I do love a good afternoon tea. Who doesn’t love sandwiches and cake?! And my two sons, currently aged 2 and 4, like sandwiches and cake too. So we figured one way to spend a freezing cold January Sunday afternoon might be an afternoon tea trip.
One of the most highly rated afternoon tea experiences near me is the Tea Room at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. It’s a pretty lavish hotel and a beautiful tea room.
One problem. My children can be incredibly uncivilised at times. So taking them somewhere where they might need to behave a tad respectably felt a little risky. But we decided to do it for 2 reasons:
- They have a children’s afternoon tea menu – an offering specifically designed for under 12s. So I figured they must be reasonable familiar with children in the setting
- If I was going to splurge those calories on sandwiches and cakes, I wanted them to be bloomin’ brilliant rather than just average but served somewhere my children could behave like reprobates
So off we went nervously with our sons to the Midland.
The Children’s Afternoon Tea Menu
The specifically designed children’s menu was the main appeal for us really. We wanted a beautiful setting and great quality food. But will my children eat cream cheese and cucumber on rye bread? Not on your life.
But they WILL eat gummies in pretty jars. WINNER.
The afternoon tea menu for children at the Midland in Manchester looks like this:
And the staff were very accommodating in switching out cucumber for extra ham and other little requests my boys had.
The delivery of the sweetie tray was a hit with our sons who were both very excited. The decorate your own ginger bread man and the gummies in a glass were their highlights.
Instead of tea, children are offered a choice of strawberry or chocolate milkshake.
The food was great for children. Granted, not the healthiest lunch you’ll give your little ones, but as far as indulgent treats go, this was top notch.
For the Grown Ups
We had the standard afternoon tea choice (no royales here when looking after two under 5s on a Sunday afternoon)!
Again, staff were accommodating in switching sandwiches in and out!
The selection of teas was brilliant as well. My husband described the “due North” blend as the “Best cup of tea” he’d ever had.
The Tea Room
The tea room itself is beautiful, very traditionally decorated in a stunning historic building.
A great afternoon
It’s not the cheapest afternoon tea you’ll find. Other places in Manchester offer them at not too far off half the price. But the quality is exceptional and my two had a lovely time.