We know that you can have kids and still be a hip chick and this section is just for you. Look out for holiday news, child friendly books, films and lots of ideas on how to keep your little ones happy.
|
Usually, afternoon tea in a lovely hotel and children just don't mix. How on earth can you relax and sip that sparkling Champagne with them in tow, let alone savour dainty sandwiches and mouth-watering cakes? We all know that even the most placid of children have concentration spans that would make a gnat look like he could write War and Peace. This is why the new concept tea at the Swiss Hotel Howard, here, merely footsteps away from Temple station in London, is such a fantastic idea. The tea has been designed to keep children happy - and so keep the parents happy. We tried out the new tea on a sunny afternoon in October. We pottered around Covent Garden for a while before heading down to the river where we were pleased to see the hotel has great views over the water. As soon as we arrived we (and our seven year old daughter) were warmly greeted and led to our table. Unlike other teas, where we've sat at "proper" table, this one is conducted in low banquette type seats over even lower tables. At first I was worried that it was going to be uncomfortable, but half an hour later, after a glass of Champagne and chilled out by the great music playing in the background, the seats definitely contributed to a very relaxed and cosy feeling. Sophie was made comfortable with a glass of orange and her own portable DVD player for the afternoon. She was given a choice of London themed films (Mark Poppins, Robin Hood etc) and chose 101 Dalmations. She was set up with headphones and our food was brought over. Mmm! Now, I'm a connoisseur of teas. I've been to the Waldorf (loved it, but not so good now they don't do dancing), the Ritz (nice), The Connought (nice toilets), The Lanesbrough (one of the best) etc, and this tea is certainly up there at the top. Our sandwiches were delicious and they didn't bat an eyelid when we informed them we didn't like smoked salmon and would we have something else please. The scones were lovely - just warm, with clotted cream that just begged to be licked off the spoon. What I likes best was the selection of cakes. Most teas give you something sickly and over-sweet but there were fruit cakes, tarts and macaroons which seemed to fulfil everyone's desires. Of course, if you wanted the full-on sweetness, we also had a chocolate orange mousse on the side. I must admit that I couldn't quite force myself to eat this, but my husband (a great Jaffa cake fan) was full of nothing but praise for them. The final touch that makes these teas different, and quite child-friendly, are the selection of biscuits. The hotel has had moulds of London site-seeing monuments and attractions made especially. There's a cocolate Big Ben hiding raspberry ganache, a marzipan and white chocolate covered St Pauls, and a number of shortbread taxi, amongst others. At £28 for the full tea, this was a good price, and the hotel even provided a doggy bag for all the biscuits we couldn't quite manage. To book visit http://www.temple-place.co.uk/tlsee/index.asp |
| Posted: 26/10/2009 12:57:56 Last Updated: 03/11/2009 14:26:26 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Kids :: Do You Take Afternoon Tea With Kids?