WORDS: Ange Seddon

We were invited to a beautiful, hidden gem amongst Manchester’s towering skyline, the King Street Townhouse. They wanted us to indulge in their ‘Late Summer’ afternoon tea, promising flavours of an idyllic British summertime that capture the season in every forkful. Bold statements indeed, and as I am a well seasoned afternoon tea enthusiast, I was intrigued to see if the food lived up to its lofty billing.

The room where we were to have our food was a beautiful place usually used for weddings with its own bar and a sun-drenched terrace (hard to believe, in Manchester, but it was honest) overlooking the town hall. But first I’d like to make special mention of the staff. Each and every member from the newest trainee, the experienced maître d', the receptionist and the chefs, all were delightful. Nothing was too much trouble and they made us feel extremely welcome and special.

So let’s get down to the business of the food itself. Starting with the sandwiches. What I loved was the variety of the (in house made) breads. Tomato bread, spinach bread, cereal bread and cocoa bread. Nothing stodgy here, each complimenting their fillings perfectly. Such a welcome change and elevated these humble butties to something rather special indeed. Sounds very grand, but trust me they all tasted gorgeous. I may have had more than one of each, purely in the name of research you understand, to make sure. With my savoury tastebuds more than satisfied, I moved on to the sweet.

The pastries were so pretty, they wouldn’t look out of place in the window of a fancy Parisian patisserie. I started with the blackcurrant and vanilla macarons, crisp on the outside, and chewy in the middle with a filling that was just on the right side of sharpness to offset all that sugar. Then came malted double chocolate cakes, a twist on the classic Maltesers, these were amazing, so pretty and moreish, my friend had to be held back before she demolished the lot! The scones were light and fresh, but once laden with strawberry jam and clotted cream became delightfully decadent. The lemon tart was excellent, crisp, buttery pastry with a zingy lemon filling. But for me, the stars of the show were the green tea, strawberry and lime cakes. So light yet packed full of flavours. As Cherish Finden from Bake Off: The Professionals would say, “Love it! Love it! Love it!”

This afternoon tea was, without a doubt, one of the best I’ve tasted in a long while. The attention to detail was a delight. What’s even better is that during the month of August, you can get a 25% discount on all sittings if you quote the code ‘25%OFF’ when booking. So I’d encourage you to pay them a visit, this gem of a place is worth seeking out, I promise you won’t be disappointed (Me: *hastily books in every day in August*). Afternoon tea is always supposed to be special; I can say the people at King St Townhouse not only fill that brief, but go above and beyond.
Now can someone pass me the clotted cream…

kingstreettownhouse.co.uk

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