24 Karat Gold Afternoon Tea

My enthusiasm for afternoon tea has definitely increased in recent times. I get a buzz from seeing (and scoffing) all those tasty little sandwiches and glorious sweet creations presented at the table in all their glory. I love tea too; that helps.

This afternoon I was really looking forward to meeting up with my friend Ellie with whom I used to work with in the city back around 2000. It's been about a year since our last get-together so this catch up was long overdue and I wanted to organise something a little different.

I know it's mid-June and the weather is rubbish but I don't care; I'm dressing for summer!

I love this little ASOS dress.

We were off to 51 Buckingham Gate Hotel, which you can find a stone's throw away from Buckingham Palace, to sample their signature 24 Karat Decadence Afternoon Tea in their homely little Library.

The menu was intriguing: Gold Leaf Champagne Jelly, White Chocolate Delight with Gold Leaf and Strawberry Tart with Gold Flakes along with the classic selection of scones and delicate sandwiches. It also promised a half bottle of Luxor Pure Gold 24k Brut Champagne.

So how come we ended up with a whole bottle?

We assumed they'd ran out of the smaller bottles! Or were they feeling generous this overcast Monday afternoon? Either way, we weren't complaining!

Ladies and Gentlemen: the finger sandwiches

And those golden delights

My tea of choice was the Green Tea Passion: very fragrant and refreshing, accented by tropical fruits. Probably the only healthy thing I consumed all afternoon!

We had everything we needed for a lovely afternoon!

It was all so grand. The sandwiches were tasty (particularly the mustard chicken) and the cakes were exciting and delicious. The strawberry tart was my favourite!

They just looked perfect!

Okay, at £99 for two it's not the cheapest afternoon tea you can find in central London but this was definitely something special....just look at those cakes! The Library is relaxed and informal and the service was impeccable. It would be the perfect gift for that golden person in your life!

Thanks again to Katie and Chelsie for the recommendation!

 

Celebrity Ideals

So this is probably more of a post for the ladies...

I may have put my husband's nose a little out of joint last night. During a rather deep conversation on our holiday, Alex told me how lucky he felt to be married to his ideal woman (me!). How amazing. It’s not the first time he’s told me so but it still makes me feel all gooey inside. 

Of course at this point you would have expected me to return the compliment immediately; I genuinely feel so lucky to be married to such a gorgeous guy like Alex who is definitely ‘my type’. That’s not quite what I said though...

“You’re definitely my perfect man! Well, excluding young Elvis.  And maybe Ben Affleck...”.

Bit silly really. I could have just kept that extra bit to myself. But it was fine; the declaration was just received with an eye-roll from Alex who is pretty used to me babbling on about my affection for all things Presley/Affleck.

I do enjoy having the conversation with people about their ‘ideals’ - it's quite interesting!  A top three men discussion always initiates debate and swooning.  I'd say I definitely have a type – tall, striking eyes, a long face...I do like a long face.  I’ve never gone for the chiseled square-jaw types and have never really understood what girls see in the likes of Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp. But everyone has their own thing!

I've given it a fair amount of thought in the past and my current celebrity top three would be:

1. Elvis Presley (in his prime, of course)

2. Ben Affleck

3. Ryan Reynolds

I also have an appreciation for Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Bradley Cooper and a young Marlon Brando.

I asked a few of my friends and family for their lists too. Here's what they said:

Mary

1. Ryan Gosling

2. Howard Keel (in Calamity Jane)

3. Henry Cavill

(with a special mention to Hugh Jackman)

My Mum

1. Clint Eastwood

2. Bruce Willis

3. Tom Cruise

Tina

1. Jenson Ross Ackles

2. Keanu Reeves

3. Chris Pine

Angela

1. Kevin Costner

2. Ryan Reynolds

3. Steven Gerrard

Mariana

1. Matt Damon

2. Bradley Cooper

3. Ryan Reynolds

(with a special mention to Michel Roux Jr)

Beth

1. Dean Cain in his Superman years

2. Dwayne Johnson

3. Henry Cavill

Ellie

1. Damian Lewis

2. Kevin Costner

3. Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Emma

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

2. Will Smith

3. Christian Bale

Shelley

1. Elvis (in his younger days)

2. Johnny Depp

3. David Duchovny

And just out of interest, I convinced Alex to give me his top 3 'hot men'. After clarifying that, no, he couldn't include himself in the line-up, he decided upon:

Alex
1. Tom Brady (NFL quarterback/Gisele's husband)
2. David Beckham
3. Ben Affleck

The man has taste!

Based on those lovely people, I hereby declare Ryan Reynolds the most popular! A rather surprising two mentions for Kevin Costner there. Some men just never go out of fashion.

And to close this post....ladies, enjoy!

Who's in your top 3? Have I left your favourite off? 

Let me know who and I'll add them on