This budget friendly afternoon tea is SUCH a hidden gem. B

If you're looking for an afternoon tea in London that feels elegant without being overly formal, I think I may have found the perfect spot. Today I'm at the iconic St Pancras Hotel, right next to King's Cross station, which makes it incredibly easy if you're travelling into London and I was honestly surprised by how relaxed and peaceful the atmosphere was. Compared to many London afternoon teas, it's actually a more affordable option too, so if you're curious whether it's worth booking, keep watching for my full review. Hello everyone, welcome back for another afternoon tea review and today I'm actually at King's Cross station because we are going to go to the St Pancras Hotel for our afternoon tea. Now that is the hotel where one of the Spice Girls music videos was actually filmed and I noticed they had an afternoon tea so I thought let's go and check it out. It's an iconic location, I'm excited to see what their afternoon tea is actually like and I'm currently in King's Cross station at the moment. I just got in, I've got about 10 minutes before my afternoon tea so I'm just enjoying the atmosphere and I'm right by platform nine and three quarters. They actually have a little platform nine and three quarters area here where you can take pictures so I'll show you a little bit of that. There's a Harry Potter shop there as well, I'll insert some clips of that so you can see. If you are in London and you're a Harry Potter fan, I highly recommend coming to the station and seeing it because it is quite a fun thing to do but let's head over to the St Pancras Hotel now for our afternoon tea and I'll let you know my thoughts of it as we try it. It is a more affordable option so hopefully it's going to be a good one. Okay I'm just walking over to the hotel now so this is King's Cross station here and then across the road you've got the St Pancras International Station. This is where the Eurostar goes from to Amsterdam also to Paris. I always get the Eurostar when I go to Paris, it's so much more efficient than getting on a flight. I haven't been to Paris in so long, nearly like two years I think, definitely overdue a trip. Let me know if you'd like me to go and review some restaurants over there because I'd be really keen to do something like that. Just walking over to the hotel which is basically just over there, it's like a five minute walk from the station so we'll be there fairly soon. Okay here we are at the St Pancras Hotel. I'm going to pan this up so you can actually see the front of this hotel because it's kind of insane this building. Look how gorgeous this is, I don't even know if I can get the whole thing in one shot, it's kind of hard to but we're going into the entrance here. I love this building, it really gives me dark academia vibes. I don't know if you guys get that from this as well and like I said one of the Spice Girls videos was actually filmed here so I've wanted to come for a long time because it's such an iconic location and we're going to go and see what their afternoon tea is like and whether or not it is worth the price point. So I've just arrived and sat down at my table, it is gorgeous in here, it's so beautiful. I love the building, it's got really really high ceilings, lots of natural light so it's very nice and airy in here which I really appreciate and they've got some really nice relaxing music playing as well which really adds to the atmosphere. So for the environment, like the room, I feel like this is actually a really nice one to come to. It kind of has a botanical vibe to it, there's a lot of plants and flowers around as well which again I think really adds to the atmosphere. It's quite a unique space to sit in and I've opted for the champagne afternoon tea today because this is a bit of a more affordable afternoon tea so I've got the menu beside me here so I've been looking through this and I actually really like the look of this afternoon tea. They've got some things that make it a little bit unique compared to some of the others that we've tried so a standard classic afternoon tea here is £59 and then if you want to add a glass of champagne it goes up to £75 so it's like an extra £16 to add the glass of champagne, a little bit more pricey than some of the other places we've been where they just charge you an extra £10 but we'll see what we think and whether it's worth doing the upgrade. And then in terms of the actual menu, they do traditional finger sandwiches so you get a quiche to start with that and then you get four, why can I not hold up four fingers, four sandwiches so you get a smoked salmon sandwich, you get an egg mayo sandwich with truffle mayonnaise in it, you guys know I'm a big fan of that, then you get a roast chicken sandwich and a roasted pumpkin sandwich which I'm very excited to try because I actually love pumpkin and it's very rare that you get that included as a flavour in an afternoon tea and then for the scones you get plain and raisin scones but you get a plum jam and a strawberry jam and again I always love when our afternoon teas offer us a different jam to try so I'm excited to see what I think of the plum and then in terms of the pastries and the cakes at the end you get an orange and carrot charlotte, a fig and pistachio tart, a hazelnut