Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

While having a decadent breakfast of Eggs Benedict, coffee and mixed berry juice at the Covent Garden Hotel yesterday with the girls from Indigo PR, I found that the Ruinart and Miller Harris Champagne afternoon tea can now be taken in the hotel’s elegant Brasserie Max.

Following the success of the Ruinart Champagne afternoon tea at the Miller Harris tea salon, you can now experience the Ruinart and Miller Harris Sensory Tea in the stylish, cosy setting of any of the West End Firmdale hotels, including the Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel and Haymarket Hotel.

Spend the afternoon relaxing in the library, drawing room or brasserie with a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne, a pot of finely blended Miller Harris tea and a selection of delicate sandwiches and cakes prepared by Firmdale Hotel chefs.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne is perfect for the summer, with refreshing notes of citrus and white peach, and Ruinart Chef de Cave, Frederic Panaiotis, describes Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne as “like drinking liquid sunshine”.

To accompany the champagne, there is a selection of four teas created by perfumer Lyn Harris, including Thé Bergamot, Thé Bigarade, Thé Pétales or Thé Violette. I can personally recommend the rose scented Thé Pétales and the Thé Bergamot, a second flush Darjeeling that Earl Grey fans will enjoy.

Lemon cupcakes, peach and vanilla friands and raspberry tarlets were chosen to bring out the notes of citrus and white peach in Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and come with traditional cut sandwiches.

The Ruinart and Miller Harris connection is a story of mutual admiration that begun when Lyn Harris visited the Ruinart cellars in Reims and found parallels between their traditional methods of winemaking and perfumery.

The relationship between Lyn Harris and Kit Kemp is long established, with each of the seven Firmdale hotels providing complimentary Miller Harris bath and body products in all guest rooms.

Read my review of the Ruinart Champagne afternoon tea at the Miller Harris Mayfair tea salon and flagship store and see the photos of the scrumptious tea.

The Ruinart and Miller Harris Sensory Tea is priced at £35 per person and is available until September 2010. For more information, visit the Firmdale website.

On Thursday, I was invited to sample the Ruinart Afternoon Tea at perfume boutique, Miller Harris’ Mayfair flagship store. The afternoon tea has been running since October in the petite tea room at the back of the store and has proved to be so popular that it has been extended for the whole of December.

Perfumier and founder Lyn Harris seems to be a bit of a perfectionist and has toiled away, searching for just the right champagne and cakes to compliment her range of exquisite teas. She discovered that Ruinart was a perfect match when visiting their cellars in Reims, finding parallels between their traditional methods of winemaking and her own meticulous perfumery. She then searched for the right cakes to bring out the white peach and citrus notes in the champagne and Primrose Bakery was clearly the winner.

Ruinart Afternoon Tea

The tea room is small but perfectly formed, with four tables and seating, beautifully finished with Miller Harris’ signature print. We were brought a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne to sip while we selected our own pots of tea from the tailored menu, which consisted of Bergamot, Pétales, Fumé, Bigarade, Violette and Sauvage. I tried the Thé Bergamot, which had a similar taste to Earl Grey, but with a more aromatic flavour and seemingly less tannin.

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The champagne was crisp, citrusy and not too dry, making it very refreshing and easy to drink. A small plate of cakes accompanied the tea and included a peach friand, which tasted moist, fruity and home-made and two mini lemon meringue cupcakes with a tangy citrus filling.

The cake portions are relatively small compared to the mini banquets served at The Ritz and The Berkeley, but I guess the point of the Ruinart Afternoon Tea is that it is more of a luxurious pick-me-up, rather than hours of endless indulgence. I liked it that I didn’t feel too full to carry on shopping and have dinner and it is significantly more affordable too.

miller harris cakes

The service is relaxed and friendly but attentive, with the elegantly-dressed staff from the store also on cake duty. The best things is that afterwards, you can have a gander around the store and find Christmas gifts in peace, away from the madding crowds of Oxford Street – they really have me vexed this weekend!

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There is a seemingly endless range of candles, perfumes, lotions, soaps and teas, all presented in black and brightly coloured boxes emblazoned with the Miller Harris print. I was particularly impressed with L’Air de Rien, the oriental fragrance range that Lyn Harris created for French singer and icon, Jane Birkin. The collection is simple, light and effortlessly chic, and includes notes of amber, vanilla, oak moss and musks to give it that airy, ethereal feel. Plus, the perfume is much more attainable than an Hermès Birkin!

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The Ruinart Afternoon Tea at Miller Harris is perfect for a decadent mid-shopping treat with your mum or a girly catch-up with friends. It is priced at £19 per person and includes a glass of Ruinart champagne, a pot of tea and a plate of three Primrose Bakery cakes.

It is available throughout December from Wednesday to Saturday, 3-6pm at the Bruton Street store. Call 020 7629 7750 to make your reservation.

Ruinart and Miller Harris at Covent Garden Hotel

Afternoon Tea by Ruinart at Miller Harris