What can be more quintessentially British than Afternoon tea?! I'll tell you what! Downton Abbey inspired Afternoon Tea, that's what! It has became tradition to do Afternoon Tea for Mother's Day so when I seen The County Hotel advertising their Downton Abbey twist, I had to see if it really was an amazing as it sounded.
On entering the hotel we were directed to the 1st floor in the suite. We entered the room and were instantly transported to a distant time gone by. All female staff were dress in traditional maids outfits, tables were dressed with antique candelabras, draped in pearls whilst the butler tended to people. Once out booking had been confirmed we were shown to a table and my Mam was handed a lovely potted flowering plant, which was a gift from The County Hotel to all Mother's attending. I didn't see any mention of this little touch through social media etc so this was really unexpected and heart warming!
Once we were seated we had a chance to take in the atmosphere. There was a projector at the front of the room with a showreel of old clips of Newcastle through the years. Fenwick in the early days, trams and even street parades whilst the Downton theme tuned tinkled in the background. Not long after we were greeted with a lovely pot of tea for us to share (the Hendricks tea sets were gorgeous and totally necessary!)
After sipping tea for a short while, the lovely butler informed us that food would be arriving very soon and right on queue, it did. The typical cake stand filled with treats graced our table. We started with sandwiches, of course daaahlings. Curried egg (very apt), salmon and cucumber - my personal fave, and ham with mustard seeds.
Then moving on to the scones, topped with jam & clotted cream then mini Victoria sponges. Totally crucial key players in every afternoon tea. But we all know the top layer is what everyone lives for... That's where the culinary gems are. We started we the praline whipped chocolate mouse topped with cinder toffee, very rich but just enough.
Next up was the lemon drizzle cheesecake. Perfectly formed lemon topped cheesecake laid on a crunch base sprinkled with chocolate shavings. Both me and my mam loved this! Tangy and smooth and we wished there was more.
Then 2 macaroons, perfectly melt in the mouth texture, and also fruits of the forest mini tarts topped with blueberries, strawberry & kiwi chunks.
Whilst we got lost in the food whirlwind we were well looked after and our pot of tea was topped up numerous times. Because afternoon tea aint' afternoon tea if the ta is cold. The staff were amazing in making sure we both had an amazing experience and I seriously enjoyed this... oh and my mam loved it too. I kept forgetting this wasn't for me but I loved every second. My mam loved the experience and couldn't stop talking about all the little details once we got home. And as a fan of Downton Abbey I found myself imagining what it would have been like to be served on like a Lady. For anyone looking to dine at The County Hotel I would highly recommend this, and truly feel that the staff went all out to make us welcomed and well served!
Oh and for what we couldn't manage, we had boxed up for us to take home to enjoy later. Perfect. Go check out the newly refurbished County Hotel and check out their other services too!
Until next time...
X
