Sunday 9 March 2014

Review: Science Afternoon Tea at The Ampersand Hotel, London



Last week I was lucky enough to experience a very special Afternoon Tea at The Ampersand Hotel. Their Science Afternoon Tea is running for a short period of time, but the Hotel offers a delightful selection of fresh cakes and a superb traditional afternoon tea all year round.

Upon entering The Ampersand I was immediately struck by the contemporary, boutique interiors and the warm welcome offered by the staff. Sat at a nice table by the window I was able to appreciate fully the delightful concoctions and visual effects of the Science afternoon tea as it oozed with dry ice and stood out vividly with its array of shapes and colours.



Starting at the bottom, we enjoyed sandwiches made in savoury choux pastry buns, filled with a selection of delicious delights. Smoked salmon, coronation chicken and cheese and chutney were among my favourite fillings, but to be honest none of them were particularly disappointing and all were finished before moving up to the next level on the tea stand.

The scones were equally delicious and consisted of one plain and one white chocolate scone each, served with clotted cream and jam. There could have been a little more jam to accompany these and although no one offered us any more, this did actually save us from finishing off both of the scones which left room for the top level of tasty treats!

And so to the pièce de résistance...


The 'science' layer that stood proudly at the top of the tea stand was a visual delight and was equally pleasing to the tastebuds. I particularly enjoyed the little 'planets' which were surprisingly delicious. The macaroons were also rather tasty, and the raspberry coulis found in the pipettes really complimented the whole thing. I'm not sure exactly what the little drink inside the test tube was, but it was far too sweet for my liking. I loved the glass containers that it came in and it certainly added to the visual aspect of the tea, but it perhaps could have done with being a little less sugary!


You can see that this Afternoon Tea looks fun, interesting and that it ticks all the boxes for a tasty afternoon treat. Although I usually hate to see pre-made items (such as the chocolate dinosaurs), they actually didn't do too badly in this combination as they were a nice, lighter option to round off the selection. I was so completely full by the end of the tea that I couldn't actually finish it, but that was definitely not a reflection on the taste as it was all rather lovely.


I am now very much looking forward to what they think of next as the expectations are rather high from this quirky, boutique Hotel!


The Ampersand Hotel serves Afternoon Tea every day from 2.30pm until 5.20pm. The Science Afternoon Tea is available until 21st March and is priced at £32.50 per person or £44.50 per person with a glass of Champagne



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