Tag: savoury treats

Afternoon Tea at The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Days Out, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, Restaurant, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

Disclaimer: We received the afternoon tea free of charge for this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Opened in 1867, The Imperial Hotel in Blackpool is a charming Victorian establishment steeped in history, having hosted notable guests such as Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne, and even the Beatles. This grand hotel, with its impressive entrance, sits proudly along the seafront, a true reminder of Blackpool’s Victorian heyday when visitors flocked to enjoy the therapeutic seawater and Turkish baths.

The moment you step into the Imperial Hotel’s magnificent foyer, you are transported away from the bustle of daily life. The wood panelling and grand staircase set a refined atmosphere, promising an experience of timeless elegance.

We enjoyed afternoon tea in the Palm Court Restaurant, where the restaurant manager warmly welcomed us and led us to a table with a stunning view of the sea. After introducing us to the menu, he brought us each a glass of prosecco and a pot of tea. Once the tea had brewed, a classic three-tier cake stand appeared alongside a savoury plate featuring a small cup of delicious soup, a mini tomato and mozzarella quiche with beautifully crisp pastry and a homemade sausage roll with cranberries and thyme, served warm with wonderfully flaky puff pastry which was absolutely delicious.

The bottom tier of the cake stand was arranged with a selection of finger sandwiches on white and brown bread, with fillings of maple-cured ham with grain mustard, egg mayonnaise with watercress, mature cheddar with spring onion and roast turkey with smoked bacon, red onion, and mayonnaise. The sandwiches, served on soft, fresh bread, were full of flavour and very tasty. They weren’t sparing with the fillings either, which always gets a tick in my book.

The middle tier presented freshly baked scones with an array of accompaniments -clotted cream and strawberry jam for the cherry scones, and onion jam and chive butter for the Lancashire cheese scone. This savoury twist was a welcome change, particularly enjoyed by my husband, who doesn’t have a sweet tooth and really enjoyed his cheese scone. The scones were excellent with the perfect mix of crisp outer shell and soft (but not dense) centre.

On the top tier, a beautifully arranged selection of bite-sized pastries and cakes awaited. We were treated to a lemon Madeira drizzle with raspberry gel, a banoffee tart garnished with crisp banana and chocolate shavings, a mixed berry mess topped with mini meringue, and a mini-Eccles cake with candied orange. Each was delightful, with the Eccles cake emerging as our favourite.

By the time we had sampled all three tiers, we were pleasantly full and content to linger and soak in the elegant surroundings. And, for those who can’t quite finish, the hotel thoughtfully offers to box up any remaining treats for you to enjoy later.

We really enjoyed our afternoon tea at The imperial Hotel and being in such lovely surroundings made this afternoon tea experience that little bit more special.

With Blackpool Illuminations in full swing, now is the perfect time to experience this iconic seaside resort. Treat yourself to a delightful afternoon tea, then stroll through the world-famous Illuminations – you won’t be disappointed! To add a festive touch, a Christmas-themed afternoon tea will be available starting November 25th. Or, make a weekend of it by booking a stay in one of The Imperial Hotel’s charming rooms.

Afternoon Tea is served daily from 14:00 – 16:30 and costs £20.50 for adults and £12.00 for children. If you are in the mood for something fizzy then a glass of prosecco can be added for an additional £5.00 per head.

Higgidy Snacks for Summer

camping, Children, Days Out, Family Life, health, Home, Lunchbox Fillers, snacks, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Snacking is not just for picnics anymore, the working from home culture means that more of us are not only eating from home but treating ourselves when we grab a bite between meetings or for the school run. Higgidy have an increasing range of snacking foods which appeal to all tastes and ages thanks to their variety of vegetarian baked goods, as well as sausage rolls, quiches and muffins.  We were gifted a lovely range (available in all big stores) to sample whilst watching the tennis, football and of course, sheltering from the rain this summer.

Starting with the Higgidy Beechwood Smoked Bacon & Mature Cheddar Quiche, this is a great lunch, snack or even dinner for the family thanks to the protein from the bacon and cheese!  The combination of the thick-cut bacon with the rich, mature cheddar lends it perfectly to a more substantial snack or as part of a bigger meal. It’s great for picnics, or for taking as a gift to a summer gathering where you can choose your portion size.   The quiche is yummy too with béchamel sauce in the mixture. 

If a large quiche is too much to handle then the Higgidy Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche (also with béchamel sauce) might hit the spot.  At 155 grams it’s more of a single serving for either lunch or a snack and can be warmed up or eaten cold.  I had this for lunch one day with some deli favourites, which work beautifully with the poppy seeds in the pastry of the quiche crust.  There are other quiches in the Higgidy range but I think the Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche is probably my favourite.

Onto the sharing snacks, and Higgidy do a lovely range of mini muffins, like these Mature Cheddar & Spinach with a pinch of cayenne.  These muffins are slightly lighter than quiches but have the same dough-like consistency of muffins, just more protein heavy. The Mature Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins are bite-sized and can be heated or eaten straight from the sharing box but with the spinach included, and the cayenne for extra taste, these are healthier than their flour-made sweeter counterparts.  They’re great to add to lunchboxes or to have as a sharing snack when watching a movie too!

The Higgidy range of rolls includes these Great British Pork Sausage Rolls and vegetarian Porcini Mushroom & Spinach Rolls. These packs of 6 mini rolls each have tasty fillings fit for any picnic and add something different that you can’t normally buy in the shops. The Great British Pork Rolls have the meaty centres where the Porcini Mushroom & Spinach have the mixture of mushroom and greens to give a slightly different edge to a British classic and which everyone can enjoy as they’re plant based.

Speaking of plant based, Higgidy also have a range of other vegan snacks which are widely available.  These are the Higgidy Cheddar Cheese & Caramelized Onion Rolls and Higgidy Sweet Potato Katsu Curry Little Lattices. If you haven’t tried the Little Lattice sharing range, these are filled pastry treats especially for sharing and have a pretty lattice pastry design on top so your picnics will look great too. I like these as after school savoury treats or to add to a salad or soup at lunchtime. The katsu curry taste is very different to other snacks on the market and the sweet potato makes a change as it’s not as dry as other fillings and has that sweeter taste too.  The Cheddar Cheese & Caramelized Onion Rolls are similar to their counterparts but the cheese is on top too, giving a crunch coating to add a little texture.  The sweet onion filling makes a great accompaniment to any meal or picnic.

There are more items in the extensive range at Higgidy but I think you get the idea of what yummy things they have out there for you to try.  It doesn’t matter that the weather isn’t great, you can still enjoy good company and snack on the go with Higgidy’s fabulous range!

Available in most big supermarkets, smaller supermarkets may have a limited range. See online for details of ingredients: https://www.higgidy.co.uk/our-food/