Red Rose Lounge - Havant

I love afternoon tea, in recent years have been a number that I have been blogging for some time in one of my throwback Thursday contributions. I mean, what is not to love about afternoon tea? many sandwiches with different fillings to try fluffy scones with different toppings, and cake galore! with the widest teesortiment they may be able to ask! so I was very excited when I was invited to an exclusive preview of “Le tea en Rose” afternoon tea in the sofitel st james hotel, highlighting the arrival of jump and the chelsea flower show.

On now and running throughout May is a new floral-inspired La Vie en Rose afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge at the Sofitel London St James hotel. I got a taste of this limited run luxury a couple of weeks back and very much enjoyed it. Here’s a waft of what made it such a treat for me. Maybe it was the harpist playing in the corner of the Sofitel’s comfortable yet elegant Rose Lounge? Really, where else are you going to find something like that around town these days? Or perhaps it was the chance to sip from a selection of the exquisite assortment of blends from old school French teahouse, Dammon Freres. I tried two: the especially well suited and fragrant Rose Bud and a more robust...read more

After having traveled all day, my husband and I decided to relax with a high tea at the Rose Lounge. The tea, scones, sandwiches, and pastries were all excellent. The portions were VERY generous. Our server, Tessa, I think, was courteous, charming, and attentive. The harpist was really talented. This was a 5 star experience. Coming from the states, where there is almost never any ceremony around a pot of tea, and if there is it usually involves only women, I found it fascinating that the harpist and I were the only women in the lounge. Also, the group we were with later in the week used the lounge as a place to relax in the evenings. It is an inviting setting to enjoy after-dinner drinks...read more

My favourite was the colourful Chocolate dacquoise with jasmine flower mousse and raspberry macaron. The mousse is delicate with just a hint of jasmine while the chocolate base has an impossibly light brownie texture.

Mum was in town visiting and so I decided to take her to afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge, Sofitel Hotel St James. I love taking visitors for afternoon tea as I can’t think of anything more quintessentially English for a Sunday afternoon treat. The Sofitel Hotel is a gorgeous hotel and epitomises the height of elegance. We only walked through the lobby and The Rose Lounge, but you can tell this is one classy hotel. The Rose Lounge is where the afternoon tea is held and it is as pretty as pretty can be. The space is cozy and quaint, although the tables are probably a little bit too small. But we loved the décor and thought it was perfectly decorated for an afternoon tea experience. The...read more