Westfield in Shepherd's Bush in west London is one of the best large shopping malls in London, and I much prefer it to Westfield in Stratford. I normally do not enjoy shopping as I dislike crowds of other people attempting to look over the same items, but sometimes I do enjoy going out and browsing in the different shops. I just prefer to go when it's quiet, which often rules out the weekends unless it's early enough. I often do not get to Westfield as I have Festival Place in Basingstoke on my doorstep. Festival Place is a decent shopping mall, and Basingstoke is not really that bad of a place that everyone seems to suggest or joke about.
What's better than to combine a shopping trip at Westfield with afternoon tea? L'Orchidee is quite possibly my favourite stop in London to buy macaroons, so when I received an email with a 50% off afternoon tea offer, I knew that I had to make use of it.
I arrived and treated myself. First up was the champagne. However, everything did arrive at once. The tea I ordered was a special L'Orchidee blend. It tasted of lavender and was very good but did brew a little bit too strongly when left to brew as I couldn't drink it quickly enough.
First up were the sandwiches, and I had a selection of three given to me. They included Mediterranian vegetable, salmon, and brie and tomato. The sandwiches are all pre-made, so I could not eat them as I'd forgotten to give my dietary requirements. (I'm a fussy eater, and salad dressing, mayonaise, ketchup/mustard, and sour cream is a 'no' for me.) Unfortunately, I cannot rate them other than being a little disappointed. I did not care for the fact that they are pre-made and the bread did seem to be a little dry.
Second were the scones. I received two scones with clotted cream and a pot of strawberry jam. Unfortunately, these were also a disappointment and just did not taste fresh or particularly nice. I was surprised at this because the macaroons are lovely.
The next course was the winner. This is actually what L'Orchidee specialise in - beautiful and tasteful pastries. I wish that the staff would have told me what the pastries were, other than just telling me that they were "a selection of pastries". However, I will do my best to describe them and do them justice. I received a peanut butter macaroon and a cherry/mango macaroon. I believe that the cherry/mango was the winner. I dislike peanut butter, but I have friends who would have loved that macaroon. The macaroons were lovely, as they always are. Next up was the strawberry tart, and this did taste nice but could have done with more strawberry and less of the crust. The fourth pastry was a hazelnut/chocolate mousse, and I can only describe this as delicious and moreish. Last but not least was a choux pastry with (I think) apricot. This was light and flavoursome.
What is my verdict? Combining shopping with afternoon tea is a treat. However, I would skip the sandwiches and scones and would go for a selection of pastries with a cocktail, and I would have the pot of tea again too. I was flipping through their cocktail list when I sat down, and there were a number of cocktails that I would have loved to have tried and probably would have done if I had been with friends.
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