I went to have a Coronation themed afternoon tea at The Ivy in Tower Bridge where I tried the King’s rumoured favourite drink.
The Ivy has launched a menu which has been created especially for the Coronation - featuring several themed drinks, foods, desserts, and an afternoon tea.
The Ivy at Tower Bridge has been decorated for the Coronation with red flowers and a large purple crown to mark the celebrations.
This is a good photo taking opportunity if you happen to be there in the lead up to the Coronation.
The Coronation afternoon tea is the same afternoon tea that is usually served at the Ivy, however for the Coronation some decorative touches have been added to mark the occasion.
The Ivy has also teamed up with Nyetimber and for the price of £39.95 guests can upgrade to have a glass of English Sparkling Wine with their afternoon tea.
Alongside the Nyetimber, you can order teas and coffees from their menu which includes a lot of traditional options like their Afternoon Tea blend.
When the afternoon tea was brought over there is a little display when hot water is poured into a container with dry ice, so be sure to have your phone at the ready.
The savoury options were very traditional, including two sandwiches one with salmon and cream cheese and the other with pickled cucumber, courgette, and basil.
The third and my personal favourite out of the savouries was the grilled chicken and truffle mayonnaise brioche roll.
The afternoon tea also came with two freshly baked scones with clotted cream, strawberry preserve, and fresh strawberries.
The scones were fresh and warm like they’d just come out of the oven five minutes before.
Personally, I don’t think you can ever beat the taste of a freshly baked scone and its one of the things that really characterise a good afternoon tea for me.
The sweet treats included four options that had little nods to the Coronation Celebration and were decorated with little patriotic touches.
I first tried the honeycomb and dark chocolate plant pot which came with edible flowers and was topped with an edible gold crown.
I think this had to be my favourite of the four and tasted like a mix between the crunchiness of the bottom of a cheesecake combined with a mousse.
The almond and black bee honey macaroon was topped off with a little edible insignia of the King and had a gooey centre with the honey against the crunch of the almonds in the macaroon.
Being somewhat of a macaroon fanatic, I can honestly say I’ve not tried one like this before and the flavours really went well together.
One of the sweet treats also included a little glass of mango and coconut smoothie topped off with a little union jack flag.
This one ended up being the favourite of another member of our table who even procured half of mine for himself.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried an afternoon tea where a smoothie was served as a sweet treat, nor have I ever tried mango and coconut combined.
I finally finished with the red velvet and raspberry cake which had a thick creamy icing on top and was finished with a little decorative bumble bee.
It was very delicious, however after all that food I struggled to finish it.
Luckily, the staff at the Ivy do offer boxes in case you need to take any uneaten treats home to enjoy later.
We also got to sample the King’s Martini, which has been inspired by what is rumoured to be the King’s favourite tipple.
The drink is made with Beefeater Crown Jewel gin, Aker English dry Aperitif, Pierre Ferrand, and fresh grapefruit.
I would describe this drink as very warming, immediately I could taste the cognac in this drink which has a very notable taste.
Personally, I only managed to drink half of this drink on account of how strong it was, I’m usually someone who opts for more floral and fruity flavoured cocktails.
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So, after half a glass I decided to stick to my glass of Nyetimber instead. However, another member of the table who enjoys brandy and cognac really enjoyed this drink on account of the cognac.
All in all, I thought the afternoon tea combined so many flavours and had some really fun, patriotic elements that made it a memorable day out to mark the Coronation.
The Coronation afternoon tea will be served until May 9 from 3pm-5pm at 20 of their locations including their Tower Bridge, Chelsea Garden and Richmond locations in London.
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