mousse item and then an apple and blackberry choux and then they do some mini madeleines as well at the end so this is all looking really good to me, some different bits in there from like a completely traditional afternoon tea but nothing too wild or crazy. I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy this one, they have also poured my champagne for me so I've got that in a glass here, I will say the glassware and the crockery here is quite basic but I don't really mind that because it is a slightly more affordable afternoon tea so I've got the champagne here, I'm going to try this now, I'm sure it's going to be delicious and I'm going to just get into the experience, I'm really excited to see what I think of the food. I do like smashing out to do a champagne afternoon tea when I can especially if it's a special occasion and I feel like with this sort of atmosphere if you were looking to book for a special occasion like a Mother's Day or for someone's birthday this is quite a nice one to come to, it's not crazy expensive but it's right by the station so if you're in the Kings Cross area it's super quick and easy to get to, it was less than a five minute walk and it's just a beautiful building to come and explore especially because it is so iconic. So I'm going to wait for my sandwiches to arrive, I'll review those and then we'll do the tea review and then the review of the scones and the patisseries. They said to me that the way that they serve this afternoon tea is if you're going for the champagne they bring that out to you, you have that with the sandwiches and then they bring out the scones and the patisseries and you have your actual tea with that so I'm excited to see what that experience is like and they do have quite a few teas here for you to choose from, they have a few black teas, they have some white teas and some green teas as well, they also offer herbal infusions if you're not drinking caffeine. I think I'm going to go for a white tea today but I'm going to ask them for their recommendation and see which one they think is the best to try with the afternoon tea. So for now I'm just going to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy my champagne and wait for my sandwiches to arrive. The savoury items have just arrived with me, I've got the menu in front of me here as well just so I can check everything as we're trying it. So we've got the quiche, so this is charred leeks and mature cheddar cheese quiche with bacon crumbs on it, I'll hold it up so you guys can see it a bit clearer. I love when they do a warm savoury like this to start the service off with, I feel like it makes it feel so much more special and this is actually warm which I love, I love the warm elements of an afternoon tea as you guys know but let's try this and then I'll let you know what I think of the flavours. That is really really tasty, I love when they include a little quiche or something like that with an afternoon tea, perfect way to start it off so I'm gonna enjoy this and then we'll get into the sandwiches. For the sandwiches we'll work our way from the top to the bottom so we're gonna start with the smoked salmon sandwich which I'm just gonna grab now. This is what it looks like, so this is Goldstein smoked salmon, lemon dill creme fraiche, pickled cucumber and then on a brown bread. These are actually really well filled, I'll show you guys and they're quite big sandwiches as well, very generous with the portion sizes. So let's see what we think of this one, they've snuck some cucumber in there so maybe I'll like it maybe I won't but the fact that it's pickled means I probably will like it. I find when they pickle the cucumber I always like it a lot more so let me try this and then I'll let you know what my thoughts are. That is really really tasty, I actually think that's one of the best smoked salmon sandwiches we've had. The pickled cucumber in there just adds a really nice tang with the smoked salmon and the creme fraiche, is it creme fraiche? Yes it is and I feel like it just cuts through it really nicely, it's a really gorgeous flavour and everything just tastes so fresh and high quality. I give them points for that, really like it, I'm really excited to see what I think of the other three sandwiches now. So the next sandwich we have to try is the roast chicken sandwich, so this is Norfolk roast chicken, caramelised onions, mustard mayonnaise and it's on a white bread. Turn it around because I feel like on the other side you can see that there's more filling in there. I do like a roast chicken sandwich at an afternoon tea compared to a coronation chicken, I like either or and I like when it goes with complements basically the rest of the sandwiches that they do. So this one is also very generously filled, so let's see what we think of this and the flavour combination. Again that's really tasty, I like the sweetness of the caramelised onion in there with the roast chicken, it goes really really well together, such a traditional kind of British flavour in there. I really like it, so far I'm actually really really enjoying this sandwich service and I might, I might ask for seconds, let's see how we get on, I don't get too full up on the sandwiches but if they're really good sometimes I do have to get seconds of them because they're just