Christmas In The Woods Afternoon Tea at Westin London City Review
This year, The Westin London City invites you to Christmas in the Woods- an enchanted woods festive afternoon tea.
Walking into the foyer you’re transported to a winter forest. There’s an enchanting Christmas tree with penguins and polar bears. Exiting the lift to head to the restaurant, there’s one of the cutest scenes I’ve seen this year- a wooden sleigh surrounded by Christmas trees with snow and white woodland creatures such as a stag and deer, fox and owls. Turning around you see a bright red train set circling a village. We had smiles on our faces after seeing these adorable displays and we hadn’t even made it to the restaurant yet! Opposite the restaurant is a ‘Letters to Santa’ display. We were very impressed by the displays and loved the continuation of the theme throughout.
The menu is adorable with one side showing a colourful artwork of the view of Westin London City with the Thames in the foreground and St Paul’s in the background, a red telephone box and woodland creatures. The other side provides the list of sandwiches, scones and pastries, decorated with woodland creatures. It’s one of the cutest menus we’ve seen.
There’s a selection of five finger sandwiches which are presented in a birdcage stand. Our favourite was the roasted turkey with cranberries on beetroot bread. We hadn’t had beetroot bread before and both felt this is something we’d have again. The Urfa-chilli smoked brisket was a little chewy and needed some sauce but we liked the salt on the top of the Parker House roll. The citrus and dill mayonnaise infused Cornish crab on a mini bun was creamy and also a standout.
Of course there’s no afternoon tea without scones and these were served warm and fresh. There was a plain scone and a raisin scone each served with clotted cream and blackcurrant jam. We laughed at finding out I use the Cornish method and my friend uses the Devonshire method. Are you a jam then cream person like me, or a cream then jam person like my friend?
Now it was time for the desserts. We loved the continued theme of the woodlands with the earthy tones and edible decorative woodland features. To start we had the choux pastry with blood orange custard with an acorn which was soft and creamy. My friend’s favourite was the pistachio and cranberry cupcake with green moss decorated with a mushroom. The classic green and red combo is very Christmassy. It was served on a bed of dessicated coconut as were the caramel coconut wood rolls with an edible fox. To look at the pine cone brownie cake with candied ginger, reminded me of chocolate cornflake cakes. I liked the contrast of the soft brownie and the crunchier outside.
It was a beautiful afternoon tea with high quality food. The staff were very helpful and attentive. The Mosaic restaurant where the afternoon tea occurs is located on the fourth floor. It’s an open and spacious restaurant with a city-facing view with a minimal but elegant style.
The afternoon tea costs £45 per person in including a selection of 10 loose leaf jing tea. For £55 you’d get a glass of mulled one, for £60 a festive cocktail and for £65 a glass of Taittinger Brut champagne. Vegetarian and vegan options are available. The Christmas in the Woods afternoon runs daily 1pm to 5pm until 5th January 2025.
The Westin London City is located in the heart of the City of London overlooking the River Thames. Westin London City also house Hithe + Seek, a stunning bar overlooking the river. It offers a curated list of signature and classic cocktails alongside with a selection of curated wines and draft beers.
Address: The Westin London City, 60 Upper Thames Street, EC4V 3AD
Website: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lonwi-the-westin-london-city/experiences/festive-season/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewestinlondoncity
Written by Caitlin Neal
