Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea

A while ago Hannah and I wanted to take a friend out for afternoon tea for a birthday treat (we're totally selfless - honest!). We had a little look on the internet for something a bit different and came across this one at The Sanderson. Set just North of Oxford Street, The Sanderson is an ultra-modern, glitzy hotel, with an amazing long bar which I'll definitely be heading back to - word on the street is the cocktails are to die for.

But I digress - back to afternoon tea. The theme is that of the mad hatter's tea party: diners are invited to 'tumble down the rabbit hole' and be immersed in the utter magic that is Alice in Wonderland. The menus are hidden inside vintage books, the tea sets are specially designed for the theme with kings, queens, animals and clocks painted onto them, and the napkins are held together by little quotations.

Diners are presented with a three-tiered cake stand and a plate of sandwiches between two, although they will happily bring you more of anything if you run out. The sandwiches had fairly standard fillings (ham and mustard, cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon and egg and cress), but were cleverly rolled up into swirls. 

The best part was obviously the sweet treats though. There were scones, little bottles of 'drink me' potion which was basically lemon yumminess. There were also mini carrots made out of marzipan, marshmallow toadstools, matcha green tea and white chocolate mousse served in chocolate tea cups, and multicoloured mango cheesecakes. After all of this, we were directed to 'jelly wonderland': a trolley full of every flavour of jelly you can imagine.

Clearly this is not your traditional British afternoon tea (and goodness knows I love them!) but there was something completely enchanting about the Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea. It would be a perfect treat for little ones, but I can't see anyone not enjoying it. I would head back in a heartbeat.

The Sanderson - 020 7300 5588 - www.morganshotelgroup.com

50 Berners Street, London W1T 3NG