In previous years in the lead up to the big day, we’ve always worked right up until Christmas eve. This year however as Vicky is currently on a year’s adoption leave and we have two little munchkins around our ankles, the festive period and the excitement surrounding it has been very different. We’ve decorated the house, we’ve visited Father Christmas, we’ve enjoyed the build-up which is something that has always passed us by previously. We also realised that December festive fun is not only for kids. Therefore, we decided to book ourselves afternoon tea at The Hallmark Hotel Hull (when the kids were at school and nursery, naturally) via bookatable.
Having never used the app before or even visited the website we were surprised how easy it was to find something suitable. We did wonder if we would find anywhere in our home town of Hull or neighbouring city of York offering such an afternoon tea. However, we did with no problem.
We received a booking confirmation email and then a reminder email the day before our booking. This was great for us as since the kids a have come along together with the chaos that goes with them, we’ll be honest we have forgotten things we have booked and missed events we should have been at (oops!). Having indulged in afternoon tea at The Hallmark Hotel in Hull before we knew exactly what to expect or at least we thought we did.
Afternoon Delight
We were warmly welcomed before being told ‘you can sit anywhere with a reserved sign on it’. Needless to say nearly every table at a reserved sign on it. Thus proving that the festive afternoon tea offer was a huge hit with a lot of people. Even though we visited in mid-December, the sun was shining brightly. Therefore we opted for a table near the floor to ceiling windows which offer amazing views of the Humber Bridge. With Christmas trees and decorations as far as the eye could see and Mariah Carey warbling in the background, it created the perfect Christmas atmosphere.
Delicious Festive Food
After being asked if we had any dietary requirements (we didn’t) and advised that one drink per person was included in the price we were left to relax and chat. A short while later our festive afternoon tea was delivered to our table. We feasted on ham, cheese, tuna and chicken sandwiches and even asked for a second round which was made fresh and brought over. You don’t get if you don’t ask, right?
Next up were the ultimate afternoon staples – scones. Served with lashings of jam and clotted cream, the massive, crumbly, fruity delights went down a treat. It was then we started to regret the second round of sandwiches as we weighed up what next to sample from the three-tiered stand. We both opted for chocolate milk topped with mini marshmallows first – it was delicious and not too sickly.
Alongside our chocolate milk, we enjoyed was a festive snowflake shortbread biscuit. It was then we had to admit defeat, which annoyed us both no end as we hate to leave food. However, it was no good, there was no way we could fit in the snowballs, which looked divine. The only saving grace was the other thing on the stand was a mini mince pie each which neither of us particularly like anyway.
Would We Return?
Yes, in a heartbeat. Less than £10 per person for more food than we could eat, what an absolute bargain. We’ve paid more for a sandwich and cuppa elsewhere which hasn’t been a patch on what’s on offer at the Hallmark Hotel, Hull. It was a lovely experience and certainly helped us get in the festive spirit.
- AD-This post is a collaboration with Bookatable.com. However, all opinions are our own
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