Bertram's, Woodland Spa, Crow Wood, Burnley

Bertram's 23rd May 2013

Today I was at a business networking event at Woodland Spa and to my surprise it included afternoon tea. It would be wrong not to write a post about it, but I will be going back with hubby for a true comparison at a later date (in other words quite soon).

The afternoon tea was served on a very heavy two tier slate stand, due to it being a networking party and a few attendees having special dietary needs, the normal ones came with afternoon tea for two per stand and then the special ones, came as one per person. I was very impressed that they cater for vegetarians, nut, fish and dairy allergies.

In this instance as the group we had waitress service constantly replenishing the tea and coffee and not the usual option of loose leaf tea. I am aware though that if you book the tea directly then you do get options of different teas and coffees.

The food was very well presented and very fresh and with an Italian element. There were four triangles per person consisting of two egg and cress and two with honey roast ham. In addition, there were a Parma Ham Focaccia, a Mozzarella and Tomato Crostini and Tapenade.

There were four cakes per person including a chocolate and pistachio brownie, a raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake, a mini cherry scone with lots of jam and cream and an expresso Tiramisu. On this point I would say that I left the Tiramisu as it was about 90% cream, looking at others they did seem to be proportioned better so I think this was a one off.

I cannot really comment on this as an experience as it was a large business group event, but the venue is very nice indeed with great views, new and very comfortable.

I will not give tea cups as it is not a fair comparison, but I will be back.

Bertram's

Sugar Junction, Northern Quarter, Manchester City Centre

Sugar Junction, 19th May 2013

This week was going to be a weekend off until a friend recommended we try Sugar Junction, in Manchester. To be honest we had never heard of it, but we got the link to the website and it looked really nice. Through a last minute couple of tweets with them I reserved a table for 2pm and very glad that I did as when we arrived it was very busy and within half an hour it had become a 30 minute wait for any new diners.

We eventually found this great vintage cafe in Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, courtesy of Google maps on the iPhone. If anyone is thinking of going and I highly recommend you do, then head for Afflecks Palace and keep going straight ahead. It is opposite a military clothing store.

As ever we were a little early and it was very busy, we were initially seated downstairs but very quickly a window table became available and we were offered the chance to move which we did. I had read a few reviews online and they suggested trying a milkshake so before the afternoon tea we ordered two. I opted for a vanilla and marshmallow one and Paul went with a Chai shake, I have to say mine was good but his was awesome.

The venue is very vintage in style and the girls are all dressed and made up to match. It is all odd and yet matching at the same time. It is very cosy but you are not squashed in, downstairs also has a mini mezzanine with two small tables for two.

As usual we opted for traditional afternoon tea, there is an option to have it with Prosecco if you prefer. I had English tea which was loose and Paul opted for his usual Latte. The tea came in a traditional vintage teapot with a strainer and saucer, the latte came in a very large tea cup - it worked though.

For the record there are a number of different teas and coffees available and the Japanese Cherry tea sounds really nice.

We could choose the type of sandwiches if we wanted to from a choice of four, ideal if you are vegetarian and they can cater for gluten free sufferers upon request. We ordered a selection as we like the element of surprise.

The afternoon tea was served on a traditional cake stand (all the crockery and cutlery is vintage in style).

The lowest tier came with six mini muffins (AKA baps or rolls), all white with ham and chutney, egg, salmon and cucumber and goats cheese with red pepper. The baps are made by one of the oldest local bakeries in Manchester and were very fresh and tasty. These are mini but much bigger than the usual fingers given with afternoon tea, so quite filling.

The middle tier had two very large fruit scones and these were served with what appeared to be homemade strawberry jam and two little pots of clotted cream. The middle tier was also used along with the top tier for the mini cakes.

The cakes included a blueberry muffin (AKA fairy cake) with three Cheerios on top with a blueberry, a  peanut butter muffin/fairy cake with peanut brittle on top, two chocolate brownies with half of a fresh strawberry on top and two macaroons.

All of the food was excellent and very fresh and with regard to service, part way through I was given extra water for the tea and then not long after offered a fresh pot. The service was very good indeed, with no pressure to rush and the atmosphere and setting makes it an excellent afternoon tea experience.

The price is £15.50 per person (£19.95 if Prosecco chosen) and although more expensive than some others, it is less than Opus One in the city and much better. We were so full, that we had to bring the chocolate brownies and macaroons home as we simply could not eat them. In fact we have only just had them some 5 hours later and no further food is needed as we are still full.

This is a great venue for many reasons and a must to visit if you are in Manchester City, but if you are planning a visit at the weekend then reserving a table is highly recommended or the likely hood is you wont get in.

Sugar Junction

Opus One @ The Radisson Manchester

Opus One, Manchester 12th May 2013

This afternoon tea was booked a number of weeks ago, due to the perceived popularity of the venue. When we arrived it was busy with many others indulging in afternoon tea and I was very glad we had booked. 

On this visit there were five of us, so at leadt the company was excellent and we were seated inside and not in the conservatory section. It is very nice and comfortable but everything does appear pink due to the lighting - hence the photos looking odd. It is a busy place and quite noisy.

It took some time for any attention and when the maitre d' came over and we asked for some drinks per ordering it seemed to confuse things no end, so much so that he felt the need to explain three times that drinks came with the afternoon tea. Eventually we decided to simply order and at this point a second waiter came over and asked if we wanted to order, very odd with the maitre d' stood there talking to us.

