Have you ever walked into a place and felt immediately at home? The kind of place that makes you want to come back and take in its surroundings, enjoy some drinks or food or even people watch?!
It’s Monday and I’m about to make your day so much more better! (or may be worse…depends how you look at it! :P)
I love afternoon teas. Being Pakistani I’ve grown up surrounded by ‘chai’- mix chai, kashmiri chai, doodh pati…so many variations. My mom has a cup in the morning, afternoon and in the evening! And with every time of the day, the snacks that come with the tea vary.
So here I was at Swan in Shakespeare’s Globe, totally mesmerised by the location and surroundings. Why I’ve never bothered to venture in this part of St Paul’s, I don’t know. I’ve been to the Tate quite a few times but I would always walk back over the Millennium Bridge to hang out in THAT part of town.
With stunning views of St Paul’s from Swan, I’d like to come here more often!
Afternoon teas are very popular in London and why shouldn’t they be. It’s a very British thing to do and it’s always Tea O clock here!
We all go for afternoon teas but never have I ever been to a tea tasting tutorial. Swan had organised a lovely Afternoon tea and Tea Tasting Tutorial with Caroline Hope, one of Britain’s most respected speakers on the traditions of English tea, in their gorgeous Balcony Room. It was a fantastic afternoon as Caroline not only took us through the history of tea, the art of tea making, how it has changed over time, the etiquette of afternoon tea and what not but we also got to taste several teas like the Assam, Earl Grey and some other little surprises.
I shared my table with a daughter and her mother celebrating an early Mother’s Day and friends celebrating birthdays. It was such a fun group and made the whole experience really enjoyable!
These glistening beauties aka scones were delicious!!
I LOVE my savoury goodies and there was a mouthwatering spread to choose from. My favourite was the Scottish smoke salmon…aah yum!! They also cater to dietary needs so in case you can’t have fish or pork, let them know! 😀
Some other tasty goodies to drool over!
The cupcake was my least favourite sadly…the texture was too stodgy for my liking but luckily had other delights to keep me satisfied.
I’m not a fan of cream but damn, this lil swan was scrumptious and I ate it like there was no tomorrow! 😛
All in all it was a great experience and I came out more aware of the art of “taking tea” where as previous occasions have been clouded with bouts of food coma after gorging on all the afternoon tea goodies. Caroline may not be there to teach you the art of tea but all The Swan’s long list of teas and drool-worthy treats will definitely be there. For £24.50, it’s a bargain with great views of the city! Take your mom for Mother’s Day or a friend for their birthday treat or even your Grand Parents- they will love you for it! 🙂
Swan has a really cool space and it’s perfect for hanging out with your mates and the seats are super comfortable. You can even come in with your laptop and work away in one of their lovely rooms next to the reception…there’s always something happening there since it’s right next to the Globe!
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