Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea, Cedar Court Grand
A few weekends ago, a group of Yorkshire bloggers and myself travelled to York for a very special afternoon tea. The Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Cedar Court Grand has a waiting list of currently three months and we were so excited to have managed to successfully reserve a table for 9 at this ‘ultimate afternoon tea,’ costing us each a whopping £33.
The hotel itself is beautiful and luxurious, and I would personally love to stay there. As we entered the room, we were astounded by the extravagant centerpiece, full of cakes, chocolates and crazy teapots. We obviously photographed every last inch (I had a hard time cutting down these photos for the post!) and eventually took our seats, ready to be served.
However, apart from a round of scones and tea, we weren’t served. Unexpectedly, we were informed that the centerpiece was our meal for the day, and it was to be a buffet. The website includes a sample menu which does not mention a buffet and we were frankly shocked that the meal was served in this way. For £33, I expect a certain level of service which was lacking throughout the entire day, as the staff really weren’t very attentive. In fact, one of our party had a nut allergy and was only told that she couldn’t eat two of the cakes after she had sat down with them on her plate. With regards to the buffet, I felt like I was at a children’s party and felt pressured into piling my plate high with a little bit of everything before it ran out.
A little bit bewildered, we all sat down to enjoy our food. It looked fantastic but unfortunately this was another disappointment. The sandwiches were stodgy and lacked flavour, nor were we told what they actually contained. The only way I can describe everything else was sweet; in fact it was overwhelmingly so. It was simply too much. I am a huge cake lover and it was far too much even for me, so the more savoury lovers of the group really struggled. It was definitely a case of style over substance, which left me struggling to enjoy any part of the meal except the scones.
Finally, I was handed a torn paper box as a ‘doggy bag’ but there wasn’t a crumb left on the centre table by the time we had been informed we could also take away. By this point, we really didn’t want any more of the disappointing food but we were determined to try and get as much for our money as we could thanks to the extortionate price for the day! We all left in a sugar daze, disappointed that such a lovely opportunity to see each other hadn’t been quite as enjoyable as we had hoped.
This post is now a little out of date and the Cedar Court Grand did get back in contact with us after some negative posts were published by Simone, Kel and Sammie. As a result, they have offered us a complimentary afternoon tea – of course, I can’t afford to travel up to York and attend, but the gesture was nice and the other bloggers are looking forward to it. Perhaps a refund would have been preferable though! However, I didn’t want to not publish this post as a result of Ceder Court Grand’s response, as I still believe that this review needs to be read before anyone else parts with £33 and regrets it. In my opinion, this afternoon tea needs a complete overhaul regarding both the ingredients and flavours of the food and the way in which they are served. It’s a good idea and a theme which I love, but presentation isn’t everything and the content needs to reflect the price tag.
Have you tried any themed afternoon teas? What did you think of the experience? I’d love to try somewhere in London next – where would you recommend?
