Alice In Wonderland has inspired countless films, art pieces, songs and night outs. My favourite translations of Lewis Carroll’s book obviously have to include a lot of food, so I was over the moon when I heard of the Sanderson Hotel‘s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Sanderson invites you to tumble down the rabbit hole for Alice in Wonderland’s 150th anniversary with its Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, aptly held in the hotel’s heated terrace facing a green garden. We began the afternoon with a lovely glass of Champagne that opened the celebrations of a re-fillable, indulgent afternoon in the city centre.
The feast started with a selection of savoury treats playing on the traditional finger sandwiches and British classics. I loved the Scottish smoked salmon, quail egg and caviar scotch egg as much as the ham and cheese croque monsieur and the cucumber and cream cheese sandwich on fresh lime bread. The best finger sandwich was however the crab and herb eclair, almost a homage to London’s street food culture.
During the Mad Hatter’s Tea party, cakes never end – which is great. The tea tray – accompanied by crowned tea pots with the King and Queen of Hearts – came with an array of Alice-proof cakes. From the bottom down, you’ll find grass (which we were told is not edible but adds to the atmosphere), carrot meringue, blue caterpillar brownies, magic marshmallow mushrooms and the White Rabbit’s pocket watch coffee macaroon.
Further down, the lovely red velvet ladybird, banana bread butterfly, the Queen of Heart’s Oreo cookie soldier and Alice’s “Drink me” potion couldn’t be a more fitting end to the Mad Hatter’s Tea. The tea ended with a lovely passion fruit and chocolate ice cream served in flower pots. To keep it classic, the team also brought us scones with clotted cream and a lovely cake to wish me good luck for my crowdfunding campaign to study in Sydney.
If, like me, you think growing up is a trap, you will love this afternoon tea that would make Lewis Carroll proud. And what better way to celebrate Alice In Wonderland’s 150th anniversary than with a tea to lose your head for and a glass of Champagne?
Sanderson London
50 Berners Streeet
London W1T 3NG
Mad Hatter’s Champagne Afternoon Tea: £58
Pictures: Sanderson London
