But lucky for us here in the UK Wimpy is celebrating their 70^th Anniversary!

That’s right 70 years of Wimpy. Let’s think about that for a moment, the first Wimpy opened way before 2 famous global fast food brands had even flipped their first burger!

No wonder it is a British institution, and one that delivers nostalgia in bucket loads. I

I think I can speak for anyone who was around in the 70’s (before those US brands had a real foothold in the UK), Wimpy was the only place to go for a great burger and that authentic diner experience.

Wimpy invited me to go a try one of the Wimpy Legends that they have rereleased as a retro reminder of just how good they are…and have always been.

I tried out The Original with chips, which especially a double cheeseburger (always a winner) upgraded with a classic style relish. Of course it was delicious, it also made my question why this ever left the menu in the first place. Sure, the double cheeseburger with Wimpy special sauce is special (see what I did there ), but it those little differences and the nostalgic reminder of food stops gone by that matter.

I just had to order myself 10 onion rings on the side, it’s one of my treats when I’m at a Wimpy…

Don’t judge…

If a double cheeseburger and a stack of oniony goodness wasn’t enough, there is something every Wimpy connoisseur, especially those whose inner child remembers begging for one at every visit…it is of course the legendary Brown Derby.

Now I have to admit in my (maybe sad?) old age I don’t really go for desserts. But as this is a special 70^TH occasion I thought why not.

So what did the young (and old) Michael think about this classic sweet?

NOSTALGIA! Yes, from the “fair ground” doughnut, to the ice cream just like from an ice cream van, and oh that chocolate sauce…sweet memories…

A big congratulations to Wimpy for delivering year after year for 70 years…may you have 70 more, as you deserve to be part of the British landscape so that future generations can experience that delicious, sweet nostalgia.

Have you been joining Wimpy in their 70th celebrations? Remember to let me know your favourites, new and old, in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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I have tried a lot of different brands of “fake” chicken, and if you have too you’ll know that some are better than others. So I was up for the taste test challenge when I received samples to try, especially as Tindle is made by chefs, served in restaurants, and now available in your kitchen!

Several versions are available nuggets, popcorn chicken, tenders, wings and burgers. That’s where I’m going to start…the burger.

There is a globally famous high street fried chicken brand, and I am a fan of their original chicken fillet burger. Recently they launched a vegan version, which I tried, and to be honest I wasn’t impressed.

So with that in mind, I thought I would recreate it using the Tindle burger. Simply done in a sesame bun with lettuce and mayo. This classic setting would give the burger it’s best chance of shinning through. My oh my it certainly did! Very tasty and a better attempt in my view than the colonel’s. In fact I have to say it’s the best fake chicken burger I’ve tried.

The nuggets were treated in a similar vein, bread crumb coated and always a fun hands-on way to eat. I could have just dipped them in barbeque sauce, but I thought what could be more fun than tacos! So I put them together with soft tacos, homemade salsa and guacamole, lettuce, cheese and got stuck in. They worked really well, crispy and even more “chickeny” flavour.

The products have a great texture and stayed moist, a trick that is hard to pull off. Flavourful and well worth searching out if you are looking for a meat replacement this chicken will satisfy both your taste buds and your food choices.

So give it a try, whether you eat real chicken or not these plant based protein rich products are a delicious alternative.

Find out more and buy them here Tindle

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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If, like me, you love Asian food, it’s great to find exciting brands that give you an easy way to enjoy those flavours in the comfort of your own home. As there are a few things to go through I’ll take it step by step as I munched my way through the box.

Crispy Nori Snacks

Like Nori? This is exactly what you would expect, albeit in a small bag which although intended for snacking (which is delicious), they are the perfect size to use in cooking. So either eat ‘em or use them in something like Dashi Stock. Very handy!

