Sunny Days and Afternoon Tea in Bourne

A couple of weeks ago, Ed and I decided to use one of our Christmas presents. It was a voucher for afternoon tea and we chose to visit the Toft Hotel just outside Bourne. I used to work in a construction site around Bourne a few years ago and have fond memories of the place. It has some great charity shops, pubs and historic places. It also has some beautiful countryside that is worth exploring.

I'd never been to or heard of the Toft hotel and its afternoon tea before. And I wasn't sure about what to expect. We were both pleasantly surprised. It is lovely hotel housed in a pretty building and surrounded by gardens, the golf course and rolling hills. The interiors were pretty and English kitsch.

The afternoon tea was nice too. We were presented with generous selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones. I like my teas and they stocked a lovely selection of Suki teas which was a pleasant surprise. Ed's coffee was pretty good too. The service was pleasant and efficient. The sun was shining we chose to eat in the garden to make the most of the glorious weather.

The afternoon tea outing was as good an excuse as any to wear one of my latest summer finds from Butterfly. The delicate Havren blush lace dress was so English and summery that I easily succumbed to it. I teamed it with nude heels from M&S and a Marc Jacobs Baby Stam bag.

Anyway, If you are looking for a spot of afternoon tea in the Peterborough/Lincolshire area, I recommend checking out the Toft Hotel. Are there any other good afternoon tea locations you would recommend? Ann x

 

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Photography by Edward Chandler

Quirky Afternoon Tea for Fashionistas

Some weeks ago my hubby and I were at a BBQ where I met some girls who had just walked in with some pretty goodie bags. The bags were quaint but the cakes and savouries inside looked even more exquisite. I found out that they had been to Afternoon Tea at the Berkeley and had great things to say about the whole deal. My friend Cherie and I were planning a London trip and so I asked her if she fancied doing Fashion Tea instead. Her response was a very enthusiastic yes.

Soon enough we were having Pret a Portea at The Berkeley where Anne Hathaway was also hanging out after the premiere of 'One Day'. The fare included cakes and savouries inspired by the latest catwalk fashion. So I was eating a Miu Miu inspired bikini, Tory Burch bags and Stella McCartney inspired mousse. The selection changes every 6 months in line with the latest catwalk trends. We ate the Spring Summer 2011 collection. The service at the Caramel Room could not be faulted and our  cakes and sandwiches were continuously re-filled. Cherie and I also finished two large pots of tea each plus tried another two. The tea was also fabulous. I had the 'pear caramel' which I highly recommend followed by the 'posh melon' tea. After stuffing our faces for a whole two hours we were given pretty goodies bags to take away. What more could a girl ask for?!

More recently I heard about a similar Afternoon Tea at The Langham. This one is called Stephen Webster Bijoux Tea. As you can expect the theme was fashion and bling and more bling. This has only recently started and is inspired by his latest collection 'Murder She Wrote'. It is  slightly pricier than Pret a Portea at £49 but maybe I'll give it a go one day. Meanwhile I am going to think of ways to use my pretty vintage style cake stand to make some fashion inspired goodies myself. Watch this space! Ann x