Girls’ Afternoon Tea at Pennyhill Park, Surrey

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with friends, drinking tea and eating oh-so-tasty food. That is what I got up to recently with four of my lovely friends as we set off to the fancy Pennyhill Park in Surrey to enjoy a girl’s afternoon tea.

Arriving into the grounds of Pennyhill Park is quite an experience in itself. The exclusive 5 star hotel is set in 123 acres of beautiful, leafy Surrey countryside just 45 minutes from central London. Within the grounds is an extensive golf course and training facilities created for the Rugby Football Union. In fact the hotel is recognised as the official training base for the Senior Rugby Team.

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Turning off the main road and entering through the gates brought us to the end of a long, tree-lined drive, with greenery as far as the eye could see to either side. It must have taken us about 5 minutes to finally reach the car park and then another 5 minutes by foot to reach the hotel via a Hogwarts-style covered pathway.

We finally arrived in the stylish Ascot Bar, a decadently decorated lounge, where afternoon tea was to be served and were led by our friendly waitress to our table.

As soon as we sat down we began chatting; catching up recent news, discussing my friend’s wedding preparations and of course, reminiscing on our days at school together. Two of my friends had also not long returned from a week’s trip to Iceland and I loved hearing about their experiences and adventures. Quite frankly, their trip sounded amazing and it has made me even more restless to visit Iceland myself!  

As we were chatting, our kind waitress came over to take our tea order. As a bit of a self-confessed tea lover, I was completely overwhelmed by choice. With so many artisan teas to chose from it was hard to come to a decision, but in the end I opted for a fragrant jasmine tea which was wonderful!

Not long after taking our orders, our waitress arrived back, equipped with our drinks and the tea stands, and started to explain all of the different sweet and savoury treats.

As always, we started with the sandwiches. With a variety of dietary requirements between us, I was impressed at how we had been catered for. Everyone had a generous plate of sandwiches (which could be replenished) to suit their tastes and I for one did not wait long to tuck in. As I pretty much eat anything and everything, I had the standard selection of sandwiches; smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg mayonnaise, ham and mustard, and cheese and chutney.

I’m a bit of a cream cheese addict… And a smoked salmon addict… This meant that naturally my favourite was the smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich. In the past I have found that some places can be a little sparing when it comes to smoked salmon, but I was happy to find a generous portion inside my sandwich!

Soon the sandwiches had been demolished and we made a start on our almost-too-pretty-to-eat sweet treats. On the sweet tray we had an assortment of homemade goodies including a blood orange and chocolate macaron, a choux pastry ball stuffed with a passionfruit and vanilla crème, a chocolate tart and a blood orange mousse.

I must say that my favourite of the selection was the smooth chocolate tart and have to admit to eating more than my fair share..

The final treat was the plate of freshly baked scones with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry preserve. This has to be my favourite part of any afternoon tea and I was delighted to find the scones warm, fluffy and baked to perfection!

Afternoon tea at Pennyhill Park was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The atmosphere was peaceful, the food delicious and the company excellent. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon with the girls and I would highly recommend experiencing it for yourself!

What did you think of my review on Pennyhill Park? Are you also a fan of Afternoon Tea? Do let me know in the comment section! Victoria x

On our visit to Pennyhill Park, we opted for the Traditional Ascot Tea, priced at £35 per person.