[Invite] – click here

In a historic and tourist-heavy city like Cambridge, it is unsurprising that there are a wide array of afternoon tea experiences. This makes it hard for new entries to penetrate this competitive scene but the Folio Bar & Kitchen has decided to step into the ring anyway, with their newly available afternoon tea experience.

I was invited along with a group of other local influencers to their ‘summer tea party’ launch event. As someone who loves afternoon tea but rarely gets the chance to go, I was keen to see how they intended to stand out from the competition in Cambridge.

Located in their new and incredibly stylish ‘Folio Lounge’ (named as a homage to William Shakespeare) their afternoon tea aims to be the “quintessential English experience”.

They claim to have a keen eye for detail, focused primarily on their pairings, ingredients, and interior; all fine tuned for the optimal dining experience. An example of this is their focus on sustainable, locally-sourced and seasonal produce…Impressive indeed!

I was quite taken by their pool table located by the fireplace. It came equipped in the same colour scheme as the rest of the interior. Something most people wouldn’t expect a hotel to bother with but details matter here. I wonder how much they spent just to make it match? If it was a lot, credit to them for making it free to use. This was a nice touch and allowed me to relax and feel more at home.

I also enjoyed seeing a sewing club taking full advantage of the garden in the back, all chatting away together. The windows also added natural light into the lounge, making the venue brighter and more welcoming.

🅿️ – A lot of you may be thinking about the horrible parking situation in the Mitcham’s Corner/Milton Road area but parking is provided in their on-site basement, just off Gilbert Road.

Afternoon tea

• Price: £27pp with 24 hours notice.

• Champagne +£10

• Prosecco +£5

Click here for more info

SAVOURIES

• Vegetable and salmon quiche

• Roasted vegetable sandwich

• Coronation chicken

• Brie, tomato and basil sandwich

SCONES

• Plain scones & cranberry & rosemary Scones

• Clotted cream and

strawberry jam

SWEET TREATS

• Raspberry macaron chocolate hazelnut tart

• Mango panna cotta

•Victoria sponge

Loose leaf tea

• Chamomile, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Ginger and Lemon, Jasmine Princess, Peppermint and Masala Tea

The afternoon tea was well presented and served as a portion for two. It was colourful and busy looking, with lots of exciting things to appreciate. The bread in all the sandwiches were the purest white and impossibly soft & fluffy; almost like it was baked only moments ago. The scones were big and fresh, with the portion of cream served alongside it being a generous size.

The stand out favourite for me, however, was their dessert selection, especially their raspberry macaron and Victoria sponge. Credit goes to the Folio Lounge’s very own ‘Pastry Chef de Partie’, Kim Ramasta. Where many afternoon tea experiences will order desserts from a third party, there is nothing quite like having your very own pastry chef making things in-house and fresh. This is a huge flex that I know many will appreciate and another example of the attention to details that make all the difference.

Conclusion

Afternoon tea at Fellows House was an elegant and classy affair, that managed to provide a high-end service while still making a ruffian like myself feel like I wasn’t out of place. It hits that balance of being upscale while also being accessible. The team were true to their word on having a keen eye on details for that “optimal dining experience”. I struggled to fault a thing and was repeatedly impressed by their local sourcing or on-site pastry chef.

I look forward to hearing what you all think on the Cambridge Foodies Facebook group.