Restaurant Week: Quay 7 at the Copthorne Hotel

Sometimes when I'm studying Restaurant Week menus, somewhere pops onto my radar that wasn't even on my food list (shocking I know!)   This time it happened with Quay 7 at the Copthorn Hotel after I'd read the rather lovely sounding selection of desserts.

The Copthorn isn't really somewhere that I've ever thought to visit, the hotel is on the Quayside but as it's beyond the Tyne Bridge I forget it exists.  We decided this would be the perfect time to investigate and make sure we weren't missing out on a secret gem.

Quay 7 sits on the banks of the River Tyne with a perfect view of the river, something the restaurant uses to its advantage with cosy tables for 2 lined up along the windows.  With your back to the rest of the dining room and views across the water these would be great tables for a romantic date.   We were happy to bag ourselves one and spent an enjoyable time people watching, although at that time of night we mostly saw running club speeding up and down the Tyne whilst we were sat about stuffing our faces with food.

Unfortunately the décor of the restaurant and the hotel, is looking a little tired and shabby, leaving it leagues behind some of the other big well known hotels in the area.  The restaurant is such a fantastic space and it would be lovely to see some time and love invested into it.

When we arrived the dining room was very quiet and peaceful which we found really relaxing and the staff were all lovely and very attentive which made for a pleasant experience.   It was so quiet that I decided to take photos on my iPhone rather than my intrusively noisy DSLR!  

The Restaurant Week deal was 3 courses for £15.00 so we made sure we were very hungry when we arrived.  It's not often we go for the full 3 courses so this was very much a treat.

Simon opted for the Lentil and Chilli soup to start.  It was thick and tasty but we were less than impressed with the uninspiring bread rolls and packets of butter. 

I opted for the Creamy Garlic Mushrooms served on Toasted Bloomer Bread and again I was a little disappointed.   The bread was so thin and looked more like a cracker.   The salad it was served with wasn't any better and was wilting on my plate.   My first thought when it was put in front of me was that it looked like something I could easily put together myself at home.

Simon chose the Tandoori Chicken Breast served with Onion Bhajis, Tossed Salad and  Yoghurt Rhiata for his next course.  

He enjoyed his meal and particularly liked the Onion Bhajis which were lovely crispy.  Again the presentation wasn't fantastic and we were a little bemused by the wilting salad and the yoghurt being served in what looked suspiciously like a ketchup carton from McDonalds.

I went for Supreme of Cod topped with Brioche Crumbs and served with a Cream of Pesto Sauce.  The presentation was certainly better than my starter and I enjoyed my meal although again wasn't really blown away. 

The best part of the meal was definitely dessert which we were thankful for as everyone knows that's our favourite course.   Simon had the Vanilla Cheesecake Topped with Warm Toffee Bananas.  The amount of toffee sauce would have made it too sickly sweet for me but Simon really enjoyed it and had devoured the whole lot in seconds.

My dessert was White Chocolate and Plum Tart, and whilst I couldn't really taste the chocolate, the fruit tart was absolutely delicious and easily the highlight of my evening.

We finished our evening in the best way possible with a stroll along the beautiful Newcastle Quayside.  At night the bridges light up in different colours and although I see it every day it still takes my breath away strolling along the water at night. 

Restaurant Week didn't really give us any new favourites this time round which was a shame, but we'll just have to try harder with our picks when it comes back round in August.

Splashing and Slipping in Style: Dressing for Winter

It was absolutely freezing in the North East last week with the arrival of an arctic Winter blast - I'm talking snow, ice, rain and wind so strong it knocks you off your feet.  Yuk!

When weather like this arrives, getting ready in the morning suddenly becomes a bit of a mission for me, as my commute to work involves pounding the pavements rather than snuggling in the warmth on public transport.   I do around an hours walking to and from the office every day and getting myself there in one piece can be a bit difficult when my feet are slipping along icy pavements and my hairstyle is getting ruined by sudden gusts of wind.

One morning last week, I caught a look at myself in the mirror before leaving the flat and realised how ridiculous I looked.  Dressed head to toe in boring dark waterproof gear, I looked more like I was heading out to walk the dog than going to the office.

So I've decided my Winter wardrobe needs a bit of an overhaul and I need a few pieces that are practical for the elements yet colourful and stylish. 

We all know the key to successfully dressing for Winter is layers.   It may be cold outside but it can be roasting hot indoors so I need an outfit that can work in any temperature.

