Afternoon Tea at The Ham Yard Hotel

Another Mother's Day has passed and still my love for my beloved Susan is as strong as ever. I've spent this past weekend in Farnham with my best friend, so I decided to take my mum out for afternoon tea a day after Mother's Day - and it was nice to have a Monday off work.

Afternoon tea is a favourite tradition for me and my mum, because it's always nice to have an opportunity to eat cake and catch up about the perils of life. I'd call us afternoon tea novices are who slowly but surely spreading our wild oats when it comes to the afternoon tea life.

I took us out to the Ham Yard Hotel, located just 3 minutes from Piccadilly Circus and was so simple to get too. Tucked away in Ham Yard, appropriately named, the hotel is one of many from the chain of Firmdale Hotels. I have to say it's very swish and modern, almost rightfully placed as you enter Soho. Even though we just went for tea, I'd like to go back to the hotel, as it has it's own bowling alley and the decor looks amazing, very vibrant and overall, just very cool.

We were seated in a conservatory as such, with wicker chairs and dangling ornaments from the ceiling, with china plates and cups adorned on a table for us. We were given menu's offering the tea flavours and another menu with what afternoon tea we would be having. We went for the classic afternoon tea at an affordable £19.00 each. Mum went for an americano (SHE IS SO DAMN FUSSY) and I decided to be a real rebellious girl and try out Rooibos Tea.

(look at a glimpse of my babe susan, sipping her classy coffee)

We were then served our 3 tiered platter of excellence and all things cake and dough, and were eager to tuck in. Being the cool cats we are, we started with the savouries - which were uber trendy. They consisted of fingers sandwiches with smoked salmon & cream cheese/tomato & cheese (don't you just feel well posh when you eat sandwiches with no crusts and fit perfectly in your hand?), feta cheese and spinach toasted rolls, toasted olive bread with serrano ham and hummus and lastly, our favourites, chicken & avocado sliders - which were perfect size and tasted amazing. It's nice to have a real different mix up of savouries rather than just sandwiches.

We did the appropriate thing of 'taking a break' before we tucked into the sweets, but really that translates as 'loosen your belt, we're going to eat some cake'. The sweets consisted of mini loafs of carrot cake (even though mum said mine was better, because she's a goddess and she just knows), lavender and strawberry macarons, a chocolate & caramel blondie, a chocolate drenched profiterole, an egg custard tart adorned with a pansy (DEAD POSH) and a vanilla fairy cake with a fancy shmancy icing. These again were to die for and just the right size.

Finally, the big deal, the piece de resistance, the final test of all afternoon teas...SCONES, more appropriately named 'Scone With The Wind'. Sometimes with afternoon tea's you're so flumoxed by the amount of savouries and sweets, that the scones get left by the wayside because there either too big or you've eaten so much, you can taste sugar coming out of your pores. Well let me tell you, these scones were just right. Bite sized and literally toasty warm, they were complimented with strawberry jam and rich cream, which finished the tea off just right.

Overall I thought it was great value for money, set in a nice location and surrounding, with the staff being hospitable and checking in if we wanted more refreshments and if everything was 'to our satisfaction' (Of course it was, you fed me caramel and love). I'll definitely be heading back to the Ham Yard Hotel, possibly again for another spot of afternoon tea or just to sit at the bar, glugging a gin and tonic.

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day or just a simple Sunday!

Check out the website here for the hotel! Ham Yard Hotel



Till Next Time,


Ellie

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Afternoon Tea at Cake Boy

I'm a fan of afternoon tea. I don't know someone who wouldn't enjoy sitting around eating dainty miniature versions of sandwiches and pastries. I never knew afternoon tea was such a craze up until a few years back when I noticed how popular it was among ladies.

I had been booked on a cake decorating course at Cake Boy until it unfortunately got cancelled, but redeemed my voucher to attend an afternoon tea session. This was all done through Red Letter Days where it is so easy to book and arrange classes without the hassle of calling up the shop and booking days and time/slots. 

Before I could actually tuck into what I can only describe as a cake fantasy, getting there was the tricky part. It's quite a strange location when you do eventually get there and get there we did. Located 10 minutes from Clapham Junction station, it's definitely a job for Google Maps to get you to the front door. As opposed to a standard afternoon tea in a hotel, Cake Boy is situated underneath a huge block of trendy flats, so really somewhere you'd least expect.

image courtesy of emondeestdoux.e-monsite.

The shop itself is very...modern. It triples as a shop, cookery school and a dining area. So, it's technically the triple threat of cake & pastry shops. What I like the most about this place was the colors of all the cakes, the amazing range of kitchen aids on the worktops and then all the products you can take away with you if you get the baking bug. 

