Recently, I was invited to a Bloggers Afternoon Tea organised by Nicola King (East London Girl) and Nadia Evans (founder of Flavour Venue Search and one half of Mr. and Mrs. Flavour). For those who don’t know, Nicola is one of London’s top bloggers and an expert on the food and drinks scene in London. Nadia runs Flavour Venue Search and has years of experience in event management under her belt. She helps match individuals and event professionals to the right venues for free. Needless to say, their combined expertise meant we were up for some fabulous treats that afternoon.

The venue of choice was the Malmaison London hotel and we were to sample the Mal Afternoon Tea. The Classic Afternoon Tea costs £19.95 but they also do a Champagne/Cocktail Afternoon Tea (£27) as well as a Prosecco version (£25) for those who like to glam it up with their cuppa.

The building, located inside Charterhouse Square, was formerly a Nurses Home which has been converted into a stylish hotel with 97 rooms and suites. The hotel sits between Clerkenwell and Barbican and is an ideal destination for business or pleasure travellers. Their sleekly designed in-house restaurant, Chez Mal, serves up delicious steaks and other classics in true French brasserie style.

This was my first visit to a Malmaison Hotel and I was pleasantly surprised to see so much thought had gone into the interior design of this place. They are the original boutique hotel. The lobby is a permanent showcase for British contemporary furniture brand Hitch Mylius which is such a clever use of space. The wall of the entrance lobby has been painted by one of the top London graffiti artists Xenz, reflecting the topography of the outside.

We even managed to get a sneak peek of one of the bedrooms he transformed with his signature butterflies, squirrels and pigeons during Clerkenwell Design Week 2017, which was quite intriguing.

Soon the Afternoon Tea arrived, artfully arranged in a bespoke tiered stand. The speciality teas themselves were from Taylors of Harrogate.

On the bottom tier, we had my favourite section – the mouthwatering savouries. There was Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Cream Cheese Bagels; Egg Mayonnaise Sub Roll and Louisiana Slider. Everything was refined and delectable. I especially found the sub rolls pleasing; they came with the softest of brioche and were engorged with the creamiest egg filling. Vegetarian and gluten free options were available as well.

The top layer had an assortment of decadent sweet treats – Seasonal Cheesecake, Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownie, Bakewell Tart, Double Chocolate Cupcake and Seasonal Fruit Shake. This was more of a fun and playful tier, bending the tradition associated with Afternoon Tea with a nod to childhood indulgences.

We were also served a fine rendition of the all-important Fruit or Plain Scones, Clotted Cream & Strawberry Jam on a separate platter.

Malmaison’s mixologists conjured up some stunning-looking, kickass cocktails for us to accompany our afternoon delights.

The staff were friendly and jolly. Right from the first greeting to the final goodbye, we were warmly looked after by them.

The cherry on the cake (or shall I say scone) was of course meeting other food and lifestyle bloggers from the blogosphere and the Instagram world. We spent the afternoon happily mingling, chatting and learning from each other (over a cocktail or three). I always enjoy congregating with other like-minded individuals, bonding over our shared love of food.

The Malmaison served as the perfect backdrop for this interactive and indulgent meet-up of foodies. Most importantly, it introduced me to a brand where delicious design, delectable food and delightful service is at the forefront of a hotel’s vision.

Location : 18-21 Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AH 

More information can be found here.

N.B. I was a guest at the event.