too good to not do it. Okay third up we have our egg mayonnaise sandwich, so this is egg truffle mayonnaise, mustard cress and it's on a brioche bread, so that's what that looks like. I'm going to try this, I do love a truffle egg mayo sandwich so I'm sure I'm going to absolutely love this too. That is also really good, it's got the perfect amount of truffle in there, nothing too overwhelming in terms of the flavour and the brioche bread is slightly slightly sweet but in a really good way. I really like that they've gone for lots of different breads here with the service, they've really thought it out, I really like that as well. Overall I'm loving these sandwiches, I don't often rave about the sandwiches at afternoon teas but I actually do think these are particularly strong and we're going to finish up now with the one I've been the most excited to try because I've never had a sandwich like this before, this is the harissa roasted pumpkin sandwich, so I'll hold it up as best I can. So this is pumpkin, sage, cream cheese, rocket leaves, hazelnuts and it's on a granary bread there, how good does that look? So let's try this and see what we think of the flavours in here as well. I really like that too, it's a slightly more muted flavour than the other three, slightly more neutral, the pumpkin is really tasty, the hazelnuts add a really nice crunch in there as well and I feel like the blend of the cream cheese and the harissa flavour of the pumpkin is really nice. Again I give them points for giving us a slightly different sandwich to a traditional service. Overall I really like these, I think they're really well thought out, you get a lot of variety in there as well, so so far so good and I'm excited to try their scones and their patisseries next. Finished with the sandwiches now, I had an extra of the egg mayonnaise truffle one, it was so good. The sandwiches here are really generous portions so if you like your sandwiches at your afternoon teas this is definitely one to come to, you will not be disappointed and they do offer refills. I've now ordered my tea, I've decided to go for the jasmine silver tip tea because it was recommended to me. So it's a delicate white tea crafted with spring buds, deep and heady aroma with a light and gentle flavour. I cannot wait to try it, I feel like I had something similar when I was at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai. I love to try lots of different teas when I come for an afternoon tea just to see what I think of the flavours. So when that arrives we'll pour it and I'll let you know what my thoughts are of it. I'm gonna be honest you guys, it's a Sunday, it's actually International Women's Day today so very much enjoying doing my afternoon tea to celebrate in that way, but I am so zen today. I went for a facial and it was like a long hour and a half facial and so I'm feeling very relaxed, very chilled out, so if my energy seems a bit low that's why. It's also why I don't have any makeup on, I find that I'm trying to basically book everything into one day on the weekend if I'm going to come into the city. Now that I don't live in central London I try to just like kind of get everything into one day rather than coming in on both days of the weekend, so because I had a facial booked in London anyway I thought I'd come and film this review straight after which is why I'm very fresh-faced at the moment. What a perfect way to spend International Women's Day. I'm waiting now for the tea to arrive, the scones and the patisseries, when they do I'll review them but honestly I'm just really enjoying the environment here. If you're looking for new places to go to afternoon teas at that aren't the well-known classics this is probably one that's worth putting on your radar. So my tea and the afternoon tea stand have both arrived at the same time, they came out fairly quickly actually, I'm just going to check my phone. So I arrived here about 50 minutes ago for my afternoon tea, we've had the sandwiches, we've had our champagne, it's been a nice well-paced service. Things felt rushed but also I don't feel like I've been waiting a long time for anything to happen which is good. So I'm going to review the tea to start with and it comes in a cute little silver teapot, I'll just hold it up so you guys can see that. The silver teapots are actually really good for afternoon tea service because they keep your tea hotter for longer than a more traditional teapot so I'm glad that they serve it in one of those and then I've poured out the tea now. So this is the jasmine white tip, as I mentioned the cups, the plates, the sauces etc here are fairly basic but I'm not too mad at it because it is a more affordable afternoon tea than some of the others we've been to. So I'm going to try this tea, I'll let you know what I think of it, it was recommended, apparently lots of people order this at this particular afternoon tea so let's see what we think of the flavour. Oh I really like that, the jasmine in that is really nice and fragrant but without being too overpowering. I love a tea like that to go with my afternoon tea service because I feel like it's just nice and subtle, it's nothing too strong or heavy and it's just the perfect thing to sip while you're enjoying your scones and your patisseries. So as I mentioned this