I took my mum to tea with me and seeing as this had been my first 'proper' afternoon tea, I wasn't really sure what it would consist of, I thought afternoon tea was literally tea and scones, lord knows how my heart skipped beats when macarons got involved. My only problem is i'm neither a tea or coffee drinker, so afternoon tea sometimes turns into afternoon hot chocolate. 

Once we had arrived we were seated on a plush couch in the dining area and within minutes brought a makeshift table of delights.

image courtesy of red letter days blog

We were brought, firstly, rolls & croissants filled with Chicken Caesar/Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese/Roasted Vegetable/Parma Ham & Mozzarella.  These were delicious and so fresh and light, which was especially good as we were gearing ourselves up for the cakes. 

Now this really was a like a work of art. It's not just as if they were slabs of cake that had been given to us, there was variety and things I'd never even tried before. They include raspberry,chocolate & lime macarons, mini creme brulee's, mini eclairs, mini lemon tarts, white & dark chocolate moulded cake bites with slabs of chocolate placed upon and lastly my favourite, Green tea cone filled with passion fruit mousse and coconut shavings - now this was class. 

Mum had coffee and I had a hot chocolate, included - may I add - with a glass of champagne, which you know if you're going for afternoon tea, is not always expected, so this was an extra treat. 

As you can image, we were pretty stuffed afterwards, so the walk back to the train station was something of a relief to walk off the amount of sugar we had consumed. The Staff were lovely and helpful. always offering more hot drinks if wanted and willing to provide more sweet treats if your buttons on your shirt hadn't already popped off.

Overall it was a great afternoon spent with mum, although location was a little tricky, I think once people had tried the tea overall, that the location wouldn't even be a thought. I'd like to re-visit Cake Boy to attend a cake decorating class with owner and pastry/dessert chef himself, Eric Lanlard. 

Have you tried this tea or could you recommend another good afternoon tea?

Till Next Time,

Ellie 

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March, Be Good To Me

'Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.' - Doug Larson.

'Spring is the time of plans and projects.' - Leo Tolstoy.

'It's 9 months till Christmas!' - Me.

How are we already in March?! What have I been doing for the last 2 months I ask, as I sit here knowing I'll be asking the same question in a couple of months time, still overspending, listening too loads of show tunes and debating whether a 12 box of krispy kremes are a good idea. CORRECTION - always a good idea.

I'm pretty excited for this month to commence, things are happening! I'm visiting Sheffield twice within the month to visit Sheffield University & Sheffield Hallam University, which means this month is decision making time. Sheffield is about 3 hours away from where I live in Essex so I've roped my beloved mother in to driving me one day (I can drive, I'm just scared of my own car) and catching a train the next time. It only dawned on me the other day that if I choose to go to Sheffield, 3 hours is a trek of a time away from Home, so I really will be moving out - insert Billy Joel's well good song, Movin' Out - but I'm excited to get to see the campuses and see what may possibly be in store.

Another big deal is one of my best friend's birthday. I'm travelling to Farnham (not as much as a trek as Sheffield) for his 22nd birthday and of course I'll over pack, and naturally I'll overspend and yes of course, I'll drink too much beer. They're not called Birthdays for no reason, right? I wanted to say what I got him for his birthday on here, but until he gets it, I'm not going to give it away - in case he's peeking. I've been to Farnham's a couple of times and I've now nicknamed it 'The Shire', mainly because I think it resembles the town in The Lord of The Rings. 

Finally we have Mother's day. I love my mum, like literally she's a babe. I'll be taking a couple of days off work this month, one of which I'll be taking her out for Afternoon Tea at the Hamyard Hotel in Soho. A post to follow soon!

I'm hoping this is going to be a good month and to get to speak to a lot of new bloggers and get improving on my blog!

Till Next Time,

Ellie 

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A Day In London

It's Valentines day today right? Of course I'm right. Either that or I'm completely unaware of the day. I'm aware though, aware of all the couples on the central line licking face or of all the dine in for £20 meals from M&S (which could totally pass as a meal for one, just saying). I've never really been bothered about V-Day, understandably because I have neither a boyfriend nor have I ever had a boyfriend to 'celebrate' this glorious day full of helium balloons and strewn petals, which is enough to make me gag, even more than the face lickers on the tube.

So who better to spend this day with than my invisible 5'7 boyfriend with a well cut beard and preferably specs? My mother of course. The light of my life, the 5'2 bobbed, ray ban wearing spectacled woman in all her Liz Earle glory.

Even though I drag myself up to the city everyday for that mudane task called work, today was a Saturday, meaning yes, I will drink gin and yes I will drink lots of it. Before that though, breakfast called. Me and Susan headed to Smiths of Smithfields where the smell of bloodied meat covered in sawdust loomed and screwed up lottery notes loitered the floor outside Fabric Nightclub. I wanted to be classy and order a Bloody Mary, but then I realised that was way grown up and more importantly, I don't like tomato juice. We dished over eggs and bourbon biscuit and cream milkshakes and I moaned about my single exsistence whilst mother told me all the reasons to not rush, 'learn from me' she said 'the right person will come along'...yeah mum, in 199never.

