If you ever grew up watching Disney films, then you’ll love The Kensington Hotel’s specially crafted Beauty & The Beast themed Afternoon Tea, aptly named after the classic theme song, Tale As Old As Time. Served in The Townhouse restaurant, this whimsical afternoon tea has been given a magical twist, the various sweets and savouries inspired by the characters and scenes of the film that we all grew up loving.
Possibly one of the best-selling themed afternoon teas around, I was excited to be invited to try it out for myself during Afternoon Tea Week. Red rose petals were scattered across the table and at one end stood the symbolic enchanted rose next to cute figurines of Lumiere and Cogsworth – the kid inside me was secretly hopeful that they would suddenly come to life and break into song …
Our glasses were filled with delicious Perrier Jouet champagne whilst we sipped on a selection of teas from The Rare Tea Company and anticipated the arrival of those tiered delights.
The classic sandwiches included: potted Argyle smoked salmon & creme fraiche, roast Devon red chicken with cranberry, cucumber & cream cheese, and egg mayonnaise & cress. Alongside their sandwiches, we were also offered a variety of savoury delights to enjoy, including a hearty bite-sized venison pie, cheese souffle with roscoff onion pissaladiere, and a rich and delicious beef ragu & saffron arancini served with Lemon Creme Fraiche. I am a fan of the classic sandwiches, but I always love it when there’s a bonus portion of savoury bites!
As an alternative to scones, we were presented with Marie’s Sweet Brioche Baguette with apricot preserve and a chocolate pot, which refers to the local baker from Belle’s hometown in the film. I do look forward to those warm, buttery scones when I have afternoon tea, but these were quite fun to eat as well.
Highlights from the sweet selection included Vanilla & Gold Jelly, presented in shot glasses with the ever-symbolic rose petal immersed inside, served with cream poured from Mrs. Potts spout. I really enjoyed the Spiced Coconut & Chocolate Snow Ball Macaron; which refers to the classic scene featuring Belle and Beast’s playful snowball fight.
I was hesitant to cut into the intricately made Chocolate Ganache Clock Tart that featured an image of the lovable Cogsworth’s face – I did eventually give in and it was just as rich and tasty as it looked. A cute teacup shaped like Chip Potts contained a light white chocolate mousse that was labeled ‘Try the Grey Stuff’, taken from everyone’s favourite song from the film, ‘Be Our Guest’, a dessert recommended by none other than the iconic candle character, Lumiere.
We were also given a speculoos marzipan biscuit shaped like Belle’s dress to take home which was really sweet.
It’s certainly the kind of afternoon tea that would appeal to many, from little children to grown-ups like myself that love a bit of fun and a chance to relive those childhood memories.
The Tale As Old As Time afternoon tea is currently available until 30th November 2018 and dates are expected to fill up fast (!) – you can find more information and book via AfternoonTea.co.uk .
- I was a guest at The Kensington Hotel but all photos and views remain my own.
