crispy puffs. It was delicious and certainly wet our appetite for the main event.

The sandwiches consisted of ham and mustard, chicken and stuffing, cheddar cheese and chutney and smoked salmon and cream cheese - all the classics! I loved the variety of soft bread and they certainly didn't scrape on my fillings. I can't for the life of me remember what all the cakes and pastries were but I do know they tasted absolutely delicious. Especially that creamy, white chocolate log on a biscuit base. Perfection! The scones? Well these bad boys were huge. With both a warm plain and fruit scone on offer, it was hard to choose what to eat first. But rest assured I did manage to eat them both.

The Goring isn't cheap but in this case you definitely get what you pay for. The service was faultless, the food was delicious, the setting was stunning and the experience was perfect for a birthday. Looking to take someone somewhere a bit special? This is the place.



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Review: The Wolesley Afternoon Tea


Afternoon tea at The Wolesley had been on my list for ages. I'd heard such good things about and after visiting for breakfast last year, it only upped my desire to visit for cake. I love the old-fashioned vibe of the place - it feels like you've gone back in time. My mum is my afternoon the partner in crime - we can sniff it out from a mile away. Naturally I treated her to Afternoon Tea for Mother's Day. Let's gloss over the fact I was a few months late. We got there in the end!




Never one to turn down a glass of champers, we opted for the champagne afternoon tea at £33. It's always seems a crime not to opt for bubbles if it's on offer. Included in the price were a selection of traditional sandwiches. Nothing too fancy but delicious all the same - sometimes the more traditional sarnies are the best. The smoked salmon was absolutely delicious. On the second layer was a selection of cakes and pastries consisting of a zesty lemon meringue, a rich chocolate cake, a juicy strawberry tart, marzipan battenberg and an incredible lemon cheesecake. Finally we each scoffed two fruit scones each with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam. It's safe to say we waddled out!




I really couldn't fault the service. We were made to feel very welcome and wasn't rushed through our cakes at all - as I found to be the case at The Ritz. We were left alone to enjoy it but someone soon popped up to offer to fill up our plates when we finished. We obviously opted for a second tray of sandwiches AND cakes. I liked the fact they topped up our tea with hot water when it started to get cold. I really can't recommend The Wolsely enough, it's such a pretty venue, the service is outstanding and it's reasonably priced. Definately one of favourite afternoon teas in London! 


Square Meal
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Review: Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson Hotel


I love cake. I love bread. So it's no wonder that I'm such a massive afternoon tea fan. Last weekend I popped along to the fancy Sanderson Hotel for a spot of Mad Hatters Afternoon tea. It was incredible! If you're an Alice In Wonderland fan - who isn't? - then you'll be in heaven. It was full of little quirky touches that made you oooo and ahhh all afternoon.




Opting for a strawberries and cream fruit tea, we eagerly awaited our afternoon tea to be brought out. The first thing we tackled were the sandwiches. The smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiched between a lime bread was by far my favourite. Other sandwiches included egg mayo in a curry bread,  cream cheese and cucumber in a parmesan bread and ham and mustard in a tomato bread. The different flavoured bread really helped to give the sarnies something a little special. They complimented the fillings perfectly.




The cakes are always the talking point at any afternoon tea. On the top layer we got to munch on yummy strawberries and cream marshmallow mushrooms and carrot shaped meringues. The second layer featured a melting mango cheesecake, light Victoria sponge cake and a matcha green tea mousse in a chocolate cup. Finally we were given a sweet scone alongside a mustard savoury scone with a pot of garlic butter and lashings of clotted cream with juicy strawberry jam. Make sure you double check the scones as I ended up with clotted cream on my mustard scone! If you've still got room, there a jelly cart with strawberry, apple and peach jelly to tuck into. We were stuffed but took one for the team!





It's not cheap starting at £38 per person for the basic package. But it's honestly well worth the money and I wouldn't think twice about going again. The sandwiches, scones, tea and jelly bar are refillable. As soon as the staff notice you're running low, they quickly offer to refill. We even asked if we were allowed to take a few things home and they soon obliged. The service really can't be faulted.

5 Comments

Review: South Street Pantry










I live on the border of Essex and Hertfordshire but very rarely explore what is right on my doorstep. Instead I hop on the tube and go straight into London. This weekend I decided to give London a miss and venture into a town around a 25 minute drive away.

South Street Pantry in the market town of Bishops Stortford. It's a quirky little tearoom which sells a whole range of treats. Anything from doorstop sandwiches to homemade soups - I've heard they do a cracking breakfast too. I'm going to venture back for the smoked salmon and scrambled egg. Everything is served on mix-matched vintage china which is a cause close to my heart. The shed in the garden has an embarrassing amount of china ready for when I move out.

My mum and I opted for the amazing sounding afternoon tea special. For £9.95 you got a choice of one of four sandwiches - we opted for cheddar cheese and chutney and smoked salmon and cream cheese - a slice of cake from the counter and a cheese or fruit scone. It lived up to our expectations! I greedily devoured the white chocolate and blueberry cake and gobbled up a cheese scone in record time. The cake is deliciously light and full of flavour while the scone was cooked to perfection.

Sometimes it nice not to venture too far away from home especially when you have a gem like this.
3 Comments

Review: BB Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus Tour











As my birthday treat yesterday, my parents booked me on for Afternoon Tea on the BB Bakery tour bus. Set on a vintage red London Routemaster bus, the travelling bakery sets off from 8 Northumberland Avenue for a 90 minute whistle stop tour of the best sights in London town. You'll be able to gaze in awe at Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Harrods and many more. You get a good selection of French pastries alongside a delicious cupcake and buttery scone. I would have personally preferred a few more sandwiches as I have savoury tooth but I soon scoffed my fair chare of the delicious cakes. The mushroom quiche and chocolate macaroon were my favourites - I'm drooling just thinking about them.

It's certainly not cheap but it's well worth it for a special treat. It's such a novelty way to see the best parts of the city whilst stuffing your face - I'd definitely recommend you jump aboard!
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A Essex based lifestyle blogger who lives a champagne life on a lemonade purse!

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