A Very Parisian Afternoon Tea

When you pull the curtains back and you realise that it's raining for a second day in a row, and not only that but the rain is heavier than it was before, it calls for only one thing: Afternoon Tea.



Between my visit to Shakespeare and Co. and deciding that a very British cup of tea with accompaniment of cake was needed it almost feels like I was trying to bring Britain to Paris. I guess you tend to stick to what you know, and I knew I needed tea. And cake.

A visit to the Ladurée tea rooms were in order.

Dashing between the rain clouds from metro to metro we avoided as much rain as we could before arriving at the glistening windows of the Ladurée Bonaparte. The heavens were opening so we didn't hang around outside and just dove straight in.

Sitting amongst the plush - if slightly oppressive - surroundings we perused the menu before deciding on ordering a few bits to share.

To make up for the British-ness of the afternoon tea we opted for classically French pastries ordering a Strawberry tart, a rose and raspberry St Honoré, a chocolate tart and, of course, some classic macarons. Mr M went for a chocolat chaud to wash it all down with and I kept it classic with a the Josephine tea.

The tea was wonderfully balanced with orange and lemon flavours, which cut through the pastries perfectly. The chocolat chaud was the thickest hot chocolate I have ever seen. Rich and creamy it packed a cocoa punch and definitely hit the spot for Mr M.

With the tea warming me through I dove into the pastries, starting with the strawberry tart. Fresh and fruity, the pastry was wonderfully buttery and the crème pâtissière was silky smooth.

The macarons were perfection as you'd expect. We went for lemon, orange blossom, chocolate and salted caramel. Unfortunately, the salted caramel one never arrived and instead we were given two lemon ones.

The chocolate tart was supremely rich and decadent. It was a real dark chocolate burst encased in crumbly chocolate pastry. Definitely a must do!

The star of the show has to be the rose and raspberry St Honoré. It was the first time I have ever tried rose and raspberry together and it was amazing. The delicate rose with the sharp raspberry is a combination that is brought together so well with light cream and perfectly crisp choux pastry. Worth every drop of rain.

We watched the rain pour from inside the cosy tea rooms and whiled the time away chatting about food and life goals.

The only thing I would say about our visit is that if I didn't know I was at Ladurée I wouldn't have been able to tell in terms of service. We were left to our own devices a little too much and our tea cups weren't entirely clean. In ordinary circumstances I wouldn't be too bothered by this but we spent nearly 70 euros on four pastries, a cup of tea and a hot chocolate. At that price I want a pristine teacup.

That aside it is a bucket list item firmly ticked off and thoroughly enjoyed with outstanding pastries and a good cup of tea.

It's a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon in Paris, I more than recommend paying a visit!