Sandwiches, cakes, scones and sorbets…
It was Mother’s Day here in the UK yesterday, and my sisters and I decided to do something a little different this year. My youngest sister booked us a table at 47 King Street West, an upmarket French and British restaurant in Manchester, for a champagne afternoon tea.
The British are renowned for being tea drinkers, but in my little family there are 50% of us that don’t like it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. A number of my friends have indulged in similar experiences at various expensive London hotels, but despite my curiosity it had always been something a little out of my price range.
We were greeted by the manager upon arrival, our coats were taken and hung up and we were shown to our table. Even though it was busy, it didn’t feel cramped or overcrowded, and the noise level was reasonably quiet for a busy restaurant. I hadn’t really eaten breakfast, and didn’t think that the food would be enough to satisfy my hunger, but I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. We were presented with a selection of beautiful sandwiches (salmon, tuna, egg, and hummus and olive) scones, cakes and sorbets, and we took great delight in sharing everything around. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, the staff were superb and, despite not being a champagne drinker, I discovered that it was delicious. I also decided to treat myself to my two favourite cocktails: a Mojito, followed by a Amaretto Sours. They were strong, and I found that after the second one I was feeling a little bit squiffy, to the point where my mother noticed.
Blurry, just like my eyes after those cocktails!
It was a wonderful afternoon. After years of being estranged from each other in various different ways and resolving our issues towards the end of last year, this was the first Mother’s Day in that we all spent together and genuinely enjoyed each others company. We talked, we laughed, we ate lots of beautiful food and had a really good time. I left afterwards to catch a train home, and my sisters took my mother shopping for a present.
It is certainly something that I would consider doing again, although perhaps I’d go a little easier on the cocktails next time… Or then again, who could resist this:
A yummy Mojito
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Lovely š
Thank you!
Reblogged this on The Pretty Canary.
Thank you for the reblog!
What a lovely post. š
Thanks Dina!
Enjoyed afternoon tea here just before Christmas! Lovely place with reasonable prices! Glad you enjoyed yourselves!
I agree! It’s certainly somewhere that I would go again!
Tea is so fun to do once in a while. We had tea at the Ritz here in Montreal to celebrate my sister’s engagement last Saturday. I’m glad you enjoyed it š
Aww that sounds beautiful… And posh!
Sounds like you ladies had a lot of fun–this post was a lot of fun to read š
Thank you very much! We had a lovely time!
Sounds like a lovely time.
We certainly did!
I think I need to come visit you and your lovely family next Mother’s Day. O,O
Haha! Thanks Ron!
Always good when there is a wee drink involved. Wow, you all look so alike and if that’s your mum on the left I would probs mistake her for an older sister!
Well you’re now in my mums good books haha! I’m not going to reveal her age, but she certainly is doing well on the youthful looks! She spends a fortune on expensive face creams and all that crap, but it’s genetic – my grandma was the same. I took her out with my friends to a club and she got ID’d and I didn’t. Nice. To be fair, if I can age half as well as she has I’ll be very happy!
Some might call her a Milf…you all look similar except for one of your sisters who looks different. Not different in a bad way lol just doesn’t have the same look
Haha! I’d rather not think of my mum like that, but thanks! My middle sister looks just like me dad, whereas me and the youngest one look just like my mum. The middle one is a bit of a gym bunny too, which the rest of us aren’t!
I too was out of favour with my family for a while. It makes you appreciate when the wrinkles get ironed out and you can enjoy each other once more. Belated Happy Mothers day.
Thanks Tric! I wasn’t out of favour as such, it was more of a personality clash between a few of us, but I’m so glad that it has sorted itself out now!
So sweet. And your mother is beautiful.
Thank you! I agree!
What a lovely afternoon! My afternoon tea includes staring at the Keurig machine, silently cursing the 2 minutes it takes to brew. Thanks for reminding me to slow down.
Haha! Thank you – I’m glad it helped!
I’m sure that this was the best gift your mother could ever receive…her girls having fun and being together. āŗļø
Thanks so much Deb. I totally agree – she used to dread any gatherings we would have because of the issues we had against each other, but it’s going so much better now, just as I think she hoped it would…
That’s a lovely way to spend the day. Family, conversations and some memories made! š
Absolutely! Thanks!
Sounds wonderful. I love afternoon tea. I have not found a place here that serves a proper tea, and yours sounds so lovely. I am certain your Mom loved it.
Thanks my lovely – she certainly did. I’d never experienced anything like this before, but I’d certainly do it again!
Do you have the intoxicating tea parties or is this just a Scottish thing? been to one,did get home in daylight hours,majority don’t (all day bender). Always think its very “Wimbledon”!
Intoxicating tea parties? What are they?
A posh excuse to drink basically, the one I went too( charity doo) we had Prosecco (plenty of), accompanied with the whole afternoon tea. Sometimes its teapots fueled with alcohol. I like a drink but its an evening pursuit for me!
Haha! Sounds pretty much like what I did – I was the only one drinking cocktails haha!
And there is your new career challenge, introducing Intoxicating Tea Parties south of the border!
That sounds like an awesome job…
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