Bea's of Bloomsbury - Afternoon Tea

I could get used to this Afternoon Tea thing...especially when having it at superb value!

Bea's of Blomsbury has been a hotspot for anyone who adores tea and all things baking since it opened in 2008, and it has sadly taken me this long to treat myself to a visit. Put the violins away I hear you say, so let's not dwell on my tardiness to the party, the main thing for me to stress is that if you haven't yet been along for a cuppa and lunch/a pastry/sweet treat, you are missing out! If you have been, then I'm sure you too have been won over by Bea's. 

It has a small and elegant interior with various dainty decorations and kitchenware and characterful crockery. It epitomises a tea party with a modern and charming panache.

Although you can come here for a variety of drinks and foods I went for the full Afternoon Tea for £15 per head (an option of tea and scones is available for £6 per head). They say their afternoon tea is their 'take on a British institution' and here's why. Firstly, we were each served three mini sandwiches with different fillings. There is an alternative if you are vegetarian.

The ingredients are fresh, and evenly balanced to enhance the flavours. My favourite was definitely the ham and brie sandwich which had a hit of wholegrain mustard underneath the ham.

There was no rush and once we had finished the savouries, it was time to bring out the big buns.

BAKED GOODS!

As the waitress placed the cake stand before us my heart and stomach leapt. Such a beautiful selection of crafted delights. On the bottom tier were scones with the strawberry jam and clotted cream as well as some passionfruit marshmallow. And the top tier was embellished with pistachio and chocolate macarons, meringue balls, brownies, blondies and blueberry and banoffee cupcakes. Heaven.

Most of my attention was spent on the moist banoffee cupcake which had a light cream frosting - rather than a butter or cream cheese - which offered the most sweetness; and the macarons with their crumbly pistachio shell and dark chocolate ganache. The scones were perfectly cooked and always a staple part of afternoon tea but the afore mentioned were particular highlights! I'd like to also point out that the meringues were spot on too, with a decent chewiness in the middle.

The rabbits on the cake stand were also a nice touch. You can just make out their little heads on the top tier looking like they're having an innocent smooch.

There was so much cake to be had that we couldn't finish it all. (I'm sorry). But the great thing is that you can take the leftovers home all boxed up and in tact. (No longer sorry).

There is a room available to hire for parties and Bea's of Bloomsbury also host baking lessons and special events. One of which is their Mad Hatter's Tea Party on 20th August with the promise of all you can "Eat Me" Bailey trifles, jam tarts, cupcakes and baked goods galore along with "Drink Me" tea. I'm sure it will be suitably jaunty!

A Little Pick Me Up

Along King Street in Ravenscourt Park, there are a number of great independent restaurants and eateries such as Lola and Simon (Argentinian), Indian Zing (Indian), Anarkali (Indian) and Saigon Saigon (Vietnamese), and among them is a bright little cafe called Upsy Daisy Bakery.

With a simple design of creams and yellows against white and blue crockery, there are no gimmicks, just clean cut food and drink. The produce is sourced locally and where possible are organic, including all of their wines.

On my visit for lunch I went for a bacon and avocado sandwich which had large sized coarse rashers of bacon along with fresh avocado, tomato and lettuce. The organic white bread was fluffy apart from the crusts which were, well, crusty.

I didn't opt for a pot of tea but with the range of green, black and herbal infusions - not to mention all the organic coffees - it's easy to be spoilt for choice. I just had a juice to take away with me. I was also pleased to spy on the menu that they offer cream teas and afternoon tea as well!

I also got won over by one of the cupcakes, the fudge caramel cupcake in fact. The smaller end of the scale in terms of size, but that' fine because the flavour was quite intense in the frosting as well as a little caramel ganache inside the sponge.

The service was friendly, helpful and relaxed as well. I think most afternoons it is probably acquainted with yummy mummies but there was a group of friends meeting up and a few singletons like myself with only one small table of mums and one child, so don't feel put off. Heck there was even an old bloke with a cuppa reading his paper. Although, he didn't appreciate me taking the photos of the bakery as he felt I'd encroached his personal space, and LITERALLY shooed me away - with hand gestures - which made me feel awkward! But I guess when you're not used to that bizarre breed of bloggers cropping up and taking snaps most places you eat out at, then it must seem quite alien.

So, if you're in the Hammersmith / Chiswick / Ravenscourt Park area one afternoon and fancy a little pick me up, then Upsy Daisy Bakery will sort you out!