Afternoon tea is one of those things that adds a bit of luxury to a day and feels special, as well as being a fabulously indulgent treat. If you are a regular reader, you'll already know that I love baking and therefore afternoon tea is naturally one of my favourite things, because there are all kinds of perfect baked delights to try and share with your tea accomplices. So when Seaham Hall Hotel and Spa kindly invited me to try out their 'Duchess of Bedford Afternoon Tea', I was delighted and couldn't wait to visit them again. I took my Mum with me because Afternoon Tea is a perfect mother-daughter afternoon activity and is exactly the setting we needed for a lovely Friday to laugh, chat and completely indulge!
Seaham Hall is one of my favourite places in the North East. I have visited before to try out their Spa facility as well as their fabulous Ozone restaurant, a post which you can read all about here if you haven't already seen it. Needless to say I loved it and this time around was just as magnificent. When we first arrived, as we walked upto the hotel's main entrance we were instantly captivated by the whirl pool water feature which takes centre stage - it's a magnificent feature and a beautiful indicator that they have a first class spa facility as well as being a Five Star hotel.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly reception staff and taken into The Lounge, which is just adjacent to Seaham Hall's main enterance. The room overlooks the grounds of Seaham Hall so you can enjoy views of their garden, where we spotted many woodland animals from pheasants and grouses to wood pigeons. I immediately loved the ornate yet intimate and relaxing interior décor and our table was already set up for us, so all we needed to do was take our seats and decide upon which tea to try first and there really were an incredible number of interesting and unusual blends for us to select from. My usual tea of choice is Earl Grey, it's an absolute daily essential for me, but since I had the opportunity to try a new blend, I went all out and selected their 'Jade Sword' tea for starters, which is a delicate yet reviving, bright and fresh organic green tea. I loved how our tea was served in individual glass tea infusers, so you could literally see the brewing process. As a bit of a tea enthusiast, that's just one of those things that I really like!
The Lounge - the perfect balance of luxurious and relaxing. An ideal place for an afternoon get together with friends or an important meeting
When our afternoon tea stand was presented to us, it was absolutely one of those "Oooooh!" moments, as it was full of everything you'd want for a decadent afternoon tea. We had a fabulously diverse selection of treats to choose from, including homemade finger sandwiches with cream cheese and cucumber, baked ham and English mustard, smoked Scottish salmon and free-range egg mayonnaise. The homemade scones included fruit and plain and were accompanied by Devonshire clotted cream and butter, as well as Seaham Hall's house-made strawberry jam which was deliciously fruity and refreshing lemon curd. They were really light and fluffy, which is exactly how I like scones to be, and I loved the pretty icing sugar dusting on the top - I'm always very appreciative of attention to pretty details like that!
The desserts which were to follow were all made by Seaham Hall's very own pastry chef and oh wow they were sublime. We had a delicious selection of indulgent chocolate brownie, passionfruit and lemon meringue tart, rhubarb fool and carrot cake, which was my personal favourite. It had little pieces of zingy crushed freeze dried raspberry on top of a light and sweet frosting which was just a perfect combination which we both really loved. The whole atmosphere and ambiance of 'The Lounge' made our experience feel all the more plush and luxurious, and I can guarantee you'd know exactly what I mean if you paid a visit to Seaham Hall yourself.
Seaham Hall is renowned for being the perfect venue for private Afternoon Tea parties for birthdays, anniversaries and stylishly sophisticated pre-wedding girly 'get togethers'. They are also a perfect place to host baby showers, as their venue is absolutely beautiful and is sure to leave guests wowed and impressed.
Our 'Duchess of Bedford Afternoon Tea' is priced at £24.00 per person and the selection which you get is so generous, we actually had to take a couple of things home as we were super full with yummy delights! Plus you can have unlimited coffee, lattes, espressos or cappuccinos, as well as tea, and by that I mean sublime blends of Asia's finest teas that will capture your imagination and taste buds, not just the kinds you're probably used to - the classics are also available of course. I tried their Peppermint Tea infusion also and it was so refreshing and delicious. Mint tea is one of my favourites and their blend was completely divine. Everything was 10/10.
If you're after a bubbly afternoon, they also do a 'Duchess of Bedford Champagne Afternoon Tea' for £34.00 per person. If this wasn't even enough, they also have a bespoke 'Gentlemen's Afternoon Tea' (£24.00 each) which replaces finger sandwiches and delights with classic hearty alternatives, as well as a heavenly 'Chocolate Afternoon Tea' (£24.00 each also) which means, yup, you guessed it, there is chocolate in every shape and form, arranged beautifully for you to enjoy!
Seaham Hall; a perfect place for Afternoon Tea in County Durham. You can check out Seaham Hall's website here and their special array of different exclusive Afternoon Tea offers here too.
After our tea, we had a walk around Seaham Hall's gardens and beach terrace located just outside of 'The Lounge'. I can absolutely imagine sitting out here in the Summer with a glass of something fizzy and catching the best of the British summertime rays! Seaham Hall is located just a stone's throw away from Seaham Beach, making it an ideal place to visit either before or just after a stroll by the sea.
The luxury truly does begin as soon as you step foot into Seaham Hall's reception. I couldn't resist trying out their throne! A very fine interior décor choice. Needless to say I loved it!
Have you ever visited Seaham Hall before? Have you been for Afternoon Tea in the North East? (this is the place to go if you are planning to!) If you haven't yet, then I would absolutely recommend you do pay Seaham Hall a visit, either for their afternoon tea, spa, or why not both!? It's beautiful all year round and it was honestly a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with my Mum. The experience you'll have there will make you want to return time and time again for that little bit of magic. I know I certainly would love to! Bilgi x
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