Festive Afternoon Tea at West Court Retreat
*We were provided with this experience for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.
Yesterday we were invited to West Court Retreat to experience their festive afternoon tea. As much as I love afternoon tea at any time of the year, festive afternoon tea is always extra special, with so much seasonal flavour as well as all that joy at knowing Christmas is just around the corner.
Where is West Court Retreat?
Launched at the end of last year, West Court Retreat joined Nirvana Spa as part of the Nirvana Collection in Wokingham, Berkshire and I couldn’t wait to see the hotel for myself, having heard so much about it.
West Court Retreat is a boutique hotel, set in a beautiful 17th century, Grade II listed Manor House and nestled in the peaceful countryside, blending historic charm with modern luxury for a truly unique overnight stay or dining experience.
You arrive at the hotel along a gated, sweeping tree-lined driveway which gives a really wow moment as the hotel comes into view. Surrounded by gorgeous grounds, and a lake complete with fountain to the side, we immediately felt relaxed and at home.
We were greeted warmly at the hotel reception, which was beautifully decorated for the festive season, and shown into the Drawing Room for our afternoon tea.
Festive Afternoon Tea at West Court Retreat
The drawing room couldn’t have been a nicer setting for festive afternoon tea. It was bright, warm and inviting, with so many comfy chairs, festive touches and a beautiful Christmas tree at one end.
We were seated overlooking the grounds and were given water whilst we perused the tea menu. The table was laid with a festive flower display, afternoon tea menus at each place setting and a cracker each – the perfect festive touch!
There’s a really nice range of teas available at West Court Retreat, with something for every taste, but I stuck with my favourite – English breakfast tea – whilst Dave was more adventurous and chose the Christmas blend. More tea can also be ordered at any point.
After our tea orders were taken, and we confirmed we didn’t have any allergies, we relaxed for a while, enjoying the surroundings. On a Tuesday lunchtime, West Court Retreat wasn’t too busy and it had a really nice, calm and relaxing atmosphere with festive music playing faintly. It was lovely.
Our tea was brought out, along with a timer to let us know when it was steeped to perfection! Our afternoon tea arrived shortly after and we were talked through the delicious looking spread – we couldn’t wait to get stuck in!
The West Court Retreat chefs have created a festive menu that blends British classics with a Christmassy twist. The whole three-tiered cake stand is a delight. Fully stocked with sweet and savoury bites, it is elegant and enticing, a real treat for anyone lucky enough to experience it.
Afternoon tea sandwiches
The experience starts with finger sandwiches that were freshly made with the finest seasonal ingredients. They had such a wonderful variety of fillings – brie and cranberry, honey roast gammon with onion chutney, turkey and stuffing, smoked salmon and lemon and the classic cream cheese and cucumber combination.
The sandwiches were soft and moreish. We have afternoon tea fairly often and these were some of the nicest sandwiches we have ever had – and they were the exact same size which made them look fantastic too. Plus, five fillings is almost unheard of as most afternoon tea spreads have three or maybe four. Also, unlike most afternoon teas, the sandwiches could be replenished if we wanted. You can have refills of all of the sandwiches or just your favourites whenever you like. This is a lovely touch.
Our favourites were the turkey and stuffing for a real taste of Christmas, and the brie and cranberry which is just such a classic festive flavour combination. Having said that, all of the sandwiches were delicious!
Hand-crafted pastries
Next we enjoyed a fantastic selection of pastries. They were all familiar bakes and yet given a lovely fresh and festive twist. We were treated to mince pie Bakewells, chocolate orange éclairs, apple doughnuts, blood orange meringue pies and maple and pecan tarts.
We really didn’t know where to start with this course so Dave and I ended up enjoying the sweet treats in completely different orders! The chocolate orange eclair was a true taste of Christmas – so indulgent and utterly delicious.
The Mince pie Bakewell was one of my favourite parts of the afternoon tea spread and the maple and pecan tart was something I could happily eat every single day – such wonderful texture and flavour.
Fresh, fluffy scones
We finished our afternoon tea with freshly made scones and had a choice of plain scones or festive cranberry ones which made a really nice change to traditional fruit scones.
All the scones were light, buttery, and served with clotted cream and jam – which was also beautifully presented. The attention to detail and service at West Court Retreat really was second to none. Our leftovers were also boxed up for us to take home!
The whole spread was perfect. It wasn’t too heavy, was full of festive flavours but not too much – giving just little festive twists and Christmassy notes without overpowering you with festive flavour – leaving you with a truly scrumptious festive experience whilst also enjoying everything a classic afternoon tea has to offer.
We loved our afternoon tea experience at West Court Retreat and would happily dine there again – or maybe even visit and stay overnight! The hotel is beautiful, the staff are friendly and attentive and the location couldn’t be better – a countryside feel whilst only being a short drive from Camberley, Wokingham and Reading.
Festive afternoon tea is available at West Court Retreat until 23rd December and if you visit on select weekend dates the Drawing Room comes alive with Festive Melodies, the beautiful sounds of a live string quartet, filling the air with festive cheer and classic carols.
Festive Afternoon Tea starts from £34.95 or from £60 for the weekend Festive Melodies and Afternoon Tea. Find out more and book your afternoon tea over on the West Court Retreat website. For reference, the hotel address is: Reading Rd, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 4AX
If you’re looking for other festive things to do in Berkshire, these articles might help:
- Christmas Ice Skating in Berkshire
- Christmas Theatre and Pantomimes in Berkshire
- Wreath Making in Berkshire
- Where to see Father Christmas in Berkshire
- Where to buy Christmas Trees in Berkshire
- Christmas in Berkshire
- Christmas Lights in Berkshire
- Christmas Light Trails in Berkshire
- Christmas Markets in Berkshire
