As a little post-birthday outing a few weekends ago, myself, Leanne, Hannah and Sarah all made our way in to Liverpool City Centre to meet up for afternoon tea at the Tea Parlour. A very unassuming place at first sight, hidden above a shop on Matthew Street, you climb up a flight of stairs, guided by tealights, and go back in time, entering in to the quaintest cutest, and most beautiful set of tea rooms I think I've ever seen.
Intimate and cosy, from the eclectic mix of décor to the gentleman playing the piano as you enter, this is as far removed from a modern day cafe as you could imagine. It is more like going for tea at Lady Catherine de Bourgh's house than stepping out of the rain in 2016's Liverpool. Grand but not too overwhelming a setting, we were greeted and show to our seats, and I tried desperately to refrain from being constantly on the lookout for Mr Darcy.
As we sipped on a refreshing glass of elderflower water from our wine goblets, our waitress explained what the afternoon tea would entail. Firstly, a warming pot of Breakfast or Earl Grey tea (we all chose Early Grey,) then a platter of various sandwiches, followed by a selection of cakes.
Having chosen not to eat too much before our trip to Tea Parlour, I reached for the sandwiches with great gusto. You receive three fillings as standard - egg and cress, cucumber, and ham with Cumberland sauce - but then get to choose an additional sandwich out of salmon and cream cheese or roast beef and horseradish. The table was split, with Sarah and I opting for salmon, and Leanne and Hannah choosing the roast beef, but with one sandwich of each variety to go round, there was plenty to go around.
After a quick top up of hot water on our tea leaves, the cake arrived. And were we in for a treat! Two scones each, as well as a selection of tasty, cute looking cakes, ranging from éclairs, to a fruit tart, and a chocolate Guinness cake! The scones went first, but by the time we had indulged in the first serving of cake, we all suddenly realised that as tasty as the food looked, we couldn't eat another thing...
...just as the pianist started to play "Happy Birthday" and a giant piece of delicately decorated cake appeared and was placed in front of me. Tucking in to as much as I could, we distributed and boxed up the remainder of the cakes to take home with us.
Going to Tea Parlour was an exceptional experience, and for £20 per person you get what you pay for and more. The staff are attentive, the setting is warm and inviting, with an atmosphere that is always buzzing with excitement, and the food is just lovely. I already can't wait to head back there for another afternoon tea treat. And this time, there won't be any cake going home!
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