Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea at the Intercontinental Westminster

Last weekend I had the chance to visit the Intercontinental London Westminster to indulge in their Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea with Laurent Perrier Rose Champagne.  The menu has been inspired by the flower show and the room was decorated with gorgeous flower displays. When we arrived we were shown to our table where our waiter introduced himself and then left us with a glass of bubbly to choose our tea.  There were so many to choose from including black teas, white teas, green teas, flowering teas and herbal teas.  In the end we went for the White Peony described as “Delightfully refreshing, rounded and full-flavoured with sweet and fragrant notes of melon” and the Taiwan Li Shan – “Highly floral complex and refreshing with a glycerous and wonderfully creamy texture”.  I wasn’t too keen on the Taiwan Li Shan but the White Peony was lovely.Once we were settled with our teas the first plates of foods arrived.  The bottom layer was a selection of finger sandwiches – the beef and horseradish ones were so delicious we asked for seconds – and the middle layer was a blackberry Eccles cake and slice of fruit loaf each.  The top layer was by far the most exciting and looked so pretty! Every perfectly formed cake/pastry tasted divine and looked so beautiful I just had to take photos of all of them….
1. Lavender and strawberry tart
2. Jasmine and jivara mille feuille
3. White chocolate and orange blossom shot with pistachio crumble (this was exquisite!)
4. White chocolate marshmallow teacake infused with White Peony tea
5. Raspberry macaroon
6. Violet éclair
After we had finished the cakes and pastries, a plate of freshly baked scones arrived with Devonshire clotted cream, homemade strawberry jam and lemon curd.  Again, these tasted amazing!  Even though we were feeling full from all the food and champagne we both managed to squeeze in two scones topped with masses of cream and jam.After another glass of champagne, we were brought the finishing touch – a glass teapot containing one mango and one raspberry mousse lollipop and a white chocolate butterfly.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful afternoon! The service was faultless and our waiter couldn’t have done more for us, explaining what was on each plate and topping up our champagne whenever it looked as though we might finish a glass!  The atmosphere was relaxed, with a live harpist in the background, and even though there were lots of staff ready to help, they weren’t hovering near the tables making us feel as though we were being watched all the time.  I would love to go back to the Intercontinental and would definitely recommend the afternoon tea if you are looking for something special to do.

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