When it comes to relaxing afternoons with family or friends, there's nothing better than afternoon tea and a trip to the spa which is exactly what Emily and I did recently. We were invited to Hilton Ageas Bowl for Afternoon Tea at Lakeview Bar followed by a few hours in the Eforea Spa and it was the perfect way to while away a Friday afternoon.
The Hilton Ageas Bowl is somewhere we visit often as paying customers and as guests to review their latest offers, seasonal food and hotel stays and we always have an enjoyable time. The hotel is based in West End, Southampton and is the ideal location for pre flight or cruise stays as well as being great for escaping the city.
Who doesn't want to do that every now and then?
Lakeview Bar is an informal bar open seven days a week perfect for coffee, drinks, lunch or the recently added afternoon tea which is what we were there to enjoy. The bar overlooks the lake and golf course with views stretching across the south and the blue tiled floors, comfy armchairs and floor to ceiling windows make it a great location for business meetings, birthdays, anniversaries and more.
We were seated by one of the windows so had a perfect view of what was happening outside while we chatted over teas and coffees. With the afternoon tea, tea and coffee is included and if you want to add some bubbles you can upgrade your afternoon tea with prosecco or champagne.
Afternoon Tea (12-5pm daily)
£18.50 per person (+£6.80 for a glass of prosecco, +£12 for a glass of champagne)
Warm Irish buttermilk scones with clotted cream & homemade jam
Sandwiches of
Cucumber and houmous
Wiltshire ham and plum tomatoes
Poached salmon, new potato and watercress
Chefs' savoury of the day
Cakes
Lemon meringue tart
Chocolate & toffee eclair
Compressed strawberries, gin and whipped cream
Poppy seed cake
We were served drinks followed by our food arriving not long after. It was presented beautifully with the top tier full of delicate cakes, eclairs and tarts and the second tier with warm scones. The bottom tier was filled with sandwiches, quiche and delicate salmon wraps.
It all looked delicious which I'm sure you'll agree and we couldn't wait to start.
Each of the afternoon teas are created fresh by their expert chefs and it definitely showed. The sandwiches were tasty with the poached salmon, new potatoes and watercress being a personal favourite. I was rather glad Emily doesn't eat fish because it meant I was able to eat hers too!
The scones were perfectly warm and you had the choice of plain and fruit. The only downside was the homemade jam, neither of us were a fan as it tasted and looked more like a chutney. It would've been great with cheese but not so much clotted cream on scones. The server very kindly brought over some strawberry jam for us to enjoy with our scones instead which we were very grateful for.
The final plate was full of miniature desserts with the lemon meringue tart being my favourite. I love anything with lemon so it was bound to be a fave! The poppy seed cake was a close second and as well as the desserts, the plate was scattered with fresh fruit and white chocolate bombs.
It really was delicious, I've tried a lot of afternoon teas over the years and this is definitely up there with one of the best. Our entire time there was so enjoyable, the service was friendly and attentive as it always is and Lakeview Bar had a really great atmosphere. I would recommend afternoon tea here time and time again.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Hilton Ageas Bowl and we're already looking at booking again in the new year once the Christmas rush is out of the way. You could even do what we did and book in to the spa for the afternoon too.
Huge thank you to Hilton Ageas Bowl for having us for the afternoon, it's always such a pleasure to visit.
Read my previous post - A Night with Hilton Ageas Bowl.
You can book afternoon tea at Lakeview Bar by phoning 02382 020900 or emailing lakeview@ageasbowl.com with your reservation details.
Complimentary stay for the purpose of review - see disclaimer.