My favourite way to layer in the Winter is to start an outfit with a long sleeved shirt.  They are fantastic under jumpers to add some extra warmth but still look great on their own if temperatures start to rise.

I currently own some rather dull looking shirts so I'm after something with a bit more pizazz like this  flowery shirt from Joules.  Joules have some gorgeous patterned shirts and seeing a beautiful flowery collar peeping out underneath my jumper would be a great way to jazz up any Winter outfit.  I'm particularly interested in this shirt as the pinks and greens also make it appropriate for Spring and I think it'd look really cute with a pair of white jeans in the Summer.



I'm a bit partial to a cable knit jumper so next on my shopping list is a lovely chunky jumper to sit over my shirt.  I tend to like my Winter jumpers big and baggy to hide those few extra lbs I've gained over Christmas.  This one from Oasis particularly takes my fancy.



My go-to wardrobe item over the Winter tends to be skinny jeans, not very exciting I know but they are the best way to keep your legs warm against the biting wind.   My favourites are the Molly jeggings from River Island, they're such a flattering fit and come in a wide range of colours.

After years of falling over on icy pavements I finally realised that wearing wellie boots in Winter is the perfect way to keep me upright.  I can happily stomp my way over any ice patches without falling over.  My current wellies are boring so I've got my eye on something a little brighter to see me through the dark months.   In my quest for eye catching wellies I've spotted these lovely floral print boots from Joules.

Of course no Winter outfit would be right without something to keep my head warm and  H&M have a lovely selection of knitted hats complete with compulsory bobble.    My collection of hats and gloves seems to be every growing but you can never have too many can you?  It's only right to have one in every colour to match every possible outfit.

Now for my current obsession! I know I've said before that Simon keeps trying to tell me I don't need anymore coats, however after I spotted this beauty in Joules I knew that I need just one more coat to complete my collection.  

Joules have the best collection of raincoats in a variety of styles and colours and I have fallen madly in love with this sailor inspired yellow waterproof.  I've tried it on and it looks amazing  - it makes me want to splash about in puddles and go on coastal walks.  It would definitely brighten up even the most miserable wet day.

I'd love to know if you have any tips for battling the Winter elements in a fun way!

This post has been written in collaboration with Joules.

Restaurant Week: Lola Jeans

Simon and I have been on a mission since Christmas to fight our festive fat and lose those few extra uncomfortable lbs.  Our fridge is full of salad, our evenings are spent running in the gym and every calorie is tracked.

So you can imagine how much we were looking forward to the first Restaurant Week of 2015 - we needed it!

Restaurant Week happens twice a year up here in the Toon, with many of the best restaurants showcasing their menus in January friendly deals for either £10 or £15. 

As a huge fan of eating out it is one of my biggest highlights of the year and as soon as the list of menus appears online I spend many an hour studying it - mouth slightly dribbling at the thought of all the wonderful food on offer.

We always like to take the opportunity to try somewhere different during Restaurant Week so our first dinner of the week was at the recently opened Lola Jeans.  I was there on Opening Night with lots of other local bloggers and after trying a few samples from the menu I knew I needed to return for the full experience.

The  Restaurant Week menu at Lola Jeans was one for burger fans with the tempting offer of two burgers with fries for £15.00.   Probably one of the best deals of Restaurant Week.

It's been ages since we've indulged in a burger so the anticipation of our dinner was high - we had both spent all day thinking non stop about burgers.  Simon even admitted that he caught himself muttering out loud about burgers in the office (apologies to Simon's colleagues!)

Lola Jeans is a stunning bar - a cute hideaway filled with lamp shades, chandeliers and velvet covered chairs.  The focal point is the large and colourful flower skull mural that adorns the back wall.  It's one of the most eye catching bars in the city.

We were shown a table near the door and although grateful to have a huge seat all to myself, perfect for spreading all my bags on I will say that I spent most of my meal feeling rather chilly.   The draught whipped round our legs and by the end of our dinner we were struggling to feel our feet.  If you are dining in Lolas in Winter, definitely ask for a table away from the door!

Some Restaurant Week menus can be a little bit on the short side but the menu at Lola Jeans offered us a wonderful choice of 8 burgers.  There were lots of great fillings on offer so we had some tough choices to make.

Simon decided to order the John Dillinger - a Burger served in Garlic Butter Brioche with Mozzarella, Neapolitan Sauce and Crispy Pepperoni.

Although he enjoyed his burger he wasn't blown away and decided that the Brioche was a little too much for him, especially with the addition of Garlic Butter.

