Calling all art fans! Lancaster London has devised an Afternoon “ARTea” for those who know their Monet from their Picasso.
To tie in with the arty theme, ARTea is served in The Lounge where the work of emerging and local artists is hung on the walls. In fact, the current art exhibition features paintings by modernist Irish artist, Norman Telling, and mini edible images of his art can be found on the pastries!
No afternoon tea would be complete without great tea of course, and the ARTea certainly doesn’t disappoint. A large range of teas are available to try, and the waiters are more than happy to suggest teas to suit your tastes. Each tea is served with a timer to ensure the perfect brew, and if you fancy trying a different tea with each ‘course’, that’s not a problem!
The ARTea includes a selection of sandwiches and savoury bites, scones and a range of sweet treats all served on painting slates in a painter’s box. The savoury bites include classic afternoon tea staples such as egg and cress and cucumber sandwiches, along with offerings of an asparagus and tarragon tartlet and a sunflower seed choux bun filled with wild mushrooms and sun blushed tomatoes. The Lancaster London smoke their own salmon in the hotel and the smoked salmon on granary bread was some of the best we’ve tried!
All of the scones are made fresh on request, and on the day we visited we got one each of plum and raisin, plain and chocolate chip. To add a bit of fun, the jam and clotted cream are both served in 30ml paint tubes. We can tell you creating a masterpiece in jam and cream isn’t easy! The scones, warm from the oven, were exactly as scones should be – light, fluffy and with an even spread of fruit (or chocolate chips!).
Finally the sweet treats, we definitely recommend pacing yourself with the ARTea! On the roof of the hotel, they keep hives of bees for making their own honey, and this can be tasted in the signature honey and chocolate lollipops. Bite through the dark chocolate shell and you get a pop of sweetness from honey made right here in London! The vanilla and hazelnut macaron was also a favourite with us.
And if all of that hasn’t filled you up enough, you can request more of any of the items. Maybe you just need one more to decide on your favourite!
The innovative afternoon tea is available for £35, or add a glass of Pommery Champagne for an extra £10.
To create the unique ARTea, Lancaster London partnered with Pommery Champagne due to their constant involvement and support of art and culture – from sponsoring Art16 and Photo London as well as hosting internationally renowned contemporary art exhibitions in their huge chalk cellars within their Domaine in Champagne.
To book your afternoon tea, or for more information, visit: royallancaster.com
