Festive Afternoon Tea at the Marriott Hotel Birmingham
Although I’ve passed the Marriott Hotel several times before, I’d never actually been inside. So when I was invited to try out their brand new Festive Afternoon Tea, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who wouldn’t want to enjoy Afternoon Tea for Two with a Festive twist?
I had no idea of what it would be like as it’s a brand new thing they’re doing so my Mum and I excitedly went along last Friday to see for ourselves. Here’s how we got on:
Upon arrival we were greeted by a friendly member of the team and taken to a beautifully laid table which had been kindly reserved for us. A large table was covered in a clean white table cloth with fancy napkins laid out and a large window with an appealing view.
Once seated comfortably, a waitress offered us Tea or Coffee to start which came in huge cups which was really nice as often you only get a tiny tea cup which is never enough. I had a cup of Tea which came served with fresh milk in a rather cute milk bottle on the side which I thought was a lovely touch. My Mum enjoyed a Cappuccino which was again served in a lovely large cup which made her very happy. She loves a nice large cup of coffee.
After a short wait our Festive Afternoon Tea was served and oh wow, was it stunning!
Everything was laid out beautifully on a large serving platter, we were so excited. On the middle row there were 6 heavily topped baguette slices, two for each of us. One was topped with a chunky slice of Beef and topped with a sweet Cranberry Jam. This was my favourite as the two very different flavours served up together on the soft bread were just delicious.
The second one was a plentiful helping of Salmon served with a white sauce and cucumber slices. This one was very subtle but still very tasty. My Mum said this one was her favourite out of the three. The portion sizes were very good and I loved the fact that they were served on top of baguette slices instead of the usual sandwich which can get a little boring.
The third one was topped with a smooth sauce and slices of aubergine. It wasn’t my favourite but it was still pretty good. I felt there was a nice selection of toppings served up within the three that were on the platter. We both really enjoyed trying them all.
Next up we tried the gorgeous little square scones. Now these were amazing! First up I loved the fact that they were square and not round and secondly I loved that they were plain and not full of fruit as I don’t really like too much fruit in my scones. Another thing that was different is that they were served with an Apricot Jam instead of the usual Strawberry.
The scones were beautifully cooked and served still warm fresh from the oven. I’m a jam first kind of girl so I smothered my scone in jam and then topped it off with some cream and devoured the lot. There wasn’t a crumb left on my plate or my Mum’s as they were just that good. I’d never had scones with Apricot Jam before but I’m so glad that I did, it’s lovely.
Just in case the scones weren’t enough, the bottom layer of the stand was full of cakes and sweet treats. There was two of each like before but this time there was a piece of traditional Christmas Fruit Cake, a beautifully decorated Mince Pie, a chocolate mouse cup and a rather gorgeous little meringue snowman. Our first impressions was that every thing looked amazing! The beautifully crated meringue snowmen stood out the most and almost looked too cute to eat. I say almost as they were my first treat and I loved every bit of them.
Next up I tried the chocolate cup but have to say that as I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate, I didn’t enjoy this as much as some of the other treats. That’s OK though as I was feeling pretty full up by this point. My Mum was already full up and couldn’t fit another bite in. We didn’t want to waste anything so I asked the waiter if we could possible take the last few treats home to which he kindly agreed and wrapped them up safely for us to take home which I thought was really lovely of him. I’m sure my Mum enjoyed them later on at home with a nice hot cup of tea that evening. For an Afternoon Tea it was surprisingly filling.
As well as our food and treats we were also served a cup of warm Mulled Wine which was really nice. Both my Mum and I really enjoyed our drink. It was the perfect accompaniment to our Festive Afternoon Tea. We had such a lovely time at the Marriott Hotel and loved our festive treats. My Mum was so impressed that she now wants to go back with my sister so that she can do it all over again. I think that means she liked it, I know I sure did.
The Festive Afternoon Tea at the Marriott Hotel Birmingham is available now (from the 7th November) up until the 23rd December and costs £19.50 per person. If you’re looking for an alternative Afternoon Tea or simply a fun festive treat, then this could be perfect for you.
Disclosure: We were invited to enjoy a complimentary Festive Afternoon Tea for the purpose of this review. All the opinions expressed are 100% honest and entirely my own.