I was after something a little different and the "Steve Jobs" jumped off the menu immediately.  Double Pork Patty, BBQ Pork Shoulder, Candied Streaky Bacon and Bacon Mayo served between two apple waffles.  Yes you read that right, a burger sandwiched together with apple waffles instead of bread.

It sounded like a bit of  a monster so I was a little worried that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.  I was relieved when my plate appeared and my burger was a normal burger size.

Ordering pork in a burger can be a bit of a risk, I always worry that the meat will be fatty - something that was in the back of my mind as soon as I took my first bite of Steve Jobs.  Luckily the meat was perfectly prepared, delicious and with no fat in sight.

The apple waffles definitely added an extra something to my burger, I loved the flavour combination although I will say that the waffles felt a bit too dry to eat with a burger.  The concept is awesome but in reality it didn't quite work.  

Our meals came with a portion of fries each which were served crispy.   I love my chips with a bit of crisp but these were a tiny bit overdone for my liking which was a shame as they had a lovely flavour.

 

I'm glad we got the opportunity to try out the food at Lola Jeans but we both left feeling that it's definitely more a place that we prefer for drinks.  The beautiful surroundings, friendly staff and fun cocktail list will see us return - I was really impressed with the "North East" inspired section of the drinks list and next time we visit I'm definitely having a Fog on the Tyne.

Let me know if you've been to Lola Jeans and what your experiences have been.

Afternoon Tea at the Cedar Court Grand, York

You may remember towards the end of last year I went to a Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea with a group of Yorkshire bloggers.  We didn't enjoy our experience and when we told the Hotel about our disappointment they very kindly invited us back to try a complimentary "Grand Afternoon Tea".

Super impressed with the fantastic level of customer service we all met in York last weekend and headed back to give the Cedar Court Grand another visit.

Afternoon Tea is served in a beautiful room overlooking the historic city walls of York.  I was pretty jealous of some of the young couples who had prime position window seats so if I were ever to go back I'm definitely requesting my tea with a view.

As there were 7 of us, we were never going to all fit round a window so instead we were sat at a nice big table with plenty of room.   The atmosphere was very peaceful, the silence only broken by the odd spoon stirring tea.  I'm not sure it remained quite as serene for the rest of the afternoon when we arrived, giddy at the promise of delicious food.

Picture c/o the lovely Simone

The Grand offers a choice of 5 afternoon teas including a Champagne Afternoon Tea, Gin and Tonic  Afternoon Tea and, as a lovely little touch, a Children's Afternoon Tea.

Sometimes I'm quite tempted to add something sparkly to my afternoon tea but on this occasion I stuck to the standard "Grand Afternoon Tea".

We were given a big choice of teas to choose from which I enjoyed reading through but as usual ordered "English Breakfast". Maybe one day I will be brave and try a different tea - watch this space!   We were each presented with a beautiful silver tea pot.  It was one of the more fancier tea pots I've had for an afternoon tea and I was so taken with mine I wish I could have brought it home with me.

Shortly after, big plates of sandwiches arrived.   I liked that they were brought out separately to the cakes, it meant there was more room on the table and I wasn't distracted by wanting to eat sweet things. 

We had five different fillings - Cucumber and Dill, Egg Mayonnaise, Roast Beef with Black Pepper Mayonnaise, Smoked Salmon with Soft Cheese and lastly Ham and  English Mustard.  The bread was fresh and the fillings were really tasty.   My highlight was the Black Pepper Mayonnaise that was served with the Beef, although I did find the meat a little tough.

After we'd polished off all the sandwiches and declined the very generous offer of more we were eager for the arrival of the cakes.

They took a little while to appear as the Chef was carefully preparing me my very own nut free selection.  The Hotel dealt with my nut allergy really well, asking me questions about what I could eat and keeping my cakes separate to everyone else.

This meant that I got my very own little plate of cakes, which I actually felt pretty smug about.  No sharing required - these treats were all for me!  I was quite tempted to dig into them with my knife and fork but then decided that might not be too ladylike.

The cake stands looked fantastic.  I always like a well presented afternoon tea with plenty to look at and this one did not disappoint with fun shapes and lots of variety.

Abiding by the afternoon tea rules we tucked into the scones first.  I always find scones to be very hit and miss in an afternoon tea but I'm very happy to say that these were spot on.  We had two each and they were the perfect size to ensure we felt spoilt but without feeling overly full.  My knife cut through my scone with ease to reveal a perfectly soft and crumbly centre. 

