The Berkeley hotel

Sometimes an afternoon of luxurious pampering is just what you need – and where better to blissfully unwind than The Berkeley?

I was kindly invited by the girls at Farfetch for a spa date followed by the hotel’s famous fashion-inspired afternoon tea in the new look Collins Room. As a small group of six, it was a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and really enjoy this lovely treat.

Bamford Haybarn Spa

We met at The Berkeley’s Bamford Haybarn Spa and quickly robed up for a 25-minute neck and shoulder massage. I love Bamford botanical products and was pleased to have a choice of massage oils for different health benefits – I went for balancing, invigorating geranium oil.

My friendly therapist made me feel very comfortable and gave me the most blissful, effective massage. I left the plush treatment room feeling re-energised and supple – not wanting it to end, but knowing more was yet to come.

The Rooftop Pool

I’ve wanted to visit The Berkeley’s rooftop pool for ages, so I was delighted that my therapist told me that my fresh ginger tea would be waiting for me poolside. We spent some time chilling in our fluffy robes by the heavenly pool, chatting all things Farfetch, fashion and blogging. On warmer days, the roof fully retracts and there’s also a pretty, tranquil garden to enjoy the sun.

Prêt-à-Portea

Then, it was down to the Collins Room – The Berkeley’s bright and dreamy new dining room – for a leisurely Prêt-à-Portea. I first tried this heavenly fashion-inspired afternoon tea when Steven took me there for Valentine’s Day many years ago, so I knew it was going to be quite an event.

We started by selecting our teas and marvelling at the stunning table setting complete with bespoke china by Wedgwood, pink peonies and pretty lilac menus.

Sandwiches & soup shots

We were soon served a plate of tasty finger sandwiches and savouries such as red pepper and goat’s cheese chilled soup, carrot and cream cheese muffin and ceviche. Prêt-à-Portea curiously doesn’t include the typical afternoon tea staple of warm scones, but with so many different bites to taste, I didn’t really miss them too much.

Fashionable Desserts

The desserts really wowed us with their elegance, creativity and riotous colours. The beautifully-crafted selection of cakes, iced biscuits and elaborate mousses reference key pieces in the Spring-Summer 2016 collections by designers such as Balmain, Prada, Emilia Wickstead, Nicholas Kirkwood and Heidi Klein.

I loved the DVF bourbon vanilla cream and creme brulee tart and the super-light Stella McCartney tower of joconde sponge with pistachio and lime supreme, but my absolute favourite was the Christopher Kane neon chevron cake with yuzu and pineapple compote, beriolette and raspberry bavarois, topped with a yellow chocolate ring and apricot pâté de fruit. All of us were also charmed by the dainty red velvet Prada handbag that managed to be so tiny yet so rich.

It was rather fun to look up the pieces on Farfetch following our afternoon tea, as many of the designers feature on the website.

My afternoon of fashion and pampering at The Berkeley with Farfetch was such a delight. I was thrilled to finally discover the Bamford Haybarn Spa and Prêt-à-Portea was just as magical as I’d remembered – it’s definitely one for the top of your London ‘to do’ list.

Photos by Chérie City and The Berkeley

Earlier this week, the lovely Sheena Appadoo from Aramis invited me for afternoon tea at Yauatcha. Sheena keeps me in delightful scents and replaced my summer daily staple of DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom with the richer, Autumnal DKNY Women limited edition scent in gold and bright purple – I’m addicted already!

Back to Yauatcha, I’d already tried the macaroons from their patisserie and my favourite is the champagne flavour embellished with goldleaf, but I was excited to sample ‘the full works’ in the tea room.

Yauatcha

The michelin starred dim sum restaurant and tea house, created by Alan Yau (he who launched Wagamama and Hakkasan) looks more like a boutique from the outside and is an oasis of calm with low seating, blossom-embroidered banquettes and blue-tinted facades half concealing the kitchen.

There are three types of afternoon tea available and we ordered the Oriental Afternoon Tea for one (£24.50) to share, which comes with a selection of dim sum instead of sandwiches. I chose a pot of Darjeeling First Flush from a huge range of teas including blue, green, black and white tea.

The dim sum selection included a baked venison puff, char sui bun and scallop siu mai – the former two were tasty but unusually sweet. I’m always more excited about the cakes and they didn’t disappoint! There was a layer of sweet sandwiches – a bright pink rasberry and lychee jelly filling packed between layers of fine sponge and one with vanilla sponge and bitter chocolate ganache.

Yauatcha

The top layer resembled a mini version of the patisserie counter and included a rich chocolate macaroon, a lemon and cola tartlet, chocolate chip marshmallow, chocolate financier, a piece of shortbread and a shot of apple and kiwi mousse.

Just as I had worked my way through the sugary layers, then came two mountainous scones (one Matcha green tea flavoured and one plain) with a tray full of oriental jams and mascarpone cream – I was defeated! From other reviews, I’ve discovered that had we managed to wolf these down too, there were still flavoured marshmallows, mini chocolate slabs and truffles to come!

The service was unobtrusive and we were served at a steady pace, although this should be the case, as we went on a quiet weekday afternoon.

Yauatcha

The only criticism is that they won’t box up the left items to take away, due to ‘health and safety’. At many afternoon tea establishments like Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley, they package up what you can’t eat for you to munch on at home. It’s no biggie though, just take a paper napkin with you and drop a scone or two into your handbag, in case you get peckish on the bus.

You can of course go to Yauatcha for a simple pot of tea and a cake from the patisserie, but the Oriental Afternoon Tea is perfect for sampling a little bit of everything in exquisite surroundings and believe me, it’s more than worth it!

Yauatcha, 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho, London W1F 0DL

A Wonderful Afternoon at The Berkeley

Bamford Haybarn Spa

The Rooftop Pool

Prêt-à-Portea

Sandwiches & soup shots

Fashionable Desserts

Afternoon tea at Yauatcha