New afternoon tea offering at the Midland Hotel

One of the North’s most famous hotels has opened a new chapter in its history by unveiling an opulent and contemporary room dedicated to its afternoon tea experience.

The Midland in Manchester, which has been serving its renowned afternoon tea to guests for more than 100 years and is notorious for being the venue where Charles Rolls met Henry Royce, has created The Tea Room at The Midland – an elegant space overlooking the city’s St Peter’s Square.

It claims to be the only setting in Manchester dedicated entirely to afternoon tea, with its own dedicated and expert uniformed waiting team and an exclusive ‘Chefs Counter’, where guests can watch the hotel’s expert pastry team preparing the sandwiches and pastries.

A new menu has been launched, and the hotel says it has worked with a number of local suppliers in order to source the highest-quality ingredients and to create dishes unique to The Midland.

The menu features a range of sandwiches that put a modern twist on traditional afternoon tea fayre, including prawn and crayfish Rockefeller on spinach bread and English cucumber with Hendrick’s gin and apple compote on dark malt bread.

Tradition is maintained with the freshly-baked scones, served with Mrs Darlington’s jams and clotted cream, but an indulgent new selection of pastries includes Valrhona Guanaja chocolate torte with feuilletine and gold leaf, and a roasted pecan tart with maple syrup jelly and caramel mousse.

Guests can also choose from an extensive range of bespoke loose-leaf teas, including blends that are exclusive to The Midland.

Christopher Wayne-Wills, general manager at the QHotels-owned The Midland, said: “You could say The Tea Room has been 114 years in the making.

“The Midland has been serving afternoon tea since it first opened its doors in 1903. By creating a beautifully-designed, contemporary and superbly positioned room specifically for this purpose, we’re opening an exciting new chapter in the hotel’s glittering history.

“We’ve combined the best of tradition, such as uniformed waiting staff, with modern twists to the menu and exclusive tea blends, to create a truly special afternoon tea experience.

“Our aim is for The Tea Room at The Midland to become renowned for afternoon tea not just in the North but nationally.”