Jess, aged 15, writes: Being British, our family loves a good afternoon tea. This is why I was so excited to try an afternoon tea in the Arch Hotel, Marble Arch, in celebration of dad's birthday. It's not do often we get to eat unlimited food in a gorgeous setting, so we all had an amazing time.
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The Arch Hotel[/caption]
After entering the hotel, we were directed to the Salon de Champagne, where we were given our own private booth. This was very exciting, as there was a curtain which we could draw. This meant that the four of us were effectively sitting in private - something that felt extremely luxurious. On top of this, our plush seats were extremely comfortable, there was a beautiful chandelier above us, and our floral crockery looked amazing.
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Our booth was really luxurious![/caption]
Our main server was named Rebeca and she was really kind and friendly, but also extremely helpful. Our family is not able to eat certain foods, but she was really good at making adjustments and making sure we knew what we were eating. We were presented with a menu of different types of tea, which I loved. I adore tea, and it took me a long time to decide on what to drink. I eventually decided on a silver needle white tea, and afterwards a green tea with jasmine pearls. The variety was so wide, and it was all delicious.
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The tea menu was long and extensive[/caption]
Soon, the food arrived. Our stand was simply magnificent - piled high with sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, and scones. We had not eaten a big lunch in preparation for the occasion, and soon got to work stuffing our faces. The sandwiches were divine, and much more impressive than I was expecting. These were English cheddar with apple chutney, mozzarella and avocado with sun blushed tomato on sourdough toast, smoked salmon and cream cheese on a blini, egg and cress, and cucumber and cream cheese. Particular favourites of mine were the sourdough with mozzarella, and the apple chutney. We devoured these quickly, and were allowed replacements soon after.
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The food was all so delicious, especially the sandwiches![/caption]
Next was the second tier, filled with all sorts on cakes. There was coffee cake, millionaire's shortbread, teacakes, Battenberg cake, and a strawberry tart. Had we not had dietary requirements (no gelatine), there would have been trifle and cheesecake, but we were more than happy with our selection. It was fantastic, particularly the tart and the Battenberg cake, and nothing was too rich or overpowering.
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Robert piled his scone high with cream[/caption]
Our final tier was the scones, but by this point I was so full that I could only manage one! Piled high with jam and clotted cream, it was a perfect end to the tea.
Overall, we had such an amazing time at the tea. We stayed there for over two hours, and by the time we time we left we were unbelievably full. It was such an incredible experience which I would love to relive.
A Royal Afternoon Tea at The Arch hotel, near Marble Arch, London, costs £25 a head. We were given a special media rate to sample the tea, but the hotel had no input into this review.
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Labels: afternoon tea, Blog, cake, days out in London, days out in the UK, days out with kids, food in London, London, marble arch, sandwiches, school holidays, scones, the arch hotel