Anything with the word chocolate involved turns my head, and even more so when it’s in the form of an afternoon tea in a hotel that’s called a palace.
The Strand Palace hotel is an independent hotel in central London, and they’ve got a brand new afternoon tea in collaboration with premium British chocolate brand, Love Cocoa.
It launched in May and runs until November 12 and combines British heritage with a modern take on the traditional afternoon tea.
Love Cocoa was founded by James Cadbury, the great grandson of John Cadbury, and with the Strand Palace a contemporary menu with an array of chocolate-inspired sweet treats with Strand Palace’s traditional teas has been created.
I went last Sunday afternoon with my boyfriend, and felt like I was in a movie.
The Strand Palace is located in the heart of London, right on the Strand, so even walking down the road to the hotel feels a bit surreal.
The hotel has a beautiful, grand entrance and is extremely classy and modern.
The afternoon tea room is a designated section off the restaurant, and has a chilled, relaxing vibe to it with mirrored walls and red interior.
The selection of sandwiches included Cornish crab and samphire mayonnaise on a brioche bun, truffled egg and chives on rye bread, honey smoked ham and wensleydale cheese wraps and a heritage tomato tartlet with whipped buffalo mozzarella.
I swapped my crab for an egg mayonnaise option from the children’s menu, and my favourite was definitely the tomato tartlet with whipped buffalo mozzarella.
The tartlet was relatively sweet, but it went with the cheese and tomato mix inside it.
The crown jewels of the tea was a selection of sweet delights, including an espresso martini brownie with Love Cocoa coffee beans, delightful pistachio macarons with Love Cocoa caramel popcorn and a sour apple marshmallow served with a Love Cocoa white chocolate shard.
The brownie was absolutely divine, and the espresso martini topping balanced out it’s sweetness, and I also really enjoyed the marshmallow where the sour apple flavouring did the same.
A scone with blackberry jam and clotted cream was at the bottom of the tower, and it came with a loose-leaf tea variety including Strand Palace classics such as White Peony with Rosebuds, Palace Breakfast and Covent Garden Blend.
The Strand Palace Afternoon Tea with Love Cocoa is offering a launch price of £45 per adult (£49 including a glass of prosecco) and £27 per child (up to 12 years), served daily from 12pm to 5pm with a last serving at 4pm.
If you love chocolate, you love afternoon tea, and you want a bit of a treat in central London, I’d highly recommend it.
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