Ampersand Hotel

Welcome to Scones on the Town, the second instalment of Scones of the Month for January (title courtesy of friend and artist Lozzy Bones). This section covers eating out with three afternoon teas and a cream tea. Part I Scones at Home reviews some delicious mail order/ take away scone options. This month I had the pleasure of introducing Dr Immy Smith to the Ampersand Hotel, which is a favourite of mine.

We were especially looking forward to enjoying their Science Afternoon Tea, as Immy is not only a very talented artist but also is a scientist and as we both love afternoon this was perfect. We had pre- booked our tea with afternoontea.co.uk (who incidentally were offering a January sale for all the afternoon teas featured on in this month’s blog post) and at the Ampersand we received a 25% discount on the full price of £32.50pp. The tea came with a tasty selection of savoury gougeres and our request for vegetarian options was easily accommodated. The large scones were served warm as part of the afternoon tea on a three tier cake stand. We had a white chocolate and a plain scone each. Both were delicious with the perfect scone texture as they are crunchy on the outside but very soft interior which just melted in the mouth. The white chocolate scones in particular are one of my favourite scones in London as they taste amazing. The scones were accompanied with generous portions of home made strawberry preserve and Devonshire clotted cream.

Science Afternoon Tea, Ampersand Hotel

The scones were served as part of the Science Afternoon Tea, which is just one of a regularly rotating themed afternoon teas offered by the hotel. The pastries were so cool and included a hazelnut, walnut and chocolate cake with mango mousse volcano (which magically erupted when it arrived) , very cute chocolate dinosaurs, pistachio macaroon, a citrus cocktail which came in a beaker with the measurements marked on it  and raspberry planet cakes (which was both our favourite cake as not only did it look amazing it had a ring of white chocolate around it). There was also a selection of tea to chose from, I had afternoon tea blend and the teapot was replenished. I’ve already featured the Ampersand on a few previous blog posts but to recap, the hotel, has a contemporary and quirky style and offers great service.

Ji Sun Shin, Head Pastry Chef, Ampersand Hotel

While we were enjoying out tea Chris Golding, the hotel’s Head Chef,  introduced himself and invited us into the kitchen to meet Ji Sun Shin, Head Pastry Chef . Although the kitchen was extremely busy (and very hot) we were taken to a quiet corner where we were introduced. Ji Sun very kindly allowed us to take her photo with her freshly baked scones. It was a real pleasure to visit the kitchen and share ideas about afternoon tea. It made the day extra special and I am already dreaming about visiting the Ampersand again soon.

Ratings:  Scones: 3,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Overall:  10/12

 InterContinential Hotel Park Lane

For my next afternoon tea Davide (aka Travelling Dave) and I enjoyed a Royal Tea, please note we are not claiming to be royalty, at the Intercontinential Hotel Park Lane. I had previously visited before for a cream tea so I was looking forward to returning and was delighted to discover they had a special January offer of £40 for 2 people instead of the usual £40 per person. We were first offered a cocktail, which was included,  and I had a non alcoholic one and then afterwards they served afternoon tea on a three tier cake stand. Very much to my liking the scones were brought out separately when we were ready for them and were served warm. We had two scones each a sultana one and a buttermilk scone. They were large and delicious with a soft interior. They were served with strawberry preserve and Devon clotted cream.

 Intercontinential Hotel Park Lane

Afternoon tea was accompanied with a selection of pastries and it was nice to see on the menu two of my favourites Battenberg cake and Victoria sponge were included. There was a choice of tea and I enjoyed some Assam and on request it was replenished. We enjoyed excellent service throughout our visit. The hotel is in a contemporary style and the Wellington Lounge was very comfortable and overlooks Hyde Park Corner. We very much enjoyed our visit.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/12

Andaz Hotel, photo by kind permission of Helen Langley

When Helen and I decided to spend the afternoon exploring the City of London, having afternoon tea sounded the perfect way to end the day. I had been wanting to visit the Andaz for a while and was pleased to find that the hotel had a special January offer with a 25% discount on the standard price of £29pp. The hotel was opened in 1884 as one of those grand railway hotels and was previously known as the Great Eastern and we dined in its 1901 restaurant, which was originally built as a ballroom and has a real wow factor about it. The hotel has a number of things which makes it very special so I've written a separate blog about it, but for now let me get back to telling you about the scones. The savoury part of the afternoon tea was served first and was followed by the scones and pastries. The scones arrived wrapped in a napkin, which ensures they remain warm. We had two scones each,  one plain and one fruit, and these were very tasty with a firm exterior while being soft inside.

Andaz Hotel, photo by kind permission of Helen Langley

The accompaniments were most impressive and one of the best selections I’ve had to date. On a separate plate there were small pots containing butter (which had thoughtfully been diced into small cube to assist with spreading) and clotted cream. However what we most loved was the  fantastic choice of strawberry jam, raspberry jam and orange marmalade. To be honest we were both unsure about the marmalade until we tried it and then we were hooked it was fruity and tangy and worked very well as an accompaniment to the scones. The service was exceptional and attentive throughout and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 3, Overall:  11/12

 J + A Café

My final review for this month is J + A Café, which is somewhere which has been on my must do list for ages. It’s one of those places you wouldn’t know was there unless you went looking for it as it’s a bit hidden away, which to be honest only added to its charm. It occupies a former diamond cutting factory and it’s surprisingly close to historic Charterhouse Square. On the opposite side of the courtyard area is the J + A Bar. It’s delightful find for foodies with the café serving a selection of homemade cakes including their legendary Chocolate Guinness Cake which has a rich, velvety texture and a weekend brunch menu. However returning to the scones…

J + A Café

J + A offer a cream tea which consists of a scone, jam and cream and a pot of tea of your choice for just £6, which is excellent value. The large scone came on a plate already sliced and was dusted in icing sugar. It was accompanied with strawberry jam and fresh rather than clotted cream. It had a firm exterior and a fluffy interior. Although it felt very light it was also very filling. I thought I detected a slight coconut flavour to the scone, which gave it a nice taste, but I was told my the staff that they were not aware that it had coconut in it. The café also offers a good selection of teas so I was able to have my favourite Assam. The café has a contemporary feel, service was very good throughout and I was delighted that they had Kate Bush playing in the background. This is a great find for anyone wanting something different from the usual high street cafes in the City of London or Clerkenwell area and now I know where is it I will be returning soon.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this bumper two part January issue so until next time…

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds. 

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