St. Ermin’s Festive Afternoon Tea

The elegant four-star deluxe St. Ermin’s Hotel, a member of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, close to St James’s Park, recently launched their traditional Festive Afternoon Tea alongside their plant based, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and children’s tea, which is available on request throughout the school holidays and every weekend. All the teas are inspired by seasonal ingredients taken from the hotel’s very own rooftop garden, where they even have some beehives and produce their own honey.

This delicious Afternoon Tea is a wonderful way to celebrate the festive season and perhaps round off a day Christmas shopping in London, surrounded by beautiful Christmas decorations and an inviting, warm atmosphere.

I popped along earlier this week with a friend to give this rather special tea a try and was presented with a tempting and delicious assortment of savoury and sweet treats that also includes a selection of around 14 Tea Makers of London teas to choose from, which my friend took full advantage of being a bit of a tea aficionado. This was just as well, as I must confess to not being a big tea drinker.

Tea Makers of London are a family-owned business that specialises in single origin, fully traceable, estate-grown teas. And the St. Ermin’s tea trolley is a great way to explore and try some teas you may not have ever had before, such as the Authentic Masala Chai or Sencha Gojiberry and Pomegranate. Or perhaps you might like to try the Organic Dragon Well or Vanilla Organic Rooibos. Of course, there are some more familiar teas such as the First Flush Darjeeling and Supreme Earl Grey as well as a special St. Ermin’s Blend, designed exclusively for the hotel.

We love the elegant crockery and small teapots that keep the tea fresher, which was very much in keeping with the cosy and stylish first floor Tea Lounge located up the pretty staircase on the left hand side with its ornate original Rococo plasterwork. And if there are just two of you, maybe choose to sit just outside the Tea Lounge on the balcony overlooking the downstairs lobby, which we did. It offers a bit more privacy and we enjoyed looking at all the Christmas decorations and listening to the harpist.

So, what can you look forward to with the Festive Afternoon Tea? Well, the beautifully fresh savoury finger sandwiches include smoked turkey with barbeque bacon and maple syrup, chicken and tarragon with wholegrain mustard mayonnaise and lemon thyme and a West Country Brie with cumin, mint and red onion chutney. The delicious prawn cocktail wraps with baby gem lettuce and spicy Marie Rose sauce and smoked Wiltshire Ham wraps with tomato pesto and spinach scored top points with us and went down particularly well with a rather excellent glass of Vauban Frère Brut Champagne, which is a delightful blend of Grand Cru Chardonnay, Premier Cru Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with a lovely and balanced palate and long lasting flavour.

We then moved on to the naughty but very nice cakes and sweet treats that included a tasty Bailey’s Mouse with cranberry jelly, Mini Christmas cake, White Forest cake with Amarena Cherry, some mint chocolate macaroons and my favourite, a maple pecan tart.

Last and by no means least and the pièce de résistance, well for me at least, are the freshly baked warm plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam.

A mention should be given to the Plant Based Festive Tea with savouries that include Caesar salad, pine nuts and crispy shallots in a beetroot warp, blue cheese and chestnut crumble, guacamole with red peppers, lime and coriander, chickpea humous with cumin, cucumber and English watercress, and feta and spinach with kalamata olive with mint. The sweet treats include stem ginger cake with maple vegan cream, chocolate mousse with blueberry compote, raspberry cheesecake with raspberry and thyme gel, marmalade lamington topped with desiccated coconut and a carrot cake with vegan cream cheese frosting. You also get some plain scones with coconut cream and strawberry jam.

The Children’s Festive Afternoon Tea is, as you would expect, is a little different and includes turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches, ham and red pesto cream cheese sandwiches and tuna mayonnaise with cucumber sandwiches. The sweet treats are made up of red velvet cupcakes, candy cane lollipops and a chocolate Christmas tree. Some fresh fruit is also served, along with a selection of teas and hot chocolate.

The last word needs to go to the friendly and knowledgeable staff who clearly enjoy engaging with guests and sharing their knowledge of teas and give exemplary service. So, if you are looking for something a little different and special when visiting London, then may I recommend a visit to the St. Ermin’s. You won’t be disappointed.

The Details

St. Ermin’s Hotel, Caxton Street, London, SW1H 0QW, England.

Tel: +44 (0)207 222 7888

Website: www.sterminshotel.co.uk

Email: info@caxtongrill.co.uk

The hotel is located in a quiet courtyard set back from the road and only 100 metres from St James’s Park Underground Station on the District and Circle lines.

Afternoon Tea is served Monday to Wednesday from midday to 5:30pm and from Thursday to Sunday from midday to 6:00pm.

Type of Afternoon Tea: Festive Afternoon Tea

Price Band: Medium to high, priced at £52 or £65 with a glass of Champagne.

Insider Tip: For a more intimate Afternoon Tea experience, try to sit on the balcony overlooking the reception area.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10

Author Bio:

Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.

Photographs courtesy of St. Ermin’s Hotel