I’m always up for the Great British constitution of Afternoon Tea but when it’s served with a twist that makes a reference to Italy then I’m well and truly sold! Veeno has always been a firm favourite (Read about my recent Family Wine Tasting Experience) but when I heard of their version of an Italian Afternoon Tea, sampling was always going to be inevitable. I mean it goes without even saying.
We started with a glass of Prosecco, well after all it is AN Italian Afternoon Tea!! Beautifully crisp and lightly sweet and got us in the mood for what we were about to tuck into.
Soon after a couple of sips of Prosecco and fine chat, we were presented with a three- tiered slate plate cake stand. With a simple yet elegant presentation, the components of the tea had all the allure of Italian food.
We chose to have our hot drinks at the end and decided to concentrate on the flavours of the food.
THE BOTTOM TIER
The bottom tier focused heavily on the savoury components in the form of paninis, Italian smoked cheese, olives and prosciutto.
A Panino is a diminutive of a pane of bread and refers to a bread roll. The Panini was made from Ciabatta having the texture of a French bagette and were served warm. My panini was filled with Mozzarella, tomato and Oregano where as Dr C had cheese and Prosciutto in his.
THE MIDDLE TIER
With the savouries done and dusted in no time, we made a start on the warm scones, which were accompanied by Mascarpone of course as opposed to traditional clotted cream.
There was also servings of jam. Mascarpone first, Jam first, I’m not fussed. As my late father used to say, it’s all going down the same hole!! I actually enjoyed the lighter and creamier taste of the mascarpone.
If you’re not familiar with Mascarpone, then it’s an Italian cream cheese coagulated by the addition of certain acidic substances such as lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid.
THE TOP TIER
We finally made it to the top layer and were greeted by a slice of Sicilian lemon cake and Italian chocolate cake! There could not have been a better choice of cake as I love lemon and Dr C loves chocolate! Beautifully moist, rich and flavoursome, a slice of this heavenly cake was just the perfect way to top off this Italian inspired afternoon tea.
We ended our experience with a cappuccino and black coffee whilst mentally planning our next Italian escape!
 ITALIAN AFTERNOON TEA VERDICT
A definite yes from me! I loved that most of the items on the tea were warm, especially the paninis and the ration of sweet to savoury was perfect for me. The food isn’t replenished but for the price is great value for money with respect to the amount and quality of ingredients you receive. As always service was exceptionally synonymous to Veeno and a perfect way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
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