For those of you who know me, you'll know I'm obsessed with Alice's adventures in wonderland. I saw this afternoon tea advertised and had to jump at the opportunity. Being held in the exchange hotel down the bay it has easy transport links. Costing £30 a head I knew this was not going to be a normal afternoon tea.
We arrived around 12.40 with the tickets stating a 1 pm start. The tickets also said don't be late as the queen is waiting. When we turned up we were told take a drink as this would be starting at 1.30. I don't know if this was a reference in relation to the white rabbit being late.
The foyer had references to Alice, with the employees dressed up and decorations scattered. The tower of fizz you got on arrival had a lump of candy floss on and some glitter in the drink. Tied to the glass there were also drink me tags.
We finally were allowed to enter the grand hall with our table numbers already given to us on arrival. The hall was decorated to the brim. As you entered a balloon arch with a red carpet passing through. To the side was the head table, where the queen would sit. The table had an array of cakes, crockery and decorations.
Once we were seated some with mixed tables it was time to order drinks. They had 3 themed cocktails. I opted for the queen of hearts. The strength of it was crazy a small martini shaped glass with a fruity hint. My mum had a different cocktail that definitely was a bit more milder on the tastebuds. All cocktails were in addition to the main tea costing £6 each which was not bad considering the booze contents.
Before the queen entered we were all given some entertainment with music and some live dance. The white rabbit performed, using the giant top hat in the middle as the main stage. We were then taught how to curtsey for the Queen's grand entrance. With the queen later on going on to make her performance.
Finally, it came down to eating, each cake stand had been previously assigned to the tables. This meant any dietary requirements were covered in advance. When the 3 tier cake stand came over it definitely looked the part. On top was a fruit scone with cream and jam, these tasted delicious and just the right size. The cupcake on top was Alice as if she was falling down the rabbit hole. The cake was somewhat very sweet as was mostly sugar.
The next layer down was an array of more cakes. Another cupcake this time with an eat me sign on it, also with a high amount of sugar in. There was one hat and one clock both made from sugar, so and my mum split them in half. If the clock was made from a biscuit and then the pattern on it would have tasted a bit less sugary. On this layer though there was a toadstool made from half a macaroon and a marshmallow. It tasted great and also looked great. The whole macaroon on the dish was one of the best I've tasted in a long time.
The bottom layer had the sandwiches which had a huge range on offer. Firstly a croissant with ham and mustard, a great alternative to a traditional sandwich. Also a wrap with chicken, rocket and pesto. Then the best two sandwiches smoked salmon with cream cheese and cheese and pickle. To our surprise, they came around asking if we would like more sandwiches as there were loads left over. This meant we took a few cakes home with us as we overloaded on bread products.
For drinks, you had the option of tea or coffee. The teapot was huge, but I think had been brewing for a while as the tea was very black. Once we had finished the tea we did have another and this was a lot lighter in colour which tasted a lot better. I did also have to get a jug of water for the table to wash away the sugar coma I was in.
Before the end, there was some entertainment. Everyone had to stand up and have a game of play your cards right. Hands on heads if higher or hand on bums if you thought lower. Firstly it went smoothly, but cards started to get revealed before we had a chance to choose our options. With only a few people left standing they were brought to the front for the last rounds. Eventually, we had winner and they had won a round of drinks for their table.
Soon was the final and most entertaining round the Easter bonnet round. On each table was an Easter bonnet with some decorations, to snazzy it up. What people didn't expect was each table had to have one person come up and model it. One brave soul on our table got up, but the competition was hard. Some people that went up had swagger and moves, with them then getting narrowed to 4. These 4 had to strut to win a round for their table. With no real competition, Pauline won a round for her table busting some moves.
Soon some music was played and the party then died down. Tables started to be cleared and people slowly started to leave. Once all the pictures had been taken and the music died down, we left ourselves. Many people still stood strong finishing off any drinks and cake in the grand hall.