Having recently learned about the Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea at The Milestone, I went along with my friend Tom Jones, author of the Tired of London, Tired of Life blog and book, to evaluate this new tea with its apparently masculine edge. So we found ourselves one sunny afternoon in the hotel’s elegant Park Lounge, which faces onto Kensington Gardens.
We were promised meaty snacks and savoury scones, complemented by whiskey or ale, as opposed to the usual procession of sweet treats and unlimited tea. However, we discovered that flexibility was the name of the game, since we were also offered the more traditional items at regular intervals as part of our decadent afternoon.
Given my limited sweet tooth the Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea menu was a godsend with the balance of the tea skewed firmly to the savoury side…
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Nonetheless, sweet options were always within arm’s reach to counterbalance the predominant moreish savoury flavours, and the equation was also altered by the alcohol (served in moderate quantities) which naturally made you crave the more salty items.
We opted for the flight of ales and were soon presented with 3 glasses; the Bishop’s Finger Strong Ale having the lightest texture and the Guinness Original being darkest. My favourite was the one in the middle – the malty Old Speckled Hen – which offered the best foil to the meaty crunchy treats on our middle tray. The whiskey menu looked tempting too and included a 14 year Scapa, an 18 year Glenmorangie and an Auchentoshan Three Wood which we decided to save for another occasion.
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We began to make inroads into the sandwiches, which had also been given a makeover to pack a little more punch – I was particularly taken by the ham and English mustard, as well as the cucumber and cream cheese with its amazingly wispy streaks of cucumber. Subtle attention to detail was evident everywhere – for example, the beef in the beef and horseradish was rare – not surprising in a hotel famous for its tiny noticeable touches.
The savouries included chicken lollipops, mini toad in the hole, mini Cornish pasties and an interesting mini Scotch egg laced with an enticing onion jam.
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But the biggest innovation arrived in the form of maple-cured bacon scones served with rich truffle butter which came to life when consumed with the stout…it was not for the faint-hearted!
The sweet treats brought back happy memories from a previous traditional afternoon tea at The Milestone and were more like desserts in the context of a meal rather than being featured as the “main course”, as is so often the case in other afternoon teas.
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I felt that the name may mislead as it could appeal just as easily to women and anyone wanting a different trade-off between savoury and sweet. I may try to lobby The Milestone to make it a permanent fixture filling a useful gap in the market among London’s best afternoon teas.
The Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea is available to both gentlemen and ladies until June 30th. Advance booking is essential and prices start from £39.50.
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Photo credits: The Milestone, LHI blogger Rajul.