Afternoon Tea is one of those fabulousl treats that I love to indulge in. For anyone as obsessed with tea as I am, it is absoutely unmissable experience. And after you have been to a few, I guranatee you will turn into a proper addict (not the scary type I assure you, but the pleasant tea-loving, mild one that loves a sugar hit worth its entry into My Fitness Pal IFYKYK 😉 Hummm)

One of my friends is a master planner and when she suggests a plan I blindly agree because I know it will be fun! (I highly recommend we all have at least one such friend in our lives, espeically if you are as brillinat (not) as I am with planning meet-up’s…..mutiple overlapping meet-up promises with the same two people more than twice, yes…Guilty as charged! Ha)

So that’s how our plan to meet up on the second day of a brand new year, over a fancy Afternoon Tea, came to pass.

Also, I have always wanted to try the Afternoon Tea at F&M especially, after years of visiting them on the same floor for their fabulous Christmas in July events. But before we dive into the experience itself though, I think it is customary to have a little insight into the history of the fabulous Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason.

Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason

Inaugurated by none other Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 2012, she was also accompanied by the now Queen and current Princess of Wales. What makes it truly special for me though is knowing that this Tea Salon started its life as an apartment for the Fortnum family and took on many forms thereafter, ranging from various store departments to a fine dining resturant before becoming the now celebrated institution. Over 300 years of rich tradition and history come together every day to serve up a truly unique experience here.

You will experience the trademark F&M service as soon as you walk through the doors and go up the lift to the Tea salon.

I arrived a bit earlier than my group of lovely friends and was shown to a cosy seating area. A few days into a brand new year meant all the stunning Christmas decor was still in place. A pianist playing soft tunes added to the whole atmosphere and without even realising I was transported to a warm and cosy almost magical world, far removed from the long commute, the winter chill and the sinking feeling that the holidays were well and truly over.

Once my master planner and dear friend arrived, we were shown to our table in the tea salon. Huge tables on the corners were heaving with beautiful cakes and gorgeous tableware all set for the guests that seemed to keep arrive in a steady streams.

One thing that really impresses is the beautiful teal colour theme that is present throught the store, from the upholstery to the pretty paper boxes, everything has that iconic F&M style echoing throughout.

Our table was all set and looksed cosy and inviting. Absolutely loved the pressed white tablecloth and all the beautiful tableware and gold-themed table decor that kept reminding us of the festive season (and that in a few short hours we would have to go back to work, gah!)

Once all of us were seated at the table our attentive and gracious hostess retruned to take our orders and I was immediately drawn to the Savoury Afternoon Tea menu. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a sweet tooth but give me savoury treats over sweet any day!

Savoury Afternoon Tea

Because we were meeting after light years and were all still firmly stuck in holiday mode, we decided that bubbles were an absolute must. We chose a blush F&M Brut Rose’ and once again our hostess graciously obliged while I clicked pictures. (Yes, us bloggers, super obsessed with clicking photos of everything all the time time! But don’t worry my close friends and family are all well trained by now and patiently pose and wait – well, most of the time they do)

While we immersed ourselves in a long overdue catch-up, our treats arrived, plated onto a gorgeous three-tiered stand. Set on gold-rimmed plates, the food looked so appetising and the colour theme continued to impress us.

Savoury Pâtisseries

I would have loved to have carried my little notepad and scribbled down notes about each little treat because my brain fog and memory that rivals a Goldfish mean if I do not write stuff down, it is probaly lost forever…But this particular afternoon was dedicated to feeling warm and fuzzy in the glow of friendly chatter and embraces, to stealing a few precious moments from our timelines before getting swept up in the silent but never-ending steady flow of daily life. So my trusty little notepad was left behind at home.

Although, I do remember some of the names simply because they were my favourites and I would always want seconds ( or thirds, greedy glutton, I know…)

Oeufs Drumkilbo

This rather exotic sounding savoury treat is a nod to the late Queen Mother. After her passing the royal kitchens have supposedly stopped serving this treat. This quintessentially British dish is said to have been invented in the kitchens of Drumkilbo House in Pertshire. Oeufs, French for eggs is aptly therefore served in a carved out egg shell and a decadent lobster mousse is piped into it, garnished with caviar. Sigh.

Trout and Dill Eclair with Fennel and Goats curd

This savoury eclair was definitely unique and a delicious twist over the original recipe. Am sure its chocolately cousin would approve.

The other three equally delicious and beautifully presented patisseries disappeared down the hatch faster than the finger sandwiches. ( No, I have zero regrets admitting to speed eating *cheeky grin*)

Finger Sandwiches

To me a good finger sandwich (and the scones) are the true test by which I rate an Afternoon Tea offering and F&M certainly did deliver!

My sandwich platter included the usual fare but with a touch of flair and decadence one would expect from F&M. The sandwiches included were a Cucumber and Minted Pea, a rare breed blue shell egg mayo sandwich, Coronation Chicken, Cured Ham and English Mustard and my absolutle favourite the smoked trout and flavoured cream cheese sandwich. Our hostess ensured that I had more of these on the table, before I was done wolfing down what was on my plate. Brilliant service throughout.

