Review: Festive Afternoon Tea at Moorhall Hotel, Sutton Coldfield

I have often shared my love of afternoon tea on my blog, so I was super happy when I was invited to get a sneak peak at the festive afternoon tea offering at Moorhall Hotel in Sutton Coldfield. It’s not somewhere I’ve been before, but as a big fan of oldy worldy buildings (that makes more sense in my head than written down) I was excited to explore this beautiful property dating back to the 20th century.

When I arrived the hotel is certainly very grandiose and striking. I loved the architecture of the main building, and inside I was in awe of the little snug areas, the maze like corridors and the beautiful wood panelling. Anyway moving on, I’m sure we’re all just here to find out about the food…

We started our afternoon with a Christmas gin cocktail, using the Christmas edition of Edinburgh Gin. This was frankincense and myrrh flavour, topped up with angostura tonic and garnished with a cinnamon stick and dried orange slice. It was full of flavour and wonderfully festive, I could definitely sink a few of these if I was out celebrating the party season (and then regret it the next day when I still have to do the mum thing at 7am).

The tables were set beautifully and the team at the hotel had gone to tonnes of effort to make it feel Christmassy for us. It was unseasonably warm outside (nice weather for the wedding that was happening that day, not so nice for the hotel team who had sweetly donned Christmas jumpers for the event), but assuming that the decor and feel of the room is an indication of how it will look at Christmas, it will be so super festive and cosy for visitors it will certainly set the mood for celebrations and merriment.

The food arrived after some time chatting with fellow bloggers and we were in for a feast. For the savoury selection the afternoon tea features a seasonal assortment of sandwiches, including turkey, cranberry and sage stuffing, and black bomber (one of my favourite cheeses) and red onion chutney. You also get a ‘Brummie scone’ which is a savoury cheese and bacon scone and it is delicious.

I’m normally more of a savoury person but on this occasion I found the sweet treats the real highlight. The scones were super light and airy, the mini chocolate cake was rich and moist, and the Christmas cake was packed with flavour (even though I am not normally a fan of Christmas cake). You also get a stollen bite and a super cute mulled wine trifle, which looks uber-festive with a sugar snowman on top, and tastes amazing.

Having had many afternoon teas, this was definitely one of my favourites and I loved that they offer a specific festive menu. It is £22.95 which I think is a good price for the time of year, with tea or coffee included (I had a really nice light fruit tea blend).

The hotel also has loads of fun stuff going on at Christmas, from Christmas parties, Santa visits, Murder Mystery evenings (would love to do this!) festive lunches, New Year’s Eve party, it sounds a cliche but there is something for everyone – I’ve popped a link here to be helpful. P is a bit too young this year for the Santa stuff (she is still terrified by anything new) but I will definitely have Moorhall on my radar for Christmas fun next year when she will be nearly 4 (cue sobbing that my little baby is growing up so fast).

If you’re looking to celebrate the festive season in style with good food in beautiful surroundings, I can 100% recommend Moorhall Hotel.

If you’re looking for afternoon tea recommendations in Shropshire, the afternoon tea at Fishmore Hall in Ludlow is one of my all time favourite experiences.

I was invited to a bloggers event at Moorhall Hotel where a festive afternoon tea was provided free of charge. As always the provision of free products or meals does not influence my views, which remain entirely my own, and are always honest.