We have visited the Soho Hotel for afternoon tea on several occasions and have always found it a joy to experience. Served in one the hotel’s lounges, this makes for a relaxed atmosphere that allows you to escape the bustle of the city and really enjoy what’s on offer. As the lounge offers several large sofas, unwinding is easy and this, we feel, is exactly how afternoon tea should be experienced. The décor of the Soho Hotel is vibrant yet cosy, with great British elegance - there is a warmth about being here, that commands you to take your time and ponder over each bite.
We opted for the Champagne afternoon tea which began with a chilled glass of Pommery Brut Royal NV Champagne.
Afternoon tea here is served in the traditional manner, on a tiered stand, with the cakes being on the top two levels and the scones occupying the bottom level. Sandwiches and savouries are served on a separate plate.
“The staple classic of afternoon tea, perfectly executed.”
The selection of sandwiches and savouries we enjoyed included BLT finger sandwiches, crayfish and rocket finger sandwiches, wild mushroom and truffle arancini , and a ham hock, Dijon mustard and gherkin slider. The arancini in particular were very tasty - the richness of the mushrooms and truffle married with the rice and crisp coating made for the most pleasurable experience, with the main highlight being the crayfish and rocket sandwiches – the fresh, plump and sweet crayfish complimented by the peppery rocket was simply wonderful.
Next up, we moved on to the scones. We enjoyed both plain and fruit scones, served with the most wonderful clotted cream and strawberry preserve. The staple classic of afternoon tea, perfectly executed.
We then moved onto the cakes on the upper two levels of the stand, which included: toffee apple cupcakes with cinnamon icing, white chocolate blondies, raspberry cream honey panna cotta, and a winter berries glazed lemon tartlet. Each sweet treat was immaculately presented, with the highlight here certainly being the beautiful raspberry cream honey panna cotta.
For our accompanying tea selections, I decided upon the breakfast tea which, although an obvious choice, was still highly enjoyable; a rich, full bodied tea that did not disappoint. My partner opted for the jasmine pearls which smelt divine, and tasted even better. Each leaf had been hand-rolled into a pearl-like shape and scented with sweet jasmine. The jasmine pearls in particular come highly recommended by us.
We thoroughly enjoyed yet another visit to the Soho Hotel for afternoon tea, and would recommend it as a must-try should you find yourself with a spare afternoon.
The Bill: £35 per person
