Traditional Afternoon Tea, Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu
Mid-October we
headed into the New Forrest and made our way to the picturesque village of Beulieu and The Montagu Arms. The Montagu Arms has a special place in our
hearts as Emma hosted her wedding reception in their beautiful grounds. Based on
how magical and perfect her day was, we were looking forward to testing out a Traditional
Afternoon Tea.
Given its elegant build and serene setting, we weren’t surprised to see that The Montagu Arms offers a traditional approach when serving its Afternoon Tea. No odd shaped cakes with glitter and fuss, just traditional sandwiches and sweets.
Seated in the stunning panelled dining room with the country gardens opposite, you are transported to a place of relaxation and tranquillity. As you would expect, the service is top notch and the staff are impeccable with their manors and dress.
To start, we were offered a homemade pallet cleanser which was delightful, especially with a glass of Taittinger, the official champagne partner of The Montagu Arms.
Then on to sandwiches, which consisted of the classics:
All of which were perfectly suitable. The only thing I would say, and this is being very picky, is that the table seemed to look incredibly bare with just one plate of sandwiches.
On to the cake selection, which of course the part I was most excited about. Warm scones, homemade clotted cream and sweat jams. Pure perfection. However, this perfection did not continue through to the cakes…
Given my other half doesn’t like coffee and found the cream cheese taste of the other desserts too overwhelming, it was a really disappointing way to end the afternoon tea.
Sadly, I have to say I wouldn’t recommend The Monatgu Arms for an Afternoon Tea, which is such a shame given that we have eaten in their main restaurant and had a wedding reception meal there, both of which were flawless.
(Source : https://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk/)
Given its elegant build and serene setting, we weren’t surprised to see that The Montagu Arms offers a traditional approach when serving its Afternoon Tea. No odd shaped cakes with glitter and fuss, just traditional sandwiches and sweets.
Seated in the stunning panelled dining room with the country gardens opposite, you are transported to a place of relaxation and tranquillity. As you would expect, the service is top notch and the staff are impeccable with their manors and dress.
To start, we were offered a homemade pallet cleanser which was delightful, especially with a glass of Taittinger, the official champagne partner of The Montagu Arms.
Then on to sandwiches, which consisted of the classics:
·
sliced cucumber with cream cheese
·
free range egg with black pepper and chives
·
honey roast gammon with dijon mayonnaise
·
organic whisky smoked salmon with lemon and dill.
All of which were perfectly suitable. The only thing I would say, and this is being very picky, is that the table seemed to look incredibly bare with just one plate of sandwiches.
On to the cake selection, which of course the part I was most excited about. Warm scones, homemade clotted cream and sweat jams. Pure perfection. However, this perfection did not continue through to the cakes…
·
Carrot and walnut cake – once you scrapped the cream cheese off,
was lovely. Otherwise the cream cheese was just so overpowering you couldn’t actually
taste the cake
·
Passionfruit cheesecake – tasted of cream cheese, nothing else,
just cream cheese
·
Chocolate Tart (which tasted like mocha) – seemed to be a little ‘empty’
in the tart case.
Given my other half doesn’t like coffee and found the cream cheese taste of the other desserts too overwhelming, it was a really disappointing way to end the afternoon tea.
Sadly, I have to say I wouldn’t recommend The Monatgu Arms for an Afternoon Tea, which is such a shame given that we have eaten in their main restaurant and had a wedding reception meal there, both of which were flawless.
(All pictures taken & owned by SistersDineOut unless otherwise stated)
