Mad Hatter's afternoon tea - Sanderson Hotel

Mad Hatter's afternoon tea
Sanderson Hotel, London
Sept 2014

Did the ingredients sparkle?

The sandwiches were little exciting rolls which helped stop the bread going stale (see below). Each sandwich had a different flavour of bread to bring out the flavour of the filling (with the added bonus of looking really exciting and colourful!).

The scones were present and correct, but the real star of the show was the cakes. Everything was wonderfully themed to Alice in Wonderland/ general bright and colourful. There were little cups, little mushrooms, beautiful painted chocolate and "drink me" potions! It wouldn't be the thing for someone who likes their ingredients to be un-messed with, but for me it made the whole thing really exciting as you nibbled each bit to see what on earth it would taste like.

There was also a JELLY BUFFET for you to help yourself to 3 different flavours of jelly. Is there anything more exciting than a sundae glass full of wibbly wobbly tasty jelly?!
  

Did the service/atmosphere sparkle?

The afternoon tea was held in a covered courtyard at the hotel so it was light and airy like a summer garden while still being warm. Although still garden furniture and a lot of tables packed in.

They were very good at bringing lots of different teas for us to try (all Alice in Wonderland themed) as the afternoon tea went on. Although the booking said 2 hours max on the table, they were very relaxed and made no moves to throw us out.


The real show of their excellent service came because it we were there to celebrate my friend's birthday. We hadn't mentioned this on the booking or in any correspondence, but as they showed us to our table the waitress asked if we were there for anything special (just in a chatty, making conversation way). We mentioned the birthday and thought no more about it. When we had finished the afternoon tea though, a Happy Birthday slate and cake came out with a candle!!! Very very impressed with the unprompted attention to making the afternoon tea extra special!




 Did it make me happy?

I love Alice in Wonderland, themed things, bright colours and surprise birthday cakes. This afternoon tea therefore made me very happy!


STAR RATING: 4 / 5 stars  

This is a meringue carrot in teacup which actually has salad shoots planted in it and you can eat them!! Made an amazing top of the afternoon tea tower and actually a few shoots to nibble on is very welcome in amongst all the sweet stuff.