For my Mum's birthday, I decided to treat her to Afternoon tea at The Orangery, in Kensington! I thought that, with it being in the grounds of Kensington Palace, it would be the perfect setting for a birthday celebration... One that would be most memorable!
I have always been a fan of Afternoon Tea. From the porcelain tea cups, to the endless supply of patisseries on offer, an English Afternoon tea is simply divine!
I had booked the table for 1pm, which was an ideal time, as it would be lunch and tea combined and I requested to have the Traditional English Afternoon Tea. It was £28 per person, which I thought was quite reasonable, bearing in mind that The Ritz and The Dorchester Hotel charge you over £100 etc. The order consisted of... Tea or hot chocolate, sandwiches, scones, cakes and a dessert all to share... Making it a real crowd pleaser!
The first thing we tasted was the selection of sandwiches that were carefully cut into the most miniature and precise pieces. There was salmon and cream cheese on a brioche bun, coronation chicken in a wrap, egg and cress also in a brioche bun and the most interesting combination of all... Cucumber and mint sandwiches! The cucumber had a real clean taste and prepared you for the next plate of treats to try, whilst the mint added a bit of a punch to an otherwise simple sandwich! I'm definitely going to be making myself cucumber and mint sandwiches in the future!
The next course was something that I have eaten for many years and that is... Scones with cream and jam! It always brings me back to my childhood as I used to always have them when I visited my local tea room! The scones came in two varieties, with fruit or without. It was clear that they were freshly baked that day, as they were incredibly soft and almost melted in the mouth!
Finally we saved the best till last, as we approached the cakes and desserts! There were in total four puddings to have each, which I know sounds greedy, but when in Kensington....
Firstly there was a traditional Victoria sponge cake, with butter cream icing and strawberry jam inside. We then tried a lemon eclair, which had icing on top and was filled with lemon butter cream. When we thought that, that was the winner, we tasted a passion fruit tart, which so flavoursome and delicious! The flavour of the passion fruit was incredibly prominent and I could very easily have had another slice! Finally the last dessert on offer was a chocolate ganache/mousse that was so creamy in texture, which had fresh raspberries and coulee on top! It was almost like a Black Forest mousse and the portion size was perfect, because it may look small, but you couldn't possibly indulge in another, as its far too rich!
Overall, we had the most amazing two hour afternoon tea and unsurprisingly finished every last crumb... well, we were hungry after all! Mum had a great birthday and we both finally got the chance to dine at The Orangery with their prestigious porcelain and cutlery collection! One certainly approves of this place!
When was the last time you had afternoon tea? Have you celebrated a friend or relatives birthday recently?
Let me know in the comment section below!
M x
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