Afternoon Tea at Ham Yard Hotel
Gone are the traditional sandwiches, replaced instead with sliders of pulled oxtail, flatbreads with welsh rarebit, and butter-fried toast with sautéed mushroom and cheese.
Mad Hatter’s Tea at Hyatt Regency London
Created to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s popular book, the Alice in Wonderland afternoon tea is full of little ‘Eat Me’ and ‘Drink Me’ treats.
Favourite Things to Drink at T2 Tea
T2 offer various china tea sets and packs of tea, presented in smart packaging which would make the perfect gift for a tea-o-phile (the technical term).
Foodie Treats from Crabtree & Evelyn
The tea from Crabtree & Evelyn is packaged in cardboard boxes and sealed with cellophane. Inside are individually wrapped tea bags available in traditional varieties.
Fresh Italian Comfort Food at Wolf II
Summer evenings and a taste of Italy at Finsbury Square’s Wolf II. with boxes full of fresh, hot pasta and torn burrata...
Spring in Santorini – A Photo Gallery
This is my very first holiday post in what I hope will be many more to come! I've been bitten by the travel bug and it's got me bad. Where I once used to pillage the internet for info on restaurants, it's now for cheap flights to anywhere within a 3 hour radius of London.
Canton Tea Co – The Matcha Set
Matcha is produced from green tea which is grown in the shade, hand-picked, dried, de-stemmed, and then stone-ground into a fine, emerald powder.
Luxury Chocolates from Lauden
Crisp dark chocolate shells are filled with a reduction of lemon and white chocolate, with flecks of lemon zest throughout, or try the salted caramel squares.
Fine Foodie Gifts at Mariage Freres
‘Macaron’ tea from the ‘Héritage Gourmand’ tea range at Mariage Freres is housed in a silver canister with a neon pink label, that is embossed with more silver detailing.
A New Tea Set from Bombay Duck
Created by sisters Laura and Steph, the tea sets from Bombay Duck feature designs of whimsy and exotic imaginings, of romantic colours and carefree patterns.
Luxury Tea at Newby
The ‘Gourmet Collection’ from Newby features loose leaf teas contained in jewel-toned tea caddies, which are beautifully pressed into undulating lattices.
The Tea Makers of London
A flowering tea gift set From The Tea Makers of London is packaged in a box of creamy white, closed with a single gold seal that makes it feel oh-so-special.
The Park Lane Hotel, Mayfair
The Royal Baby Shower afternoon tea is served in the hotel’s gorgeous Art Deco lounge, a decadent room of lustrous fabric and rose gold motifs.
Bottomless Brunch at Cookbook Cafe
Be sure to save space for the dessert bar which features a cacophony of dinky miniatures, from pistachio cake and creme brûlée, to plum pie and cheesecakes.
NYC Brunch at Hyatt Regency London
The NY inspired brunch starts at a deli counter of cured meats, cheeses, walnut breads and antipasti to desserts of tiramisu, cheesecake, pecan pie and waffles.
Cakes the size of your face at Bubble Room
There are double cocoa treats that shine with the sheer force of chocolateyness that they contain, whilst others have that matte, contented look of being full of baked crème cheese and butter. Nom.
Luxury Tea at Jadu
Jadu is a London-based luxury tea brand with a worldwide following. Named after the ancient Sanskrit word for ‘magic’, their tea is certainly proving to be alluring.
Macarons at The Biscuiterie
The naturally gluten free macarons from The Biscuiterie are made using the French meringue method and are filled with either ganache, buttercream or curd.
Lunching at Aqua Kyoto, Soho
Spring lamb chops, charred and glossy on the outside and rosy as a sunrise on the inside, are served on a tomato miso reduction with blackened courgette and pickled Japanese rose.
New Angel, Notting Hill
Burton-Race’s culinary stripes are hard-earned, as most chefs are, through time spent grafting under more experienced senior chefs before opening his own place.
Chocolates from Benoit Nihant
At 74% concentration the chocolate bar from Benoit Nihant is powerful, with a long and smooth melt that slowly reveals hints of stone fruits after the initial cocoa burst.
Brunch at House of Ho
Small plates include a few curvy summer rolls, stuffed full of noodles and served with a buttery peanut dip, and Pho Cuon rolls, lined with confit duck and crispy onions.
Afternoon Tea at Chateau Dessert
Miniatures include lemon meringues, banoffee bites, fruit tarts, coffee and praline domes, berries and assorted macarons and naughty little chocolates of ganache and biscuit.
