Afternoon Tea at The Drawing Rooms

One thing I've surely embraced since moving to the UK is afternoon tea and last week I was invited to try out this utterly English tradition at the Drawing Rooms. The Drawing Rooms is the tea room at the fairly recently opened Ampersand Hotel in the heart of Kensington, and I couldn't think of a cheerier spot to indulge in tea, finger sandwiches and scones.

Walking into the Drawing Rooms puts you instantly in a happy mood. The bright colours, the natural light streaming in through the windows and the comfy furniture, make you feel right at home. The theme of the decor, I was told, has everything to do with its location, Kensington. It's a reflection of all the things that the area is known for. So you see a lot of works of art depicting natural, musical and scientific elements which are all inspired by the museums and the Royal Albert Hall which are located nearby.

The food at the Drawing Rooms made me happy too. From 11 am guests can indulge in pastries and light bites. Afternoon Tea is served between 2.30 and 5.30 pm and in the evening you'll find champagne and a choice of canapés and savories on the menu.

But I was here to sample the afternoon tea. There were two options; the Classic Afternoon Tea and the Chefs Afternoon Tea, bubbles can be added to make it more festive. I was invited to sample both, not on my own, mind you: I had some help from two lovely PR ladies.
We started with a glass of champagne and made our choice of tea. There's a good selection of different flavours of tea, and I chose the Jasmin Silver Tip tea.

The pastries were both easy on the eye and easy on the palate. From the Classic Afternoon Tea I sampled the  Gloucester old spot ham tartine, a lemon meringue tart, a brownie, a bonbon and a scone. From the  Chefs Afternoon Tea I tried the salmon gougère(which is a cream puff without the cream), an apple cinnamon tart, a coconut and raspberry slice and another scone. Everything tasted wonderful.

All pastries and sandwiches are handmade from scratch by a team of pastry chefs headed up by Chris, who popped out of the kitchen to say hello and to hand us a little present. It was a little, green box and when I opened it later at home, I discovered two small cakes inside. Very chuffed I was, to be able to hold on to the Drawing Room Afternoon Tea experience a little bit longer.

For more information and prices on afternoon tea at the Drawing Rooms, click here