One of my favourite hotels in London is bringing couture to life with their exquisite take on afternoon tea!
For all you fashion (and food) lovers, The Franklin Hotel has cleverly fused our beloved traditional afternoon tea ritual with vogue style to bring us Haute Couture Afternoon Tea, which takes inspiration from fashion houses, designers and popular fashion icons from past and present.
When stepping through this boutique hotels entrance, you are immediately captivated at just how beautiful it is.
Anouska Hempel has put her well known stamp on this stunning Victorian property and the designs feature an Italian influence all around. This instant WOW moment makes you know you are in for a very sophisticated afternoon.
With a warm welcome, the attentive staff are excited to show you to your table in the hotel’s restaurant for your booked teatime. The tables are immaculately set with handbag shaped menus placed neatly on top of your napkin. The attention to detail is remarkable! The bag shaped menu opens out to reveal thoughtful illustrations and a carefully curated list of all the culinary treats to come.
To start, you choose your tea, some of which are bespoke to the hotel and exclusively for this experience only. For an additional cost, you can also pair a glass of champagne for your visit and obviously, I opted for this as I adore bubbles and wanted to feel like a high fashion VIP for the duration of my gourmet couture tea experience!
There is an exciting array of delectable sandwiches, pastries, and scones (including a chocolate scone with champagne crème anglaise), for your first round, all of which have been inspired and named as an ode to fashion. My fave of the savoury selection had to be the Butter Croissant with crème fraiche, smoked salmon and pickled cucumber.
Once the sandwiches have been devoured, the main event of the most fashionable sweet treats I have seen (or eaten!) arrives! The presentation of every single element is truly amazing starting with Miss Sheath Dress accompanied by Figs Mousse, orange sable, white glaze. It was almost just too cute to eat. I said almost as it’s the one I enjoyed the most!
Every single course is a visual delight and paired with the elegant setting of this prestigious hotel, you are treated to an unforgettable Haute Couture Afternoon Tea experience which embraces the best of both worlds, fashion and food!
Review and Images by Zoe Laing @zozogrameats
