I was kindly invited to afternoon tea at a discounted price by Angie, the owner of Italian inspired dessert brand, La Sagra. La Sagra’s afternoon tea is part of the growing underground supper club which see’s members opening up their homes to host dinner parties for groups of complete strangers, a unique concept but one which has taken London by storm. I have to admit, although I had met Angie before, I was a little nervous about dining in someone else’s living room and the unexpectedness of it both unnerved and intrigued me.
Upon arrival, Sam and I were shown to the living room where we were seated at a cute lime coloured table which resembled something seen in a quaint country tea room. The room had space for two tables, the other occupied by a mother and daughter who we chatted to throughout the experience, although we didn’t feel like we had to. A bottle of water with slices of fresh lemon were already on the table and we were asked to choose from a range of tea; both deciding on English breakfast, how very daring! The first course consisted of a warm buttered crumpet with real, yes REAL salted butter – what a treat from margarine! Accompanying the crumpet was hot chocolate in the form of a heated Squisitezza. Squisitezza’s are La Sagra’s miniature chocolate desserts in a range of favours, served in pots. Both were equally as comforting with the melted butter and hot chocolate so thick you had to eat it with a spoon. All hot chocolates should have this consistency and come in this size portion. I kept telling myself to stop, in fear of eating too much too quickly but it was impossible and I finished the lot.
The second course of savoury finger sandwiches was a welcoming break from the sweetness of the previous. There were two rounds of three different types of sandwiches; cucumber, home-made chickpea pate and egg cress. I swapped my cucumber ones with Sam for his egg and cress ones as we both have different tastes. The sandwiches were fresh, far fresher than those I had at afternoon tea at The Hemel Hotel. The home-made chickpea pate was by far my favourite as it was different, I’ve never had anything quite like it before in a sandwich. However, we only managed a couple each as we were careful not to ruin what was yet to come.
Up next came two freshly baked egg glazed scones. These were made by Angie in her kitchen, along with the selection of jams which accompanied the thick clotted cream on a separate plate. The home-made jams included Mirabella Plum, Damson with Sloe Gin and Raspberry for those not quite as adventurous as others. I tried them all and although delicious, you can’t beat an old fashioned raspberry jam and cream scone.
The final course consisted of an array of Squisitezzas in different flavours from the autumn range including Intense Mint, Lemon Tart, Sweet Salt with Pecan plus Crème Brûlée which had only just been perfected that day. A dozen pots of chocolate would have been too much, so Angie kindly scooped a spoonful of each pot out onto a plate. My favourites were Crème Brûlée, Toffee Apple and Dark Sicilian. Dessert was presented alongside a cute little box of home-made star-shaped wheat-free biscuits for dipping into the chocolate and two home-made mini macarons. The macarons were flavoured date with walnut and strawberry with black pepper. Macarons are a recent addition to La Sagra’s portfolio of products and will soon be available to purchase in a range of flavours through the online shop.
Both Sam and I really enjoyed the mini macarons and agreed that we actually preferred these to those found in Paris. Finally defeated by dessert, we relaxed for a while with a mint tea before heading off into the night. On our departure, we were each given a lovely box filled with fresh scones, macarons and a couple of Squisitezzas which we enjoyed the following evening. I really enjoyed La Sagra’s afternoon tea as both the setting and food was a comforting treat. Soon after my visit, I found myself looking for the next super club event to attend. A highly recommend experience – a big ‘thank you’ to La Sagra!
Living life, loving cake,
H x