The Travelling Pixie in London

Afternoon Tea @ The Palm Court: The Park Lane Hotel – Sheraton

After the relaxing walk in Hyde Park with my cousin, we looked for The Park Lane Hotel, located unsurprisingly, on Park Lane.  As we entered The Palm Court, I was very impressed with the ambience of the lounge.  The Park Lane Hotel at first glance, appears to be a very old and traditional hotel, with a classical and vintage decor, but very spacious.  We were given a huge sofa seat then given the choice of the afternoon tea set with or without champagne.  We chose the tea set without the champagne, and opted for a pot of rose tea for my cousin, and silver needle white tea for myself.

The gentle melody of the harp suddenly played around us.  We turned our heads and to our astonishment, a lady was playing the harp right behind us.  The beautiful melody of the harp was in perfect harmony with the ambience of the hotel, and we slowly our tiredness crept upon our body.  We sank deep into the cushions of the sofa and began our 4-hour sister-catch-up session.

As we were finishing our first plate of sandwiches, a very friendly waitress came over and asked if we would like more sandwiches on the house.  I was rather surprised at this offer, as it is becoming rarer for hotel afternoon teas to offer a second helping of sandwiches free of charge. Having heard this wonderful news, I timidly asked for some more of the delicious cream cheese with cucumber sandwich.

To my surprise, yet again, the waitress offered to change our tea.  I expected them to just add more hot water to the pot, but she asked if we would like to change the tea selection.  With the opportunity to try another tea selection, my cousin asked for the Vanilla and Darjeeling tea, and I chose the rose tea.

When our scones arrived, we were presented with a selection of jam and cream – lemon creme, strawberry jam, pineapple puree and clotted cream.  We were then presented with 4 cakes for dessert (which I sadly forgot to take photos of) – Chocolate and Raspberry Cake, Fruit Tart, Mascarpone Mousse Cake and Lemon Cake.

This tea set and the ambience was perfect for the both of us as we’ve always preferred the savoury sandwiches of the traditional English Afternoon Tea rather than the desserts.  The composition of the savoury and sweets of this tea set was the perfect weekend afternoon retreat for the both of us.