Afternoon tea is not just a meal anymore, it’s an experience. From days out with the girls to an added perk on a weekend away, it’s all about savouring the delicate flavors and the small bites. In fact, it has become such a treat that many menus now change by the season to incorporate some classic or quirky edges to their offering. Here are some summer favourites.
Champagne afternoon tea, Sheen Falls Lodge, Co Kerry
It’s all about the bubbles in Kenmare this summer as Sheen Falls Lodge has partnered up with some iconic brands for their champagne afternoon tea. In June, they will be serving up Veuve Clicquot, a renowned champagne known for its consistent quality, tiny bubbles and white fruit and vanilla brioche flavours. In July, it’s all about the flavours of Bollinger, the champagne of choice of James Bond due to its rich character and well-balanced notes of biscuit and juicy green apple. If you’re planning afternoon tea in August, you can opt for a glass of Louis Roederer which has rich nuances and a smokey, spicy taste while in September, you can clink glasses of Lanson White which is zesty and dry, a great summer taste to end the season. These are all paired with the classic afternoon tea flavours served at Sheen Falls Lodge. One of their signature favourites is their smoked salmon with horseradish cream as well as their crab scented with lemon and lime, coriander and basil. They come served with an assortment of breads and freshly baked cakes, pastries and homemade scones with clotted cream, jam and lemon curd.
Classic three-tier afternoon tea with a glass of the monthly featured champagne is priced at €90 for two people sharing. Booking is essential.
www.sheenfallslodge.ie
NCAD-inspired afternoon tea at The Westbury
Located in the centre of Dublin city, afternoon tea in the Westbury is a real treat any time of year. However, throughout the summer, they are running a very artistic afternoon tea celebrating the work of the fashion designers in the National College of Art & Design (NCAD).
Developed by executive pastry chef at The Westbury, Ray Encarnacion, he fused the classic flavours of desserts and sweet treats with the students’s designs. The work of student Ciara Allen for example is focused on an impressive orange ensemble which influenced Ray to draw on the bold colour choice with a sumptuous pistachio Bavaroise, hazelnut sable and khalua fluid gel. Gabrielle Malone’s all-white creation, inspired by fishermen’s workwear and equipment translates as a delicate verrine made of white chocolate cremeux, passionfruit jelly, white chocolate and coconut-whipped ganache.
Dora Oduro Newman’s design encompassing an oversized black dress with dupion silk embellishment and rivet studs, inspired by her personal multicultural experience, led Ray to create a striking black and gold tartlet, made with cherry gel, peach custard and chocolate mousse.
It tastes as good as it looks and Ray says: “As a pastry chef, this was an extremely rewarding initiative to be involved in – challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Meeting with the designers in their NCAD fashion studio and choosing from their amazing creations, deciding which would translate best as a dessert was an unusual but exciting opportunity for me. There’s always a fine balance to be struck between how the cakes and pastries resemble the designers work, and how this will be interpreted by our guests. I hope the designers and guests alike are pleased with the end result.” Guests can enjoy the bespoke NCAD-Inspired Afternoon Tea, available for €55 per person, €70 per person with Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut or Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé. It costs €90 per person for Dom Pérignon Champagne Afternoon Tea. Advance bookings are advised.
www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-westbury-hotel
Afternoon Sea
If you’re a bigger fan of savoury then sweet, then Afternoon Sea is a must for seafood lovers.
Served throughout the summer at the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co Waterford, the Cliff at Lyons in Kildare and the Cliff Townhouse in Dublin, it swaps creamy cakes and finger sandwiches for the flavours of a sea breeze.
In fact, the only thing traditional about this afternoon tea is the three-tiered stand its served on which contains potted monkfish with toasted sourdough croutons, half a lobster, crab claws, a pot of mussels, Harty’s Oysters and Irish smoked salmon. As the pièce de résistance, instead of coffee or tea, you’ll be brought a cup of creamy lobster bisque to complete your Afternoon Sea.
If you’d like to add some bubbles, Afternoon Sea has found the perfect partner – a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut, a light, fine and harmonious champagne, made with a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from three different years and sourced from La Marne – renowned as one of the best champagne regions. The Brut Reserve has both a maturity and a touch of floral freshness, with aromas of fresh fruit and ripe pears. Afternoon Sea at Cliff Townhouse costs €40 per person or €55 per person to include a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut.
www.cliffhousehotel.ie
Galway Bike Buffet.
From the country’s greenways to city bikes, there has never been more opportunity to hop on two wheels to explore and celebrate National Bike Week. This weekend the westend Bike Buffet is happening on Saturday 22 June. To celebrate the food and cycling culture of Galway, the event is organised by Galway’s westend along with Galway Urban Greenway Alliance and Galway City Council.
Setting off from Ravens Terrace, you’ll head towards the NUIG campus to visit FoodSpace Ireland for your starter which looks to be the freshest of the fresh with all vegetables, fruits and herbs picked just from the local Presentation Primary School garden. Then it’s time to cycle to a secret location for an al fresco main course from Botown Craft Beers and Burgers. The cycle continues through Galway and will finish at Fr Burke Park with a dessert of whipped ice cream and fresh berries which will be supplied by the garden of the Presentation Primary School. Sculptor Donnacha Cahill will have a piece of his works at Fr Burke Park which will also be doubling up to play some tunes to celebrate the end of the event.
While many food events take place in the evening and sometimes can have an air of formality, this event is very relaxed and welcomes everyone from solo cyclists to families with young children. It’s a great way to expand young children’s taste buds and is sure to be a day out that they talk about long after they have hung up their helmet. The cycle is very doable so people of all fitness abilities can enjoy. Tickets are €25 per person for three food stops and to take part in the Bike Buffet.
www.roisindubh.net
Afternoon tea is not just a meal anymore, it’s an experience. From days out with the girls to an added perk on a weekend away, it’s all about savouring the delicate flavors and the small bites. In fact, it has become such a treat that many menus now change by the season to incorporate some classic or quirky edges to their offering. Here are some summer favourites.
