St James' Courtyard - St. James' Court (Westminster)

• Our yellow brick road begins with a walk to the St James Court
• Your tea begins with a beautiful bottle of bubbly
• The Kir Royale tea was truly tempting
• Plain and raisin scones with strawberry preserve and Cornish clotted cream
• The Parma Ham (AKA Prosciutto for my American mates) was my favourite part
• This gorgeous gold leaf opera cake and white chocolate delight with gold leaves made me want to stand on my chair and sing
• 24 Karat class was apparent throughout the afternoon both metaphorically with this service and literally
• With elegant gold leaf sprinkled with sophistication across the delicacies served
• One discusses the sandwiches but what I loved at this tea was this supreme plate of savoury magic was so much more than that
• Egg mayonaise with golden quail&rsquo
• Smoked salmon with caviar on rye bread and a mixed vegetable tartlet
• The savoury menu we were served seems to have been updated as compared to the website menu at the time of writing this post so check with the restaurant if you have any queries)
• They re affirmed just how classy an afternoon tea this would be with a refreshing marinated plum
• The desserts were nothing short of beautiful
• M not sure whether this was because they were brought out lukewarm or whether they were nicely warm and I just spent too long taking photographs
• The desserts included a white chocolate dome with popping candy
• Champagne jelly with raspberry foam and a white chocolate lollipop and last but not least
• Recently I was invited to review the Gluten Free 24 Karat Gold Afternoon Tea at the St James Court Taj Hotel in London
• The gluten free sandwiches were okay but nothing to write home about and very small in size
• Unfortunately the mini toasted sandwich was cold which made the bread chewy
• Me personally you can judge a good gluten free afternoon tea on it's scones and unfortunately they were very dry and I do know that gluten free scones are difficult to bake
• No amount of clotted cream and jam were going to put the scones together again
• I was provided with two little mini victoria sponges which didn't have any gold on them
• The gold champagne jelly (which was divine and the saving grace of the pastries)
• The service was good in the beginning then drifted to be almost non existent at the end unfortunately
• No refills are offered with this afternoon
• I do believe there are other establishments offering a better gluten free afternoon tea
• I took the time to soak in the beautiful surroundings than it was off to St James Courtyard restaurant to enjoy afternoon tea
• S recipe drop scones of three different type of scones with clotted cream and jam
• S a little bar with macaroons and cakes that can be taken for no extra cost
• Cake all served with a lashing of tea
• The Taj hotel have jumped on this bandwagon and are offering a 24 Karat gold afternoon tea
• More that the tea is laid on with decadent gold leaf
• They have a proper pianist playing and there is none of this nonsense where stick thin young people swan around with ipads looking confused
• S kitchens so I was looking forward to the food
• The themed table setting added to the sense of anticipation there is no greedier bunch of people than a gathering of food bloggers&hellip
• S plate came with a trio of starters Pappu Ka&rsquo
• S samosa chaat was a crunchy and delicious blend of the street food favourites
• S carrot and coconut shot was smooth and warming with a hint of sweetness
• S Machli Tawa fry (pictured) was a plate of deliciously spiced fish
• S Daal Tadka was creamy and deliciously moreish &ndash
• S palak paneer had a mild vegetal quality that blended well with the creaminess of the paneer
• S vegetable biryani was light and fluffy tempered by the crisp sweetness of the onions
• S plate of desserts was stylishly presented Gulab Jamun cheesecake
• Mango kulfi and sliced fresh fruit were all excellent
• Whilst we finished our fantastic Jungle Book feast with Tea/coffee and Petit fours we had a look at the Taj&rsquo
• Celebrating the indomitable spirit of the tiger in partnership with the Born Free Foundation
• Adoption packs and cuddly toys are also available for sale

Read More