A Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson.

When my friend B and I decided to go to London for three days, we knew we would try and fit in as many Afternoon teas as possible! In the end we only had two. 😉 And lunch out at a Cat Cafe. So we didn’t do to badly! By far the most quirky afternoon tea I have ever enjoyed was the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel.

The unassuming facade of The Sanderson.

Inside the Sanderson is modern and minimalist, airy and bright. To our surprise afternoon teas are served in an inner courtyard amidst a backdrop of greenery and water features. The effect is summery and tranquil.

I absolutely loved the attention to detail of everything about the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea. The menus were hidden inside vintage books, the sugar cubes for the tea came served in one of those old musical trinket boxes with a twirling ballerina and the black and white crockery was very striking!

We were invited by the waitress to smell the aromas of the choices of tea. I decided to opt for the Mint chocolate chip and B chose a more traditional breakfast tea. I got the mint but I couldn’t taste the chocolate!

Our food came served on an amazing three tiered cake stand topped with a teacup with greenery growing out of the top! The Mad Hatter must have prepared it himself. 🙂 My friend B had let the hotel know about certain food allergies that she has and unfortunately the sandwiches she was brought were less inspired and less in number than what I was given. I felt a little guilty as I set about enjoying my varied selection as she toyed with three rather boring salmon sandwiches. Never mind, there were also some lovely savory cheese scones to sample.

The desserts were deliciously decadent. And curiously kooky! We loved the Wonderlandy presentation and Alice inspired touches. Marshmallow mushrooms, a Victoria sponge clock and a vanilla mousse served in a chocolate cup were highlights. 🙂

I must admit this was the the first Afternoon Tea that I have tried , where I didn’t sample some of everything. I was so so full I couldn’t even manage a bite of the fruit scone and as tempting as ‘Jelly Wonderland’ looked, we both had to give it a miss. The fruity concoction in the ‘Drink Me’ bottle was very refreshing.

All in all we really enjoyed the ambience and presentation of our Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Teas though the taste was sometimes lacking in a couple of the savoury items. I would be quite happy to give it another go though, next time i’m in London. 😉