Last weekend, I went to The Chesterfield Mayfair to try its Winter Wonderland afternoon tea. The hotel is located in Mayfair and is a short walk to shops and to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Expectations were high as The Chesterfield Mayfair is one of the best places in London to have afternoon tea as it has won awards from The Tea Guild three years in a row. It did not disappoint.
I was shown to the Conservatory to have afternoon tea, which was the perfect setting and decorated for winter (see photographs below).
To start, each Winter Wonderland afternoon tea came with a shot of mulled wine. The mulled wine complemented the winter theme to get us in the mood for the festive tea.
I ordered champagne with the afternoon tea, and I had the choice between brut, rosé, and Blanc De Blancs. I selected the Blanc De Blancs option, which is a sweeter white champagne.
The tea that I selected is a seasonal option for the Winter Wonderland afternoon tea and is known as the Chesterfield Christmas Blend. The tea was described as black Assam tea blended with ginger, orange peel, cloves, and herbs. The tea was delicious with a subtle 'festive' flavour.
After the tea was brought, the three-tier afternoon tea stand arrived with the sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
Sandwiches includes roast turkey with cranberry mayonnaise on white bread, honey roast ham with cheese and tomato on onion bread, Scottish smoked salmon with cream cheese on brown bread, free range egg mayonnaise and watercress on basil bread and cucumber and cream cheese on white bread. The hotel do cater for dietary requirements. (I dislike mayonnaise, so my sandwiches came without it.) I particularly loved the onion bread.
The scones with the Winter Wonderland afternoon tea were cranberry scones, and these were served with strawberry jam and clotted cream. The scones were delicious.
Last but not least, it was time to try the pastries. The pastries included mulled wine macaroon, Christmas tree chocolate pot, cranberry and vanilla cheesecake, snowman ginger cupcake, a fruit tart, and slice of chocolate Yule log.
The mulled wine macaroon was particularly delicious and perhaps my favourite pastry with this afternoon tea. The texture and flavour of the macaroon was perfect and I'd suggest that the quality of the macaroon was equal to the best macaroon brands based in London.
The Christmas tree chocolate pot was delicious and the tree shortbread went well with the chocolate mousse (mixed with chocolate sponge). I loved the creativity of this pastry served in a little plant pot.
The snowman cupcake had a light ginger flavour with cream cheese icing and a white chocolate snowman on top.
The fruit tart had a sweet and tangy taste, topped with cranberries, a raspberry, a strawberry, and a blackberry. This was delicious, and I must admit that fruit tarts with afternoon tea are usually my favourite pastry. This did not disappoint and I loved the tangy and sweet combination.
I am not a fan of cheesecake, but this was a subtle cheesecake with cranberry flavour and a biscuit base. I think cheesecake lovers would appreciate this.
The chocolate Yule log was my least favourite of the pastries. Thankfully, the chocolate was not too rich or over-powering. I think that I simply preferred the other pastries.
At the end of my afternoon tea, I got to pick a golden envelope. This means that I will be back for afternoon tea at some point next year so that I can see what I won. Each visitor who has the Winter Wonderland afternoon tea has the chance to pick a golden envelope which may reveal free champagne, a discount, or a hotel room. However, the envelope must remain sealed until the next visit before the end of September next year.
For those interested in Winter Wonderland afternoon tea at The Chesterfield Mayfair, visit before the 4th of January. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed between 1:00 and 5:30 daily. For more information, visit the website at http://www.chesterfieldmayfair.com/afternoon-tea
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