Food, Days Out and Travel stories from Brighton, London and the Rest of the World

Friday

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton

I'm not exactly sure why it came to mind while writing this blog post, the part in the film Pretty Woman where Vivienne turns to her friend and asks where she should go to buy a classy frock in Beverly Hills. Her friend replies, Rodeo Drive, baby. In Brighton, if you're looking for sophistication, with regards to afternoon tea, it's got to be the Grand Hotel, all the way.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac



What I was hoping for was refinement, elegance, a traditional afternoon tea, no gimmicks, no improvements, just the real Victorian deal.

It had been planned as a special treat for my Welsh One's mother, as well as for us. With a shared love of tea drinking and sugary treats, we wanted to try out the very best that Brighton could offer.

The day W's mum and aunty arrived it was sunny and breezy. We hadn't told them where we were taking them, just that they should be ready to leave the house at midday. At midday, unprecisely, we walked along the seafront towards our destination chatting happily. Once we had passed the pier we crossed the road and it was only then when we were just outside the door that we told the ladies about our reservation.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


At this the door was opened by a smartly uniformed gentleman and we walked up the stairs to the very grand entrance of the Grand hotel and turned to our left.

Our table was waiting for us in the Victoria Terrace overlooking the sea. The table was covered with a crisp white table cloth and the room had evidently been recently refurbished. The colour scheme was a blend of a warm green, white and gold with decorative plant detail. It felt incredibly fresh and new.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


First, we ordered our tea from a selection that included a citrus blend I had never heard of before called, Blue Lady. The tall, rather heavy silver-looking and ornate teapots arrived and set the tone perfectly. The tea was loose with delicate strainers to hold over our tea cups. W chose the Darjeeling, referred to as the champagne of teas and loved it.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


Next to arrive came tiers of sandwiches and cakes. The finger sandwiches were delightfully simple and delicate. No crusts, just white and brown sandwich bread with traditional fillings. The best were the cucumber sandwiches but the ham, which was noticeably good quality, the smoked salmon and egg mayonnaise were very good too.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


The next tier was dedicated to freshly baked scones, with plain and fruit represented. Accompanied by clotted cream and jam they tasted very nice although they didn't stand out for me.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


The final layer is always the ta dah layer of an afternoon tea. It's at this point edibles become super fancy and we were not disappointed with the Grand's selection. To begin with, I tried the heavily hyped, on their menu, carrot cake. It had a very dense flavour with a delicate (I think) mascarpone and lime topping. Although I liked it I wouldn't have raved about it, however, my W's mum is such a fan of carrot cake that she's confident that she's tried every version available in Cardiff. This makes her opinion of much more weight than mine and she felt that the claims made by the Grand about their carrot cake were perfectly justified.

Foodie Friday - Afternoon Tea at the Grand, Brighton photo by modernbricabrac


Other sugary delights included a mix of macarons, mini eclairs and French pastries. There was so much choice we couldn't eat it all. But never worry, the lovely people at the Grand had a solution in the form of a pretty little box to carry away for later.

Our purpose had been to delight the ladies with a special treat and as W's mum was getting ready to leave she told me her afternoon tea at the Grand would be a memory she would cherish for ever. Job done.

The Grand hotel, 97-99 King's Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2FW

Click here to find out more details about the Grand's afternoon tea.

More tea?

Sarah xx


photo 
Sarah Agnew
Blogger, Modern Bric a Brac
    

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