Could there be any other Afternoon Tea place so Quintessentially British than the Laura Ashley Afternoon Tea- Tea room?
Southcrest Manor Hotel went under a full refurbishment and along with a refurbishment they now have a ‘Laura Ashley Tea room ‘
Afternoon Tea itself is a British ‘revelation’/ is that what we call it? A revelation? Having been introduced in the mid 1800’s by some middle aged woman who was hungry in the afternoon. (Gosh I made it sound really bland right? I’ll leave the more glamorous introduction of Afternoon Tea for another blog post!) But their have been loads of variation and quirkiness added to Afternoon Tea’s which make it popular for young and old.
But sometimes… Just sometimes…. Traditional afternoon tea is what I need, and when I saw the Laura Ashley Afternoon Tea- Tea room, I knew I had to book it in.
And my partner in crime Afsha joined me.
The Tea Room
The Afternoon Tea room is beautiful, in the signature Laura Ashley colours of pale yellow and grey, soft furnishings, potted plants, chandeliers, I’ll say it again ‘Quintessentially British’. I could imagine sitting here with the Queen. Absolute perfection.
So much attention to detail, from the folded napkins, to the mantelpieces set up with decor, the large windows letting the light into the rooms to the heavy curtains drooping down, it was pure perfection.
Even the dishes were perfect, with the signature little Laura Ashley detailing, it spoke of dining, of royalty, of detailing, of British-ness (Is that a word?).
Laura Ashley Welcome Drinks
Although Halaal is offered we went for the Vegetarian option.
Most afternoon teas always start with a bubbly- as this one did. Obviously we don’t have alcohol so we had to decline that and also when I put the reservation through I did mention that their should be no alcohol in the food too.
But we were not offered anything else in its place- usually non-alcoholic Mocktails or soft juice are offered instead.
But that’s fine, no biggie. Can’t expect the same everywhere, I get that.
For drinks we got the option of Tea and Coffee. That was the only option given at the time, it was later when people started filling in we got to know that they do offer a few selections in the teas, but this was not offered to us on arrival, and it was a tad too late for us, as we were nearly finished.
Having said that I loved that they gave us a Teapot- I love it when we get to pour our own tea- that makes it all the more special. Tea and coffee (as that was all that was offered) was on call- so have as many refills as you want.
Read here: Afternoon Tea at the Landmark London
Laura Ashley Afternoon Tea
And then the masterpiece arrived, and we loved it, it looked just perfect. a proper British Afternoon Tea Stand.
For sandwiches we got cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and a Tofu sandwich. (but that’s all. Only 2 options in the Vegetarian option. I’ll be honest once again a little disappointed. Am I the only one thinking their should have been one more option? Just one more?) Okay. Getting back to it, they were delightful, both of them.
Cream first. Always.
Then we had the Scones. They were absolutely moreish, soft , warm and buttery. I devoured them. It would probably be up there with the best scones I’ve had in all the Afternoon Teas I’ve been too for sure. We had them with clotted cream and strawberry jam and I even tried the zesty lemon curd which was absolute yummy tanginess!
And the desserts- yup! Delicious!. We got mini vanilla sponges filled with buttercream, mini blackberry cheesecake , a chocolate ganache with custard shot glass, and a Bakewell tart. I loved each and every dessert- this is usually the part I leave behind as I’m not too much of a sweet tooth, but I tried them all, and i loved them all.
My Verdict
Honestly I’m going to put the little grievances aside. They are little and if anything a learning curve. Next time I should ask for more details.
The sandwiches were really tasty! The scones were pure perfection and the desserts just the right ones to finish our day. and I probably would go again, maybe this time asking for the Halal, as they may have more of a variation.
Afternoon Tea at Laura Ashley is £22 per person.To
To book yourself in click here.
Enjoy this review: Heres another Super Chic review of Afternoon at the Edgebaston- Birmingham.
Love and regards
M11bna
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