Monday 20 July 2015

Presenting #terracechapters at the Royal Horseguards Hotel

Introducing their new Wimbledon hamper, the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London invited me down for a sneaky preview to experience Terrace Chapters. I've never been to the Royal Horseguards Hotel before but what first struck me was how friendly and accommodating the staff were. It's not the usual sort of hotel I could afford to stay in, but I was instantly made to feel welcome and never at any occasion did I feel uncomfortable or like I didn't belong there. Throughout the evening, the staff were very attentive and made sure my glass was always full and that I'd had enough to eat. I really can't fault the service I received.

What first stood out were the Wimbledon hampers. These were presented in the dreamiest of wicker baskets and contained a wide variety of ingredients for the perfect afternoon tea / picnic which can enjoyed on their outdoor terrace, or even outside by the river (granted you ask the hotel permission first). In collaboration with Taittinger Champagne and Hotel Chocolat, the Royal Horseguards Hotel offers half a bottle of champagne with your hamper as well as some seriously delicious looking chocolate treats. The Wimbledon hampers are priced at £59 for two people sharing.


Alternatively their Summer Picnic Hampers are perfect for those with any special dietary requirements as you can mix and match your ingredients, choosing nine items from a predetermined list. You can find this list here. I know someone who can't have cheese or chocolate and it's so difficult finding an afternoon tea experience without either of these things - so I will definitely be back at the Royal Horseguards in the near future! Again like the Wimbledon hamper, this is priced at £59 for two people sharing and this includes half a bottle of Taittinger champagne.

The hotel also offers a champagne pairing service where one of three champagnes is paired with a miniature picnic basket. Taittinger Brut Reserve is the suggested champagne for savoury nibbles, the Taittinger Nocturne Sec a slightly sweeter variety for desserts and sweet treats, and their Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose for fruits. I tried these for myself in this very order, and these were paired with a smoked salmon bilini, macaron (we think it was rhubarb flavoured?) and some mixed berries. I was presentably surprised by the sweeter champagne as I'm not a fan of overly sweet things and thought this would be too sweet - but it wasn't.


Throughout the evening we were enjoying their outdoor terrace which is very summery with plenty of comfortable sofas and chairs to sink into, and decorative touches in the way of flowers, candles and bunting.


It was a pretty hot day so they kept us in check with plenty of Pimms and champagne cocktails. Their fruit sorbets topped with champagne were cold and refreshing - perfect for the humidity we were experiencing that evening. Both varieties - strawberry sorbet and peach sorbet with orange zest - were equally pleasing on the palette and it would be difficult to claim one winner over the other!


They also featured three cocktails - one containing rum, one with vodka and the other with gin. I'm not much of a vodka or gin drinker, but I am partial to a bit of rum ;) Their mojitos were amazing.


We were introduced to the chef who had gone above and beyond with the catering. There were plenty of picnic style treats like meats, cheeses, olives and so on, to give us a taste of the hampers.


One of the tastiest sweet treats of the evening had to be these mojito chocolates. These were really light and fresh in your mouth... and then suddenly the alcohol hits you! Absolutely beautiful and great with an accompanying mojito cocktail!


We were sent home with the loveliest of gift bags containing a bottle of champagne, chocolate from Hotel Chocolat, a tennis ball to keep us all in the Wimbledon mood and vouchers for Hotel Chocolat and a future visit to the Royal Horseguards.


A massive thanks to all the staff at the Royal Horseguards Hotel for such a lovely evening and making me feel so welcome. You can read more about Terrace Chapters and their afternoon tea / picnic options here.

#terracechapters 

* Although food and drink was complimentary, as ever, all opinions and words are my own!

1 comment:

  1. How amazing is this?! OMG! It's like my dream picnic!!

    Heba xx The Heba

    ReplyDelete


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