There are many reasons to visit London this Summer. You have flower shows, Ascot, Wimbledon, Glyndebourne Opera Festival the list is endless and you can experience this all with a twist on the great British traditional Afternoon Tea at the Amaranto terrace at the Four Seasons Hotel London, Park Lane. If you have not been to the hotel it is in the heart of Mayfair which every tourist or day out you should visit.
The updated afternoon tea aptly coined 'Journey through British Summertime' which takes you on a edible journey to all of the hot spots in London over the summer. When we arrived it was a glorious sunny day so we took advantage and sat outside in the beautiful terrace which I believe has just been updated and in the afternoon the sun streams in.
As this is not a typical afternoon tea, I started with a less ordinary drink, an Afternoon Tea cocktail which included one of my favourite cocktail ingredients, Passion Fruit. When it got served it was grand it came with the most perfect ROSE, which is a first not even the boyfriend buys me those, Amaranto was already winning over my heart without any food.
On the afternoon tea menu you receive the normal selection of traditional sandwiches with cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon with sweet English pea, crab, celery and apple, coronation chicken with creme fraiche then chicken ploughman's with cheddar and pickle. Moving on to my favourite part of afternoon tea is the scones with a mix of plain and raisins they were small but perfectly baked with a mixture of summer pudding jam (my favourite FYI), rhubarb jam and thick clotted cream.
You then journey through British Summertime with some divine pastries and cakes starting with a lemon and rose Battenberg cake and then a slice of lavender, apricot and bee pollen cake to represent The Chelsea Flower Show. Then if you still have space you move to Ascot Racecourse with a elegant roasted coffee bean cremeux, cocoa sable and hibiscus jelly inspired by the extravagant hats. Now I am not usually a coffee kinda gal but this is not overpowering, it just has a delicate touch which melts in the mouth. The next cake does not need much of an introduction as it resembles a tennis ball, HELLO Wimbledon. With a choux pastry, cherry compote and pistachio cremeux or enjoy strawberries and creme lady finger decorated in pink champagne pearls. You will be pretty full at this point but there is one last cake to celebrate the Glyndebourne Opera Festival with a Pimm's infused baba with Old royals Farms rhubarb and elderflower mousse...delicious!
After sipping a cocktail it was a swing up between some Veuve Clicquot or some tea and like a good girl I went for a herbal infusion of blackcurrant and hibiscus and it was the perfect way to end a lovely and full afternoon.
The Journey Through British Summertime Afternoon Tea can be purchased between 3pm - 6pm daily at the Amaranto Lounge, Four Seasons, Park Lane from £42.
The Journey Through British Summertime Afternoon Tea can be purchased between 3pm - 6pm daily at the Amaranto Lounge, Four Seasons, Park Lane from £42.
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