Winter Wonder: Fresh Mint Tea

When we were living in Paris

in the spring of 2012,

it was one of the coldest winters

in Europe in a hundred years...

The freezing temps meant we were ducking into cafes

as often as we possibly could 

in hopes of warming up.

The thing is,

if I drank coffee

every time I needed to warm up,

I'd be spazzing out 

from the constant caffeine buzz.

You would see me jittering 

down the Champs Elysees

a hundred miles an hour.

Eventually, I opted 

for fresh mint tea-

or "the a la menthe."

And thank goodness I did.

I stumbled upon a guilt-free treat

that I can enjoy

without any sugar intake

or unwanted caffeine.

And, man, it is so flipping good.

When the weather turns chilly,

I turn on the kettle

and pluck a few leaves

to make my own brew.

(You can drizzle a bit of honey or a spoon of sugar in, if you prefer it a bit sweeter.)

It's such a simple & elegant way

to warm up…

Enjoy!

* tea image

To A Tea: The Liberty Cafe

If you follow me on Instagram,

you may have noticed I have a *slight* obsession

for London's department store, Liberty.

And of course, when I say "slight obsession"

I actually mean, 

"I want to lick the floors of it and caress every single item inside its walls."

After a long time of forgetting to try out their cafe,

I decided it was time to for two of my life's great loves 

(tea & Liberty)

to merge.

I have to say...

I was slightly underwhelmed.

Let's walk through my time there.

Location:

Hard to find in the store

(on the second floor in a room to the side).

The room itself is fairly plain
with a good dose of subtle quirks 
that are oh-so-Liberty.

Food:

It was... meh,

and it wasn't cheap.

I ordered lunch 
followed by a cream tea.

After all, this was research
and I had to get a good sampling.

Let's start with the Cream Tea
since this is a series on tea rooms in London.

The scones were dense.

After I polished off the first,

I actually kinda dreaded having to work through the second.

Which is not a normal feeling.

{Plus, they weren't fresh or warm.}

And it was £10.50...

which makes is one of the more expensive cream teas

I can ever recall seeing listed on a menu in the UK.

The goats cheese, caramelised onion & asparagus tart was pretty tasty.

On the upside,

it made hitting the end of the summer sale really easy.

In fact, 

I walked away with some amazing steals

and it played perfectly into my errands at Oxford Circus.

So, would I go back?

Sure,

but maybe just for a drink

or a light nibble.

I wouldn't save up a tasty meal for it...

or splurge on my souvenir tea time there.

Have you been?

Did you have a better experience?

(I really do hope so! I would love to think I experienced an off day.)

***

Not your cup of tea?

Check out some of my other tea times 

at some of London's finest places on Aspiring Kennedy.

Fortnum & Mason | The Ampersand Hotel | Cocomaya | The Orangery | V&A 

Primrose Bakery | Bea's of Bloomsbury

*all photography original to Aspiring Kennedy

It's All Good... All of it.

Luckily, with Amazon-

most things in the world

are accessible in England.

There are exceptions

like tex-mex & cheap dry cleaning...

But for the most part, 

we have all we need & want

at our doorsteps/fingertips.

However, there are few goodies

that I have picked up 

during our trip back this time.

Between birthdays & COSTCO runs,

our bags are getting a bit heavier

for the return.

Some of the highlights...

It's All Good

I know you all know about my best bud, the D.O.C. ("Katie Bug")

but my other gal pal is a girl you may know as Gwyneth.

(We just call each other "bosom friend.")

She just wrote a new cookbook

and after seeing Liz instagram some new recipes

I bit the bullet and paid $17 for it at Costco.

I love it.

The recipes are fresh and simple. 

Go getcha one.

Missoni Hand Towels

They are the cheapest way I can make my bathroom

not look like a college (shared) bathroom.

They're $25 which is a bit pricey,

but not terrible.

A worthy splurge

at a Dallas boutique, Nest.

Or you can find similar ones here at One Kings Lane.

Lululemon Yoga Pants

Y'all.

I once, not too long ago, mocked girls 

who ran errands in work out clothes

with perfect hair and other tell-tale signs

of having not actually working out.

Until I tried these on

and saw my butt in the mirror.

Two days later, it was the #1 item on my birthday wishlist.

