Afternoon Tea at Quince, The Mayfair Hotel

A birthday celebration

I can’t think of a finer way of celebrating a double birthday than by taking afternoon tea and a glass of fizz with good company. Back in April I did just that at Quince in The Mayfair Hotel for my boyfriend’s mum and sister’s birthday jaunt.

The Mayfair Hotel is plush and stylish throughout, and Quince is laid out in a salon style. We ordered a bottle of Prosecco as we arrived and enjoyed a glass in the bar area before moving to our table for the five of us.

We chose our various teas from the friendly and attentive waiter and these soon arrived with our two stands filled with loveliness.

Afternoon tea is such a classic tradition, so it was great to see Quince’s offering had a slightly modern twist in comparison to some of the places I’ve been to before. The layer of finger sandwiches for example, included salmon with cream cheese and chicken with avocado – traditional, but then a cheese with a spicy red pepper sauce and a smoky chorizo filling too, all of which were just lovely.

We each had an oh-so classic plain scone which came with the almost obligatory clotted cream and strawberry jam but also with an apricot chutney which was equally delicious. 

The sweet layer was absolutely beautiful to look at, and the taste matched the aesthetics. A tiny, delicate vanilla macaroon with chocolate cream, which was melt-in-the-mouth light, sat with a small portion of baklava – one of my absolute favourite sweet things. Both were fantastic. 

A little raspberry tartlet and a rich portion of unctuous, gooey chocolate cake completed the baked goods – I only managed a bite of the tart, which was once again excellent, but the chocolate cake was truly divine.

An additional sweet treat was included in the tea selection - a passion fruit panna cotta in a little shot glass. This was sweet but spiked with a lovely sharpness from the fruit – which almost worked as a refreshingly light palate cleanser – superb.

Our waiter really was a diamond – Claire, one of the birthday girls and the organiser, wasn’t keen on the chicken or salmon sandwiches as she doesn’t eat mayonnaise or cream cheese, and our waiter provided us with a few extra alternative sandwiches, at no extra cost, which was nice. But after ascertaining that it was a birthday celebration, as we paid the bill Claire and Tina were presented with a lovely little cake and a plate beautifully decorated with fruit and chocolate wishing them ‘Happy Birthday’ which was a really nice touch. 

We all received a little box of chocolates on leaving Quince too, which was a nice reminder to take home, and they certainly didn’t last long as they too, were exquisite.

Afternoon tea at Quince at The Mayfair Hotel is priced at £29.50 per person or you can go for the Champagne version for £41 and enjoy a glass of bubbles alongside your tea. We were quite content with another bottle of Jeio prosecco alongside our tea.

I would thoroughly recommend The Mayfair Hotel for afternoon tea – as well as fantastic service and great food, I think the price is quite competitive, especially given the standard.

A birthday celebration to remember – thanks to Claire for organising and here’s to our next celebration.