We went for four traditional afternoon teas one with champagne and one gentleman's tea with champagne. There was a choice of teas including fruit ones and coffee available.

The service was slow and eventually we got the drinks but then there was yet another long wait before the afternoon tea was served. The good thing was that at least the tea was served in large tea pots.

When the afternoon tea arrived it was served on the traditional 3 tier stands that were quite high and when seated quite low it does make having a conversation across the table quite difficult.

The gentleman's tea included, mini fish and chips, pork pie, and a mini Yorkshire pudding served with beef. In addition were 3 half sandwiches, including egg, smoked salmon and ham served on brown and for desert two mini scones with jam and cream.

The traditional afternoon tea came with 4 mini fingers filled with egg, cheese, smoked salmon and ham, these were half the size of any fingers from any other afternoon teas that I have had so far.

As with the gentleman's tea there were two mini scones with jam and cream but the top tier included 4 deserts and not what I call mini ones. A blueberry cake, custard tart, chocolate eclair and a Prosecco and fruit jelly.

The food was very fresh and tasty with the exception of the jelly, which was quite bland. It was also not good that there was nothing provided to eat this with and we ended up using our teaspoons.

During the time there we were not asked at any point if everything was good or if we wanted any more drinks. When we did manage to get the attention of a waiter and ask for some water he forgot and we had to try and get the attention of someone else later on for this and more tea.

Toward the end the waitress came to clear cups and plates despite there still be cakes on the stand and tea in the pot. She didn't even ask first just started and we had to ask her to stop and explain that we were not finished.

The cost of the afternoon tea without champagne was £16.95 per person and the most expensive we have had so far on this journey. The food was very good, the venue is a prime city centre venue but the service really did let the experience down and for me afternoon tea is an experience. 

Opus One

 

Leckenby's, Bury

Leckenby's, Millgate Shopping Centre, Bury 5th May 2013

Today's afternoon tea visit to Leckenby's in Bury was not our first choice, it was on the list but we had seen The Pavilion at Birtle, Bury and were hoping to go there first simply because at £18.50 per person it was to be the most expensive by far and should be amazing. I emailed the Pavilion midweek to book and having had to chase them for a reply discovered that although they open Sundays they do not serve afternoon tea on that day (the website implies they do) and they do not check their emails daily so best to call. A little annoying to say the least, do not advertise your email if you do not check it daily and why not offer afternoon tea when open? We would have been greatly put out if we had gone and then found that out. Some of us work 6 days and only have Sundays for treats. Anyway, their loss was Leckenby's gain and that got moved up the list and to be honest are very glad it did.

I emailed them at night from their website and got a reply the following morning to confirm a reservation. 

Today we arrived fifteen minutes early and were greeted and shown to the reserved booth that had been set aside for us.

The young lady that greeted us and served us throughout our visit was very good at her job indeed, very polite and efficient and notably made the right amount of conversation. Asked about our trip into Bury and what our plans where but then left us to eat.

It was an excellent start being offered traditional, champagne or a vegetarian afternoon tea. That is the first time we have been offered a vegetarian option, not applicable to us but a very nice touch and a simple but effective idea. 

The tea rooms are very traditional in style and decor with a suitable 1920/30's feel. It is very well presented with nice small booths and centre tables. Naturally, more than afternoon tea is served and there is a selection of traditional cakes, biscuits and drinks area available to buy to take away as well as eating in options. 

We ordered the traditional afternoon tea, as usual with one tea and one coffee. The latte was the largest standard size latte I have seen and served with a biscuit. The tea was presented in matching tea pot and was loose tea, not a bag. I had forgotten how flavoursome loose tea was and this was a very nice change and on request I was very kindly given an extra pot of hot water. No biscuit for me though.

The service was excellent with very little wait time; the afternoon tea was served on a traditional 3 tier stand with nice matching small plates.

For the first time on our afternoon tea visits the sandwiches were served in triangles and not fingers. This makes no difference at all to the quality or tastes just a presentation difference. We had four triangles each, with egg mayo, turkey, tuna and ham, and were offered any dressing should we want any. Both white and brown bread were used. Between each one were slices of cucumber and cherry tomatoes, a nice touch. The sandwiches were very fresh and very nice.

The second middle tier had the fruit scones, pots of strawberry preserve and two small dishes of fresh cream and there was plenty of fresh cream. We were also provided with a number of butter packets. The scones were very fresh and tasty.

The top tier had four mini cakes provided by Slattery’s, a carrot cake, chocolate cake, strawberry mouse in a white chocolate casing and a lemon mouse in a dark chocolate casing. Downside of not having the same of each double up leaves a dilemma of who has what. What a dilemma to have, we cut the 2 cakes on half and shared and I opted for the lemon mouse. As it happens Paul was full so I also had the strawberry mousse.

All very good, especially the lemon mousse in my opinion. The carrot cake was not the best in my humble opinion as it was a bit too doughy but it is always personal choice and this maybe the general preference of Slattery’s customers.

We spent about a hour in Leckenby’s and it is fair to say that we were very full at the end and that is the first time we have said that after any afternoon tea we have had recently.

At £11.95 per person I would highly recommend going to Leckenby's and it doesn't need to be for a special occasion just allow an extra hour when shopping. Well worth it.

The upshot is my mother would love it and it is one to take her too on another day.

Leckenbys