I may have turned a year older,

but my hiney just returned to my freshman year of college.

Fist pump.

Bodum Assam Teapot

I've been wanting one of these pretties for a long time.

Three cheers for my in-laws for picking up on the subtle hint

(of me posting about it on the blog!)

and snagging me one for my birthday.

I love it!

Lanvin Ballet Flats

(via ebay)

I wear flats most days 

walking around town.

The pairs I wear the most cost me £3 at Primark

and are slick as a... fish (?)

when it rains.

So, basically, every day

I'm hydroplaning and freaking myself out.

Also, my feet ache from having no arch support.

(Weird that £3 won't get you traction or well-constructed shoes, I know.)

So I splurged (kinda) and bought a pair of Lanvin flats on EBay.

They were $150

and I'm already considering this an investment

towards the bionic feet replacements

that were headed my way

with my current footwear + walking combination.

If ebay scares you and you have a 9+ size foot,

there are some cute gold ones  41's on sale at BG for half price!

And they are also some 36.5 for you tiny footed friends!

* * *

So that's what made my birthday wishlist

and is headed back to London

with us when we go back in a couple of weeks.

To A Tea: The V&A

I love the V&A.

Pretty much everything about it...

The architecture.

The pieces inside.

The fact that Victoria & Albert created it 

to be a museum for the working class

and made it accessible to them by keeping it open late

(and, controversially, by candlelight)

so people could come after working hours.

I love the sitting area outside in the courtyard.

{And, of course, I love the fact that it is free to visit.}

BUT I REALLY LOVE THEIR CAFE.

I mean, honestly...

how gorgeous is this place?

It's one of my favorite places to meet up.

Not only is the food great

and the setting amazing,

but I like to do a quick run through the museum

to learn one new thing every time I'm there.

I kinda feel like it's a waste if I'm in a place

that is so amazing 

and don't even see the exhibits.

{Then again, I'm a bit of a dork.}

When Megan was in town 

on her bon voyage tour,

we went for a girls day.

It was wonderful.

I ate a lot.

I'm going to call it "emotional eating" because Megan was leaving...

but it might also have been because those scones were awesome.

However you want to call it.

Either way,

the V&A rocks.

A few things to know:

The V&A doesn't do giant tea trays of small sandwiches & treats.

Instead, they have serving lines of hot food, cold food, baked goods & drinks.

It's, basically, the most gorgeous cafeteria you've ever eaten it...

and with some of the best/freshest food, too.

Get more information on opening times & location

here on the Victoria & Albert website.

****

Not your cup of tea?

Check out some of my other favorite spots for tea in London here.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

To A Tea: The Drawing Rooms at The Ampersand Hotel

My friend Kelsey

invited me to tea

with some of her friends today

at the Ampersand Hotel.

Since I never say no to a chance

to sit around with baked goods

under tha guise of testing new tea rooms

and getting out of the house, 

I happily obliged.

To be honest, I'd never heard of this hotel before,

but I'm so glad that she had...

because, y'all, 

this place is cute...

The hotel is in a great location in South Kensington-
just feet away from the tube stop,
making it the perfect way to round off 
a day visiting the V&A 
or toodling around the halls of Harrods.

We had tea in the hotel's Drawing Rooms.

And I have to say,

it might be one of my new favorite spots.

Here's why:

The scones were warm and delicious.

Not many tea rooms bake fresh scones

for each tea order...

most of the time, 

they are pre-cooked

and waiting to be served.

To have a hot one

makes it oh-so-much better.

{Editor's Note: This also applies to donuts & rolls.}

The place was cute,

but it wasn't pretentious.

It also wasn't a scene....

which I enjoyed for an easy afternoon out.

When I arrived at 2pm,

the place was fairly empty...

by the time I left,

there was a fun social buzz of chatter in the room.

Comfy, cozy chairs abound 

for lounging and chatting.

Baby Mama Friendly?

Indeed!

The staff was so sweet

and the room had plenty of space 

for our "push chair" brigade...

but the steps into the hotel are steep 

and tough to do by yourself!

It's not crazy expensive.

The afternoon tea 

-you know, with the pretty tied tray-

is £23 per person.

It has all the classics

like scones & sweets,

but offers yummy open sandwiches

that make the standard tiny triangles 

that most other places offer feel a bit dated.