 

The cream was so thick it was pretty hard to get out of the pot but I just saw this as a fun challenge and thought maybe battling with jam and cream could be seen as some kind of exercise to justify my cake consumption!

 

The scones didn't last long which was fine by me as it meant it was time to tackle the cakes.

I was excited to get started as there were so many different flavours.  I started with the ice-cream cone - a rhubarb meringue sitting on top of a cone filled with custard cream.  I loved it, it was really fun and tasted lovely.

This was swiftly followed by a lemon cupcake which I wasn't overly impressed with.  It was very dry and the only lemon flavour came from a blob of lemon curd that held the vanilla cream to the sponge - very disappointing.

My main nut replacement cake was some squares of black treacle sponge which I really enjoyed.    I was very glad for the trade as the others had "Dark Chocolate Delice" which they said was very rich and sickly sweet.

My last pick from the stand was the Banoffee Pot.  The toffee was so sweet and thick - absolutely delicious but definitely finished me off.

It's not often that a cake stand beats me but this one defeated me and there were cakes left on my plate!  

The Grand Afternoon Tea costs £22.50 per person and is ideal for someone who loves sugary treats.  

Shopping the Online Sales

You may remember at the end of my Boxing  Day sale post (what do you mean you haven't read it?  Head over here immediately!) that I mentioned that I'd placed a cheeky online order after I'd been on a mission round the shops.

That was many weeks ago and I'm still yet to share my purchases with you, although in my defence my main package only recently showed up on my doormat!

I haven't bought any clothes for a while but was very quick to fall in love with the  most beautiful dress from Asos after it featured on I'm Being Erica.  I love the bright colours and the style - swing dresses are always perfect for eating cake in!   It was reduced from £20.00 to £14.00 and you can find it here.

My biggest spend was at New Look after I saw quite a few shoes I wanted in store but none were in my size.  Luckily there was still a large range of sizes on the web so I had a bit of fun on my laptop and a few clicks later had a shopping basket full of bargains.

I recently realised that my shoe collection consists of boots, trainers, sandals and fancy heels for weddings so suddenly I felt a need to add a few pumps to my collection.  They look great with skinny jeans and are perfect comfy footwear for the office.

I loved these patent black pumps with chain trim, reduced from £17.99 to £7.00 these were the first thing to fall into my basket.    Unfortunately they are no longer available but you can get the burgundy version here .

Next I needed some new knee high tan boots after my Dorothy Perkins purchase from the Autumn spectacularly failed and started making my feet rather soggy.   These beauties were reduced from £39.99 to £20.00 and are so ridiculously comfortable.  They are still available here with plenty of sizes in stock so if you are on the hunt for some cheap and cheerful boots, go go go!

Despite owning a lot of boots, I was on the look out for some brown ankle boots and was happy to find this pair reduced to £12.00.  Unfortunately they're no longer available.

Did I also buy a pink bobble hat just to have enough in my basket to avoid the delivery charge?  Yes I did!  It's a little snug on my big head but was reduced from £7.99 to £2.50 so  I'm going to make it work.  If you have a normal sized head you can get yourself one from here.

Let me know if you've had any good online sale finds - it seems there's still quite a bit out there!

My North East Story: I Dream of Coco

Welcome to a new feature for 2015.  Each month I shall be asking a different North East blogger to share their story of the North East.

You can expect lots more tips of fantastic places to visit in the region as well as maybe discovering a new blog to get hooked on.

First up we have Kayleigh from I Dream of Coco, one of my favourite local blogs.  I'm very lucky to be able to call Kayleigh my friend and her blog is very true to her - it's warm, friendly and full of adventure.

My  North East Story

When Chloe asked me to write January’s guest post for her new ‘North East’ series, I was so honoured I jumped at the chance. I absolutely love the North East, and am so proud to be a born and bred Sunderland girl! So without further ado, here is my North East story.

1. What is your North East Story

I’ve lived in the North East all of my life. I was born in Sunderland and grew up in Thorney Close; a council estate which doesn’t have the most amazing reputation. It was a nice place to live when I was little though and even now there are people there who watch out for my Mam; there’s a real sense of community.

When I got older, I fell in love with Durham. It’s such a beautiful city and my boyfriend and I always
wanted to live there, so now we live halfway between Sunderland and Durham in a lovely little place called East Rainton.

