Summer Garden Afternoon Tea, The Ivy, Winchester
Last week I headed into Winchester (with my 11-week old baby) to try the Summer Garden Afternoon Tea. It was my mums birthday, so her partner and I arranged to surprise her. My mum is gluten intolerant, so I’ll show you what the ‘normal’ afternoon tea is like vs the gluten-free offering.
Afternoon Tea at The Ivy, Winchester is served between 3-5pm. As we had baby G with us, we opted to eat at 3pm to ensure we were home in plenty of time for the bath routine (how things have changed!).
The first course of sandwiches and scones was promptly bought to the table alongside our glass of champagne. Our savoury selection included:
- Truffled chicken brioche roll
- Marinated cucumber and dill finger sandwich on basil bread
- Smoked salmon on beetroot bread with cream cheese and chives
I love that the cucumber and salmon sandwiches were served on flavoured bread. This made them seem a bit more special than your average afternoon tea and delivered a deeper complexity of flavour. I didn’t think I was going to like the beetroot bread but this sandwich was actually my favourite. All three were delicious and were a great way to start.
We then had two scones each, served with clotted cream, jam and fresh strawberries. When they were first bought out, I couldn’t help but think the scones were a little on the small side. In reality, they were more than big enough (I have eyes bigger than my belly!). They were also extremely light, which is quite unusual for a scone.
The Afternoon Tea really came into its own when the patisserie selection was bought to the table.
On the menu we had:
Lemon and raspberry doughnut with pink lemonade
The ‘pink lemonade’ was in the shot glass under the doughnut and was so refreshing. The little doughnut on top was light and fluffy with a delicious filling, although impossible to eat with the pink lemonade.
Vanilla meringue butterfly
This was my least favourite of the four patisseries. The butterfly on top was made from white chocolate, yum! However, I thought the ‘cream’ with the meringue was very sickly and there wasn’t a great meringue to cream ratio. It just didn’t do anything for me and I ended up leaving most of it.
Chocolate caramel flower pot
Not only was this beautiful to look at, but it also tasted heavenly. The strand of grass was made from white chocolate and there was a chocolate crumb over what I would describe as a chocolate ganache.
Pistachio nasturtium creme brûlée
I had no idea what ‘nasturtium’ was when I saw it on the menu, but a quick Google search reveals it's a type of flower. The name literally means nose twister or nose tweaker, because of their peppery kick. I don’t really think I’d class this dish as a creme brûlée, but it was delicious.
But what about the gluten-free option? The first course of sandwiches and scones was pretty much the same. Her salmon was served on rye bread instead and the chicken and cucumber were on standard gluten-free bread. The patisserie selection wasn’t quite as impressive to look at either.
- Top left - 'pink lemonade' but without the doughnut
- Top right - she wasn't really sure what this was, sort of like a custardy coconut cream
- Bottom left - frozen fruit (instead of the pistachio creme brulee, which I think was a very disappointing switch and seemed a little half-hearted)
- Bottom right - chocolate brownie
But what about pram access, changing facilities and breastfeeding? Pram access wasn't too bad as we had prepped them before our arrival that we would be bringing a pram with us, so they seated us at a table where we had plenty of space.
Changing facilities - very spacious and clean. The disabled toilet included a changing table and was easy to access.
Breast-feeding - I did feel a little bit uncomfortable, but not due to the staff I will say. I ended up switching places to feed so that I was a little less 'on show'. But it was most likely just in my head rather than anything.
And finally, I can't ignore the ladies toilets which are quite extraordinary (sorry gents, I believe yours are a bit plain in comparison). Can we take a moment to appreciate how beautiful the ceiling is? To be honest, the whole room is a sensory experience, but especially the ceiling! Incredible.
I'm really pleased that The Ivy were able to provide a good gluten-free alternative to most of the dishes on the menu. My mum really loved her surprise Afternoon Tea and she felt well and truly spolit.
(All pictures taken & owned by SistersDineOut unless otherwise stated)
