Christmas Science Afternoon tea @ The Ampersand Hotel

So its Christmas time, and its the one time of the year that eating all kinds of unhealthy food and stuffing your face is socially acceptable in all ways. This means one thing and one thing only, especially for a afternoon tea junkie like myself, its time to hit the best themed tea in town. After having seen a friend of mine already try and test this particular afternoon tea, i knew it had to be done. Myself and my Friend Mayumi, booked ourselves a table at the Christmas science afternoon tea at the Ampersand hotel. Normally its just Science themed however this festive time of year means they put on a special Christmas menu. For starters its important to mention how beautiful this hotel is. Its located right next to the South Kensington station, so its super easy to get too. The hotel was decorated with lots of lights and cute Christmas decorations, and when having afternoon tea, you are seated in the Drawing rooms, which has gorgeous decor, A good thing to note is that we booked during the week via, Afternoontea.co.uk which meant we received a glass of Moet on the house. Already things were on the up. After already consuming lots of bubbles we were given a choice of tea. I went for the classic Ampersand Breakfast tea, while May went for the Peppermint tea, both were enjoyed immensely. Stupidly i hadn't eaten that day, so by the time the food turned up i was ravenous, but it really was so scrummy. We were given a three tiered plate stacked full of food. The first tier was savoury followed by a plate of scones, and then a further plate of sweet treats. Not only did it taste amazing, it looked amazing too, and once the waiter had poured the white ice into the the little plate at the top, we had a plate of smoking science goodness. 

* The gorgeous tea station*

We tucked into the first plate which consisted of Smoked salmon blinis, Crayfish and asparagus on toasted bread, Goats cheese and pumpkin quiche and finally a roast beef bagel with horse radish (which really did have a spicy kick). After demolishing it all, me and may were both decided that our favourite were the blinis and crayfish, they were miniature sized so perfect little mouthfuls but so so flavoursome and delicious. 

Next we tucked into our plate full of scones, we had two each, so it was quite a mountain to get through, we ended up only having one each. I went for the plain one, and may had the cranberry and white chocolate selection. Not only were they both still warm, but both super delicious and not dry in the slightest. 

Last but not least we had the sweet tier to get through and this really was a mixture of all sorts. I was already quite full at this point, so i tried to get through as much as possible, but didn't manage to try it all. The plate consisted of a Christmas tree biscuit, Vanilla mousse with cranberry baubles, Spiced apple juice in test tubes, Salted caramel and chocolate tree brownies, and mini Christmas cakes with snowflake toppers. WOW right!! I didn't make it to the end as Christmas fruit cake isn't a favourite of mine anyway, however the show stopper for me on this plate was the salted caramel brownie, it was so yummy, rich and full of flavour. Neither of us were that sure on the mousse, it was quite an odd texture and the added cranberry's just weren't my cup of tea, but all in all what a scrummy little plate of goodness. 

* May fully respecting the tiny test tube of apple goodness *

Its safe to say we were so stuffed at this point we could barely speak, we were however given a little box of Christmas fossils hidden under a blanket of white chocolate snow. May had lots of fun with this, if shes reading she will know what i'm talking about haha! But it was a nice added extra to fit in further with the science theme. We both agreed that the savoury plate was by far our favourite. Every option was gorgeous in its own way in textures and flavours. I'd safely say i would love to return in the new year to do the classic science tea, which I've heard involves Rocket ships and dinosaurs, *squeals in delight*

I hope you have enjoyed this little insight to our Christmas science themed tea, its still available till the 27th of December, however it will be back to the classic tea after that which I've heard is just as good. Head on over to there website and check it out here. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Brunch @ Home

I am a big fan of brunch and breakfast, especially on a day off. I feel like its one of those meals we can forget about on a day to day basis, when we are rushing out the door with a piece of toast or banana in our hand. I know i for one am one of these people, which is why when i find i have the morning to myself and i'm not rushing to be somewhere, its nice to have fun with it. Now obviously the first thing that pops into my mind is lets go out for brunch, however i have found recently you can have just as nice food and just as much fun at home. Grab your kids or partner and drag them into the kitchen to create your perfect brunch options. Another perk of doing it at home, if you find like me your rota isn't so in sync with everyone else, brunch for one is so much better this way. The comfort of your own sofa and the company of the TV, is the perfect mix. Any way enough rambling you say and get to the food, well read on and ill show you a couple of my favourites.

Pancakes - Of course i couldn't talk about brunch and not mention at least one type of pancakes. Now normally i'm always a crepe style Pancake kind of girl. They are so super quick and easy to make, and it is near enough impossible to get them wrong. However recently i have tried to make the American style pancakes, slightly thicker and more dense. They take a little bit longer but boy they are worth it. Pair them with some mixed berries and a drizzle of syrup and you have a winner.

Ingredients

3 large eggs

115g plain flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

140ml milk

pinch of salt 

Butter for cooking

(to decorate)

Mixed berries

Golden syrup

Sprinkle of icing sugar

Recipe 

1. To start with separate your eggs. Yolk in one bowl and white in another. Take the yolks and add the flour, baking powder and milk to the mixture. Fold it all in together until it forms a thick batter.

2. Then take the egg whites, place a pinch of salt in there and mix together until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until it is all thoroughly mixed in. 

3. Heat your hob to a medium temperature and place a non stick frying pan on it to preheat. Pop a knob of butter in to the pan and wait until melted. Then take a teaspoon or two of batter and place into the middle of the pan. 

 4. Fry until air bubbles in the pancake show, then flip and cook the same on the other side. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been used. 

5. For toppings take a handful of mixed berries, sprinkle them on top and a little bit of icing sugar too. Take your syrup and add as much as you like to make them super sweet and yummy.

Avocado bagel - Now this next one is so simple it doesn't even need a recipe. For any of you that love avocado, this is perfect. Instead of toast i like to take a bagel, and pop it in the toaster. While this is cooking, i take my Avocado and once taken from its shell mash it in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. 

Once the Bagel is toasted and warm, with a tiny bit of butter, take the avocado and spread evenly. It might look like a mess but it sure doesn't taste like one. If you know you have to be somewhere but still want to enjoy your breakfast, this is the one for you. 

Smoothies - Last but not least, is the option for a breakfast smoothie. These work just as well when your on the go as you can easily take this with you, when in a rush. I however like to have my Smoothie in a cute little jar, with a striped straw just for fun. Now with Smoothies obviously any flavour or ingredients can be mixed together of your choice. This option is purely just one i have been enjoying recently. 

You will need:

1 banana 

Handful of blueberries

Handful of strawberries 

Handful of Raspberries

200ml Coconut water 

Little bit of ice

After chopping into pieces where necessary, take all of the ingredients and place into the mixer. Mix until smooth and pour into your chosen cup. Literally how simple, easy and quick. I promise you, you wont be disappointed, and whats even better is how super healthy these are. If you struggle to eat enough fruit or veg in the day this is a perfect way to sneak 1 or 2 of your five a day into your diet. 

So there you have it. Brunch @ home. These are just a couple of ideas to get you started but i am always trying new ones, so i'm sure brunch @ home 2.0 wont be far away. Hope you enjoyed reading and if you try any of these please do let me know. Whats your favourite brunch?

Thanks for reading my lovelies x