Seaweed Rice Crisps

Same Nori flavour as above, but backed with a layer of rice crisp. Perfect for more substantial snacking. My only complaint is that I wish it came in a bigger bag

Kimchi Ramen

An instant hot meal, but don’t think of a certain brand of noodles in a pot, this is a different league. The noodles are already thick and soft when you open them, the broth is spicy but not over powering and the Kimchi comes dry in a sachet. I was sceptical, but after making as per the instructions the Kimchi was perfect…I mean you try it and think “How did they do that?”, it really is that good.

Green Ice Tea

I must admit I don’t really drink Ice Tea. I know it’s popular and if you have tried this please tell me what you thought in the comments, but for me this was kinda nice just way too sweet.

Aloe Vera

Having tried other brands version of this drink I was looking forward to trying this, however I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t bitter or chlorophyll-y like some, this was actually really tasty. I checked the label and there were no nasties bolstering the flavour, so this gets a big thumbs up.

Kimchi

Exactly what it says on the pack, good quality Kimchi. It’s not too hot or garlicy, just right for me and comes in a convenient snack pack. Again this is something I would not just snack on, but use in a dish too.

Korean Rolls

The kit comes with rice paper wraps, vermicelli rice noodles, marinade and dipping sauce, simply add the meat/veggies you want. These are similar to summer rolls but warm, I went for chicken with some fresh veggies and they were absolutely amazing, a bit of a restaurant vibe at home! Sure they are a little tricky to put together (especially if you over soak the wraps) but after the first couple you get you technique on pat. I couldn’t make or eat them fast enough, so will be buying these very soon.

Yuzu Jelly Tea

Ok the name doesn’t describe this well, as although they suggest you make tea with it, think of this as an exotic marmalade.

It is really, really delish. They also say to spread it on toast, but I am thinking this is going to go brilliantly with pork…and I am going to try that real soon.

Conclusion

Overall Kelly Loves is a solid brand. From the products I tried, and though not all were to my taste, everything was conveniently packaged and very good quality.

I have no problem recommending you try something from their range and you can check them out here:

www.kellyloves.com

So give them a go and remember to tell me in the comments what you would recommend from their range.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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This is how it was when I was approached by Pelagonia to try out their Aivar. If you have never heard of it (and I hadn’t), Aivar is a Macedonian treat made from roasted peppers and aubergine.

It’s sweet flavour and creamy texture is a perfect accompaniment to almost anything, cheeses, cold meats, pasta or just spread it on some good crusty bread.

I got two versions, the standard one and the hot one. The standard Aivar is going to be loved by everyone, its beautiful sweet, roast red pepper flavour is an instant hit. This is the one you will definitely find yourself using in your kitchen on a regular basis. I managed to get through the jar in a handful of days trying it ‘neat’ to having is with a Spanish Tapas style lunch to dinner with falafel. This is where it comes into its own, as it has a real Mediterranean feel to its flavour (and coming from South East Europe there’s no surprise there) it really suits itself to a mixed plate of food, enhancing everything…add a nice cold glass of white wine and you really can’t go wrong!

The hot version has a good hit of heat but not too much, the mild heat taking it more towards North Africa, Middle Eastern or even Mexican food. It still manages to keep its subtle flavours while delivering that spice which I love.

I highly recommend that you give Aivar a try, I guarantee it will become a kitchen favourite in your house.

To find out more and to see Pelagonia – The Macedonian Kitchen’s complete range follow this link www.pelagonia.co.uk/products

Remember to tell me in the comments below if you have fallen in love with Aivar!

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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All was revealed when to package arrived as this seasoning doesn’t just contain salt and pepper, it’s a spice and seasoning mix leaning heavily towards the Chinese sphere of cuisine. You can tell that the second you give it a smell, with its sweet aniseed pungency and nose tickling chilli note.

Giving it a quick taste straight out of the box those flavours mellow together and your left with a salty, spicy, umami taste in the mouth, coming together as a seasoning rather than a flavour. This is good as now we can confidently use it in a range of cuisines.

