Afternoon Tea At Seaham Hall Hotel

If I had to pick a favourite type of food, chances are afternoon tea would be close to the top. I love going to out for afternoon tea and have tried so many different places for it around my area and even look for it when I'm on holiday. I went to Belmond Reid's Palace in Madeira for afternoon tea last September and it was absolutely beautiful, with a view of the entire Funchal coastline, mountains and the ocean from the afternoon tea terrace. Take me back please! Anyway, you may remember that a few months back, I went to Seaham Hall Spa for the first time and had my first ever facial in their famous Serenity Spa and wowee was it good. So when they invited me back to try out their Duchess of Bedford Afternoon Tea, I was so excited. One of my favourite spas and hotels combined with my favourite type of dining? Yes please! 

I'm sure I don't need to say this but Seaham Hall Hotel is absolutely beautiful. The luxurious decor, comfy seats and the views of the grounds from the windows make it the perfect setting to sit back and enjoy a sweet treat and a cuppa. We were sat right by the window in the front room so we had the perfect view of the front of the hotel with the coolest whirlpool water piece that I've ever seen (you know one of those really simple things that just mesmerise you?!) The menu includes a huge range of teas to choose from (we went for classic English Breakfast) and we were served the sandwiches first, including smoked salmon, egg, ham and cheese and mustard. My favourite was the smoked salmon - I could have definitely eaten a full tray just of them! 

The scones came second with one fruit and one plain one each and obviously I made the biggest mess by smothering mine in butter, jam and cream (whilst also getting half of it on the table, of course!). Scones are my favourite part of afternoon tea because I love any excuse to eat more than one (they are one of my fav cakes for sure!) and these homemade ones were absolutely beautiful.

Then came the star of the show - the dessert platter. I honestly couldn't tell you the names of these little cakes but they were amazing, despite the fact we couldn't manage to squeeze them all in and had to take a couple of them home. The little raspberry ones were my favourite out of the bunch and the whole thing  was just so beautifully presented. 

I was expecting the Duchess of Bedford Afternoon tea to be pricy, especially after paying £35+ for other similar afternoon teas but in actual fact, it's such a great price at £22 per person. We came away absolutely stuffed and I'm sure my veins were actually full of tea rather than blood after drinking around three pots of tea so if that's not a good sign then I don't know what is! 

We couldn't resist having a nosy around the grounds after we'd eaten and had a little wander around the beautiful gardens. We didn't have a lot of time but I can imagine how lovely it would be to just sit outside in the coastal air for a couple of hours after indulging on the sweet treats in the hotel! We wandered a little further and found the beach which I was probably a little bit overexcited about to say the least. I love the beach and despite only living a 35 minute drive away, I don't visit the coast nearly as much as I'd like to. Seaham beach is literally just over the road from Seaham Hall and it was so lovely to just have a quick walk along the sand and stroke a few doggos. Okay so maybe I stroked more than a few doggos but that's one of the best things about the beach right?! 

I'll 100% be going back to Seaham Hall, whether it's for afternoon tea or a spa day (preferably both!) and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of a luxurious retreat, whether it's overnight or just for a bite to eat! 

The Duchess of Bedford Afternoon Tea comes in at £22 per person or £32 with champagne. Read more and book at Seaham Hall Hotel.

Amy x

THIS POST IS IN COLLABORATION WITH SEAHAM HALL HOTEL. ALL WORDS AND VIEWS REMAIN MY OWN.