After coming out of my afternoon tea retirement (which lasted only a few weeks) it was time to try the new Gluten Free Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental Park Lane in London. I’ve just realised that I ate two afternoon teas in one week – one in Marrakech and one in London, obviously all in the name of gluten free research!
The Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental Park Lane is in collaboration with Floris London.
Sandwiches
The savouries were delivered to our table first along with a palate cleanser, Rose Pearl Wheatgrass with a hint of strawberry; wheatgrass for me is something that hippies drink however after my initial turning up of my nose at the palate cleanser it was actually rather nice.
I tried my first gluten free afternoon tea at Intercontinental Park Lane many years ago and the bread was delightful and I’m super happy to report that the cheesy bread has returned for us gluten free folks – it’s light and scrummy! The toppings were flavoursome and included a light rose pickled cucumber with mascarpone, salmon and bergamot, peppercorn and thyme chicken and honey roast pumpkin with crumbled feta.
Now for the gluten monsters out there, check out these awesome pin rolls which have the same fillings as the gluten free sarnies.
Scones
As there is quite a lot to nibble on with this afternoon tea, the hotel has made the scones smaller so you can have a couple to eat before tucking into the pastries however they will bring more to table if you still have a rumbly tummy.
The gluten free scones were at tad dry as you can see from the photos but I think this is just because they are slightly smaller and gluten free products are quite dry at the best of the times but they still passed my gluten free scone test (they were easy to cut into, they weren’t rock hard and they were yummy).
Now for me the stand out of the scones were the topping; Earl Grey infused butter, pink peppercorn lemon curd, wild Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream. That Earl Grey Butter was divine…
Pastries
The hotel has tried to keep the pastries as similar as possible for the gluten free and gluten monsters which means there is no gluten envy!
This is the gluten free pastry selection…
…and the pastry selection for the gluten monsters
Everything is eatable and the pastry selection is a lovely mixture of fruits, chocolates and delicate pastries including a bergamot and blackcurrant flower shaped macaron, Peach Melba Mousse, cake with violet cream.
Tea
Now we were lucky enough to have the lovely Luigi serve us on Friday and he is quite the tea connoisseur so after ignoring his tea recommendations for the savouries (sorry!), we then changed our teas around for the scones (my choice was the Oolong tea) and then for the pastries it was Luigi’s own special vanilla blend – if you’re offered the vanilla tea then grab it with both hands as it’s beautiful and is perfectly paired with the pastries on offer.
Atmosphere
The afternoon tea at Intercontinental Park Lane is served in the Wellington Lounge which is super plush and relaxing.
Service
As I said above we were lucky to have Luigi serving our afternoon tea and he was extremely passionate about the afternoon tea and the tea blends on offer. Manasi and I were treated like princesses (our mums would be so happy!) during the afternoon tea and were not rushed at any time. Luigi is definitely an asset to the Intercontinental brand!
Would I recommend – yes as it’s a gorgeous summer afternoon tea menu; light and refreshing however you won’t leave hungry. The Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental Park Lane, London starts at £45 pp.
You can book the afternoon tea via the Intercontinental Park Lane website here or you can enter this little competition for an afternoon tea voucher for 2 (valid for 6 months only).
Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary afternoon tea and voucher for review purposes however I’m a moody old cow and this has not swayed my review in any shape or form.
xx
If you liked this post on Gluten Free Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental Park Lane, London then why not come and join me on Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest – I won’t bite!
