Ruth and Peter: Holidays, family events, friends and much more from 2012 onwards... : Afternoon Tea at the OXO Tower with DIL

Afternoon Tea?
OXO Tower?
DIL?

What's this then?

Well DIL, aka Simon's girlfriend Tania, and my honorary daughter in law, has been promising me a special outing for my birthday - a personal present from her to me. I had no idea where we were going when she collected me from the Barbican and we wondered down past St. Paul's Cathedral and across the Millenium Bridge and turned down the south bank of the Thames. Eventually we darted into a doorway and all became clear.

The OXO Tower restaurant is on the top floor of an art deco tower. The building was originally constructed as a power station for the Post Office, built towards the end of the 19th century. It was subsequently acquired by the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, manufacturers of Oxo beef stock cubes, for conversion into a cold store. (Thank you Wikipedia). Afternoon tea is anything but!

Here's the menu:

NOT AFTERNOON TEA SELECTION

BERRY FROZEN

Raspberry and vanilla ripple parfait
Strawberry mille feuille, white balsamic pearls
Blueberry and yoghurt sundae
Blackberry lolly

with Ice Pop
Absolut raspberry vodka & Cointreau blended with
vanilla sugar and lemon juice

PENNYS HERB GARDEN
Lemon verbena and sour cherry mousse
Thyme panna cotta, apricots
Peach and bay leaf trifle
Mint cake, black current ice cream

with An English Summer
Biddenden English wine & Chase elderflower
liqueur shaked with green tea & hibiscus liqueur.
Bitter lemon charge

CHOCOLATE BARS
White chocolate coconut cherry mousse
Blond chocolate and butterscotch parfait
Milk chocolate peanut nougat
Chocolate raisin hazelnut crisps bar

with Not For Boys
Koko Kanu coconut rum & Appleton Estate
rum shaken with coconut milk and Mozart dark
chocolate liqueur

BLOOMING LOVELY
Elderflower and gooseberry fool
Lavender macaroons, blueberry cream
Rose, lemon and polenta cake
Hibiscus and pomegranate jelly

with Pretty Please
Green tea & hibiscus liqueur, elderflower and
lemon juice charged with HN Prosecco

It was hard to choose, but I had Pennys Herb Garden and Tania had Blooming Lovely and very were delicious - the cocktails and the desserts.

We sat and chatted for a good two and a half hours. I subjected Tania to all sorts of mother in law style intrusive, personal questioning but she didn't flinch! It was a great treat. Thank you Tania for a very happy afternoon.

Before tucking in

Tucking in!