If you visit London, one thing you must add to your to-do list is afternoon tea. There are plenty of classic ones in this big city but I’m always on the search of finding unique things to do. This includes afternoon tea with a twist, whether that’s on a bus or eating fashion inspired pastry. A while back I was invited to a bloggers afternoon tea at The Kensington Hotel. It was for the launch of Alexander McQueen’s savage beauty exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, for which The Kensington Hotel has created the “Fashion Forward” Afternoon Tea and it is stunning. I was so excited to have an afternoon off work for this. After the success in NYC, it was only fair to host the Savage Beauty exhibition here in London where Alexander Mqueen was born.
The Kensington Hotel is a very calm and beautiful place. The Town House Restaurant where the tea itself is served has got such a light, warm and cosy feel with book shelves and a fireplace. Make yourself at home.
I was so happy to find a group of travellers amongst the bloggers and the conversation got flowing, so did the Champagne. The tea selection is comprehensive but I chose jasmine tea (as always).
Then arrived the cutest afternoon tea stand I’ve ever seen! I mean come on, the cakes were so pretty I almost didn’t want to eat them. Normally with these sort of things, so much emphasis is put on the presentation that the taste doesn’t live up to it. They nailed both.
The savory included foie gras cornet with mango, gold quails eggs with celery salt and mustard cress and crustless finger sandwiches. It was a good blend of flavors for all tastes. If you like more subtle flavours, you’ll like the eggs and sandwiches. If you love strong flavours like I do, then dig into the foie gras and enjoy.
The highlight, i.e the gorgeous dessert, included buttermilk pannacotta with raspberry, a marzipan sable, a raspberry & red pepper macaron, a cherry Genoese skull clutch, and a red velvet & rose water cake inspired by McQueen’s A/W 2008 collaboration with Philip Treacy.
Edible luxury is what I call that.
Do you recognize the butterflies?
The tea costs £35 per person, excluding Champagne. Here is the menu:
After our treat, we headed off to the actual exhibition. I’m normally not a huge fan of museum because of my short attention span but wow, he was one talented man! I love a bit of dark and twisty. The darker the pieces got, the better they were. I am more into art than fashion and his work is truly fascinating. You must see it for yourself, pictures and videos simply don’t do his work of art justice. Leave around 1.5hrs to go through the whole exhibition without rushing.
Tulle and lace dress with veil and antlers, Widows of Culloden, Autumn/Winter 2006-07. Model: Raquel Zimmermann at Viva London
As the hotel is only a five minute walk from the V&A, it’s the perfect place to tie in with your museum visit. You have until the 2nd of August 2015 to see this, so don’t miss it! Click below to book
4/5
Thank you Kensington Hotel and V&A for the experience.
