Sanderson: Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party

I had gone to the Sanderson for a friend's birthday as she wanted to try something different to a traditional afternoon tea, hence the Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party seemed the perfect one to try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon tea included the following:

 

Sandwiches:

-Smoked Cumbrian ham with wholegrain mustard on sun-dried tomato bread
-Cucumber and chive cream cheese on spinach bread
-Cold smoked salmon and lemon butter on dark rye bread
-Egg mayonnaise with watercress and smoked sea salt on lemon bread

 

-Daily quiche

 

My favourite sandwich was the cold smoked salmon and lemon butter on dark rye bread. It is interesting because your mind is telling you that this should taste like a chocolate Swiss roll due to its appearance. Instead, it is savoury and fishy; I really like the taste sensation.

Sweet
-Carrot meringue served on a bed of pea shoots: I loved the presentation

 -'Strawberries and cream' homemade marshmallow mushrooms; I am not a fan of marshmallows, but once again due to the appearance of the marshmallow it added further dimension to it, and hence they were enjoyable.

-'Tick Tock' traditional Victoria sponge

 -Melting mango cheesecake: This was my favourite due to its appearance and also the surprise element of the mango. Outside there was a colourful white-chocolate case, inside was a soft cheesecake with a pouch that looked like an egg yoke. Once I broke into this pouch a rich, and slightly tangy mango sauce came out which worked really well with the rich creamy cheesecake. 

- Matcha green tea and white chocolate mousse served in chocolate tea cup: Beautiful appearance.

-'Drink Me' Potion 

 

-Selection of homemade savoury and sweet scones, served with herb butter and fruit preserves with clotted cream: It was the first time that I had tried a savoury scone as part of afternoon tea. Sometimes there are too many sweet items in relation to savoury ones, hence the savoury scone was a welcomed addition. It was a olive scone, which was lovely and warm, and worked well with the herb butter.

- Jelly Wonderland: I did not sample any of the jelly- jelly and tea is a combination that does not seem quite right to me.

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. The flavours are delicious and there are some interesting flavour combinations. The presentation adds to the flavour, it adds further depth and excitement. You eat both with your taste-buds and your eyes! Really wonderful presentation, certainly in keeping with the theme.

Service & Ambience

The service was good. Our tea was replenished a number of times, although it was a little tepid for my liking. After the fourth pot it was just right!

The design of the restaurant is really interesting. In the lobby there is a lot of quirky furniture which adds to the hip and trendy feel of the restaurant. In the middle is a wonderful bar, with a great range of cocktails. I would like to go back and try them. We were seated in the outdoor patio area, which is heated, and has a nice water feature in the middle. The sound of the water adds to the ambience.

Value for Money

The afternoon tea was £38. I felt that this was very reasonable. All the food was delicious. After a while, afternoon tea can loose a bit of excitement, and that is why I like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, it was unique, quirky and a real taste sensation.  I really recommend this afternoon tea and I would definitely return.

 

Website: Sanderson: Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party

Overall Rating: