Afternoon Tea .....

[Dancing Queen]

We always do afternoon tea on the ship in the restaurant and not the buffet and we have always been offered crumpets and toasted teacakes and the tea is proper tea from the pot and not a horrible tea bag thrown in a mug with hot water on it.

The Arcadia cruise was really the first time we had done afternoon tea in the restaurant,tend to use the buffet unless on Cunard but agree or should I say my husband would agree .. proper tea from a teapot which is what he has at home.

[Boris+]

Oh yes, definitely mit butter!

Jo - if time is going to be a bit tight we could always go in for a nice amble around and do lunch at Reid's I suppose!

What naughty thread!

It's very civilised though - once I was accompanying someone to a daytime function, and the person we were with was a bit nervous (proud and pleased but nervous nonetheless). Anyway, to try and dispell the angst I said maybe we should have a bet as to how many cream chocolate eclairs we could each get in our mouths at the same time. Ok, so it sort of worked up to this point, mainly because I had previously been to this particular place and had enjoyed cream chocolate eclairs which were not each one inch long (not profiteroles, CCEs). Fine, everyone was cheerful, and then we did the serious bit of the day, and then time for the aforementioned nosh. Wrong - I had encouraged the placing of bets on this activity - and what turned up???? Yep, you've guessed it - full size CCEs. I have never failed so badly and giggled so much at the same time. It was priceless.


Em

[oldbluefox]

Afternoon tea on Cunard is lovely but I prefer the 3 tier cakestand loaded with goodies rather than waiter/waitress coming round, lovely though they are. Buffet afternoon tea is never the same, especially if it's tea from a dangled teabag.

[Boris+]

Ooooooh no Mrs - I love a nice dangly!

Em

[Andrea S]

I know it is shameful but it does add to the overall taste.

[Boris+]

Andrea - what....... the dangly or the butter?

I take my tea so pitifully weak that it needs an ambulance, but the butter - oh yes please!

Em

[Andrea S]

Em, I had missed the dangly bit. It was the buttery taste if the butter.

[Boris+]

Hi Andrea,

Can't wait for the weather to improve, then we can do some stunning walks and deserve a thoroughly lovely afternoon tea!

Em

[gfwgfw]

Feel sadly left out of this tea tattle, no such thing in rural Darzet for such fallalery

[Andrea S]

Gentle Giant, I am very sure your good lady makes you a very nice afternoon tea. Much cosier that trailing out in the cold weather we have had.

[Boris+]

Hi Graham,

I bet there is such a thing in your beautiful area. Two bottles coming up then!

Em

[GillD46]

Giant Graham

When we lived in Dorset, the Wishing Well at Upwey used to do an excellent tea. But that was a number of years ago.

[gfwgfw]

Gentle Giant, I am very sure your good lady makes you a very nice afternoon tea. Much cosier that trailing out in the cold weather we have had.

The much beloved is a fine galley lady of many talents

Bakes the finest wild Rabbit pies in christendom

But afternoon teas are POSH - we don't do POSH in rural Darzet

Breakfast - Dinner - Supper keeps us going to a ripe old age, make no mistake about that

BUT, yes there is a but . . .

. . . . we both lubbed the oh so cosy afternoon scrumy tea dances in the arms of dear ole Ruby x16.5 times

Sadly soon to be scrapped

Do have a enjoyable weekend

Lubooo

[HK phooey]

Boris, even if I'd tried really, really hard I couldn't have made you up.

[Boris+]

Hi Helen,

I do have some truly amusing situations - and I embrace them. I believe that if you are going to look a fool - get on with it, go for it, no point sitting on the wall and wishing you had the courage to get stuck in.

Full throttle or nothing - well blast my boots and kippers!

Now then, with that in mind, and no matter which side of the ship we are billetted on - I'll be waving at you!!

So dear heart if you are ever asked the question 'who's that pratt waving at your part of the world from the wrong side of the ship?' now you have an answer.

Em

[Holiday Planner]

My mother and step-father are cruising for the first time next month (on my recommendation!). They are going with Fred Olsen, and so I've been reading the FO website to check up on what they can expect, and how it compares with P&O. Having recommended that they have afternoon tea at some point, I am surprisd to see that FO ask you to book ahead and charge £6.95 per head for traditonal afternoon tea. I hope P&O don't decide to go down this route too.

[Boris+]

I wonder - is this a situation where afternoon tea is served and is included in the price of the cruise and then they have a 'special' one (maybe with champagne etc) and this is what they are referring to?

Does seem a bit much to have to pay for afternoon tea on board.

Em

[Dancing Queen]

This was posted by someone on another forum .... it would appear afternoon tea on FO is available daily but the "formal afternoon tea" ( held on only one afternoon ) is the one you pay for, hope this helps.

Quote:
"We were on Balmoral in December (and had a wonderful time) - afternoon tea is available from the self service cafe, there was an assortment of different sandwiches ans rolls, cakes and pastries, and scones with fresh cream and jam. You can pick and choose whatever you fancy (but I strongly recommend the scones!). You can get a similar selection (but without the scones) from the Marquee bar on the top deck. This is available every day, but the "formal afternoon tea" was only held on one afternoon - this was waiter service, cake stands on your table and a choice of different types of tea - we didn't attend, we were more than happy enough with self service afternoon tea."

[Holiday Planner]

As I thought then - only the self service included in the cost of the cruise - that's a shame.

[wolfie]

To return to the original question.

Nothing, for us, could beat afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel in HK, it put Harrods to shame and we have enjoyed afternoon tea there a few times............as well as lunch. However, the standard at Harrods may have dropped as it was a few years ago.

[Manoverboard]

That reminded me ... friends recently advised that their ' Afternoon Tea ' at Raffles in Singapore was a great disappointment

[AngieT]

We always have afternoon tea at Bettys if we are in Ilkley, York or Harrogate - you can't beat the Fat Rascals!

Locally we can get a wonderful afternoon tea at the De Vere Hotel, Oulton, Leeds.

The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh does a lovely afternoon tea too.

Reids, Maderia is good but by far our favourite is Raffles, Singapore which we have visited 3 times(sorry your friends had a bad experience MOBY). You can choose between English or Indian menus - the usual sandwiches, scones etc with the English or tiny samosas, bajiis etc with the Indian - and it's cheaper than any afternoon tea at a UK hotel !!

[Manoverboard]

... ( sorry your friends had a bad experience MOBY) ...

So were they but their's was an excursion from a Cruise Ship so maybe they unwittingly had the ' Function Room Special '

[Boris+]

Hi Angie,

So, I got up this morning and opened this forum. All my intentions for the day were good, superb, sublime ( and then you had to lead me astray with the mention of Fat Rascals! Oooooh you naughty girl - and, you forgot the unforgettable Macaroons!

I must say though, recently at Betty's in York I had the most perfect chicken sandwich I have ever enjoyed.

I've now got Fat Rascals firmly stuck in my brainbox, and so it's going to be so very hard to behave today.

Last time I was in Betty's I did ask though, whether the CEO of Betty's would ever consider starting opening concession branches onboard ships!!!!!

Em

[Boris+]

I've had a look on Google Earth, and I can see that Reid's is just a pleasant walk (for us) away from the quayside in Madeira, so I definitely feel an urge to increase the 'cruise plotting and scheming activity'.

Em