Now let’s get this straight out of the way, the Chinese link is underlined by the fact that this product contains MSG. I know a lot of people who don’t like the idea of MSG and some who swear they suffer from ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ and can’t tolerate the stuff.

There doesn’t seem to be any definitive evidence for intolerance to MSG, but if you are one of the people above, this product will not be for you.

For the rest of us get stuck in! I tried this on a few things but I found is really comes to life on meat, seafood.and for all your noodle dishes. I used it to enhance some packet ramen to which I added some leftover roast chicken and spring onion,,,delicious!

The final thing I tried it on was some lovely pork steaks and the seasoning suited it down to the ground.

It does give a really rounded seasoning and doesn’t come across overly Asian so it is a versatile product.

I also found that if you shake it around you can avoid the chilli flakes, cos you know sometimes even I don’t have to have food with heat.

I think this is going to be fantastic for barbeque season (pun intended!) as you can use this on pretty much anything.

Feeling that this used on BBQ’d chicken wings or aubergine if you’re veggie is going to be something special and simple to make.

Get yours over at https://kmcseasoning.co.uk/ and enhance your season!

Remember to tell me what you think of KMC Salt & Pepper Seasoning Mix in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Schwartz, but all opinions are my own.

Interestingly they asked if I would do something a little different with their product and not just follow the recipe on the back of the pack. So what to do…

After thinking of some radical ways to use it (like rubbing it over a chicken and roasting it with no liquid), I decided to simply use the basic recipe and switch things up a bit.

As you know having lived in Spain for a couple of years I’m a big fan of Spanish cuisine so I wanted to use a bit of subtle Spanish flavour to add a new dimension to the Schwartz Chicken Casserole. I didn’t want to go the obvious route and sprinkle some Schwartz Smoked Paprika into the dish, which of course you could do, but I wanted to create a dish with a simple flavour change that wouldn’t overpower the product in hand.

So go out and get yourself a packet of Schwartz Chicken Casserole and give this recipe a try!

Schwartz Chicken Casserole Spanish Style

Ingredients:

• 4 x Chicken Thighs/Legs (or breast if you prefer)
• 2 x Onion
• 1 x Red Pepper
• 2-4 x Cloves of Garlic (Depending on your garlic love)
• 200ml x Dry Sherry
• Olive Oil
• 1 x Packet Schwartz Chicken Casserole

Method

Put you oven on a little early and roast the red pepper. We want to get it nice and soft and bring out the sweetness. When the skin starts going black remove from the oven and let cool.

While it’s cooling, dice you onion into a frying pan and gently soften in a little olive oil. Once the onions go translucent, grate or crush your garlic into the pan and let that cook along with the onions. TIP: Remember garlic smells harsh when raw and sweet when cooked, so use your nose!

When the onion and garlic is done remove from the pan into your casserole dish.

Now add a touch more olive oil into your frying pan and turn the heat up a bit. Add your chicken pieces and brown on all sides. While browning deseed, peel and dice you roasted pepper adding that to the casserole dish.

Once the chicken is nicely browned add to the other ingredients.

Now keep you frying pan on a low to medium heat and add you sherry. Swirl it around to pick up all the flavour left in the pan and then allow to boil in the pan for a minute or two.

Add this liquid to you casserole dish along with the packet of Schwartz Chicken Casserole made as per the instructions on the pack.

Place in your preheated oven to 180C (170C Fan or Gas Mark 4) and cook for 1 hour.

I served the dish with rice to keep in with that Spanish, more exotic feel.

The flavours worked extremely well, with the chicken casserole mix holding the dish together. The sweetness added by the roasted pepper and sherry really do add a delicious depth to this recipe.

So go on, give it a try! Schwartz Chicken Casserole is available HERE at Tesco

Remember to tell me how this recipe worked out for you in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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I had to try some on its own and the taste is as powerful as Worcestershire sauce or Thai fish sauce. It’s vegan though and takes its depth of flavour from, well, mushrooms of course. It’s a great balance of umami and acidity.

