There appears to be a bit of a theme running here on my blog at the moment with afternoon tea… Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, and so I’m fully embracing December and all the festivities it brings, and with that appears to be lots of afternoon tea! This weekend it was over to the Fourth Floor Restaurant in Harvey Nichols Leeds to enjoy their festive afternoon tea offering.
This one was priced at £20 per person and whilst probably not the most imaginative I’ve had this month, it was lovely and I’d be happy to indulge again. This one is perfect if you want some different picky bits, it doesn’t have the usual sandwiches, but instead lots of little savouries – the bubble and squeak being the highlight. Desserts were also lovely, the chocolate pot being incredible, seriously, I could have eaten 3 of those alone! The winter pear and jelly offering was also delicious, perfectly spiced for this time of the year.
My drink of choice was “The Ultimate Gin & Tonic” – this one was served with black peppercorns and strawberries, and for me; that’s the perfect G&T garnish, so that was a real winner. It came in a proper gin glass too, which always gets bonus points. Now my only qualm with the whole experience was that I wasn’t overly full, as I have been with all the other afternoon teas I’ve tried recently. However, this one didn’t cost as much as the others I’ve indulged in, so it probably works out with the price. Anyway, this only meant that we were then able to indulge in popcorn at Harry Potter in Concert afterwards.
Oh and I also picked up some lovely bits from Harvey Nichols on the way out from our afternoon tea, too. Some gifts for upcoming birthdays and Christmas (of course), and also some of their own brand champagne to enjoy on Christmas eve evening with the family. I really enjoy their own branded champagne, and it always goes down well when I give it as a gift too. If you can’t treat yourself at Christmas time, when can you?!
Anyway, Harry Potter in Concert. Yes that’s right Harry. Potter. In concert!!! I’d been pretty excited about this one for a while, and it didn’t disappoint. Performing at the First Direct Arena were the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, covering all the musical parts of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was a pretty special experience, that really got me in the festive mood (as if I wasn’t already) and I’d advise going to see one of these if you get the chance; I know they’ve done it with a few popular films now such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park. I’d highly recommend.
The rest of the weekend was spent taking the dog on his weekly long walk and also lots of wrapping. I love wrapping gifts, I always have, and every Christmas I have a colour theme that I plan about two months in advance (I probably should get a life…). Anyway, I get super excited about it and really take pride in it; I think there’s nothing nicer than receiving a beautifully wrapped gift. The above effort was done over two weekends, but I’m getting there now, with just a couple more to arrive at some point this week hopefully.
I also had a go at building my first ever gingerbread house. I got this beautiful kit from Biscuiteers that comes with absolutely everything you need, you just add water to make the icing. Now, I’m not sure if anyone else has given the old gingerbread construction a go this year or not, but wow… it’s a little more stressful than I thought! I spent so long icing each part to perfection, but when I came to putting it together, it just wouldn’t hold and kept falling apart. In the end I just gave up and we ate the pieces separately; I mean it was just going to get demolished anyway wasn’t it, but it would have been nice to see it all put together. Not one to be defeated though, I am going to give creating one another go; although I’m sure I’ll be questioning why I made that decision when my patience is being tested to the limits again… Watch this space.
