"Darling, Shall We Take Tea at Browns?"

After my dice with near certain death (i.e. the Rampant Cow Incident at Mudchute Farm), it was time for a more refined, pleasurable experience- and what could be more indulgent and soul restoring than Afternoon Tea at Browns with friends?

While Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Hotel, London, is probably more famous, in my view, tea at Browns is slightly less obvious and therefore a wholly more chic experience.

In light of the Festive Season and the need to be terribly self indulgent, we decided on the Champagne Afternoon Tea which included a glass of Taittinger Rosé Champagne along with all the frills and thrills of the full English afternoon tea:

To start, the dainty finger sandwiches included thinly sliced cucumber (of course!), smoked salmon, red onion and English cheddar, thinly sliced ham and cranberry sauce, creamy egg and watercress...

Then came the freshly baked scones (plain, and with dried cranberries) with luscious strawberry jam and generous dollops of rich, thick clotted cream...

And finally some fabulously calorific sweet treats (including festive Yuletide log and frosted Christmas Cake) washed down with comforting cups of Browns Afternoon Blend tea. With bulging tummies and bursting bladders (all that tea!!), we all agreed that it was the perfect way to spend an afternoon in London- cosily squirreled away from the maddening Christmas crowds and rampant charging Cows ;-)