It also has a heritage older than most things you will see on Antiques Roadshow, Geo Watkins has been making this since 1830 and its unique taste has made this a true British kitchen great.

They gave me a recipe to try, Veggie Ramen Bowls which I did modify a little, the spinach was switched out for kale as I love the flavour, and the chilli was swopped for Shichimi Togarashi as I had some in the cupboard. But otherwise I stuck faithfully to the supplied recipe, and I have to say it worked really well. Flavourful and warming, just the type of thing you need as we move into autumn.

As you know I am a big fan of Japanese soups and always looking for ways to power up the flavour and make it a little different and Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup does this wonderfully.

Recipe:

Vegetarian Ramen Bowls

(Serves 4)

• 1 litre vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 50 g piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 200 g fresh spinach
• 200 g mushrooms
• 200 g ramen noodles
• 4 eggs
• 60 g coriander, chopped
• 5 spring onions, chopped
• 1 red chilli pepper
• Sesame seeds and sesame oil, to serve

METHOD:

1. In a large pot, combine the vegetable broth, miso and Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup.
2. Place a pot over a medium heat and add onion, garlic cloves and fresh ginger.
3. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to low.
4. Add fresh spinach and mushrooms and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Cook 200 g ramen noodles following the pack instructions, when ready take them out from the water and use the same pot to boil 4 eggs.
6. Divide the noodles between four bowls.
7. Simmer the eggs for around 10 minutes and let them cool under the cold water. Peel and cut into halves.
8. Ladle the soup into earlier prepared serving bowls with noodles.
9. Top with the eggs, coriander, spring onions, chilli, sesame seeds and sesame oil.

It’s well worth having a bottle of Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup in the cupboard, it’s so versatile you can add it to stews, casseroles, soups and more.

Available Sainsbury’s, Amazon, Waitrose, Ocado, specialist outlets and in a deli near you. RRP £1.99.

Remember to tell me about your kitchen adventures with Geo Watkins in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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The excitement builds before you even enter the racecourse, buzzing crowds of people all dressed up, and of course there were hats…lots of hats. Ladies Day is famous for hats and fascinators and there certainly were some amazing creations on display.

The day started with a visit to a beautifully restored vintage bus from English wine producers Coates & Seely. You may not have heard of the brand before, as they are not available at your local supermarket only through specialist distributors and of course their website. They mainly supply to high end restaurants and venues as at Epsom.

I tried both their white and rose sparkling wines, absolutely delicious they were too and further evidence (if any was needed) that English wine has progressed in leaps and bounds over recent years and is now truly world class. Coates & Seely are a family run business and talking to them their knowledge and passion for creating fantastic wine shone through.

The Winning Post

We then headed over to The Winning Post restaurant for a spot of lunch. A prime position as the name would suggest, stepping out onto the terrace gives you a perfect view of the final straight and the finish line.

We started with salmon with beetroot and horseradish cream, a great flavor combination and a really fresh start to the meal.

The main was steak with blue potato mash, carrots two ways and pea sprouts. A flavorful piece of meat it was too, with a rich tasty jus bringing it all together.

Dessert was a lemon tart, with a little fresh fruit, cream and meringue on the side it was not too sharp nor too sweet, but just right.

As I chatted to the head chef I found out a little more about their ethos. I was pleased to hear that, as with their wine suppliers, they focus on best of British and favour smaller, specialist producers where they can.

When you are serving hundreds of settings at a time it would be easy to bring in the big distributors to provide everything you need, but they are more about supporting people across the industry, including their own staff. It turns out the head chef started his career there as a bottle washer and worked his way up to the prestigious position he is in now.

Whichever member of staff I spoke to have the same story, they all felt thoroughly supported in their roles.

