Polka-Vita

Sometimes plans change.

This afternoon tea wasn’t actually supposed to be a solo date. I’d originally made the booking with somebody else in mind, but when those plans fell through, I had two options: cancel the table, or go anyway.

So, I went anyway.

Going somewhere alone isn’t particularly unusual for me. Years of travelling – both through my job and on my own adventures – have made me very comfortable in my own company. I’ll happily explore a new city, sit down for coffee, go for lunch or spend an entire day wandering around somewhere by myself.

I actually really enjoy it.

What is relatively new is documenting it.

Getting dressed up, doing my hair and make-up, walking into somewhere beautiful and actually creating content from an experience I’m having alone. Taking photographs without wondering whether anybody is watching. Setting up the shot. And, perhaps the biggest one for me, actually asking somebody, “Would you mind taking a photo of me?”

That’s the bit I’m still getting comfortable with.

So when my original plans for afternoon tea at Pennington’s changed, cancelling seemed a little pointless. I already had the reservation. I wanted to experience it. And, quite frankly, I’d already got dressed and looked cute.

Afternoon tea for one it was.

Afternoon tea for one

I arrived at Pennington’s at midday and found myself as their first afternoon-tea guest of the day.

I was warmly welcomed – and, rather sweetly, remembered from my previous visit.

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

On my last visit I’d sat at one of the tables by the window, which they even remembered, but this time I was offered a lovely little table with a corner sofa instead. It felt cosy without being tucked away, and immediately seemed like the perfect spot to settle in for the afternoon.

Before I started photographing everything in sight, I did actually ask whether they minded me taking photos and documenting my experience for Polka-Vita. They were absolutely lovely about it, so camera duties could officially commence.

I was handed the afternoon-tea menu and then came the first important decision: tea.

I started with an Earl Grey with a little milk and sugar. I also asked whether I could swap teas later if I fancied trying something different, and was told that was absolutely fine. Tea top-ups were available throughout the afternoon too, so there was certainly no danger of going thirsty.

And then came the main event.

A traditional three-tiered afternoon-tea stand arrived at the table, filled with finger sandwiches, two warm scones and four beautifully presented miniature pâtisseries.

It looked gorgeous.

The sandwiches, scones and one very important debate

The savoury selection consisted of cucumber with chive cream cheese, Severn & Wye smoked salmon, Alden Farm ham with mustard mayonnaise and Royal coronation chicken, served across a selection of breads.

But despite the sandwiches sitting patiently on the bottom tier, I didn’t actually start there.

The scones were warm.

And there was absolutely no chance I was letting a warm scone sit there getting cold while I worked my way through four sandwiches first.

So, scones it was.

There were two: one plain and one fruit, accompanied by strawberry conserve and clotted cream.

Which brings us to an extremely important matter.

Cream or jam first?

I know this may be controversial, but I’m firmly in the clotted-cream-first camp.

To me, the cream takes the place of butter. If I were having toast with butter and jam, I wouldn’t spread the jam first and then attempt to put butter on top of it. Butter goes first. Jam goes on top.

Therefore: clotted cream first, followed by a lovely dollop of strawberry conserve.

It makes perfect sense to me, and I’m standing by it.

And while I’m apparently trying to cause arguments, I also say scone to rhyme with own, rather than scon.

Please direct all complaints elsewhere.

The scones themselves were delicious – warm, soft and very generously accompanied by the cream and conserve.

They were also deceptively filling.

By the time I eventually moved down to the sandwich tier, I was already beginning to look at the rest of the stand and wonder quite how I was going to get through everything.

The sandwiches were lovely and much more substantial than their delicate finger-sandwich appearance initially suggested. The fillings were generous, everything tasted incredibly fresh and there was a really nice variety between the four.

This is definitely an afternoon tea that can comfortably take the place of lunch. In fact, if you’re thinking of booking it as a little lunchtime treat, I’d arrive hungry.

Very hungry.

Save room for the pâtisserie

Eventually, I reached what was probably the prettiest part of the entire stand.

The cakes.

At this point I decided it was also time for a tea change, swapping my Earl Grey for elderflower and lemon, which was light, fragrant and really lovely alongside the sweeter final course.

The four miniature pâtisseries were inspired by Pennington’s Windsor surroundings, which I thought was such a lovely detail.

There was a Savill Garden rose and elderflower Victoria sponge, a Queen’s favourite chocolate biscuit cake, a Golden Court toffee pudding, and an incredibly glossy Braeburn apple mousse that looked almost too perfect to cut into.

Almost.

They were beautiful.

Rich, decadent and so carefully presented, they were exactly the sort of little desserts that make afternoon tea feel like an occasion rather than simply having lunch followed by cake.

And despite each one looking relatively petite, by this point I was beginning to admit defeat.

Throughout the afternoon, the service had been incredibly attentive without ever feeling intrusive. Somebody would periodically check that everything was okay, whether I needed another tea top-up or whether I wanted anything else.

I was even offered additional sandwiches, scones and cakes.

The offer was very much appreciated.

My stomach, however, had officially reached capacity.

An afternoon that wasn’t supposed to happen

What I initially thought might be quite a quick lunch ended up becoming around an hour and a half of sitting there, drinking tea, taking photographs, chatting and simply enjoying where I was.

And actually, I think that sums up rather nicely what I want Solo Date Diaries to be.

Spending an afternoon by myself isn’t outside my comfort zone. If anything, it’s very firmly inside it.

I’ve spent years travelling and finding myself in different parts of the world with only my own company. I’ve eaten alone, explored alone, wandered through cities alone and sat with a coffee watching the world go by more times than I could possibly count.

I don’t find my own company boring.

What I’m learning is to stop making myself smaller while I’m doing it.

To take the photograph.

To get the camera out even if there are people around me.

To document the beautiful table instead of wondering whether somebody might be watching me photograph my scone.

To ask somebody to take a picture of me rather than coming home and realising that I somehow managed to photograph everything from the furniture to the cake but don’t have a single photograph proving I was actually there.

That’s the bit I’m still getting to grips with.

And perhaps that’s what Solo Date Diaries will become.

Not a challenge to teach myself how to be alone, but a record of all the lovely things I already enjoy doing by myself – while becoming a little more confident about capturing them along the way.

The verdict

As someone who works in First Class myself, I’m probably particularly conscious of service and those little interactions that can turn something perfectly pleasant into something genuinely memorable.

And the service at Pennington’s was excellent.

It was warm, attentive and personable from the moment I arrived. I never felt rushed, nobody made me feel remotely awkward about sitting there alone taking photographs, and there always seemed to be somebody nearby if I needed anything without anyone constantly hovering over the table.

Combined with the beautiful setting, the lovely food and an afternoon tea substantial enough to eventually defeat me, it turned an unexpected change of plans into a rather lovely afternoon.

And apparently, I’m not quite finished with Pennington’s yet.

I’ve discovered that they serve breakfast – including a very tempting little à la carte menu – and I’ve still got dinner to try.

So I have a feeling this won’t be the last time that little orange mermaid makes an appearance in Solo Date Diaries.

But for my first proper entry?

I’m rather glad the original plans changed.