This season, the Great Scotland Yard Hotel is offering an elevated Festive Afternoon Tea, in partnership with B Corp premium chocolate brand, Valrhona Chocolate. The popular tradition of Afternoon Tea dates back to the early 19th century, when the Duchess of Bedford started to serve tea and a few nibbles to her guest in the afternoon. Over the last decades we have seen Afternoon Tea evolve and spice up with additions of champagne and increasingly refined treats.
The Great Scotland Yard Grade II listed building from the 1820s is home to The Parlour, a relaxed and luxurious lounge reminiscent of colonial times inspired by Victorian explorers. It is here where the Festive Afternoon Tea is served.
Festive Afternoon Tea at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel is server at the Parlour, and intimate and relaxed room, which draws on tales of Britain’s Victorian explorers.
The experience is as luxurious as one would expect from an establishment such as the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, a boutique hotel member of the Hyatt’s Unbound collection. The quality of the service is the firs thing that one notices. Solicitous staff welcome guests and direct them to their tables. In my case, it was Joselyn who looked after me and my companion and made sure all our needs and requests were met to the highest standards.
We started with a glass of Veuve Clicquot, while we perused the team menu, which is as long as my arm. I am not very adventurous when it comes to my brews, so I went for a classic Earl Grey from Calabria, blended with bergamot and boasting citrus notes. My companion opted for the much more exotic Taiwanese Sunset Oolong, with wood and nutty notes. With our chosen brews, Joselyn brought the savoury three-tiered stand that makes the first part of the Festive Afternoon Tea at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, looking so pretty that we felt a bit guilty about digging in.
Five different savoury delights make up the first part of the Festive Afternoon Tea at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel.
At the top, two delicate wild mushroom and rocket quiches. The pastry light but firm, holding the mushroom mix together and adding texture. The finger sandwiches consisted of classic smoked Salmon and horseradish cream on malted bread with a generous dash of caviar; egg truffle mayo and chives on pain de mie; and last, a wink to the season, Christmas turkey and cranberry on brown bread with celeriac remoulade – which I adored. Last, a perfectly baked mini-Yorkshire pudding with chestnut and Montgomery cheddar filling.
You can’t possibly have Afternoon Tea without scones (plain and spiced gingerbread), Cornish clotted cream and blackberry jam, a hint of what Head Pastry Chef Alexandra Ellis and her team are capable of.
Time for the sweets stand and the chance to discreetly move our belts out one hole. We worked our way down the three tiers of them, starting with the cutest reindeer heads – red nose and all – made in the fashion of black forest cake with kalingo chocolate and amarena mousse, rich in cherry flavour. Next was the GSY bûche de Noël, a spiced jivara chocolate and bergamot Swiss roll shap that is traditionally shaped like a log, in this case, resembling Father Christmas.
The cakes and scones created for the Festive Afternoon Tea at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel are a master class in the fine art of baking and balancing flavours and textures.
Last, the cutest Christmas tree tarts one could think of, made of chestnut and cassis Montblanc. In this interpretation of the 19th century classic French dessert, a sweetened chestnut cream in the form of vermicelli is coloured and adorned to look like a Christmas tree.
Time to raise a second glass of champagne to the team at The Parlour and the Great Scotland Yard Hotel. This is one of the best Afternoon Tea offers in London.
Great Scotland Yard Hotel
3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London, SW1A 2HN.
Tel. +44(0) 207 925 4700
www.greatscotlandyard.com
Author: Julia Pasarón
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