So we went to have another Afternoon Tea – my all time absolute favourite thing to do, and eat, ever. It was really lovely. This time we went to the Ham Yard, which is a hotel but also has a restaurant that serves afternoon tea. We will be coming back here, for sure. 

 

Atmosphere

This place had lovely decor and quiet music so the hubby and I didn’t have to talk over other people on other tables. The tables themselves were quite large, which I appreciated, as sometimes I wonder how all the food will fit on said table.

The hubby appreciated that you don’t have to be overly dressed to come here, but we didn’t know that till it was too late. So I will keep the Ham Yard in the books if I really want to have afternoon tea, but the hubby really doesn’t want to put on a suit.

They had really cute plate sets. Oddly nautical themed, considering we weren’t actually close to any water, but I appreciated it nonetheless. 

 

Savoury

When we visited, the savoury options provided were:

• crab tartlets; 
• salmon; 
• chicken; 
• tomato chutney and cheese; and
• truffle croquettes. 

The crab tartlets were so refreshing, I could have had them for days. The bread used for the sandwiches were fresh, though the fillings weren’t overly flavoursome. At times I felt they focused too much on the bread and not enough on the fillings. 

The truffle croquettes were warm croquettes and the filling was very creamy. In fact, too creamy for me that I couldn’t finish it. The hubby happily devoured it though. 

 

Sweet

There were four desserts and when I saw the macarons, I was sold! The desserts sat on the top plate of the tier, waiting to be eaten. 

The first one I tried was an apricot tart. It was very refreshing and light, delightful, in fact. I hadn’t had apricots in a while, but I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet little treat. 

And of course there were raspberry macaroons. You simply cannot go wrong with macaroons. 

Next up was a raspberry cheesecake, we think, because of the raspberry on top. This was ok, the cheesecake flavour was not very strong, but I appreciated the extra fruit on top for decoration. 

The last dessert I tried was the chocolate choux which also had chocolate inside. It looked so good, but I felt it was quite sickly and again couldn’t finish it. The piece of dark chocolate on top was a nice touch, but I feel I’m not a fan of very creamy things. 

And of course to finish it all off there were raisin and plain scones with apricot jam, strawberry jam, and clotted cream. It was nice having a selection of jams, even if just a selection of two. The scones were still warm, as they were wrapped in tablecloth, which made them ever nicer to devour. 

 

Verdict

The atmosphere was great and the service was good. The tea selection was not very big, and unfortunately some teas had a supplemental charge, but they were very tasty teas. 

I appreciated that not all the savouries were sandwiches and do appreciate tarts. But I personally would prefer less creamy things, as I unfortunately couldn’t finish those ones. Loved the macarons, as always. As mentioned, I would go to Ham Yard again if the hubby isn’t feeling like putting on a suit.