I love an afternoon tea, and an afternoon tea in the British sun with a group of lovely bloggers? Even. Better. I was invited along to to the Hotel Du Vin in Henley on Sunday afternoon to try out their afternoon tea, and it happened to be a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon (24c) and we nabbed a table out in the gorgeous old Henley Brewery coutyard which had fairy lights hanging overhead and was in a secluded spot away from the hustle and bustle of Henley on a sunny Sunday. I was the first to arrive, as I am a ‘would rather be an hour early than 1 minute late kinda gal’. I wasn’t alone long though and the staff were super attentive. It was so lovely to meet 2 fab Steph’s, Jasmine, Kirsty, and Claire – who I have been chatting with online since forever, and it was SO nice to finally meet her in person. The afternoon tea was really lovely as it was so laidback and intimate, and our waiter Stuart was a star, he explained each little detail to us and made sure we were very well looked after.
We started with a glass of champagne before delving into the savouries to start. The savouries included a Severn and Wye smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, egg and cress mayonnaise brioche sub, ham with Gruyère croissant, heritage tomato and tapenade galette and a goat’s cheese and spinach quiche. The savouries were a very generous selection and started off the afternoon tea very well, but still left room for the main sweet treat event. After the savouries we were presented with the main event, the cake stands, laden with scones, sweet treats and candy floss.
The bottom tier had a selection of warm scones (fruit and plain) served with a mixture of Bonne Maman jams, clotted cream and Lescure butter. The top tier (and my favourite) included a lemon meringue pie, raspberry and dark chocolate teacakes and rhubarb and custard doughnuts. All topped off with homemade apple candy floss and a choice of teas
I liked that the afternoon tea had a great selection of savoury and sweet options, and the tea list was pretty extensive, and if tea isn’t your thing then they also have some amaaazing sounding gins on offer, as well as some fizzy options. I went for the Moroccan Mint With Rose Tea and it was a gorgeous blend of green tea with spearmint leaves and a subtle taste of rose. I liked how the rose was super subtle was definitely still there, it had a really refreshing but neutral flavour, which went really well with the afternoon tea itself.
Afternoon tea at Hotel Du Vin is served daily from 12-6pm and is £20pp.
Sophie x