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.

Cake for Two at Papadeli

Just a little mini post on how much I love cake. So the other week I made it to Papadeli twice in one week for an injection of tea and cake it is definitely my favourite place for a cake fix. Mostly when I pop to Papadeli I tend to sit downstairs surrounded by all the lovely products but on the second occasion I visited in the same week I gave upstairs a pop too. Papadeli is so lovely, light and airy it definitely turns caking into something a little more special than your average tea and cake experience. Jane and I visited one Saturday afternoon and slid into one of the three little tables in the deli itself and ordered ourselves some carrot cake and salted caramel millionaire's shortbread plus some tea. 

Tea and biscuit

Carrot cake

Millionaire's caramel shortbread

Best carrot cake of my life so far, hands down. It was nutty enough but not overwhelmingly so, a good frosting to cake ratio and most importantly, it was vanilla frosting, none of this, add a little citrus to the party, thank goodness. Jane's cake was extremely rich and delicious looking, she surprised herself when she found she had finished it. We were also impressed with the lovely presentation the fresh raspberries definitely cut through any richness. Writing about this queen of carrot cakes makes me want to leave work immediately on the off chance they have some in for me to scoff right now. 

My second visit to Papadeli was with the lovely Wuthering Bites but we sat upstairs this time for some airy Friday afternoon relaxing. Still in love with the carrot cake I ordered it again plus some chai tea and Sarah chose the gluten free chocolate truffle cake. The carrot cake that arrived this time was a little different than the one I had had the previous weekend, however it was still really tasty just more fruit and nuts, so it sort of felt a little healthier.

'healthier' carrot cake

gluten free chocolate truffle cake

Both served with creme fraiche to help with the sweetness I couldn't quite finish my mammoth slice of cake this time, it was a bit denser than the previous carrot cake recipe and the frosting slightly thicker, still massively enjoyable though. I can't wait til my next Papadeli cake fix, I know my mum is going to love it when I finally take her there. To find out how Papadeli can feed you cake, help pimp your picnic or to buy a special gift for the food fanatic in your life check out their website.

Go Nuts for Doughnuts

Last year I finally found my dream doughnut, at the Bristol Farmer's Market, just outside the entrance to St Nick's, at an unassuming little stall called Pippin Doughnuts. Handmade doughnuts fresh every morning in Swindon, brought to Bristol now every Friday at the mini food market to brighten the dullest meeting at work. Jim and Carol have been making these delicious treats since 2008 and bring between 8 to 10 different flavours to chose from, including seasonal specials such as mulled plum and blackberry, apple and custard for winter plus gooseberry jam, in the summer.

My favourite will always be the cinnamon and brown sugar mainly because I am a cinnamon addict but the butterscotch glazed ring doughnut topped with chopped hazelnuts is a dream as is the vanilla custard, with it's real actual custard flecked with vanilla. All fillings are super generous and actually don't taste greasy or synthetic like a lot of doughnuts out there, I have tried quite a few of the flavours over the year, any one you pick will not be disappointing.

I urge you all to strongly make a visit to Pippin Doughnuts you will not find a better, fresher or more flavoursome doughnut to complete the munchy time between breakfast and lunch. Sweet treats ahoy, mark Friday in your calendar as Pippin Day from now on.

To check where else Pippin bring their sugary treasures visit their website