The 7th Duchess of Bedford is said to have complained of “having that sinking feeling” during the late afternoon. The solution for the Duchess was a pot of tea and a light snack taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon, and thus a British tradition was born. Afternoon Tea is usually only an occasional luxury here now in the UK, but nowhere can you indulge more and so guilt-free than at The Carlton Tower Jumeirah, as it presents its seasonal twist on its award-winning, sugar-free Afternoon Tea which is running until January 5th 2024.
The 26 luxury properties of the Jumeirah Group all boast that blend of modern design with decadence. The Carlton Tower Jumeirah is no exception. Upon entering the lobby out of the cold and through the revolving doors, we were greeted by a spellbinding utopia. The hotel has fully embraced the festive season and has taken inspiration from the fairytale villages of days and books gone by. The ever-talented, resident florist, Moyses Stevens has produced jaw-dropping floral installations akin to decorations which adorn any magnificent Christmas tree. Suitably named ‘The Season for Dreams’, this year’s hotel festive theme made us feel most jolly.
At half past three, everything stops for tea
Walking into The Chinoiserie with my mother (we should all take our mothers at least once to Afternoon Tea) we were seated into cosy velvet seats at a dainty table for two, surrounded by elegant wallpaper of exotic birds, which are a nod to the inspiration of ‘nature’ for this unique afternoon offering, served from 12.30pm to 4pm daily.
The Carlton Tower Afternoon Tea is a tribute to nature and namely the botanical elements of the historic Kew Gardens – they deeply believe that today more than ever we must respect the Earth and what and how we consume what it has to offer. Working with only locally sourced produce and celebrating the very best ingredients available, each culinary piece takes guests on a journey season by season.
A Seasonal Sugar-Free Soiree
More often than not we associate Afternoon Tea with sugar, and then even more sugar, just to be sure. Ever forward-thinking and adapting to the times and the needs of its guests, The Carlton Tower presents a trailblazing offering with no refined sugar in any of its elements. Instead, it preserves and enhances the natural sweetness of whole fruits, by adding carefully selected layers of flavour without compromising the key ingredient and its natural taste. Each dish relies wholly on the naturally occurring sugars within each ingredient and produces sophisticated layers of taste.
Our delightful waiter presented us with a delicate amuse bouche of cheese brûlée as we sipped on glasses of Ruinart Rose champagne and perused the extensive tea selection. I began with an intense ‘Jasmine Beauty’ whilst Mother opted for a more woody ‘Pai Mu Tan’.
Reimagining the Scone, the Jumeriah Way
To start our culinary journey, our savouries arrived, though I doubt any of us have sampled this lunchtime staple in quite such a luxurious fashion. Three elegant morsels were presented on exquisite crockery – a chestnut tarte with truffle and cranberry, light-as-air brioche with smoked salmon and caviar, and a turkey pastry with berry jam – no signs of a torrid Christmas dinner here.
To follow was our scone experience, a respectful ode to the traditional stodgy scone which we all hate to love. Here we devoured four bite sized delicacies which fully encapsulated the flavours of the festive season. Plain scones with clotted cream, ceylon cinnamon scones with mince pie condiments, sesame seed scones served with date and finally, cranberry scones with chocolate cremeux – all of which were recommended to be eaten in that order. Don’t have time for a full Afternoon Tea, you say? Make a pit stop at the charming dedicated ‘Scone Bar’, have a quick nibble there or even take some home with you – uniquely delightful.
Teas from Around the Globe
It is no secret that drinking tea is good for you, it can improve our brains, heart health and of course our mood. With teas here from across the globe new additions for the festive offering were from New Zealand and Colombia and all teas from ‘Marriage Freres’ are naturally organic. Traditionally, Oolong is from Taiwan and is also known as Formosa, which has antioxidant properties which are essential for youthful skin, just the thing for Mum and I – we chose Oolong Imperial and Oolong Imperial respectively. Tea aficionados take note, haven’t seen such an extensive offering of teas at any other establishment in London.
To conclude a tiered ‘birdcage’ of pastries joined the side of our table. A cinnamon and almond tart with caramelised oranges awoke our palate, an apple, tamarind, and cashew tart danced on our tongues and a lemon and poppyseed tuile cascaded down our throats.
Bite-Sized Pastries, Maximum Taste
Afternoon Tea never has been or ever should be about the calories, it is about decadence and indulgence and yet how The Carlton Tower Jumeirah has achieved this without the addition of refined sugar is nothing short of a (Christmas) miracle. I challenge you to find another such sumptuous slice of Christmas Log which is only a mere 52 calories – impossible!
Normally at this point after indulging in an afternoon of unwieldy cake, to put it politely, one feels sick. This is swiftly followed by an intense sugar crash, a nap, and sometimes a monstrous feeling of regret. I am pleased to report that no such things occurred after our delectable time spent at The Carlton Tower, on the contrary, we felt light yet satisfied, indulged and yet smug knowing that our waistlines were not disgraced. With some scones to take home, we felt ready for the excitement of a London Christmas.
Afternoon tea is available daily from 12pm to 5pm
To discover more, visit: jumeirah.com
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All imagery courtesy of The Carlton Tower Jumeirah.