After a Deville-ishly delightful experience at their previous Cruella-inspired afternoon tea, it was a pleasure to return to The Lanesborough to welcome the return of their much-loved Peggy Porschen Afternoon Tea, an exclusive collaboration between the acclaimed Belgravia bakery Peggy Porschen and The Lanesborough’s Head Pastry Chef, Kevin Miller. Known for her instagrammable fairytale pink aesthetics, founder Peggy Porschen’s career started at The Lanesborough where she worked as a pastry chef after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu’s ‘The Grand Diploma of Cuisine & Patisserie’. A befitting collaboration indeed, and what better setting than the beautiful Céleste to celebrate this unique afternoon tea experience, which features floral accents, pastel-hues and elegant flavours.
Ambiance is always key in shaping a customer’s overall dining experience, and Céleste is undeniably one of the most beautiful dining spaces in London, naturally illuminated by the light shining through the domed glass roof, the sun rays bounce off the magnificent chandeliers that adds an extra touch of splendour to the surroundings.
Savouring and grasping onto the last breaths of summer, we started with the eye-catching Belgravia Bloom cocktail, a refreshing blend of elderflower, grapefruit, raspberries, coconut water and aloe vera, served in quirky diamond glasses and garnished with edible flowers.
Keeping up with the floral theme, we both opted for the Lanesborough Afternoon Tea, a rich and floral black tea with delicious sweet tones of fruit and rose petals.
Executed to perfection and served on a classic three-tiered silver stand, we began with the selection of precisely cut finger sandwiches: egg & cress mayonnaise, smoked salmon, cream cheese & dill, mint yoghurt & cucumber, Coronation chicken, and Cheddar cheese & pickle.
The plain and fruit scones were light and buttery, served with a rich clotted Devonshire cream and strawberry jam.
The selection of dainty pastries were pretty as a picture, which included Peggy’s pink pavlova, a cherry and chocolate chip cupcake, a salted caramel and popcorn cupcake topped with a caramel coated popcorn and edible gold flakes, a moist lemon, raspberry & rose layer cake, and my favourite of them all, a lemon & elderflower tartlet garnished with delicate rose petals and the cutest miniature macaron.
The Peggy Porschen Afternoon Tea is served daily at Céleste from 5th August 2021 to 11th November 2021, between the hours of 2:30pm – 4:00pm (Monday to Thursday) and 12 noon – 4:00pm (Friday to Sunday). Prices start from £54 per person, with the option to upgrade and include a glass of Champagne (£73 per person) or the Belgravia Bloom Cocktail (£71 per person). From 12th November 2021 to 5th January 2022 a festive Peggy Porschen Afternoon Tea menu will be served.
And of course I didn’t forget to say hello to the gorgeous Lilibet who is often playing hide and seek around the hotel. I’m hoping that she approves of my latest watercolour portrait of her.
- My afternoon tea experience at The Lanesborough was complimentary – views and photos are my own.
