Meghan Markle stuns in green dress for afternoon tea
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The Queen enjoys afternoon tea served at Buckingham Palace and all of her royal residences. The Luxury five star Taj Hotel near St James’s Park has launched a brand new afternoon tea – The Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea. Just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, this is the perfect place to celebrate and enjoy an afternoon tea fit for royalty. It officially opened for bookings online on February 8 to mark 70 years to the day that Queen Elizabeth II was officially named Queen.
The organisers at Taj spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about their royal experience and how they replicated the Queen’s afternoon tea.
They said: “This was created by our culinary team, who over the last few months researched the Queen’s favourite foods as seen in many past articles and books written about her from many different sources as well as the many illustrations of menus and foods served at Buckingham Palace in the past.
“The presentation is purely based on our chef’s interpretation, representing some of the most iconic moments such as the coronation with the orb and sceptre or the colourful hats that Queen Elizabeth always wears.
“From the many articles and books written about Her Majesty, she enjoys a cup of tea in the afternoon alongside a chocolate biscuit cake and or finger sandwiches.”
The organisers of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea expanded on whether Her Majesty would approve of their creation.
They continued: “We would hope that she would enjoy it as this tea has been created as a celebration of her 70 years of hard work and dedication. How better to celebrate that than with a beautifully presented afternoon tea.”
The afternoon tea includes a bottle of Bollinger Champagne which currently hold the royal warrant and is a perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.
They added: “Bollinger became the official supplier of Champagne to the British court, receiving a royal warrant in 1884 from Queen Victoria followed in 1950 by King George VI and the Queen Mother.
“HRH The Queen awarded her royal warrant to Lily Bollinger in 1955. That is why we decided to celebrate the afternoon tea with a chilled bottle of the royal’s favourite.”
The organisers offered their best advice for royal fans to recreate the royally inspired sandwiches that can be enjoyed at the Taj.
They said: “Use the best produce of the UK, carefully fill and evenly cover the sandwiches, whilst using covered with the freshest of bread, meticulously cut each side to make the perfect finger shape. Most importantly serve it on beautiful China with a nice hot cup of tea.”
The ‘Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea’ begins with “a twist on strawberry and chocolate ice cream that was served at Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947,” according to the chefs at Taj.
It is then followed by a selection of sandwiches, and each sandwich is named after a royal residence: The Sandringham, The Windsor, The Buckingham, and The Balmoral.
Each takes inspiration from royal meals eaten at those residences during different periods of the year.
For tea, there is a choice between the “Queen’s favourite teas” – Assam tea or Earl Grey tea.
The chefs said: “Known to be the Queen’s favourite blends, we have carefully selected these teas to be the perfect pairing for the foods served in this afternoon tea.”
For the cakes and delicacies, this afternoon tea includes the Queen’s “favourite cake” – chocolate biscuit cake.
The chefs added: “The Queen is an absolute chocaholic according to her former chef, so any dessert heavy in chocolate is a hit with the monarch.”
The Taj afternoon tea also includes “a well-known favourite at royal banquets” – “the frangipane, peach and apple tart”.
Finally, there are some scones served with strawberry jam and clotted cream, with the chefs stating they are “served for this tea in the way the Queen enjoys them – jam first, then cream.”
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