I love the North East so much and although I dream of what it would be like to live in London, or even Paris, I can’t really imagine life without my North East roots!

2. Why do you love living in the North East?

I love so many things about living in the North East but because I was born in Sunderland, one of my favourite things is the football. I was brought up around football, I have two older brothers and my Dad used to manage various local teams in and around Sunderland so it was inevitable that I’d end up loving it too.

I’m a massive Sunderland supporter (sorry to any Newcastle fans that may be reading this!) and I always love to go and watch Sunderland at the Stadium of Light when I can. There just something about the union of so many people cheering on their team; the atmosphere is electric! Here it’s not just football; it’s a way of life. I’m quite a girlie girl but I love my football, always have and always will. I sing, I shout, I cheer and I absolutely love every second of it! Ha’way the lads!

3. Where's your favourite place in the North East to relax?

I’m quite a home girl, so my favourite place to relax is usually our little house, but if I couldn’t go there I’d always choose the seaside.

Growing up, I used to always look forward to the school summer holidays for family visits to Seaburn and Roker. 

We could spend a whole day playing in the sand, eating chips and ice cream and playing in the arcades. I’ve always found the seaside such a comforting and relaxing place and now we’re older, Chris and I often take the dog to the seaside (it’s usually Seaham beach now though) on warm summer’s nights and share a bag of chips. Chips don’t taste as good anywhere else!

4. Recommend me some yummy foodie places in the North East

I love eating out and there are lots of places in the North East that I think are amazing, so I’m going to go for the more obscure choices hoping I can offer a new place for you to try!

Okay, the first is right on my doorstep, it’s called ‘The Olde Ships Inn’ in East Rainton and the food is absolutely amazing and so reasonably priced. The fish and chips are the best I’ve ever tasted (away from the seaside that is!). The fish is always freshly caught but be warned, you need a massive appetite to manage the portions! The inside décor is like that of a ships, but is super cosy with roaring fires and cosy armchairs. The staff are lovely too.

The second is the ‘Italian Farmhouse’ in West Rainton, a super cute and reasonably priced Italian which you can read all about on my blog here. 

The final two are cafes/tea rooms starting with ‘Serendipity’ in Sunderland which is my all time favourite pretty pink tearoom ran by my friends June and Robin, and 'Treats' in Durham, who serve slices of cake the size of your head (I’m not even joking!!). You’re welcome!!

5. Describe your perfect day in the North East

Although I haven’t really talked about it much in this post, my perfect day in the North East would probably be a days shopping in Newcastle City Centre.

I absolutely love the shops there, particularly Fenwicks and it’s the sort of shopping I can’t really do in Sunderland or Durham. It’s like a condensed London and great because it’s doable in a day.

Failing that, I always love a nice stroll around Durham in the Summer Sun.

I love the North East so much! Thanks so much Chloe for asking me to write this
post.

If you're from the North East, or maybe even used to live in the North East and want to share your North East story ... drop me an e-mail at newgirlintoon@gmail.com

Churros at Zapatista

Last Saturday we found ourselves in Newcastle hunting for cake.  Feeling slightly smug about walking the 45 minutes to Toon rather than catching the Metro, we were on the hunt for a big slice of something creamy and sugary.

Unfortunately looking for cake at 3:00pm in a city crammed full of hungry sale shoppers is never going to be easy.  Every window we peered through, we were met with full tables and empty cake stands.

We were almost ready to give up when we happened to stroll past the new branch of Zapatista, our favourite Burrito Bar, on Grainger Street. 

You're probably wondering how a trip for cake resulted in us in a queue full of people ordering Mexican food!  Well, as we were walking past we suddenly remembered that Zapatista recently added churros to their impressive list of food, and the promise of something hot and sugary on a cold January afternoon was more than enough to make us head for the door.

I'm not sure everyone would immediately think to head to Zapatista for a sugar fix so I'm here to tell you all about Newcastle's best kept secret sweet treat. 

For the fantastic price of £6.00 you can order a portion of Churros with two cups of coffee - bargain!  Unfortunately we weren't quick enough to see the sign and being greedy we automatically ordered a portion each which was probably a little bit too much even for expert food monsters like ourselves.

Churros at Zapatista come with a choice of two thick sugary dips - chocolate and lime or sticky toffee.  As we had two portions it only seemed right that we picked one of each ... so even though we left a little full at least I can report back on the whole Churros menu.

A hot sugary treat is best served with coffee and we were surprised to see that Zapatista also offer a good range of hot drinks. 