Five Guys, Shepherds Bush
The burgers are tepid - the meat is a passionless patty of miscellaneous cow, set in a wad of hardened processed cheese in a characterless white bun. Don't do it.
Mabel’s, Covent Garden
Try the Tarte Tatin cocktail of sugar laced Calvados and Sipsmith vodka, or the Rhubarb and Raspberry Martini with Chase Rhubarb Vodka, Chambord and a lick of lemon.
Laduree – French toast & Chantilly cream
Buttery, eggy french toast under a cloud of Chantilly cream from Laduree, Covent Garden...
Dinner at Canvas, Chelsea
Maroon fleshelets of confit pigeon are smartly paired with sweet corn puree and kernals of popped corn, the combination of both is sweet and rich. It is only the start, and I am undone.
Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych
A ruby red ‘Cocktail Charlie’, bubbling away under a cloud of smoking dry ice in a teapot, made up of a mixture of whisky, cherry marnier, chocolate bitters and champagne.
Tapas Revolution, Shoreditch
A tapas bar goes hand in hand with a plate of pulpo, and the octopus here is steamed to a good texture and served with new potatoes and smoked pimentón.
Smokehouse Comes To Chiswick
The spuds start off well - boiled so that they are fluffy first, then mercilessly roasted to form a hard exterior, and later crusted with a thin layer of solid caramel that cracks in the best way.
Desserts-on-fire at The Drift, Liverpool Street
The Drift has the unmistakable vibe of a Drake & Morgan restaurant, with the same sort of feel as its sister restaurants The Folly, Anthologist, The Parlour and Refinery.
A Stunning Lunch at Dysart, Richmond
Confit leeks with 36-month aged Comté is a proper little number, insistently salty and impossible not to ravage, balanced with risotto and buttery strands of spring-green leek.
Sunday Roast at 64 Degrees, Victoria
The original restaurant opened up in Brighton a few years ago to great reviews, and has been regularly referenced as one to watch for an elusive Michelin star.
Dinner at Holborn Dining Room
Holborn Dining Room provides the perfect foil for head chef Calum Franklin and owner Des McDonald, executive of the Caprice Group, to showcase British favourites.
Carom – Indian Food in Soho
From the £15 set lunch menu deal the butterflied prawns are the best - doused in a fiercely vibrant curry marinade and splintered open with heat.
Sloane Square’s Medlar
Medlar offers tremendously good hearted dining, and though there is a certain lack of refinement, it should nevertheless be thought of as a good neighbourhood restaurant.
Brunch at Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell
Fusion in Farringdon that includes a global pick & mix of ingredients and cuisines in things like curry leaf waffles, plantain fritters and black sesame labneh, and that’s just the brunch menu.
Corinthia – A Gorgeous Afternoon Tea Spot
Corinthia is perfect for Christmas; it's domed glass cupola spills natural light through 1000 baccarat crystals of the Full Moon chandelier, and room is transformed with festive finery.
Lebanese Bites at Comptoir Libanais
Falafel, lamb kibbeh, hommos and baklawa – they are what they are and if you’re in the mood for any of them you’ll be set right at Comptoir Libanais.
Cafe Culture at Papillon, Hotel Cafe Royal
Papillon is an all-day-dining restaurant located on the ground floor of the Hotel Cafe Royal. It’s white-linen tables overlook the south side of Regents Street, and are great for a spot of people-watching.
Flaming Crepes Suzette at The Cavendish
Order from a lively cocktail list featuring an Old Fashioned with saffron infused bourbon, or an espresso martini with cardamom.
Afternoon Tea at Lanes of London
Lanes of London, previously criticised for its ‘concept’ heavy menu, ticks all the right boxes for afternoon tea with fresh, hot scones, cakes and sandwiches.
Sushi at Kouzu, Belgravia
Kouzu boasts a collection of some of the most experienced chefs and front of house staff. The all-Japanese entourage includes Kyoichi Kai of Zuma & Kyubi of The Arts Club.
Michelin Starred Dining at Marcus, The Berkeley
The recent refurbishment has altered the menu as well as the space, giving more flexibility to order exactly what you are hungry for, and quicker lunchtime options.
Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
The soaring atriums are furnished in a clean biscuit-brown wood and with cosseting fireplaces and armchairs, and a pianist adds to the easy atmosphere.
