The Travelling Pixie in London

Alice in Wonderland Afternoon Tea @ Sanderson Hotel

On one fine day in March, Alice was sleeping under a tree, where she woke to find a White Rabbit rushing past her saying to itself, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’  Curious Alice followed the White Rabbit, and tumbled down the rabbit hole where she met The Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar and the Queen of Hearts.

We all know this story where Alice had the adventure of her life in Wonderland, but what we didn’t know was what The Mad Hatter had in store for Alice.  Sanderson Hotel has recreated The Mad Hatter’s afternoon tea amidst the London cityscape.  Situated in the heart of London, between Tottenham Court Road Station and Oxford Street, Sanderson Hotel’s interior decor is an escape from reality for city-dwellers.

As I opened the glass doors to enter Sanderson Hotel’s self-created Wonderland, a refreshing breeze swept across my face, revealing a beautifully crafted garden in front of my eyes.  As we were led to our table, a delightful set of crockery were awaiting us.  We started fiddling around with all the eccentric items laid on the table, we discovered the menu of the afternoon tea sets hidden within a vintage Alice in Wonderland storybook, cubes of sugar hidden within an enchanting music box and our napkins wrapped with a piece of paper with a riddle on it.  Soon after, our waitress presented us with a selection of The Mad Hatter’s 4 special tea blends served in tiny glass caddies – Strawberry & Cream, Mint Chocolate, Apple Pie and Rhubarb & Custard, as we gently sniffed in the aroma of the blends, the waitress explained that if we do not feel like having any of these tea blends, we do have the option of going for the regular tea selection.

As with traditional afternoon tea sets in the UK, The Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea Set is served in a three-tier tower.  Our waitress patiently introduced all the savouries served and then went on to introduce the sweets:

“Smoked Cumbrian Ham – with whole grain mustard on sun-dried tomato bread, Cucumber and Chive Cream Cheese on Spinach Bread, Cold Smoke Salmon and Lemon Butter on Dark Rye Bread, Egg Mayonnaise – with water cress and smoked sea salt on lemon bread, and a selection of our Daily Quiche.  Our scones come in both savoury and sweet, served with herb butter and fruit preserves with clotted cream.”

As we were all staring in awe at all the unfamiliar names of the sandwiches, our waitress went on:

“And for the sweets we have, Carrot Maringue – served on a bed of pea shoots, “Strawberries and Cream” Homemade Marshmallow Magic Mushrooms, “Tick Tock” Traditional Victoria Sponge Cake, Melting Mango Cheesecake, Matcha Green Tea and White Chocolate Mousse – served in a chocolate tea cup, “Drink Me” Potion, and a selection of jelly in our Jelly Wonderland which you can help yourself to at any time.  Enjoy!”

We dug into our fanatical afternoon treat, and enjoyed it to the very last drop of the “Drink Me” Potion.  We didn’t shrink after we drank the potion, but we did have a slightly bulging belly when we left Alice’s Wonderland.

 

Address:  50 Berners Street, W1T 3NG

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea: £38/person (minimum of two persons)

Mad Hatter’s Champagne Afternoon Tea: £48/person (minimum of two persons)

Mad Hatter’s Pink Champagne Afternoon Tea: £58/person (minimum of two persons)

Available to book via Opentable