Morning everyone!
I'm sure by now everyone knows that afternoon tea is just one of those wonderful occasions - copious amounts of tea, tiny sandwiches and a seriously calorific load of cake.
It's a typically British thing and I like to indulge in it as often as possible. Festive versions are a particular favourite as I also love christmas, combining the two is the best thing I've ever heard of so without further ado, let's tuck in to the menu from Pettigrew this year!
Me and my mum decided to have a Christmas shopping day in Cardiff this year, with only the Christmas markets and the labyrinth of arcades to wander around. It's always one of my favourite days of the year and having not yet visited Pettigrew Tea Rooms myself it was the perfect excuse.
Their Christmas High Tea cost £16.50 and included a mince pie and mulled wine, festive filled sandwiches, Christmas scones and also a slice of homemade cakes - I was drooling just thinking about it!
On arrival we were shown to our table in the corner and our mulled wine and mince pie delivered. I have to say that the mince pie was one of the nicest I have had. It was quite hot so I had to wait a little while for it to cool down but as someone who isn't too big a fan of mince pies I enjoyed it.
The mulled wine was also delicious, but sadly I felt like this was a token gesture as this was essentially the size of a shot glass. It tasted wonderful and the slice of orange was a great addition but I was really disappointed this wasn't a normal size glass, it's not what you expect.
(it also wasn't that hot but it was the size that was more disappointing!)
Moving on, we then chose 2 fillings each for the sandwiches which were freshly made to order.
I chose the cheese and chutney, and the salmon and cream cheese. I LOVE salmon and it's a staple in an afternoon tea, it was wonderful as expected and the bread was super tasty.
The cheese and chutney sandwiches were also lovely, I'm intolerant of dairy and bread so generally I avoid it in my day to day life and then on the odd occasion I can treat myself without getting ill. I honestly save myself up for days like this and these sandwiches were worth the wait - I'm craving my usual Boxing Day cheese feast ever since all because of these sandwiches!
After this we had the scones, which were on the very top of the stand. These weren't normal scones however, these were Cranberry and Brandy scones - absolutely delicious!!!!
These were the best part of the entire afternoon for me and with the jam and cream too were outstanding. Even my mum, who enjoys homemade cake but doesn't really eat that much of it, ate her so fast I wondered where it was gone! That really was testament to how lovely they were, and I'd go back for one of these alone.
Yes I do put jam on first before the cream, how on earth else are you supposed to do it....?!
After this we were extremely full, and still had a cake to go! We had the opportunity to go and choose a cake from the counter and the choice was another factor that was outstanding. The variety was amazing from your classic Victoria sponge to Chocolate and Beetroot, Clementine and Polenta,
We chose to come home with a slice of Chocolate and Beetroot, and a Date, Fig and Salted Caramel to share for our tea. It was around 8pm before I tucked into my halves of them and they were so gorgeous, the chocolate cake was really moist courtesy of the beetroot but still tasted so luxurious. The date, fig and salted caramel was a great surprise, I'm not a date or fig fan but this cake was so lovely and I'd order it again. It wasn't overwhelmed by the salted caramel either so it was well balanced.
Overall I enjoyed my first experience of the afternoon tea at Pettigrew Tea Rooms. It was a lovely quaint venue and the scones and sandwiches were very tasty.
I was disappointed with the tepid mulled wine and also that only one pot of tea was included, in most places the tea is unlimited. It's a fairly cheap addition to the meal and we only asked for one more between us, so it felt like a bit of a con to have to pay for more.
My favourite part was the scones and the homemade cake, I'd happily return in future for either of these and I loved the chance to try out some different types of cake to your average!
What do you think of Pettigrew Tea Rooms? Have you tried their afternoon teas?
Do you rate festive versions?
The Christmas High Tea at Pettigrew's costs £16.50 per person and is available until the 10th of January, so get in quick!
L xxx