afternoon tea actually comes with some madeleine which I've got in front of me, I will grab one of them now, they're so cute and miniature, let me show this to you, how sweet is, oh goodness me I just dropped it on the table, let me show it to you again, it's so cute and miniature, how sweet does that look and I kind of like that these are teeny tiny because sometimes I find when they do things like this but they're full size, by the time you get to having it with your tea you're already kind of full and it's nice to have extra things but when you can't even eat them because it's too much food it does feel a bit wasted so I'm gonna try this, I'll let you know what I think, I think it was lemon and thyme so let's see what we think of the flavour, really yummy and perfect to have with your tea, it's just the perfect size as well like I said because madeleines can feel a little bit dense sometimes so I'm really happy with that, I'm gonna finish that off and then we're gonna get straight into reviewing our scones. Okay so looking at the scones, I've just taken them out of the napkin that they put them in, they are properly warm, I'm so happy about that, this is the fruit scone, looks really good and then this is the plain so I like that you get one fruit one plain but they are actually hot, they're warm so that makes me so happy as I mentioned and also I love that they bring them out with the patisseries not with the sandwiches because it means you can actually enjoy them warm and there is nothing better than a fresh out the oven warm scone with a bit of cream and jam on it. So for the cream, we've got clotted cream in this pot here, I'll just show that to you so you can see, you get quite a decent amount of that, I think if it was two of you, you might want to ask for a bit more, it might not be quite enough for both of you and then we've got the plum jam which I'll just show to you in here as well, plenty of that, that's the plum jam and then I'm gonna grab the strawberry jam as well which is a really nice vibrant pinky red colour so that's the strawberry jam in there as well, I'm gonna try these all, I'll let you know what I think of the flavours with the jams, I like to figure out whether or not I think they're homemade, when they're homemade at the more premium hotels it definitely feels more special, I don't mind a pre-made jam as long as they're not too overly sugary or like I don't like when they have that super synthetic flavour to them so I'll try these out, I think I'm gonna do the strawberry jam and clotted cream on the raisin scone and then with the plain scone we'll go for the plum jam and the clotted cream so let's start with the plain scone this time, I'm gonna break it in half, I'll put some cream and jam on it and then we'll try it and I'll let you know what I think of the flavours, so I've put the cream and the jam on this half of the scone, how good does that look? So this is the plum jam as I mentioned so I'm gonna try this now, I'll let you know what I think of the flavours, I'm sure it's gonna be delicious, I do like that, not my favourite jam, I do prefer a blackcurrant jam just because I really like that tang with the clotted cream but the plum jam is nice and I actually think if I was doing this in the autumn time I feel like I'd be way more into it, I feel like a lot of these flavours are quite autumnal so I kind of wish they changed their menu seasonally, I feel like that would be a really cool thing to do but I do like the flavour, it still tastes very nice and it's nice to have a different jam from what we usually have so I'll give them points for being a bit more experimental and I am enjoying it, so now I'm gonna load up the fruit scone with the clotted cream and the traditional strawberry jam and then I'll let you know my thoughts on that one. So I've put the cream and the jam onto the fruit scone, here it is all loaded up, I actually feel like I've put way too much on there, I got a bit overexcited but let's try it and see what we think. That's kind of surprised me, I actually really like the strawberry jam, it's got a nice subtle flavour to it, definitely no kind of overly synthetic sweet flavourings to it which is the sort of thing I really don't like, I'm really impressed, it goes perfectly with the clotted cream and because the scones are warm I just feel like they're so much more comforting than when they're served cold. So overall I'm really happy with the scones, they are on the slightly smaller side but personally I don't mind that because it means I've got more space for the patisseries when we get into those. So I'm gonna finish off the scones now and then once I'm done we'll move on to reviewing the patisseries and then after that I'll give you my final thoughts on this afternoon tea. I've just finished with the scones so let me show you how much of the cream and the jam I've got left, I always find it's useful to do this just to give you an idea of how much of it you're likely to get through during your service. So for the cream this is what we've got left, there is a little bit in there, I think if it was two of you and you were sharing it probably maybe just would be enough, I'm always overly generous with my clotted cream, I always put loads on there so you might be okay but you might also want to ask for a little