Localtrotting: Tea on the Thames

The great thing about living in London, or what I mean to say is that in the four months that I've come to live in this road rage capital, there is so much to experience aside from the reckless half-wit drivers you encounter every passing day who are determined to hospitalise you as you drive!

 On a lighter note, as part of our Eid together as a married couple (yup, more details on the wedding to come!), my family gifted us with an afternoon tea for two on the Thames! Now, me being me, I love my cottages, remote countrysides, period dramas, Louisa May Alcott, china teacups, homemade lemonade, Wuthering Heights and most importantly....CAKES. Call me pretentious all you like, but secretly (to the knowledge of most people) I love the idea of living in a picturesque cottage in Cornwall or Devon, fishing on the weekends and running my own vintage tea shop. I often joke with my friends that I was born in the wrong era.

So, on a sunny, slightly blustery day, the hubby and I decided to take the trek to Tower Bridge and embark on our tea for two! I've always loved the concept of afternoon tea, way before it became on-trend, and always thought of it as a very delicate and appropriate way to consume treats. Taking the hubs along, I was very interested in how he, being a consumer of large 'manly' portions, would take to this, and to my amusement as our platter emptied away, he looked around casually, trying to catch the attention of one of the waiters: "Time for a re-fill," he announced!

The selection of treats really was pleasant. We had requested the halal option and so were provided cheese with pickle (school lunch favourite!) and egg and cress sandwiches accompanied by nibblets of  goodness in the middle tray which I simply did not wish to share, and scones, clotted cream and jam on the top platter.

Hubs patiently waiting to tuck into treats as wife sternly warns no munching until adequate snaps are taken

As the picture dictates, the middle platter was definitely the highlight. I mean sandwiches are sandwiches really. They don't really get that exciting unless you throw in some cheese, a George Foreman Grill and dash of Worchester sauce... ta da! Grilled cheese...now we're talking! The scones were pretty standard, but the clotted cream was delish. Unfortunately, the jam was a little of a letdown, down to the lack of sugar me thinks. But hey ho, with all the rest of the goodies, you don't really need any more sugar, do you?

Sadly, due to the shortage of quantities, we diplomatically decided to split the mini-cakes and patisserie in half, allowing us both the opportunity to sample everything #MarriageEqualsCompromise

Difficult decision: who gets the bigger piece?

Upon eating eight perfectly sliced pieces of patisserie, we jointly agreed, that the macarons were our favourite. Hubs, having never eaten macarons before, was delighted at how almondy they were and even more so when he found out that macarons = almonds. Yes! A trip to Laduree.

Apart from scoffing our faces, being pleased with ourselves for drinking tea, and looking on in shock and utter disbelief at leftover treats on other platters, the sights were pretty spectacular as we cruised along the River Thames, admiring some of the top London attractions as we went.

The upper deck of the boat was also accessible to us and although it was absolutely freezing, the view was pretty spectacular.

Cruising along the Thames while enjoying afternoon tea was definitely a great experience! I can certainly see many more afternoon teas lined up in the future! So keep an eye out for more cake eating!!