Coeur de chilli: “Yes, that's it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it's always tea time.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Tea is served in the charming courtyard, setting the scene for the special afternoon tea.

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be given a promotion for the Mad Hatter's afternoon tea at the Sanderson's hotel. So I jumped to the chance to try the wonderful afternoon tea for free in a truly magical like setting in the courtyard.

Here is the menu for the delightful afternoon tea, £35 and 10% service charge.

The drinks that come with the tea,'Go for it' a really refreshing and fruity drink made with fresh raspberries strawberries and blackberries shaken with cranberry and apple juice with a hint of lime.

The lychee lemonade made with fresh lemongrass and ginger stirred with pressed lychee and lime juice (sadly quite disappointing and we had to send it back.....)

Ham and English mustard on YELLOW saffron bread

Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on GREEN spinach bread

Cucumber and black pepper on BEETROOT bread

Egg mayonnaise and cress on BROWN bread

Yellow bread: I found the ham slightly salty but i loved the punch in the mustard and could really taste the wonderful taste of saffron in the bread which brought the whole thing together.

Green bread: I also found the smoked salmon on the salty side, and the cream cheese tasted rather weird and the spinach wasn't good either. So overall not a tasty sandwich.

Beetroot bread: Taste was great, the cucumber was cut really thin and crispy, the sauce was really light and I love how the pepper brought the taste out of the bread and the cucumber! Actually it was the best out of all the sandwiches

Brown bread: had a rustic feel, the egg and watercress, the cress wasn't overly soggy and the mayonnaise was light and tasty. It was really well done and did not over power the bread!

Hazel nut praline ice cream lollipop: one fun fact, remember to put the lolly into the mouth as once you bite into it, the ice cream bursts into your mouth, and it fills your taste buds with delicious cold hazelnut flavours, and with bits of crunchy chocolate shell.

Blueberry Lollipop: I was told it would turn my mouth from hot to cold, but sadly it didn't it was just like another lollipop.

Mini scones (plain scones and raisins)

The scones was good, but not very special, just like your normal scones to be honest.

The cute clotted cream in spoons!! And delicious strawberry preserve!

The cute clotted cream was nice and light, this one was rich in flavour but not too heavy. And the strawberry jam was really nice and fruity.

'EAT ME' Queen of hearts strawberries and cream mousse.

'Drink me' passion fruit jelly, coconut pana-cotta and exotic foam.

'Chocolate opera rabbit's clock' chocolate and coffee layered sponge cake. (Sadly I did not turn big or small, but my belly sure did change in size!

'EAT ME' the icing was really sweet a bit too sweet for my liking, especially as this was near the end of my meal it became quite heavy. The mousse inside was really good, I loved the flavours and it was the best part of the cake.

'Drink me' the idea was quite good, there was a straw to suck the contents out, there was a layer of passion fruit jelly, which was really really good as I love passionate fruit flavours, quite refreshing and fruity, the coconut flavours in the pana-cotta was a little too overpowering and the exotic fruit foam made me feel like I was drinking from a fruity cloud.

'Chocolate opera rabbit's clock' Great dark chocolate topping, rich chocolate flavours along with a moist sponge and fragrant coffee cream. (my favourite part of the meal! )

Flowering jasmine, green tea tied around a jasmine blossom

I'm picky with my tea as I do with my food, the tea was prettier and smelt nicer than it actually tasted......

Ending verdict

My verdict of the afternoon tea, well to be honest if it wasn't free I'd probably wouldn't pay £35 for the afternoon tea, it was great but it wasn't a fairy tale. There was certain things I enjoyed like the chocolate cake, the atmosphere and environment and the drinks but I'm not certain I would return.

Some extra photos to finish off......