This was my first visit to The Milestone Hotel, so I had only ever seen the lounge in pictures. It surpassed already high expectations, with sunlight streaming through period feature windows, dotted with plush seating. Cosy and elegant, with great views of bustling Kensington.

If you’re looking for a very traditional London Afternoon Tea experience, The Milestone Hotel very much fits the brief, with starched white tablecloths, smartly dressed waiting on staff and carefully cut finger sandwiches. The Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea has the traditional sandwiches – cheese and chutney, cucumber smoked salmon, ham and egg. The star of the show - Red Carnation’s founder’s own recipe chicken salad sandwich, cut into a circle, the outer edge rolled in flaked almonds.

We caught up with the creators of this special limited time menu, Global Director of Chocolate & Pâtisserie at Red Carnation Hotels Paula Stakelum, who you might know as ‘Paula Pastry’ and Executive Head Chef at The Milestone Hotel, Daniel Putz. There was a lot of inspiration to be had for this menu, with Kensington Gardens right on the doorstep of the hotel, the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show, and the current wonderful weather, they said. The chefs tried to utilise flowers as much as they could in the menu.

The pièce de resistance of the patisserie selection was created by Paula in partnership with the team at Milestone. The cake is a rich orange round on a shortbread base, with a flourish of white sugar paper. Cut into the cake to reveal under the orange gel covered shell, a layer of white chocolate mousse and a viscous clementine centre.

When asked what their favourite part of the creation process is - chef Putz answered the tasting. Said to a room full of foodies, this got a laugh. Putz added that involving the sous chefs and working together on different ideas on one piece was where the magic really happens. For the show pastry on the Milestone’s Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea, the chefs made over fifteen versions make it perfect.  

The scones are perfection and are in ultimate form of 'the traditional'. Freshly baked and one each of plain and raisin, fluffy in the middle with just the right amount of glaze on the outside, served with Cornish clotted cream and jam.

Summer has arrived with this vibrant patisserie plate. Bite into crispy choux to reveal creamy peach, with a lemon verbena crem diplomat mixed with roasted peach puree. A mini tartlet with the softest basil sponge is finished with fresh strawberries and whipped mascarpone piped meticulously into little peaks. There’s a lime and chamomile financier, (a financier is a small French almond cake to the uninitiated) decorated with purple and orange flowers. Bite into the perfectly created pistachio macaron with a crispy outer shell, the perfect amount of chew and a gooey rose jam middle.

This very special menu ends on Sunday 25^th May and is the perfect way to round a day exploring Chelsea Flower Show and the neighbouring displays. If you can’t make this menu, The Milestone Hotel is a wonderful traditional Afternoon Tea experience.

Find out more about the Afternoon Tea at The Milestone Hotel & Residences here