I love getting emails from lovely Kiwi Ladies and when one popped into my inbox from Lady Loves Cake aka Katherine inviting Emma and myself for a cake outing I couldn’t say no! For such a girly afternoon I suggested afternoon tea at The Royal Horseguards, for two reasons – I hadn’t tried an Afternoon Tea at a Guoman branded hotel and on their website they showed the prettiest china cups and saucers that had me feeling all girly. Trust me after the amount of bland white china sets I have seen this year, I was needing pretty pink tea cups!
Sandwiches
I do like the traditional elements of an Afternoon Tea however I do like it also when things get shaken up and with the fillings there were a few surprises; say hello to the lovely Avocado and Rocket filling and the Cheese and Tomato filling while still having two traditional options of Smoked Salmon and Cucumber. There was only one let down with the whole Afternoon Tea and that was the bread, it was dry – not stale but just very dry in texture. Don’t get me wrong, I still managed to scoff a whole plate worth of these sarnies.
Scones
Now these beauties passed by Gluten Free Scone test with flying colours – they were easy to cut into, they left all my teeth in tact and they were so tasty that I ate two! Me eating two scones is almost unheard of so what I am saying is that these scones were amazing with a capital A.
Pastries
The Pastries for me were the Pièce de résistance and the Pastry Chef needs to receive one huge cuddle as I loved the variety and the care that was taken in preparing these little bites of sweetness. Meringues, Mojito Lollipops, Ginger Cake, Chocolate Chip cookies and the list goes on – it was a gluten free winner!
I loved the detailing on the Mojito Lollipop.
Tea
Each lady picked a different blend which meant we could try each others teas which was lovely. It was agreed that I picked the best tea of the day – White Tea with Pear and Ginger. I loved it so much that I purchased a bag of Novus tea leaves prior to leaving the hotel.
Atmosphere
We were tucked away in a quiet area of the hotel which meant we could chat away and not interrupt the other guests especially as we were there for five hours. Unfortunately we couldn’t hear the harpist play (this could be due to us talking too much as well) and our location. The hotel is stunning and a real hidden gem when it comes to Afternoon Tea. I’m already counting down the months till summer so I can make another booking to have Afternoon Tea out in the courtyard.
Service
The service was impeccable, not fussy or over the top, attentive without being intrusive.
Would I go recommend the Gluten Free Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards – yes with bells on! I loved the girliness feel of the Afternoon Tea and the food was quite simply delicious.
Afternoon Tea starts at £30 per person and can be booked using this link. The hotel also offers a Mini-Tea for little ladies and gents for the little price of £12; I can see a meet up with my friend Amy and her little son very soon!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary glass of champagne however this didn’t sway my review in any way, just me in my shoes slightly.
xx
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