Review – Afternoon Tea by Hudsons at The Grand Hotel York

Afternoon tea is a favourite of many, so you may be wondering where are the best places in York for afternoon tea? Last Sunday, I headed to The Grand Hotel, York, as I’d been invited to try out the Afternoon Tea by Hudsons. I’d heard and read amazing things online about this afternoon tea, so I was incredibly excited and brought my mum along with me to try out the afternoon tea. Hudsons is The Grand Hotel York’s fine dining restaurant, and we were greeted with smiles from our servers.

Our helpful hosts introduced mum and I to a range of unique and wonderful teas to choose from. My mum decided on the Rooibos Tiramisu, whereas I chose the Jasmine Blossom tea. We chose these as we wanted to try more adventurous teas, which arrived with a personal timer to give the perfect brew of 3 or 5 minutes, depending on the tea. The aroma was beautiful from both teas, especially once it had brewed.

The Afternoon Tea by Hudsons menu read:

• Chilled tomato tea
• Smoked sea trout with red onion and chives on brioche – pickled cucumber and dill on sesame sourdough – Victorian egg mayonnaise toast sandwich with egg yolk fudge and cresses
• Scones selection
• Pistachio cake with chocolate cream and strawberry – caramel gold choux bun – banana bread with hazelnut and truffle
• Cheese selection (supplement)

After selecting our tea of choice and waiting for it to be prepared, we were then presented with a small cup of Chilled Tomato Tea, which was a tasty and tangy palate cleanser. The refreshing flavour of the tomato was clean and perfect for tingling the taste buds ahead of the more traditional tea we had selected.

Next, the sandwiches arrived to our table. Beautifully presented in front of us was the smoked sea trout with red onion and chives on brioche, the pickled cucumber and dill on sesame sourdough, and finally the Victorian egg mayonnaise toast sandwich with egg yolk fudge and cresses. Our host advised us to save the Victorian egg mayo sandwich until last and oh my gosh, I’m so glad we followed the advice – it was a firm favourite of ours, as it melted in the mouth. We were advised afterwards that it was a firm favourite of Queen Victoria’s and it’s an exact replica of how she enjoyed her egg mayo sandwiches.

The scones – fresh, warm homemade scones. The flavour of these scones was brilliant, served with a  selection of jams to choose from and clotted cream.

Finally, it was time for the selection of desserts. The desserts featured pistachio cake with chocolate cream and strawberry, a caramel gold choux bun, and banana bread with hazelnut and truffle. I’m not a fan of caramel but I gave the bun a try, however it wasn’t for me. I did, however, love the banana bread which was divine.

Thank you so much to the Afternoon Tea by Hudsons team for hosting us and for inviting me. This is certainly one to book if you feel like treating yourself or have a special occasion to celebrate. Honestly, it was all amazing, with extremely gorgeous food and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Afternoon Tea by Hudsons is initially priced at £35, with optional Champagne and/or a cheese course. Available Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30pm.