I’ve loved going for afternoon tea for as long as I can remember. There’s just something so quaint and British about the whole affair. I started getting into them more so when I moved to London in my late teens. Whenever my Mum would visit we’d always book one and dress up all fancy for the occasion. For me, that’s exactly what afternoon tea is – an occasion. An expeirence and somewhat theatrical form of dining. I’m lucky enough to have gone to numerous teas in and around London over the years but I’m yet to share them on the blog?! This changes now. I welcome you to a new little foodie series …And that’s the tea. Where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the various afternoon teas I go to and spill the tea on my personal experience and what to expect from each of them. Prices vary for afternoon teas, some are worth the high price tag and others, not so much. So yes! Hello and welcome. Let’s get cracking with Afternoon Tea Number #1 –
– Retro Afternoon Tea – K West Hotel –
“Come and enjoy our Retro Afternoon Tea! Spend some quality time in our modern Studio Kitchen. Enter a world of confectionary surprises with our all new Retro Afternoon Tea complete with your own takeaway Pick ‘n Mix bag full classic sweets including Liquorice Allsorts, Assorted Rainbows and Coloured Candy Canes.
We’ve created the ultimate throwback with a playful menu guaranteed to bring out the inner-child in you. The innovative new afternoon tea includes delights such as Berry Trifle with vanilla cream, custard & berry compote; and Marzipan & Plum Bon Bon coated with dark chocolate. While savouries include Beetroot infused Devilled Egg filled with coronation chicken; Mini Halloumi Sliders with sundried tomato & guacamole; and Mini Prawn Cocktail spiked with Jack Daniel’s Whiskey. Guests can also indulge in some Apricot and Ginger Scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
We’ve also carefully crafted a daring blend of floral flavours and sweet spices to complement this quirky afternoon tea. Our bespoke White Tea includes jasmine, lavender and mullein flowers with lemongrass and ginger for that extra twist.”
– My Experience –
So first thing’s first, the menu was delightful! A really fun (retro) twist on the traditional servings. Although this is an afternnon tea catered more towards the sweet tooth, I actually preferred the savoury treats. My favourite had to be the beetroot infused devilled egg filled with coronation chicken and the halloumi sliders. Also, a quick note to say they changed up the prawn cocktail with zero fuss (as I don’t eat shellfish) and offered me the veggie version which tasted amazing! In my opinion the most important part of any afternnon tea is the scones and I’m happy to report that they were delicious and still warm from the oven. We obviously had a slight debate at the table of which to put on first, cream or jam… Which order to you guys choose *hint* – cream first, jam second is correct!! Anyway, the scones got a big thumbs up from me leading perfectly to the sweet tier. A mix of various desserts including my favourite – trifle! Although I enjoyed the sweet tier, I was so full my this point I wasn’t able to finish it all. The afternoon tea ended with a retro pick-a-mix which we were able to fill up mini paper bags for a sweet treat later in the day, a really nice touch if you ask me. Finally, the tea selection was diverse and the staff offered recommendations that would compliment the food best. I opted for a green tea and then of course a glass of prosecco.
As I mentioned briefly at the start of this blog, for me afternoon tea is a theatrical experience. I always look out for the atmosphere and the way the waiters interact etc. I will say that the set up and themeing of this afternoon tea is really cool. Having the food served on the record players is a really cool idea and using records instead of plates ties everything together really nicely. The space however does lack atmosphere and although the staff are friendly and knowledgable, I just didn’t get that top-level afternoon tea experience. It was more what you expect when you pop somewhere for lunch, good service but nothing extra. The afternoon tea costs between £28.50 – £41 depending on drinks and a 12.5% service charge is added to the bill. This price isn’t overly expensive afor the amount of food you get plus the pick-a-mix at the end it is definitely worth it however I have been to other afternoon teas that are set at a similar price point where the overall experience is at a higher standard. What I will say however is that the location (close to westfield) is super covieneant and if you want to make a day/weekend of it the K West Hotel is a great place to stay and also has fantastic spa facilities.
So there we have it, I hope you enoyed this post and if you have any afternoon tea recommendations I’d love to hear from you! If you’re a music fan or love a retro touch I’d definitely say to check this one out. To book you can email [email protected] or call on 020 8008 6637. K West hotel is found – Richmond Way, London W14 0AX. Thank you once again for stopping by. Hope to see you back here again soon!
K x