Champagne afternoon tea, Sheen Falls Lodge, Co Kerry
It’s all about the bubbles in Kenmare this summer as Sheen Falls Lodge has partnered up with some iconic brands for their champagne afternoon tea. In June, they will be serving up Veuve Clicquot, a renowned champagne known for its consistent quality, tiny bubbles and white fruit and vanilla brioche flavours. In July, it’s all about the flavours of Bollinger, the champagne of choice of James Bond due to its rich character and well-balanced notes of biscuit and juicy green apple. If you’re planning afternoon tea in August, you can opt for a glass of Louis Roederer which has rich nuances and a smokey, spicy taste while in September, you can clink glasses of Lanson White which is zesty and dry, a great summer taste to end the season. These are all paired with the classic afternoon tea flavours served at Sheen Falls Lodge. One of their signature favourites is their smoked salmon with horseradish cream as well as their crab scented with lemon and lime, coriander and basil. They come served with an assortment of breads and freshly baked cakes, pastries and homemade scones with clotted cream, jam and lemon curd.
Classic three-tier afternoon tea with a glass of the monthly featured champagne is priced at €90 for two people sharing. Booking is essential.
www.sheenfallslodge.ie
NCAD-inspired afternoon tea at The Westbury
Located in the centre of Dublin city, afternoon tea in the Westbury is a real treat any time of year. However, throughout the summer, they are running a very artistic afternoon tea celebrating the work of the fashion designers in the National College of Art & Design (NCAD).
Developed by executive pastry chef at The Westbury, Ray Encarnacion, he fused the classic flavours of desserts and sweet treats with the students’s designs. The work of student Ciara Allen for example is focused on an impressive orange ensemble which influenced Ray to draw on the bold colour choice with a sumptuous pistachio Bavaroise, hazelnut sable and khalua fluid gel. Gabrielle Malone’s all-white creation, inspired by fishermen’s workwear and equipment translates as a delicate verrine made of white chocolate cremeux, passionfruit jelly, white chocolate and coconut-whipped ganache.
Dora Oduro Newman’s design encompassing an oversized black dress with dupion silk embellishment and rivet studs, inspired by her personal multicultural experience, led Ray to create a striking black and gold tartlet, made with cherry gel, peach custard and chocolate mousse.
It tastes as good as it looks and Ray says: “As a pastry chef, this was an extremely rewarding initiative to be involved in – challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Meeting with the designers in their NCAD fashion studio and choosing from their amazing creations, deciding which would translate best as a dessert was an unusual but exciting opportunity for me. There’s always a fine balance to be struck between how the cakes and pastries resemble the designers work, and how this will be interpreted by our guests. I hope the designers and guests alike are pleased with the end result.” Guests can enjoy the bespoke NCAD-Inspired Afternoon Tea, available for €55 per person, €70 per person with Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut or Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé. It costs €90 per person for Dom Pérignon Champagne Afternoon Tea. Advance bookings are advised.
www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-westbury-hotel
Afternoon Sea
If you’re a bigger fan of savoury then sweet, then Afternoon Sea is a must for seafood lovers.
Served throughout the summer at the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co Waterford, the Cliff at Lyons in Kildare and the Cliff Townhouse in Dublin, it swaps creamy cakes and finger sandwiches for the flavours of a sea breeze.
In fact, the only thing traditional about this afternoon tea is the three-tiered stand its served on which contains potted monkfish with toasted sourdough croutons, half a lobster, crab claws, a pot of mussels, Harty’s Oysters and Irish smoked salmon. As the pièce de résistance, instead of coffee or tea, you’ll be brought a cup of creamy lobster bisque to complete your Afternoon Sea.
If you’d like to add some bubbles, Afternoon Sea has found the perfect partner – a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut, a light, fine and harmonious champagne, made with a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from three different years and sourced from La Marne – renowned as one of the best champagne regions. The Brut Reserve has both a maturity and a touch of floral freshness, with aromas of fresh fruit and ripe pears. Afternoon Sea at Cliff Townhouse costs €40 per person or €55 per person to include a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut.
www.cliffhousehotel.ie
Galway Bike Buffet.
From the country’s greenways to city bikes, there has never been more opportunity to hop on two wheels to explore and celebrate National Bike Week. This weekend the westend Bike Buffet is happening on Saturday 22 June. To celebrate the food and cycling culture of Galway, the event is organised by Galway’s westend along with Galway Urban Greenway Alliance and Galway City Council.
Setting off from Ravens Terrace, you’ll head towards the NUIG campus to visit FoodSpace Ireland for your starter which looks to be the freshest of the fresh with all vegetables, fruits and herbs picked just from the local Presentation Primary School garden. Then it’s time to cycle to a secret location for an al fresco main course from Botown Craft Beers and Burgers. The cycle continues through Galway and will finish at Fr Burke Park with a dessert of whipped ice cream and fresh berries which will be supplied by the garden of the Presentation Primary School. Sculptor Donnacha Cahill will have a piece of his works at Fr Burke Park which will also be doubling up to play some tunes to celebrate the end of the event.
While many food events take place in the evening and sometimes can have an air of formality, this event is very relaxed and welcomes everyone from solo cyclists to families with young children. It’s a great way to expand young children’s taste buds and is sure to be a day out that they talk about long after they have hung up their helmet. The cycle is very doable so people of all fitness abilities can enjoy. Tickets are €25 per person for three food stops and to take part in the Bike Buffet.
www.roisindubh.net
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