Later on we were treated to afternoon tea with scones, jam, cream and sandwiches. Classic British food for a classic British event!

As for the racing itself, I did have a flutter on a few races…and lost! Great fun though and the excitement of seeing those horses thundering passed really is a ‘had to be there’ experience.

If you’ve never been to the races before it’s a wonderful day out. People of all walks of life coming together enjoying the sport, it’s a visual spectacle, I mean it’s not every day you get to see Frankie Dettori going flying passed is it?

You know sometimes it’s not just about the food, sometimes the atmosphere, excitement and venue comes into play and Epsom’s Ladies Day had that in spades.

Have you been to Epsom Downs Racecourse? Remember to tell me about your experience in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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Popcorn Shed was started by Sam & Laura actually in a shed! There popcorn is handcrafted with all natural ingredients, and as you will see the focus is on new and interesting flavours.

The popcorn comes in little snack packs and larger shed shaped boxes. It may come in a box but the thinking behind some of these flavours is definitely outside it. Take Sweet Cheesus for example, the name itself made me raise an eyebrow in wonderment.

I will go through all the flavours below, and although some are more my taste than others, I am pleased to say that the popcorn itself is consistently high quality with a great texture throughout.

Pop ‘n’ Choc

Sweet buttery with a beautiful very slightly bitter rich dark chocolate aftertaste. Works very, very well and an interesting flavour combo if you’ve never tried chocolate popcorn…

Remember and love cornflake cakes? This is like a posh version of them and all the better for it.

Berry-licious

Zingy, intense flavour of freeze dried raspberries married to a lovely chocolate flavour at the end of every mouthful

Less buttery than most of the others here but it works as it gives lightness. I’m not a fan of fruity flavours in my treats, but I have to say I really, really enjoyed these. Highly recommended.

Salted Caramel

The salt/sweet hit seemed comes in waves, with toasted hint in the background. For me this was the one I was sure I would like the best before eating, but I have to say it ended up at the bottom of the pile.

Flavours seemed a little disjointed to me, it was like mixing sweet/salt popcorn, a mouthful of one flavour and then the other. Some people love that but I’m not a fan.

Pecan Pie

Mouth-watering pecan and maple syrup flavour with a high sweetness and depth of flavour. Basically it tastes just like pecan pie!

Personally I can’t wait to get a pack of these and crush them up over vanilla ice-cream…Yum

Butterly Nuts

Sweetness with a nice peanut after taste these are really delicious. If you want peanut brittle flavour without the tooth cracking crunch this is one to try.

It’s not too sweet either and the balance is great, working extremely well with the peanuty savouriness

Say Cheese!

Now here is one I was pleasantly surprise with. Cheesy popcorn, to me, sounds a little worrying…my concerns were dispelled by the first mouthful.

There is definite flavour similar to a famous brand of cheese puffs, so if you like them and love popcorn dive into these…NOW!  

Sweet Cheesus

I’ve already said the cheese theme threw up alarm bells with me, but cheesy AND sweet? This can’t work surely…

Well I’m pleased to say it surely does! More buttery sweet than cheesy when you first start eating, there is a hint of that sweet cheese (as per the Say Cheese! above) aftertaste which lingers in your mouth. It’s actually very tasty and works well…A pleasant surprise considering my initially concerns.

Popcorn Shed Sum Up

All of the popcorn was tasty, interesting and I’ll put my money were my popcorn stuffed mouth is and will be going out to get more of my favourite flavours.

This young, British business is a great example of how, if we trust in their expertise and push our preconceptions to one side, we can discover new, delicious flavour experiences and I’m all for that.

If you are a popcorn fan (and let’s face it who isn’t?), seek out this exciting brand, find stockists here

I promise whichever flavour you choose, I guarantee you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

Remember to tell me about your favourite Popcorn Shed flavours in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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It’s decadent and classy just like me, fitting then that Red Letter Days offered me the chance to choose any one of their afternoon tea experiences, and my there are plenty to choose from.

