It’s no secret. I’m a big fan of the fine foodie offerings InterContinental London Park Lane. With Executive Chef Paul Bates calling the palate pleasing shots (not to mention chef Theo Randall doing his own tasty thing with onsite upscale Italian restaurant), I’ve never never even come close to having a less than ideal dining experience here. So an invitation to try the hotel’s limited edition Christmas afternoon tea was one I greedily accepting. This was my second time to enjoy an afternoon tea at the InterContinental and it did not disappoint. If anything, my expectations for a high level of quality and service were exceeded.
The tea is themed around the popular carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Golden rings, swans a-swimming, drummers drumming … they’re all represented in edible form and make fun conversation pieces in addition to being tasty little morsels. I could list and detail, but a substantial part of the pleasure was having them show up at my table and then between my dining companion, our server and myself discerning what fit which lyric from the song and which items tasted best. I will say though that the scones were as yummy as I’d hoped they be and that with a generous splash of whisky in it, the “festive Champagne cocktail” that kicked off the tea had just that – a real kick to it!
As for the actual tea I drank, I tried two different ones and loved them both. The hotel’s very own Wellington Blend created by our Paul Bates and Tea Palace was a smoothly balanced union of Assam, China black tea, and Earl Grey, softened by English cornflowers and mallow blossoms while an intense and full bodied Lapsang Souchong Chinese black tea made with smoked tea leaves yielded a wow of an ending to the meal.
Treats aside, I just thought it was a lot of fun to sit by the big window in the hotel’s Wellington Lounge and watch all the Christmas shoppers and Winter Wonderland crowds pass by. When you book your seating, request a table at the windows.
The Twelve Days of Christmas Afternoon Tea is available now until 6 January and costs £38 per person. It is served in the exquisite and comfortable Wellington Lounge at the InterContinental London Park Lane inside the hotel’s lobby. The InterContinental London Park Lane is located at One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7QY. Find out more at wellington-lounge.co.uk.
