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In celebration of Afternoon Tea Week, we chatted with Adam Smith, Executive Chef at Coworth Park, winner of Best Traditional Afternoon Tea at the Afternoon Tea Awards, to give us an insight into the talent behind an award-winning Afternoon Tea.
Famously the hotel Prince Harry spent his last night before marrying Princess Meghan at this year's magical Royal Wedding, judges raved over the luxury hotel's 'exquisite pastries' and 'light and fluffy scones' as well as its stunning setting which was described as 'faultless, with an ambience that was lovely and intimate'.
Chef Adam Smith was kind enough to take us behind the scones and reveal what it takes to make an Afternoon Tea fit for a prince.
How proud were you to win an Afternoon Tea Award?
I was extremely proud that we won the Best Traditional
Afternoon Tea Award; in my eyes it is the most prestigious award
for a Hotel Afternoon Tea and with the competition being so strong
and so many great Afternoon Teas out there, it makes the award even
more special.
Could you give us an insight into the thought process
behind the Afternoon Tea menu?
The philosophy behind all of our food offering at Coworth
Park is that we source the best ingredients possible and use
classic flavour combinations that are executed in a modern and
relevant manner. Particularly when it comes to Afternoon Tea and
the pastries, I love the simple things done well. For me, there is
nothing better than a simple choux bun perfectly cooked, filled
with a perfect vanilla cream!
How does the setting influence the Afternoon Tea
menu?
I believe that the setting of Afternoon Tea is a major
part of the guest experience, we are very lucky at Coworth Park
that our setting is simply beautiful. The wildflower meadow and
herbs help to influence the current menu and we offer several
different Afternoon Teas throughout the year which are all inspired
by our estate such as our Orchard, Meadow and Garden Afternoon
Teas.
What is the most difficult aspect to perfect in preparing an Afternoon Tea? One of the toughest aspects in preparing Afternoon Tea is timing; to make sure sandwiches are made as fresh as possible but without delay for the guest, that all pastry items and scones are made fresh everyday, puts a lot of pressure on the team to be ready on time. We love it though and thrive on creating a fantastic experience for our guests.
Do you have any tips on how to create the perfect
scone?
For me when making the perfect scone it must be freshly
baked and served warm, I like lots of fruit in mine and plenty of
jam and clotted cream - whichever way around you prefer it!
What would you consider to be your signature
pastry?
We change our menus regularly and change the whole
selection, however I'm a massive fan of choux pastry of which we
always have a version of on the menu in some form of classic
religieuse or a simple choux bun. Cooked fresh every day and never
seeing the fridge, choux is just fantastic.
Where and how were you trained as a pastry chef?
As the Executive Chef at Coworth Park I have a massive
passion for pastry, I worked at The Ritz London for 10 years which
is where the passion and love grew. I was able to learn all the
classical techniques and methods but most of all what real quality
pastry is and what it takes to produce and maintain.
Who do you regard as your main culinary influences and
how have they influenced you?
John Williams MBE, Executive Chef at The Ritz London has
been a massive influence upon my career and helped me to form my
own opinion and style of food with continues to evolve and develop
every day.
What style of tea do you feel best complements an
Afternoon Tea?
I think that's it totally subjective to each guest and
what they prefer to drink, for me I'm a big fan of herbal and
flowering teas; lemon verbena is one of my favourite herbs and is
amazing as a tea.
Why do you feel that Afternoon Tea proves to be such a
timeless tradition?
I feel Afternoon Tea is a timeless tradition because
people enjoy the social side of the dining experience, an afternoon
of fine pastries and beautiful sandwiches spent with friends and
family with great service is always a winner.
And finally, there is an age old debate amongst
Afternoon Tea enthusiasts of whether you put clotted cream or jam
on the scone first. What's your view on this?
For me it doesn't matter which way around; you just need
lots of both of them!
Afternoon Tea at Coworth Park is priced from £35 per person on midweek, and £40 per person on weekends.
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