For a lot of people afternoon tea conjures up images of idyllic bygone era of country houses with the cast of Downton Abbey scoffing cucumber sandwiches and scones, washing it all down with gallons of Darjeeling. Now while that may have been true in the past, things have changed. The afternoon tea is now within reach of us all and while the traditional version is still of course extremely popular, there are many places out there rethinking it and putting a modern twist on this classic.

That’s exactly why I chose the Wyld Tea & Cocktails at Dandelyan located in the Mondrian Hotel, South Bank. It sounded different…interesting. Billed as being 70’s themed, influenced by unusual botanicals and of course the fact this afternoon tea included a few cocktails

Dandeylan is right on the pathway (Queen’s Walk) on the banks of the Thames, we were lucky enough to get a window seat so we had great views. The dark green décor matches the beautiful green marble bar which makes a great focal point. We were immediately handed a glass of water each which was much appreciated as it was a blistering hot day outside.

Not far behind the water was our opening cocktail the ‘Cheers!’ a refreshing mix of Bacardi, plum & peach, elderflower topped with bubbles – refreshing and very drinkable, it didn’t take long for this to disappear

After a few minutes of letting the air-conditioning cool us down we confirmed we were ready for our pots of tea and sandwiches. I went for English Breakfast and my partner Chamomile both came served in a generous pot, although you can of course ask for a top up when needed. Both delicious teas, and I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but on a hot day tea really is rather refreshing.

Just a few sips of tea later and our sandwiches arrive. Nice combinations, some untraditional like pastrami and IPA relish and some traditional with a twist, my favourite being smoked salmon with kümmel (a savoury flavoured liqueur) & green onion mayo.

Interestingly my partner (who is vegetarian) didn’t want one of the veggie options so they created a sandwich for her right there. It was sauerkraut, artichoke and rocket…and what an amazing sandwich too! I would take one over meat any day, kudos to the kitchen.

Next to the sandwiches were little savouries a smoked duck, miso and parmesan croute and a lobster and crab herb roll. Tasty little bites that worked well with their sandwich companions.

We ask for a couple more rounds of sandwiches, you can do that you know so don’t be afraid to ask at any afternoon tea location.

All very good so far…

The next cocktail came out listed as a palate cleanser. Served in a teeny glass this mix of passionfruit, sea buckthorn (no, me neither) and gin, really nice and very refreshing living up to its billing.

Palate cleanser finished with I poured another cup of tea and pretty soon I was staring at scones with grape & sherry jam and clotted cream. And I love clotted cream. A lot.

The jam was nicely sweet and boozy a delicious foil to the cream and the scone was tasty enough but, for me it lack a little crumbliness in the texture. Otherwise top notch!

Cocktail time again! This time a sweet pink creation full of chocolate, peppercorns and prosecco. Very pretty to look at it was too, topped with a little pink encrusted marshmallow and egg white foam.

What would an afternoon tea be without some little cakes? Sure enough some lovely treats arrived – an Earl Grey Vermouth custard tart, mint choc Scotch tea cake and a French Martini blancmange.

All very tasty although I must say my favourite was the custard tart, the smoky tea flavour worked wonderfully for me.

The final cocktail was delivered and a really refreshing one too, a ‘McCrop’ mojito made from vodka, green tea, mango and citrus, it was the perfect end to a delicious afternoon.

All in all the Wyld Tea at Dandelyan is well worth a visit. Great food and drink, a fantastic location and hugely friendly, accommodating staff.

Next week is THE time to go and enjoy this most British of pastimes, so why not go an indulge yourself this Afternoon Tea Week or with the help of Red Letter days you could indulge someone else too, check out the following links to find out more:

Red Letter Days

Wyld Tea at Dandelyan

Remember to tell me how your afternoon tea went in the comments below…Enjoy!

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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