I, being cheap, opted for the "Cream Tea" for £7-

but was perfectly pleased with it.

A Cream Tea gets you two warm scones

-complete with clotted cream & jam on the side-

plus a pot of tea of your choice.

Perfect, I dare say.

And look how cute the tea pots are?

{They remind me of this Bodum teapot which I have been wanting for ages.}

All in all?

Tea in The Drawing Rooms was a definite win!

Check out The Ampersand for your next trip to London

or it's Drawing Rooms for your next afternoon with the ladies.


_____________

If this place doesn't look like your cup of tea,
check out some of my other favorite places to do tea in London here.

To A Tea: Bea's of Bloomsbury

One of the last places

I'm going to highlight

is a new twist 

on a London favorite.

Bea's of Bloomsbury

has, up until recently,

been a treasure of the neighborhood of,

well, Bloomsbury. 

Their new location in the swanky retail spaces

around St. Paul's Cathedral

offers more people a chance

to meet for a sweet afternoon out

in Central London.

I got to meet my friend, Andrea,

and her darling baby, Mae, there

one afternoon early this spring.

I think this is another great recommendation

for anyone wanting to stay in Central London

and have tea in a less-stuffy (and less-expensive) setting

than most of the famous tea rooms in town offer.

While you can do their cute and quirky afternoon-tea

for a quite reasonable £19.00 per person,

the a la carte options are also really lovely...

and very affordable.

It's new location right by St. Paul's 

makes a stop at Bea's easy 

for anyone visiting the cathedral,

Shakespeare's Globe or the Tate Modern.

{It might have been a little untraditional for tea time,

but they make some mean banana bread...

and you should definitely have it toasted!}

The original Bea's location in Bloomsbury is at

44 Theobald's Road, WC1X 8NW.

Their new location at St Pauls can be found at 83 Watling Street, EC4M 9BX.

___________

Not your cup of tea?

Click through here for more of my favorite places for tea in London.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

To A Tea: Primrose Bakery

Continuing on with

in my new little journey

to find great places for tea in London

comes something a little different

that the fancy Fortnum & Mason afternoon tea

I posted about previously.

After reading about how delicious their kitschy retro bakery was,

I was set & determined to head out to Primrose Hill

to try out Primrose Bakery.

I begged asked my friend, Meg, to join me

for a little afternoon out,

and, like nice friends often do, she obliged.

Primrose Bakery

Located in the posh residential neighborhood of Primrose Hill,

this bakery is a bright cheerful spot 

to find yourself chatting away an afternoon.

The staff is sweet,

the baked goods offer plenty of variety,

and somehow, you end up getting cozy 

with those around while you're there.

***

I won't lie when I say 

it's constantly luring in a crowd of yummy mummies

and their Bugaboo-saddled offspring,

{Fortunately, most of them are so fatigued from French Nursery School,

the atmosphere remains quite serene.}

I recommend the lemon cake.

It's moist and really tart...

if that's your thing.

{It is definitely mine!}

Their cupcakes are also notable...

as they are what landed Primrose Bakery on the map

and are the most commonly requested item 

on the {cute, hand-drawn chalkboard} menu.

As the bakery is fairly cozy, 

you'll find there is limited seating, 

so going with a large group could be difficult.

Save this spot for a quiet afternoon with a friend or two.

{Their cute offspring coming is an optional, but recommended, addition.}

Prices are more than reasonable,

as you will find yourself well-off the tourist track.

My pot of tea and {cough} two sweets were under £10.

To be honest,

this original location of this bakery

 is tucked away from the typical tourist loop.

It's not necessarily difficult to get to...

but I'd have a map handy (or google maps)

when heading there,

as it's about a 10 minute walk from the tube station and bus stop.

The purist in me enjoyed the short trek to the starting place

 of the Primrose Bakery dynasty,

but for those seeking an option 

slightly more conducive to a tourist-schedule, 

you might consider their newly opened location in Covent Garden.

_________________________

So overall, who would I recommend the Primrose Bakery for?

Probably for those of us who are local to London

looking for a fun place to meet up with a friend...

or for anyone who has more than a couple of days in the city.

Otherwise, you might feel too rushed to enjoy

 the experience of getting there

and settling in with tea and a good conversation

 for the afternoon.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy