Lucy's 30th Birthday Afternoon Tea at The Ritz

Recently my sister turned 30. To me that is strange to behold. No matter how old she gets I think there will always be that instinct to look after her, that's what older sisters are for right? Anyway Lucy decided that a week long celebration was in order, a series of treats which included; roller disco, home made pizzas and stall seats at Phantom of the Opera.  Before going to the show however Lucy had booked in afternoon tea for two at the Ritz. Intending to take her friend the night before I got a message saying that unfortunately her friend was still recovering and could I jump on a train to London the next day? For my sister, anything. That and tea at the Ritz is one of those things you have to cross off the list, and Phantom is my favourite show.

The Ritz requires dressing up a bit so we scrubbed our faces extra hard and put on a nice dress each. It is as you would imagine inside, lots of gold accents and the tea room has a lot of mirrors, so the light is rather wonderful. Seated at a table for two we browsed the tea menu and once the smartly dressed waiter came round we ordered a pot of chai and a  Russian caravan for me. Dietary requirements discussed, Lu is a vegetarian, we waited for our food to arrive and spent the next few moments marvelling at the surroundings.

Devouring all the sandwiches, which were generously filled. We eyed up which cake to tackle first and got stuck in. Afternoon tea is always more filling than you remember so soon we were almost stuffed to the gills and ready to throw in the towel. However as I plunged my fork into the last cake, the white chocolate coated one in the photo, I realised that this was something special. A hidden passion fruit centre and the softest most delicious dessert I've had in a long time. I urged my sister to sample hers, despite being full.  Happiness ensued from both sides of the table for several minutes. By the time the waiters brought round the cake trolley to offer a slice of one of their specials we had to decline.

Full to the rafters with cake this had certainly been an experience and it was wonderful to have shared it with Lucy. At £50 per person this is probably one of the most expensive afternoon teas out there. But it is one to tick off the list and a happy memory of sisterly time well spent. It is advised to book well in advance for afternoon tea at The Ritz although weekdays are obviously easier to get a slot for than weekends. To find out more visit The Ritz site.

A Musical Afternoon Tea and a Felt Cornershop

I am off to Lisbon in a couple of days, I have never been and I cannot wait, it has been a tough couple of months and to see the sunshine, eat local cuisine and see the sights will be wonderful. Before I go I thought a mini photo blog on my trip to London to see my sister's wonderful Cornershop installation and a catch up over musical afternoon tea plus an evening of drinks and snacks would be a good parting shot until I am back. Firstly I won something, this never happens. I won musical afternoon tea at the Ampersand hotel in South Kensington, where Rich and I stayed for our minimoon, just a little bit quirky but also nice and luxurious too. I decided to take Kathryn with me for afternoon tea as it had recently been her birthday, so on a beautiful day in London we headed on in to the hotel.

The whole Shebang

With champagne, savoury filled choux buns, opera cake, white chocolate chip scones, salted caramel maracons and strawberry mousse cakes this was a wonderful feast too big for even the greediest of girls. Luckily they neatly packed up the rest of the lovely treats in a box for us to take home.  If you are looking for a slightly quirkier afternoon tea in London I totally recommend the one at the Ampersand, a delicious way to spend an afternoon.  We headed onwards to meet Abi in Bethnal Green and the greatest Cornershop that ever was, simply my sister the great artist Lucy Sparrow, is a genius.

biscuits & booze

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Twenty Lambert?

sporting chocolate bars

After a wonderful trip to the shop Abi and I went to meet up for a few drinks with lovely Carla, of Can Be Bribed with Food blogging fame,  for some wine, snacking and gossiping.  Aiming for somewhere close we could get back to Paddington Carla chose somewhere just off Oxford Circus, The Market Place bar, it was warm enough to sit outside so we ordered some drinks and got down to business.

evening snackage

We ordered a selection of squid, popcorn chicken, sweet potato fries, salt cod cakes and chili fries. Nice enough bar but if you find yourself around Oxford Circus looking for a snack just go for the chili fries alone, covered in a beer cheddar cheese sauce and strips of mediumly spiced chili, so creamy and delicious, an amazing dish.  A warm and tipsy journey back to Bristol full of the memories of a great day in London seeing family and hanging with dear friends, it was well needed. If you missed the Cornershop Lucy is planning on taking it to Brighton in October so definitely check it out. Have a great week Bristol I will be back at the end of next week with tales of custard tarts and the sun.