The Brasserie at The White Lion Hotel (Suffolk Coastal)

• The pastry chef at The White Lion is Anmar Odendal
• She was recognised by the wedding industry awards as the best wedding cake designer in the East of England in 2013
• Our afternoon tea was floral inspired and included a selection of sandwiches
• Cakes and pastries with a choice of tea
• The selection of finger sandwiches were tasty and included standard fillings such as cucumber
• The scones were rather alluring as they presented us with an engaging texture
• The exterior was crunchy and the interior was soft
• The scones went swimmingly with the clotted cream and yummy homemade raspberry jam
• On the top level of the tray there were some lovely pink meringue sandwiches with rosewater scented Chantilly cream
• The combination with the cream was a good one
• Also on the top level was a zesty orange flower and vanilla panna cotta scented with Indian orange blossom water and topped with fresh orange zest
• The jelly was particularly tasty as it was very fruity and helped to lift the panna cotta
• The popping candy was also a good touch and gave the panna cotta an exciting twist
• We really enjoyed the dark chocolate brownies as these were decadent and rich with an intense chocolate y goodness
• The lavender shortbread was buttery and light
• The homemade macaroons of beetroot and berry with a vanilla buttercream frosting filling were very inviting
• The macaroon shells were a little dense in texture
• The flavour combinations were a delight and were a joy to eat
• A pistachio crusted Victoria sponge came with a fabulous rose petal jam centre which really lifted the sponge with its sweetness and exciting nature
• The sponge itself had a nice flavour although it was a touch dry
• The themes for the afternoon teas at The White Lion will change with time as Chef Anmar constantly seeks new ideas and to bring more colourful inventions to the table
• What is certain is that each afternoon tea will be thoroughly enjoyable
• The pastries we tried were inviting to eat and showed off solid technique
• The sandwiches and scones were also very good

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