afternoon tea

I’m Crazy About Tiffany’s

June 17, 2021June 17, 2021by hannah maisie5 Comments

Situated in the heart of Leigh-on-Sea is Mad Dogs and Englishmen, home to the best themed afternoon teas in Essex. I have to put that in bold to really emphasise how good they are. Now I’ve been to my fair share of afternoon teas both themed and un themed but this is one that I just keep coming back too. I don’t know if it’s the delicious food, incredibly friendly staff of the perfect attention to detail but they just keep surprising me time and time again. Some of the themes of their teas are Beauty and the Beast, The Great Gatsby, Mary Poppins and you guessed it, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

I went to the Mary Poppins themed tea just before Christmas and still rave about it to this day so I had extremely high hopes for this one and seeing as BAT is one of my favourite films, I was more than ready to embrace my inner Holly Golightly. I had seen a couple of pictures on Instagram but it was so much more amazing in person. The minute you walk in, you feel as though you have stepped through the TV screen.

There were so many little details like tiffany coloured boxes on the tables which were placed next to the perfect tiffany blue coloured trinket boxes that were home to Haribo rings. Around the room were pictures of Holly Golightly mixed with mannequins dressed in their iconic LBD’s and pearl necklaces. It was honestly everything I was hoping it would be and so much more; there wasn’t a single corner that hadn’t been decorated.

As soon as we sat down, we browsed the tea menu and read through the list of all of the delights we were about to eat. My sister is vegan which we told them about when we booked and I genuinely think hers was better than ours, they were so accommodating for all dietary requirements. As they brought out all the goodies, they kindly explained what everything was and I’ll be honest mine didn’t last long at all. Everything was just so delicious. After the sandwiches, we had a little break before they arrived with the cakes, now where do I begin with this. My sister put it perfectly when she said that they all looked like a showstopper round from GBBO; I’m talking white chocolate laced bracelets, gin and tonic cupcakes topped with little edible tiffany boxes to tiffany blue coloured macaroons, the attention to detail really was second to none. Again, mine didn’t really hang about too long because it was all so good.

I walked out feeling so content and full of copious amounts of tea and all the scrummy treats. If afternoon tea is your thing, I really can’t recommend Mad Dogs any more, it is such good value for money and is such a special experience. We took mum for her birthday and she absolutely loved it! We’ve even booked to go back next month for the Beauty and the Beast one.

beauty, Lifestyle

Orsett Hall Spa

July 28, 2019July 26, 2019by hannah maisie2 Comments

I’m all about treating yourself but something I’ve never done is have a spa day. I’ve been for massages but never done the whole walk around in a robe and flip flops thing so when the girls suggest one I was so eager to book.

We looked through for days trying to find the perfect package; honestly, there are so many spas in Essex, and finally decided for Orsett Hall. The package that we chose included afternoon tea, fully use of facilities and a treatment which I thought was so good! We could chose the treatment and opted for a back massage each but also decided to add on a facial to make the most of our day.

As I’ve said, I have never been to a spa day before so didn’t know what to expect although it all seemed straight forward. As soon as we arrived, we headed to the garden restaurant for afternoon tea which was full of all the classic sandwiches and some amazing sweet treat like macaroons and brownies.

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We then headed down to the spa where we were greeted with a bag full of our robes, flip flops and a towel and given a tour of the area. We had some time to spare before our first treatments so we found a spot by the pool and settled in for the day. The pool area was great, with a pool big enough to do lengths, a jacuzzi, steam room and a sauna with a shower to cool down.

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My first treatment of the day was a back massage which was the one I was most excited for and it didn’t disappoint. The only sad part about it was that it was 25 minutes, it was so good that I never wanted it to end. I carry a lot of tension in my shoulders so I was so happy and felt like a completely new person after it.

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After each treatment, you are taken to a relaxation room where you can have a drink of water and there are recliner chairs where you can sit and relax before heading back to the pool area. After a little swin, it was time to head into treatment two; a facial. I have never had a facial as I have quite sensitive skin and am often worried that it was break me out but I braved it and I’m so glad I did. The facial was all Elemis products and my consultant really made sure she picked the right products for my skin type. I have never seen my skin look or even feel that good in my life and I found myself going back to the tester station to try more.

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After our two treatments, we headed back to the pool area for a dip in the jacuzzi before jumping in the shower and heading home. We were so sad to leave but we have all decided we need to do more spa days. I honestly can’t believe I’ve waited so long to do one but can’t wait for more. It’s so important to treat yourself and what better way to do it than with a back massage and your best friends!

-Hannah X

Lifestyle

March 30, 2016March 28, 2016by hannah maisieLeave a Comment

For Mother’s Day, I treated my mum to afternoon tea at a quant little hotel near where we live; I had never been to afternoon tea before but we were both excited.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we were led into the dining room where we were greeted with the most gorgeous cups and saucers, which embarrassing as it may sound, excited me a lot; they were so pretty! We were asked what drink we wanted so mum opted for a pot of tea and of course I went for coffee.

Then came the most exciting part; the food. The bottom layer of the stand had the cutest little sandwich’s on, which ranged from cheese and pickle to salmon and cream cheese; these were also accompanied with little vegetable crisps. The next layer up was cakes and pastries which consisted of little fruit cups and millionaires shortbread with some mousse. The top layer was definitely my favourite one because it had the scones on (I’m hungry just thinking about them) they were still a little bit warm in the middle so when you added the jam and cream, they just soaked right in, they were, without doubt, the best scones I have ever had. It was such a lovely day with mum and now I can’t wait to go for afternoon tea again.