Afternoon Tea is a British tradition which never goes out of fashion and there's not many places in the region which do the institution justice any better than the lovely River Restaurant, located just over the Salford/Manchester border in the iconic Lowry Hotel.

In keeping with the arrival of Summer The Lowry have teamed up with Drappier Champagne, who also have a long tradition of delivering excellence, so it's the perfect partner for such a prestigious hotel and general hospitality offering, not to mention for a high end afternoon tea!  We were thrilled to be invited down for a first-hand experience ahead of Afternoon Tea Week.

The afternoon tea menu contains all the classics that you expect, whether it be savoury or sweet. The only decision that you'll need to make is in the drinks department as every afternoon tea of course comes with a pot of tea, selected from the extensive 'Tea from the Manor' menu, which contains options for all tastes. 

You're also given the option of adding a glass of that outstanding Drappier Champagne for just and extra £10, which clearly we suggest you do just as we did.  It just makes the occasion feel that bit more special.

We carried out a ceremonious cheers as the savoury options started to arrive, kicking off with Goat's Cheese and Beetroot Tarts.   A dome of cheese topping a perfect tart casing that's filled with a stunning beetroot gel, then garnished with candied walnut and nasturtium.  The next bite is a mini Smoked Haddock Fishcake, served hot with house made tartare sauce.

Caesar Wrap followed and flavour wise this is destined be a customer favourite.  Juicy chicken accented with a lovely salty textural note from the crispy bacon, plus anchovies and shredded Romaine to complete the bite.  And finally came the Reuben; a pretty brioche mini roll, crammed with pastrami, sauerkraut, Lancashire Bomb cheese and Thousand Island dressing.  Delicious!

Next up was arguably the headline of any afternoon tea experience; the scones!  The Lowry's afternoon tea comes with both fruit and plain, served warm as is proper, along with some pristine quality strawberry jam and of course, plenty of clotted cream! 

We'll let you decide on the age old regional south coast debate of jam and then cream, or cream followed by the jam.  We are personally fans of the latter, because would you also put butter on top of your jam?  Of course not, or maybe you would.  To each their own.  We won't judge.

And finally, we ended with a selection of The Lowry's house made pastries.  Anybody who's been long term fans of The Lowry knows fine well that their pastry section is one of the very best. in the whole city, and that really shows in their afternoon tea, and in particular, during this course. 

The quartet of desserts included 'Equatorial', a detectible mousse based tower with hazelnut sponge, topped with a textbook piped chocolate orange ganache.  English Strawberry was topped with a technically impressive white chocolate dome.  Coconut Frangipan Tart brought Bakewell Tart vibes, with a lovely snappy case along with that coconut driven filling, topped with a few fresh raspberries.  And finally the Caramel Cake ended things perfectly with its superbly light sponge, topped with a slice of poached apricot.

To accompany the sweet goods we picked out two lovely teas from that aforementioned menu, in this case opted for the great quality LS Lowry house blend, along with and a superbly interesting chocolate tea which had a pronounced cocoa nose to accentuate the teas lovely floral notes. 

So, The Lowry's afternoon tea is the perfect occasion for any leisurely afternoon.  The venue is one of our very best, and the afternoon tea itself is fully in line with that class.  And best of all, since this week (Aug 10-16) is Afternoon Tea Week, you can enjoy 10% of off the experience! 

** Our experience was gratefully comped **