bit more. For the strawberry jam there's loads of that left in there and then with the plum jam I didn't really have too much of that, there's actually still loads of that left as well so the jams I always find you have plenty when you come to these afternoon teas, it's more the creams that you tend to run out of if they only give you one pot each between the two of you but I actually think the portions here were really generous so I've really enjoyed that, I'm letting my scones go down now, I've actually ordered another tea so I asked them which one I should try and we decided to go for a green tea just finding it in the menu so we went with the gem matcha one which is a sencha that is buttery and soft, it's rich verdant notes with a deep comforting aroma of popcorn, I'm very excited to try it, I do quite like a green tea and I'm always open to trying new things so they recommended I give that one a go so we'll see what we think when it arrives. One thing I'll say here about the afternoon tea is you can switch your teas up as much as you want, you can try lots of different ones, they do also offer coffees, caffeinated, decaffeinated so you very much are catered for regardless of what you fancy, definitely take advantage of that, I always feel like when you're paying for an afternoon tea, take advantage of every single thing that is included in it because it often is quite a pricey experience so I just thought it was worth pointing that out. So now I'm going to wait for this green tea to arrive, I'll let you know my thoughts on it when it does and then we'll get into the patisserie review. So the tea has just arrived with me, I've poured it out, it is this really gorgeous kind of bright yellowy green colour so I'll insert a clip so you can see, I'm going to try it now, I'm really excited to see what I think because I do love a green tea so I'm hoping this is going to be a really good one. Oh I do like that, it's very different from anything I've had before, it definitely does have a smell of popcorn to it and a bit of a taste of popcorn as well so if that isn't really your thing you probably wouldn't like it but I really do and it's nice to try different teas honestly, I should be way more adventurous when I go for afternoon tea. A lot of the places I go to offer so many different teas and I feel like I barely scratched the surface so I'm really glad I tried something different today and I'm really enjoying it. Now we're going to get into reviewing the patisseries, there's four of them, they are all stunning, I cannot wait to show them to you guys, I'll insert a clip of them on the plate so you can see what they look like and I'm just going to put them in front of me, I'll hold up what I can to show you it up close and we'll try it and I'll let you know my thoughts of the flavours. As I mentioned I've put the patisseries in front of me, very excited to try these, they all look gorgeous, a couple of them look very autumnal, I do kind of feel like this is an autumnal menu so if they are still doing the same menu I recommend coming between September to November just to like really get the atmosphere and the vibes but let's get into trying these. I think I'm going to start with the orange and carrot charlotte, I'm going to try to pick this up as elegantly as I can, here we go, this is what it looks like, look at that gorgeous striped orange detailing on the side and then this is what the top of it looks like, so pretty, I love when they put all this attention to detail into the patisseries and I love when there's a nice bit of variety in terms of the colours and the textures and the designs, I feel like it just makes it so much more fun, so I'm going to cut into this and get a little bit onto my fork to try, really nice and easy to cut into, okay so I've got some here, let's try this and see what we think. If you're a fan of carrot cake you will love that, it's gorgeous and spicy and then the orange is a really nice complement to that as well, I love it, I love carrot cake, it's like my favourite type of cake to have, so I'm going to really enjoy that, it's beautiful and I also feel like it's a really good size, it's not too big where you're never going to finish it, it's just the perfect amount of flavour in there. Next up we're going to try what I think might be the prettiest item on the plate, so this is the fig and pistachio tart I believe, how gorgeous is that with the autumnal leaves on it, I've never seen anything like that an afternoon tea, I just think it's stunning and it's so much fun, I love when they're creative at the afternoon teas, so again I'm going to cut into this, get a little bit onto my fork, I know you guys get really bored of me saying the same thing again and again but I can't help it, it's habit. Okay so I've got some on my fork here to try, look at what a mess I've made with that, but let's try it and see what we think. That flavour is slightly less punchy, it's a little bit bland, I think it is because it is pistachio and fig, they're not the boldest or the sharpest flavours, it's still nice but it's just more of a mellow flavour, so if you do like the more subtle mellow flavours you will really like that, it's still tasty, just personally I like a bit of tang in there or something a bit more exciting. Third up we have the apple and blackberry choux, sorry I just had to check the menu to check what that was, look how vibrant and beautiful that is, gorgeous, I love love love the colours here, I just think they're so well thought out, so fun, I love to have fun at the afternoon teas, what's the point of coming to afternoon tea if it's not fun you know? So I'm going to cut into this one, I'll get a little bit onto my fork and then we will try it and we will see what we think of the flavours, this cuts so beautifully as well and it's got a gorgeous purple mousse in there, honestly all of this is just so visually appealing, it just makes me want to eat everything. So I've got some on my fork, I'm going to try this now, I'll let you know what I think of the flavours. Okay that is hands down my favourite so far, it's so nice and tangy, the blackcurrant in that, no not blackcurrant, blackberry, the blackberry in that is really sharp, I love it, especially with the apple and the mousse texture as well is just gorgeous, love love love that, it's so good. Then the final item we have to try is called the hazelnut and it literally looks like a hazelnut, I'll hold it up so you can see, I nearly just dropped it, oh my goodness I need to be more careful, but that's what it looks like, it's got chocolate on the outside so I'm going to put that down now before my hands are covered in chocolate and let's try and figure out how to cut into this, I don't know how to do it, it's like a an orb, like I think this is going to be really hard to get into so give me a second, I'm going to cut a bit off and then I'll be back to try it. Okay I've managed to get some ready to try so let's see what we think of this, that is chocolate heaven, it's delicious, the mousse in there is so tasty and then it's encased with chocolate and it's just so delicious, honestly I really really like it, if I wasn't as full as I currently am I would absolutely devour that but if you are a chocolate fan you will love that, it's so tasty, people often ask me why I don't show my plate while I'm doing the patisseries, this is why I make such a huge mess when I'm trying these because I'm always trying to cut into them while I'm talking to you guys, I know I could probably pause the camera, cut into them and then come back but I always just try and talk while I'm doing it and it just makes such a big mess so this is what my plate currently looks like, I'm probably not going to finish all of these, I think I'm going to finish off the blackberry and the apple choux, maybe the carrot cake because I did really like that but I might see if they can box some of these up for me and take them home because there's no way I can get through all of this. So now that I've tried everything at this afternoon tea let me share my final thoughts with you guys, so this is £59 per person without any alcohol which I think is really reasonably priced, it's at a gorgeous hotel the St Pancras Hotel which is actually owned by Marriott and my previous experiences of going to American hotels for afternoon teas has not been particularly good so I'm really pleased that this one was a lot better, love the proximity to the station, if you're coming through Kings Cross or St Pancras it's super easy to get here and as I mentioned the hotel itself is stunning, it's a beautiful building so the atmosphere here is really really lovely, definitely worth just coming in here and having a bit of a look around if you're in the area, the drinks have been great, the really good, they've given some really great recommendations during my service as well so I always rate that highly, I really don't like when I come for afternoon tea and I ask the opinions of the servers and they don't really know what to say, I love when I come and it's like they know it inside out and they know what people like and they know what's worth trying and what to steer you towards, I really appreciate that and I think it makes it feel like a much more special experience, the food itself has also been lovely, those sandwiches were really good, I love the quiche that they started with, scones were warm and they were delicious, the patisseries really well thought out, really exciting, overall I've had an amazing time, I honestly think this is one that you need to put on your radar if you're looking for an afternoon tea to try that isn't one of the classics like the Ritz or the Dorchester, one of those ones that gets booked up really fast, this is a good one to try, this is one that you can definitely get booked into, it's a bit different in terms of location but it still feels very premium and luxurious so definitely worth adding to your list. So let's take a look at where this places the St Pancras Hotel in our afternoon tea top five, now this was a really lovely experience, it doesn't quite make our top five but definitely worth checking out if you're in the Kings Cross area. I hope you guys have enjoyed watching this review and hearing my thoughts, let me know what you think in the comments as well, would you book this afternoon tea yourself? Thanks so much for your support of my channel, I really appreciate it, if you're not already subscribed make sure you do because I post about afternoon teas and just generally other London restaurants a lot, have a lovely week you guys and I'll see you in my next video.