The invitation to review the new afternoon tea at The Alice suggested we ‘Tumble down the rabbit hole into a world of enchantment.’ To be fair, slipping through the august doors while nodding a hello at the ineffably courteous door staff at The Randolph Hotel always promises a magical experience…
With the prospect of a proper afternoon tea awaiting us, it was a pleasure to be given our choice of table, whether in the well-appointed restaurant with its leather banquettes or – as we chose – in the luxuriously decorated jewel-toned Drawing Room. We sank into deep, velvet chairs and were welcomed with a pair of cut glass coupes brimming with crisp, sparkling Nyetimber Classic Cuvee. All the hallmarks of the indulgent experience to come were present.
The menu was no less considered: a bijou, prettily decorated booklet describing all of the treats in store. Once we had chosen which of the 12 tea blends to take with our repast, we settled back into our seats and relaxed into the charm of our surroundings taking time to discreetly glance around the room to get the measure of our fellow diners. People spotting is always a favourite sport at The Randolph.
As you’d expect in a five-star hotel, the pacing of the service was expertly judged and soon our table started to fill up. First the striped teapots (Earl Grey and Masala Chai if you’re interested), then the main event: a three-tiered stand, with accompanying dishes of jam and sinfully thick clotted cream.
As is only proper and correct, we started with the savouries, quickly demolishing all four finger sandwiches apiece. It would be hard to pick a favourite out of the traditional smoked salmon, beef pastrami and piccalilli, cheese and grape chutney, and cucumber but if you twisted my arm – not very hard – I would have gone in for another cucumber with its minted cream cheese and cumin. All shared the benefit of not having been chilled by languishing in a fridge for hours and the all-important filling/bread ratio was spot on. In fairness, it’s just as well that more wasn’t on offer as next up was the scones, which (in my opinion) any sensible person will agree are the star of every show they appear in, from garden centre to granny’s table.
These were good. No, they were great. Warm and fluffy and generous in size. One plain, one fruit each. Just the right amount of crust, and robust enough to act as the ideal vessel for greedy amounts of cream and jam. And yes, cream first because it acts as the butter in my mind. Sorry Cornwall.
This left the top tier, the fancies, and here is where The Alice’s chefs have really leaned into the theme with great effect. There was the Queen of Hearts, an entremets of light-as-air cocoa rich mousse which cracked open to reveal a heart of jammy raspberries. A Very Unhappy Birthday to You was a Bakewell tart in disguise as a miniature birthday cake, complete with tiny candle, all crisp buttery pastry and a good amount of tart fruit offsetting the outstanding frangipane filling. Cheshire Cat bonbons were similarly exquisite, and the Sweet Rabbit was a revelation, pairing Earl Grey infused sponge with prune, covered with a white chocolate disc, embossed to mimic the pocket watch of Carroll’s famous White Rabbit. Between the cake and the chocolate was a sliver of the sharp, sweet passion fruit gel which positively exploded with flavour and cut through the creamy white chocolate.
If the idea of chocolate covered sponge with a citrus gel makes you think of Jaffa cakes, then you are certainly on the right lines but if you imagine them through a Wonderland lens, you’ll get a much better idea of the extraordinary array of delectables awaiting you.
Afternoon Tea at The Alice, Oxford, from £39.50. Vegan and gluten-free options are available, and booking is advised. thealiceoxford.com
