Could I be becoming the Queen of Afternoon Tea? There’s no denying my love for the quintessential British feast. This is in fact my third afternoon tea feature on the blog in just over a year. I was lucky enough to attend the Laura Ashley Tea Room Launch last year in Solihull, which offers a wonderfully classic spread. I also sampled the delicious champagne Afternoon Tea at the Hyatt Regency the day before I attended the tea featured in today’s post. ( I’m not phased by over-indulgence.)
Harvey Nichols Brasserie and Bar
The restaurant is as stylish as you would imagine, the perfect setting for a luxury afternoon tea. Set inside the Harvey Nichols store within Mailbox Birmingham, the brasserie is inviting and relaxing and the ambient lighting is perfect for dining.
Edinburgh Gin collaboration
To celebrate all that is contemporary and British, award-winning Scottish gin distillery, Edinburgh Gin have collaborated with Harvey Nichols to stir up afternoon tea as we know it. During June and July, you can enjoy the Edinburgh Gin Afternoon Tea and to today, I’m sharing a flavour of what is on offer in this limited edition menu.
Edinburgh Gin Afternoon Tea launch
To celebrate the launch of the collaboration, Harvey Nichols invited a lovely group of Midlands bloggers together to sample the menu. How lucky am I to be one of those invited? I was pleased to be able to choose a vegetarian option and when chatting with the other bloggers, I was delighted that a wide variety of dietary requirements had been met, including vegan and gluten free options. Each variation looked equally as tempting and beautiful, it’s not often that happens!
Bottoms up!
To start the evening, we were served a ‘Sauvy Spritz’, a fresh and highly-drinkable cocktail that blends together Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux with Edinburgh Elderflower gin liquor and Fever-Tree soda. Served with slices of sharp, crisp apple, and lots of ice, this was the loveliest start to the evening. Light, fresh and very moreish, I knew I was in for a real treat for the rest of the evening
The menu
The main meat-inclusive menu is available for you to have a look through. I loved that the different platters for the various dietary requirements were variations on the main theme, so it doesn’t feel too different from what everyone else is eating.
Before we ate, Head Chef, Stewart Mackie came out to share his inspiration for the afternoon tea. Each flavour has been developed to work with the cocktails and Edinburgh Gin is used as ingredient in some of the dishes to create a refreshing twist on the traditional afternoon tea.
A well-balanced selection
The menu is incredibly well-balanced, the selection of savoury and sweet flavours is varied and works well together. The vegetarian savoury selection included Gin and Tonic deep fried vegetables (So good.), goats cheese and vegetable terrine and artichoke and courgette wraps. I’m quite a picky eater but, I devoured everything with glee. I really enjoyed that this afternoon tea features a significant selection of savoury food. I want to feel like I’ve had a meal and this afternoon delivers.
Sweet treats
I loved the range of sweet dishes too, all delicious and complex, there is no sponge cake to be found here. The cucumber candy floss was first to disappear and was quickly followed by a strawberry and elderflower eclair. Even though each morsel is rich, the variety of tastes mean that you dont feel overwhelmed with sweet choices. The peach, rhubarb and ginger tart was so good and to complete the fancies, a gin jelly with berries added a zingy ending to the collection.
But first, fizz
The second Edinburgh Gin cokcktail served was the Pomegranate and Rose Gin Fizz, served with the tiniest, most beautiful edible flower, I felt oh-so-fancy sipping away as I chose which scone to start with. The cocktail definitely had more oomph than the first and I loved its feminine and decadent flavour.
Theres always room for scones
Especially when they look this good. The Edinburgh Gin Afternoon Tea offers two scones in it’s line up. A soft and sweet plain scone, served with clotted cream and Harvey Nichols raspberry preserve and a chocolate and raspberry scone. My favourite was the plain scone, it was just so prefectly baked. In-fact, I’ve never enjoyed such a light scone and when smeared with the rich clotted cream and fresh jam, my ‘take it or leave it’ scone beliefs were completely turned on their head. The chocolate scone was delicious too and offered a fresh twist on the British classic.
Bubbles and chit-chat
Harvey Nichols were amazing hosts for the evening and really looked after us. Following the afternoon tea, prosseco was poured as we mingled and chatted. it was so lovely to meet local bloggers and everyone was so lovely. I skipped along to the train station feeling very spoiled and very full. Such a treat!
Enjoy the Edinburgh Gin Afternoon Tea at Harvey Nichols, Birmingham
The Edinburgh Gin Afternoon Tea is served in from 1pm-4pm, Monday to Saturday and 3pm-5pm on Sundays throughout June and July. The tea costs £30 including unlimited tea and coffee and a cocktail, or just £22 For an alcohol free option. To book, call 0121 616 6028 or email reservations.birmingham@harveynichols.com.
Love,
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