Penny Does... G&T Afternoon Tea

But the day got even better. My sister and I, to celebrate our joint birthdays, enjoyed the best afternoon tea I have ever experienced. Head Chef, Alan Paton has introduced the brand new Gin Afternoon Tea.  If you’re a fan of gin, partial to a cakes & a sandwich, then find any excuse or occasion to visit (I’ve heard Wednesday is a great reason to have gin)

We took our Afternoon in The Lakes Restaurant, overlooking the stunning grounds of the hotel. It’s the perfect place to sit back, relax and indulge in a spot of juniper based drinking. However, you’re more than welcome to eat and drink the bar area or The Gallery.

Recently, Stoke by Nayland Hotel, have paired up with Fever Tree tonics, and created a Gin Menu, alongside mixer suggestions.

It’s a tough decision, which out of the 11 gins we should try, but after much discussion I went for the classic Hendricks & Elderflower Tonic and my sister opted for the Ophihr Gin & ginger ale. Both excellent choices, I have to say.

My sister is wheat intolerant and has a gluten free diet. However, this wasn’t a problem from award-winning chef Alan Paton, who provided her with an equally amazing selection of gin-based goodies for her to sample. Many items on the Gin Afternoon Tea menu have a gin theme, as well as being as locally sourced as possible. The jam, for example, is made from strawberries grown Boxford Farms, literally 5 minutes walk away.

Our savoury selection included smoked salmon & lime with black pepper cream cheese on a granary croute, a delicious roast beef, with mustard and cornichons on white bread, a slightly curried egg mayonnaise roll & cucumber and citrus yoghurt sandwiches.

The sweets were out of this world. My favourite was the earl grey and gin gelee with a fizz rock. That really had a kick. But equally delicious were the pink lady cream buns (gluten free!) The jam served with our citrus peeled scones, were made with fruit from Boxford farms and with Bombay Sapphire gin and the butter made with junipers and cardamon.

If you’d like to take a look at the menu, then click here.

We cannot recommend the Gin Afternoon Tea highly enough. It’s the perfect way to spend an sunny afternoon. But it would equally be the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon too. To find out more click here.

About Penny…

With an ever-growing passion for fitness, Penny is our resident guest blogger. When she’s not juggling her busy lifestyle you’ll find her with her selfie stick!