After a year of eating Gluten Free Afternoon Tea I decided it was time to wrap it all up with one last Afternoon Tea outing in London for a Festive Afternoon Tea. My family and I were staying in London at the Intercontinental Westminster for the weekend so that we could go wandering around London to visit the pretty Christmas lights and the festive windows at John Lewis, Fortnum and Mason and Selfridges so it seemed fitting that we would finish the weekend eating Afternoon Tea at The Intercontinental Westminster.
Sandwiches
The gluten free sandwiches had a Christmas twist that included Turkey and Cranberry, Roast Ham, Smoked Salmon and Cucumber sandwiches.
The gluten free bread was slightly dry however I do find this to be a problem at most establishments. The sandwiches were replenished during the sitting.
Scones
I do love a great gluten free scone and these lovely scones passed my scone test with flying colours – they were easy to cut into, they left all my teeth in tact and they were so tasty.
My observation from eating over twenty Afternoon Teas this year is that Lemon Curd is becoming a popular topping for scones rather than having two jam options and this was once again on offer at the Intercontinental Westminster.
Pastries
The Gluten Free Pastries were delicious and cute
…look at how cute these little snowmen were (screaming don’t eat me but we all know that it ended badly for them!)
and some of the best macaroons I have eaten in London – almost on par with Ladurée!
The gluten loaded pastries
Tea
I was looking forward to visiting the Intercontinental Westminster as I learnt on my JING Tea Masterclass a few weeks ago that they supplied the finest tea to this luxury London hotel. Once again I went with my normal Silver Needle tea which was light and refreshing and is the perfect tea when eating a lot of sweet treats.
Atmosphere
The Emmeline Lounge is a very quiet and relaxed lounge without the hustle and bustle that you experience is some of the other London hotels where Afternoon Tea is offered. The hotel was decked out with the most beautiful Christmas decorations which my mum said were better than the Ritz!
Service
The service was lovely and attentive and our waiter ended up getting a lesson on some kiwi slang which was highly entertaining.
We had an issue with the choir being so close to our table (we couldn’t hear each other talk) however with a quick word to a staff member the choir was moved to a more enjoyable position in the lounge.
Afternoon Tea starts at 29 pp and can be booked directly via the Intercontinental Westminster website or check out AfternoonTea.co.uk for exclusive offers for the hotel including unlimited Laurent Perrier Champagne (yes unlimited!!!)
xx
If you liked this post on Afternoon Tea at The Intercontinental Westminster then why not come and join me on Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest – I won’t bite!
