I have always loved the ballet, and Swan Lake has always been a classic favourite, so what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than combining my two loves in a Swan Lake themed afternoon tea at The Corinthia London.
Located just a few moments away from Trafalgar Square, afternoon tea is served in The Lobby Lounge which is illuminated by natural light that streams down from the glass dome above.
Their unique centrepiece is the first thing that catches our eye as we enter, a beautiful ‘full moon’ chandelier designed by Chafik Gasmi, which features 1000 Baccarat crystal clear globes.
I remember catching a glimpse of it sometime ago on my Instagram feed (one of the main channels that I use to keep in touch with ‘the world‘ ... social media these days).
It looked even more stunning in real life and definitely added to the ambience, accompanied by soothing tunes from the live piano and cello playing in the background.
I had the Rosé Champagne Afternoon Tea which came with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne, whilst for my tea, I went for the Corinthia Welcome Tea, exclusively created for Corinthia London and hand-blended in Britain: a delicate blend of white and green tea interlaced with subtle notes of lemon and ginger.
There was also an amuse-bouche to start with: ‘Lightness and Laughter’ which consisted of a lemon-infused white chocolate namelaka (a creamy ganache) and fresh raspberries.
There was a selection of six different sandwiches (the more the merrier!)
–
Classic Olivier Salad on White Bread
Loch Var Smoked Salmon with Sour Cream and Salmon Roe on Beetroot Bread
Cucumber, Buttermilk and Dill on Black Rye Bread
Wiltshire Ham, Apple and Mustard on Cranberry Bread
Corn-fed Chicken, Chestnut Butter and Tarragon on Brown Bread
Pickled Tongue, Horseradish and Beetroot in Smoked Bun
–
I loved the variety of colours and shades, and after we finished, our lovely waitress came over with a fresh tray of sandwiches to ask us if we wanted seconds. I obviously could not resist and had an extra piece each of the Olivier Salad and the Smoked Salmon with the juicy salmon roe that popped in your mouth with each mouthful.
This was followed by a selection of warm plain and raisin scones served with pots of lemon curd, strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. WK doesn’t like raisins (yes, he is one of them), so I kindly offered to swap my plain one, saving him the arduous effort of picking them out – my good friend deed of the day.
And finally we indulged in a choice of English Tea Fancies inspired by the love story of Swan Lake – oh those Tchaikovsky tunes never fail to pull at my heart strings …
Each one was a lovely little piece of edible art, one would say that they were almost too pretty to eat, but then again one must not let good food go to waste …
– Odette –
A delicate White Chocolate Mousse with Mulled Wine Infused Plums
– White Russion Eclair –
Coffee Pastry Cream with a hint of Vodka
– Medovik –
Sweet Honey Cake, Caramel and Sour Cream
– Odile –
A Dark Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Cremeux
– A Clearing in the Forest –
Caramelised Pistachio Tart, Candied Ginger and Praline Ganache
– Siegfried’s Sash –
Layered Cherries and Tonka bean Bavarois
This Festive Afternoon Tea menu is available until 1st January 2016, so there’s still some time to book yourself in for a treat, and maybe be inspired to get those ballet shoes out again..? I’ll be sure to put those pirouettes back on the New Year’s resolution list again …
The Cheekster, signing out x
