Jubilee Afternoon Tea at Taj51 Buckingham Gate.

Recently I was invited to experience the new Jubilee Afternoon Tea at the luxury Taj51 Buckingham Gate ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June. The Jubilee afternoon tea has been created to guide you through her majesty’s royal journey up until the present day, and is a full immersion into Queen Elizabeth’s life, featuring intricately designed pastries and scrumptious savoury treats! The afternoon tea was really lovely, and I can’t wait to show you how they incorporated Liz’s life into the food and drink…

The Jubilee afternoon tea started out a rather extravagant affair, as CMK and I were sat in our own private room, and our table set out with jewels, a crown, and a luxurious purple and gold table runner. The champagne arrived, and we chose our teas. The choice was between the ‘Majestic’ (a spicy, malty Assam) and the ‘Regal’ (a fragrant Earl Grey) as these two teas are said to be the Queen’s favourite blends. I actually went off-piste and opted for a fruity tea on the main afternoon tea meny, while CMK opted for the ‘Regal’.

The food arrived with the ring of a bell (no, literally, a bell was rung to signal the food was arriving!), and soon we had a delicious spread of delectable treats in front of us. We started with the ‘Royal Entrance’, a twist on strawberry and chocolate ice-cream that was served at Queen Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947, which was a bombe glacée in an actual edible golden carriage!

Next up was a selection of ‘Royal Residences’ sandwiches, which included ‘The Sandringham’ (smoked salmon and cucumber), ‘The Buckingham’ (Wiltshire ham and cheese), ‘The Windsor’ (Duo of egg and mustard cress, and egg mayo and marinated quail eggs), and ‘The Balmoral’ (Tomato, venison, baker spinach tart).

Then it was onto my favourite part – the sweet treats!! These consisted of ‘The Crown Jewels’ (gold dusted Valrhona chocolate and rich tea biscuit cake), ‘Peche a la Reine Alexandra’ (Frangipane, peace and apple tart), ‘The Gardens of Britain’ (Rose and chocolate decorated with floral garnishes), and ‘A Royal Collection’ (Earl grey and orange mousse on sable Breton biscuit).

Finally, we finished with Cornish scones (both plain and fruit), with clotted cream and strawberry preserve.

I was just so impressed with the huge amount of thought and care that has gone into creating the Jubilee Afternoon Tea at Taj51 Buckingham Gate. Every single item of food and even each drink had a meaning behind it, and I can’t recommend it enough for a special treat to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee!