A few weeks ago, I was out and about on my lunch break and I spotted this:
It’s only a freakin’ Afternoon Tea Bus.
This immediately appealed to me, as it combines three things I love – cake, tea and seeing the sights without getting off my arse. I excitedly text my mum and sister demanding that we go at some point during the summer, then promptly forgot about it for a few weeks.
A few weeks later, a friend of mine, the lovely Miss Sue Flay, posted on Facebook about a secret press event for Afternoon Tea week. On further investigation, I discovered she was going on the very Afternoon Tea bus I’d seen – and she landed me an invite.
Here’s my story of how I ate cake, drank champagne, developed expensive tastes in tea and sweated LOTS.
It was a hot day. Actually, it was the hottest day of the year so far. I wasn’t looking like the ‘lady who takes afternoon tea’ I’d imagined. But why let a little thing like vanity stand in the way of fancy grub?
The bus is, as you’d expect, ultra cute. A classic red double decker bus. It’s owned by BBBakery, and works as a portable version of their Covent Garden bakery. There are lots of lovely details around the bus, including the maps on the table which are designed by the bakery’s owner.
After the initial glass of champagne, we were served high tea and a selection of tasty sandwiches and delicate cakes.
Just look at them.
Now, I’ll be honest. I was melting at this point. I had one of those inefficient handheld fans and a mineral water spray, and I was on restricted arm raising movement (at the end of the trip, the crew realised the fan at the back of the bus hadn’t been turned on, so I suspect it would usually be a lot more comfortable). When you’re that hot, you’re not massively hungry. So I didn’t eat lots of the treats, but I did try those delicious chocolate tarts on the top and a couple of the sandwiches. I can confirm that they were delicious, and the sandwiches in particularly tasted fresh (often a good afternoon tea is ruined by bread that goes crusty ten minutes after arriving at the table).
We were also offered a selection of TeaPig teas, which were delicious. So delicious that I ended up splurging on several more packs when I got home.
I couldn’t fault the service either, with entertaining and helpful (and rather gorgeous) waiters serving everyone quickly. All in all, it was a really fun experience. It’s perfect for hen dos or birthdays, and affordable at £45 a head.
