The Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge is a delectable homage to the world of fashion, which is changed every six months. Inspired by the V&A exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, they released a Dior Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea which transformed iconic Dior designs into delectable bakes.
The afternoon tea is priced at £60 per person and is served in the beautiful Collins Room at The Berkeley. The orangery-style extension fills the room with natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows and decorated with marble, soft lilacs, marble and silver. It’s a beautiful room that exudes luxury and is the perfect setting for the Dior Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea.
Service started with drinks in which there was a wide selection to choose from and you can have as many teas, coffees and hot chocolates as you like (apart from the teas which had an additional charge). We were then both presented with a plate of sandwiches and a platter of savouries. The sandwich menu consisted of:
Roast corn fed chicken, truffle celeriac remoulade, lettuce, thyme cress on onion bread
Pastrami, light blue cheese cream, sauerkraut, gherkin, rocket on brown bread
Home-smoked salmon, shallot soya miring butter, daikon, nasturtium leaves on rye bread
Heritage Copper Maran hen’s mayonnaise, beef heart tomatoes, mustard cress on brioche bread
Heirloom beetroots, horseradish scented feta, watercress on tomato bread
Aromatic cottage cheese, baked courgettes, peppers, artichokes, baby spinach on seven grains bread
The sandwiches were all delicious and loved the savoury platter which is something I’ve never had with an afternoon tea before, it was a unique experience and the savoury platter menu consisted of:
Baked Camembert brioche, spiced Victoria plum jam, Manchego cheese
Parsnip cream, crispy chicken skins, Jerusalem artichokes, truffle walnut puree, foraged herbs
Seared tuna, hibiscus & cep tea, tapioca, marinated root vegetables
Now time for the main event; the Dior sweet treats! As you can see they almost look to good to eat, they’ve paid a lot of attention to detail and the favours in the different desserts were incredible. These beautiful desserts consisted of:
Rose pink Miss Dior eau de Parfum lychee and raspberry cake topped with lychee pate de fruit, and a chic oversized bow.
The Muget pavlova and raspberry jam cake dress, with Madagascar vanilla chantilly, coconut marshmallow, and an elegant white sugar bow.
Miss Dior floral Dulcey mousse dress, with a Berriolette centre set on sable Breton and crowned with a violet edible flower.
Evening Junon gown fromage blanc and cassis jelly, encased with scallops of white chocolate sprinkled with edible glitter.
The iconic Bar jacket chocolate biscuit, iced with light cream royal icing.
This seasons must have J’adior slingback pump vanilla biscuit with royal icing, and finished with an edible sugar ribbon.
The Lady Dior Handbag that was gifted to Princess Diana by France’s first lady Bernadette Chirac. Sandwiched with strawberry ganache and iced with red chocolate miroir.
I couldn’t resist trying one of their hot chocolates even though it was a hot day, I’m so glad that I did as it tasted like melted chocolate and was decadent but not sickly. It was perfect to enjoy with the last few sweet treats that I had left!
Overall the Dior Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea at The Berkeley is one of the best afternoon teas that I have experienced. As you might know we love to go for afternoon tea for special occasions and have now been to a variety of different places, however there’s something very unique and exquisite about this afternoon tea. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re interested and I’d love to return again to experience a different menu in the future. If you love afternoon teas and have any recommendations for where we should go next, please let me know!
Rebecca x