Next stop was too the 5th happiest place on earth, asides from IKEA, Costco, ASOS's nightwear section, and Subway at 1.30am after you've been out, reeking of vodka & red bull. Primrose Bakery is a tiny haven of cupcake and baked goodness. Located in Covent Garden, it's as cute as they come and you know it's good in there because you can smell the gingerbread loaf from outside. Today mother treated us to some cupcakes which included Malteser and Cookie Dough. She dragged me away somehow as my saliva slid down the cake cabinet displays.

 

Hungry right? I know, sorry. 

So then...and this is where it gets exciting, I went to see a musical that I've literally been dying to see since 2013. How this is possible I don't know, seeing as it only came to Broadway last year but you know when you have that deep intact feeling of 'for gods sake, make a musical of this so I can have my dreams fullfilled' well they made the musical, and godammit, they made a good one. Beautiful, The Carole King Musical is a gift from god and fuck, it was amazing. Yes I said fuck, emphasis on it.

I know it was that good because I've wrote a whole seperate post on it, but like don't read it if you get bored to tears because it's just me crushing hard on Carole king. Underline Crushing.

Check it out here! My Review of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

After the show, I went home where I was surrounded with yet more people on the tube with flowers and uncomfortable closeness and hand holding. I wondered if my inner introvert was just really acting out on today of all days or if I was just immune to affection? Still curiously wondering. 

It turns out spending February 14th, a Saturday, National Ferris Wheel Day (because thats's what it really is) with my mum was what I actually needed. As well as the cupcakes made of pure sugar and Jesus's love, the Greenwalls tins of Gin & Pink Grapefruit Tonic, an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a musical about an inspiring queen of music was the perfect v-day. V for Victory because these cupcakes were victoriously delicious.

Till Next Time!

Ellie

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Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

 

I know you shouldn't always say 'This was the best day of my life' because sometimes you should have higher goals, like you know getting married or being able to eat a 12 inch subway, so I'll say this was the best day of my life so far. 

I'm a little bit obsessed with someone. That someone being Carole King. Who? did I just sense someone say? Who? Oh just Carole King who's written over 400 songs, had her first hit at 16, made an album which stayed in the charts for 17 weeks in the 1970's and you know, is a music ledgend. I get why you may not know her, she was more of a 40's/50's/60's/70's gal but just happened to dominate music with her amazing melodies and her raspy mellow voice. I could gush over Carole all day, but first let me tell you about a musical, which was made about her life. THANK YOU JESUS.

 This is Carole. Glorious Carole.

A brief synopsis for you all. Carole wants to write songs, not be overly famous, just write down all the beautiful things she has to say and for the world to hear them, not teach like her mother suggests. Lucky for Carole she plays a song for a record producer who tells her he'll buy her songs and give it to another band, such as The Drifters. Carole is okay with this because all she wants to do is write songs and that makes her happy. Enter Gerry Goffin, who she later marries, who just also happens to be a lyricist and can fit his words to match Carole's melodies. Perfect right? They marry, kids come along, they sell hit songs and live blissfully.

Ah...if only it was that easy. They go head to head with their best friends and lyricist partners Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, who are equally as good as Carole and Gerry. The pair's roll out songs for The Shirelles, Bobby Vee, The Righteous Brothers and later, Dolly Parton. It's all well and good until Gerry, Carole's beloved husband, doesn't want to live the comfy suburb life with Carole and wants more on his plate than he deserves. I won't give much away but you see Carole go through tough times but eventually she picks herself up and writes an record which captivates the world, Tapestry.

Again, I don't want to spoil it because it all has to be seen to be believed and enjoyed. To start, the sets, costumes, the music is something I can't even go into without sobbing and overall, the actors. King is played by Katie Brayben, who is a gift. She is the pure essence of Carole and when she took her bow at the end, I felt myself getting choked up because I felt I was watching the real Carole King. Goffin is played by Alan Morrissey, who made me hate him but love him so much (at one point I even mumbled, what a dickhead, in a quiet theatre...yeah) but he makes up the expection I had of the pair. 

I just loved this show. I left feeling as if I had been watching the real Carole King sing through her songbook history and better yet, it was so accurate to her book she wrote. Every song she sang and every word was meant and this show just, well, there are not enough words to describe this triumph of a musical.

King is a extraordinary woman. Her talent is everlasting and influential, she is the eptiome of a humble person with an amazing gift. As Carole says, and I now live by:

You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel 

Thank you Carole.

http://beautifulmusical.co.uk/

 

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