Afternoon tea in the garden with Red Letter Days

There is no denying that the last few months have been hard for the children, missing out on so many moments they had looked forward to and so many events they had planned. From school trips to holidays away, class picnics to days out with the Grandparents, their worlds have been turned upside down and as a parent it’s been heartbreaking to see. So whilst we have been staying at home we have been trying to think of as many ways as possible to brighten up their days, to recreate the moments they were looking forward to and show them that, although it hasn’t been the year they planned, it can still be a wonderful one none the less.

So when Red Letter Days offered to send us afternoon tea, in honour of Afternoon Tea Week running from the 10th to the 16th of August, I knew it would put a huge smile on the girls faces as the school year comes to an end. Red Letter Days gave us some ideas with 101 ways to celebrate afternoon tea and yet when we asked the girls how they’d like their afternoon tea they simply said they wanted to wear their favourite “tea dresses”, put their hair in a bun “like they do on the telly” and eat it in the garden with some “fancy music”. And who am I to argue with that?

The Red Letter Afternoon Tea experience was easy to order and came direct from award winning Piglets Pantry down in Worthing, West Sussex. As a huge fan of afternoon tea my expectations are always high and yet as we opened the box when it arrived, on time and perfectly packaged, it completely exceeded them!

 Inside each afternoon tea box for two there are two scotch eggs, two cheese and chive quiches, a bag with two regular pork sausage rolls and two filled with cheese and pickle, two carrot cakes, one chocolate chip cake, a blueberry cake, another bag with two fresh scones, two pots of jam, two tubs of clotted cream and Earl Grey tea bags. And it all looked delicious!!!

I loved that each box contains full instructions on how to store each item as well as how to warm all savoury items and scones so that you get that oven fresh feeling as you tuck in. So whilst the girls picked out their best dresses I warmed up the oven and found a quiet spot in the garden for them to enjoy,

When I brought out the cake stand, packed with their afternoon team, the girls were so excited and before I had even placed it on the table they had dived in for a sausage roll and made a flurry of “mmmm’s” as their eyes grew wide. “These are the best sausage rolls ever!” Megan said, edging a second onto her plate!

The sausage rolls were perfectly handmade and even had edible labels to showcase which were the cheese and pickle variety which the children loved! With a chunky filling and soft, buttery pastry it wasn’t long until they had demolished all four.

Next up was the cheese and chive quiches and scotch eggs and, having enjoyed our own afternoon tea, I have to say the quiche was my absolute favourite. I’m not generally a fan of quiche but the filling was so flavoursome that they completely changed my mind! Megan, who usually refuses to eat egg of any kind, couldn’t eat hers fast enough and, had Eva not wanted to eat hers, she’d have eaten the second one too!

Despite their full tummies the girls were desperate to move on to the cakes and with so many amazing flavours it was hard to know where to start! As they spread fresh clotted cream and strawberry jam on their scones and tucked in you could have heard a pin drop, “It feels like we are back in Devon!” Eva said, and I love that sat in our garden in the middle of lockdown the children still have those memories which can take them anywhere in the world.

From blueberry sponges packed with fresh blueberries and thick creamy icing, to chocolate chip cake that simply melts in your mouth, every single part of the afternoon tea was faultless. I love that although every item was clearly professionally made and beautifully presented, it still had that lovely home made feel and taste which just added such a lovely personal touch.

I was amazed by just how much food you get in each box, with each of the cakes actually being large enough to share, and yet the girls amazed me by eating almost every last mouthful! For two children who insist they hate carrots and would never eat one willingly, they wolfed down those carrot cakes without a moments hesitation! “Carrot in a cake??” Megan exclaimed when I told her, “I think you’re winding me up!!”.

If you’re looking to host your own little tea party at home, treat the children, enjoy a date with your partner or just reward yourself after all of these months of home school, then we can’t recommend the Red Letter Days Afternoon Tea voucher enough. The girls adored their little garden party and it was the perfect way to make up for all of those lost moments in what would be the last week of school. I’m hoping that when we look back on this time in years to come, they won’t remember the things they missed out on but just the moments like these when all they ever really needed was each other.

** We were gifted afternoon tea from Red Letter Days in exchange for our post. All words and opinions are my own. **