Wimbledon Themed Afternoon Tea at The Roseate, Reading

Thank you to The Roseate Hotel, Reading for inviting me to taste their Wimbledon-themed Afternoon Tea for the purposes of this review. 

Each summer, deckchairs are lined up at shopping centres in front of huge flat-screen TVs, everywhere you look there's strawberries and cream and sport is dominated by tennis. 

The Wimbledon tournament has come a long way from its beginnings in the 1870s, when an audience of two hundred spectators watched Spencer Gore crowned the first Champion. In 1884 Maud Watson gained the title of first woman champion of the tournament. Now, half a million people watch Wimbledon on TV or online.

The Roseate Hotel near Reading's Forbury Gardens, home of the Huntley and Palmer Afternoon Tea, has decided to honour the famous tournament with a Wimbledon-themed Afternoon Tea this month. 

The hotel, nestled between Reading's Medieval Market Place and the twelfth-century Abbey Ruins, is a historic and scenic venue for overnight stays, beautiful food in its Reading Room restaurant and other events. I knew of their historic-themed teas after being invited to the launch of their Afternoon Tea inspired by Huntley and Palmers, the biscuit factory established in the town during the nineteenth century. 

We took our seats in the Secret Garden next to a waterfall and settled down to our Afternoon Tea. We chose a fragrant and aromatic Silverleaf white tea, which was served loose, in individual teapots. A stand was placed in the centre of the table, with three tiers: fruit and plain scones with jam (they were still warm!), and two layers of finger sandwiches with different fillings. 

Alongside was an individual plate of cakes and biscuits, including a mango domed dessert and an intricately decorated biscuit that looked like a patch of green turf with a tennis ball. There were also madeleines flavoured with white chocolate. To finish, we treated ourselves with a Wimbledon-themed cocktail, flavoured with vodka, lemon and lemon verbana tea.

After the experience, I created a Promarker sketch to remind myself of the day, featuring so many of the tasty treats we had. I loved the tea at The Roseate, and it definitely stood up to its reputation as a really special place to enjoy a meal or afternoon tea. 

The staff were absolutely amazing and the garden was really calming (there's a big awning high over the top of the patio in case of weather!). They've told me they'll be introducing other themed Afternoon Teas in the future, so watch this space or visit The Roseate website to book or for more details. 

Liked this? You might also like Did Queen Victoria Hate Reading? The Legend of Queen Victoria's Statue in Friar Street, Finding The Ancient Pubs of Reading and The Day Samuel Pepys Came to Reading. 

Notes: Wimbledon Official Site