Happily clutching our trays of Churros and coffees we headed upstairs for the full Zapatista experience.

Much like the original restaurant, the branch on Grainger Street is splashed with bright coloured murals. Everywhere you look - the ceiling, the walls and even the toilets are decorated with vibrant pictures, making it such a fun place to eat.  

 

The Churros were just what we wanted.   Sugary, naughty and very tasty.  They were fresh and hot and the dipping sauces were the perfect accompaniment.   Although I loved the toffee, my favourite was the chocolate and lime.  I'd recommend you give that one a try if you go.

Sometimes it's fun to think outside the box when you're on the lookout for food and I think it's safe to say that Churros at Zapatista are a very welcome addition to the menu and a fantastic alternative to cake.

Note: Zapatista also obviously serve AMAZING savoury Mexican food, so if Churros aren't your thing you can see my previous review of the fajitas here

The View from the Shard

When I was living in London, I watched the Shard being built, slowly growing taller and taller until it left all of the other surrounding buildings in its shadow. Working in the City I loved the London landscape and had rather beautiful views of it from my office window.

The Shard opened its doors just before I left for Newcastle.  I was desperate to climb the 1016 foot building but was a little too busy relocating to buy a ticket. 

So on a recent trip to London I was very happy to finally get the opportunity to venture to the top of London's tallest building with my friend Lauren. 

There are a few ways you can enjoy views from the Shard. The Shang Ri-La hotel is situated on floors 34 - 52, offering spectacular views whilst you have afternoon tea or there's the Aqua Shard on the 31st floor where you can also drink and dine.  

For my first trip I decided to go all the way to the top for the full experience and we booked tickets for "The View from the Shard". These do not come cheap at £24.99 for advance bookings and £29.99 for tickets on the day. This is surely the world's most expensive tower to climb?

Once we'd handed our tickets over we entered the lift and began our journey up the tower.   Our ticket gave us access to two floors.  Floor 69 is completely under cover and also has a small champagne bar and Floor 72 is the highest you can go and is open at the top. 

Whilst there is floor to ceiling windows the whole way round the viewing platform, the roof is open so I should imagine it can possibly get a little chilly. Luckily for us the December day we visited we were blessed with Winter sun that kept us toasty.



 

The views from the top were incredible and on the clear day that we had we could even see the arches at Wembley Stadium. 

 

I loved seeing all the landmarks in miniature below us - Tower Bridge, the Eye and of course the City where my old office stood out next to the Gherkin as the only blue building!

Our ticket allowed us to stay for as long as we liked and we were up the tower for a good hour enjoying the views. 

To finish off such a lovely day we decided that afternoon tea was needed so headed to the London Bridge Hotel, a very short walk away. This is a great tea to do if you're climbing the Shard as you get a free glass of bubbly included when you show your Shard ticket.

Our tea was taken in the Quarter Bar & Lounge, which was a lovely space of comfy sofas and of course a rather spectacular Christmas tree.  

Unfortunately after being given our prosecco we were then waiting for around 40 minutes for our cakestand to appear. Not ideal when we hadn't eaten all day. 

When it did arrive shortly after we chased we were happy with how lovely it looked. Lauren is vegetarian and they bent over backwards to accommodate her by presenting her with her own plate of cheese and egg sandwiches. Add this to the collection of ham, salmon and cucumber sandwiches already on the stand and we had enough sarnies to feed a small army.

Our table was beginning to get a little full (tables are never big enough for afternoon tea!) which lead to bit of a mini disaster when the waiter knocked over Lauren's drink. The half drunk Prosecco went everywhere! But before it turned into an episode of Fawltey Towers he'd quickly mopped it up and brought her a fresh glass. When I joked that I might "accidentally" drop my glass he also filled mine up. Result!

The most disappointing part of the tea was our scones which were a little burnt. As a result they were hard and not all that tasty so we only had one each and made sure we'd smothered them in jam and cream to cover the burnt bits.

Luckily the cakes were far more impressive with Orange Chocolate Tarts, Macaroons and Mini Cupcakes.  Each one was delicious and the perfect size. Being an afternoon tea diva I did have to go and ask for a fork to eat my cakes with (they only had knives and spoons on the table) but I can forgive that as everything was delicious. 

The tea cost us £18 each which is very reasonable for a London afternoon tea. If you're thinking of visiting the Capital to climb the Shard, then make sure you follow it with a spot of tea at the London Bridge Hotel.