Savoury Scones

Once you have tasted these savoury scones there really is no going back. Pea and Mint is like a flavour combination that is like marriage made in heaven, while the cheese and Worchestershire sauce one is now my firm fav. I personally think a dash of Worchestershire sauce makes any drab dish interesting 😉

At this point, while I will not attempt to stir-up any debate that hints at the Jam first or Cream first, I will also ….neither confirm or deny that – I have tried both the Cornish way and the Devonian way. Also, cannot confirm or deny that maybe, just maybe, I have always liked my scones one of these ways, slightly more than the other. Ssshhhhhh

One of the fab things about going in a group is that we usually do end up sharing our sweet treats and this time around was no different. Here is a look at some of the yummies we sampled, again no details about their cute names because no notepad with me, remember? Also,no time to scribble notes while having so much fun, right?

Our hostess suprised us by getting us this adorable treat for one of my friends who has just celebarted her birthday. Just another example for their attentive and outstanding service.

I would suggest walking down the stairs after your are done. Definitely helps with starting to digest all that food and you get to admire the store decor and this beautiful staircase too.

This has definitely gone down as one of my most memorable experiences overall. Definitely hope to be back again just as much for decadent offerings on their brilliant Afternoon Tea menu, as the amazing service.

Curious to explore more options for Afternoon Tea in London? Why not browse through my blog posts to know what I thought of some very unique and some quirky experiences:

• Boyds Brasserie, Charing Cross
• The Wallace Collection – Afternoon Tea amidst Art, Westminster
• Honey Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s, Westminster
• Moroccan Afternoon Tea at Leila, Ealing
• Chocolate Afternoon Tea at The Landmark Hotel, Marylebone
• Beer and Food Matching Afternoon Tea with Friends of Glass
• Brigit’s Bakery Afternoon Tea, Covent Garden, London – Review

*Not sponsored. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Of all the food festivals that I have been invited to in the past, this one has always been the most with the most dramatic backdrop. Spread over 60 acres this is only the formal garden acerage of this histroic palace. It also includes a staggering 750 acres of parkland.

The very first time I was invited a couple of years ago it was probably the wettest day of the year! So grateful then that this time around the weather gods decided to bless us! And thankfully so as I had my parents along wit me 🙂 It really was fun showing them around the palace and all the stalls and am so glad that my folks are so sporting and such big foodies too.

There is so much to look forward to at this festival with a large number of cool food and drink producers coming down for the weekend. There is a live music stand with local bands playing, street-food pop-up’s, Bar pop-up’s , loads of shopping to be done, tons of options for Family fun and a long list of great activities to keep the little ones entertained.

I don’t know about you but from my past not so well-planned festival visits and I have been to quite a lot of them belive me you, I think it is wise to have a game plan beforehand. Download your Hampton Court Palace Food Festival 2024 Map here

Top tips to have the best food festival experience

1. I would strongly suggest that you make your way through to the food stalls that you are intrested in meeting the producers and having a little chat before you may buy something. Meanwhile, keep in mind that live Kitchen demo’s by famous chefs are also something to look forward to.

2. Buy your live-demo tickets well in time once you are inside and about 30 minutes before check out the stalls closest to the demo tent, thank me later!

3. There is a special VIP Upgrade available and is available to buy, there is an additional cost to this over and above the ticket price. Even Members need to purchase this upgrade. If you have the moolah, I would strongly suggest go for it. It gives you access to the VIP tent in addition to other perks and it does help that this VIP tent is placed near the Bandstand.

Image Courtesy: HRP Festivals

4.Coming with kids?At the food festival itself there is face-painting, art and craft events and more. Fancy a horse- ride? You can even book your little ones in for a fun ride around the grounds. Wait, it does not stop here! You also have access to the fantastic 17th century Maze made up entirely from hedges. If that isn’t enough there is a brilliant Magic Garden with lots of places for climbing , running around and really have a whale of a time. Be sure to carry their swimsuits so they can fully enoy the wet play and massive sandy play area with a huge dragon to add drama and effect. Just make sure you head to the Maze and Magic Garden so you can then bundle your tired bunnies and get them home 🙂

5. Your food festival ticket allows you entry into the Palace. Wander around this 500-year old royal palace and the home King Henry VIII.

6. Once you are done browsing and sightseeing, settle down with some yummy food from one of the food stalls and a posh cocktail from one of the cool pop-up bars. If you are going in a group you can try more than a few yummy dishes by buying from different vendors, always a huge plus. We like to settle down and enjoy the live music and just really soak in the atmosphere.

6. Keep an eye out for cool offers where you can order multiple dishes and get deals.

Make the most of the Summer Break

I think this particular food festival sort of marks the end of summer and a return to school for children too so the timing is just perfect. So if you are looking for something fun to do this Bank Holiday Weekend in August of 2024, do go ahead and book yourselves into the Hampton Court Food Festival. Members go free but needy to pre-book for Saturday and are given a time-slot for entry but can stay in as long as they like.

Facilities, Parking and other fun stuff

Another huge plus for this venue is the huge availability of parking slots. Everything is really well-organised and because the palace grounds are so mahoosive the layout of the festival food tents and food vans is so chilled with so many fab opens spaces to sit down and enjoy your food and drink while soaking up the sun!

There are lots of toilets available inside too.

Memories

This was one of those amazing memories that stayed with me during the lockdown as it was the year before the pandemic hit that so much changed for me in my life and I was really missing out on all the amazingevents, outdoor blogger-do’s and all other fun invites to events that I have enjoyed over the years.

I cannot wait to go again this weekend! Will I see you there? Let me know in your comments.

*With thanks to the PR agency for the invite. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No monetary compensation was offered. All images with my blog name watermark are clicked by me, any other images used are credited as per their source.