Welcome to Hansom Lounge, one of the hotel s most historically significant settings. As you enjoy your coffee, sandwich or Classic Afternoon Tea, take the time to look around at the beautiful Barlow Blue ironwork, exposed bricks and glass roof canopy and imagine the Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen of the day being dropped off by Hansom Cabs before their onward journeys from the adjoining St Pancras Station. The former road and taxi rank passing through the then, Midland Grand Hotel, has been carefully transformed into St Pancras Renaissance Hotel s bustling Hansom Lounge but where a distinct air of nostalgia still remains.
Tea drinking in England dates back to 1662, when it was introduced at court by Portuguese Infanta Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II. However, the very British ritual of afternoon tea as a meal found its raison d être in the dressing room of Anna Maria Russell, née Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, one of Queen Victoria s Ladies of the Bedchamber and a lifelong friend. Anna, who was too hungry to wait for dinner which, in the 19th century, could be served as late as 9:30pm in the summertime requested a little bread with butter, biscuits and cakes, to enjoy with a customary cup of Darjeeling tea. She invited her friends to her dressing room, and when The Queen learnt of this activity, she instantly loved the idea. Thus, the tradition of afternoon tea was born. Toward the end of the 19 th Century, when the St Pancras Hotel opened, it was becoming far more of a democratic and public spectacle. The British had begun to produce their own tea in India and Sri Lanka, breaking the Chinese monopoly, and punitive taxes were reduced. Precious tea leaves became more accessible and afternoon tea began to be enjoyed outside the drawing rooms of private houses and in the splendid public rooms of grand hotels. Tea was not just a brilliant afternoon pick-me-up, but a luxurious break during a long journey. Station Hotels were the perfect places of grandeur and convenience to revive a weary traveller. The St Pancras Hotel is perhaps the grandest of them all and has a long tradition of offering an elegant respite from the hubbub of the city and arduous adventuring.
CLASSIC AFTERNOON TEA SAVOURY Roast Norfolk turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, brioche Smoked Loch Fyne salmon, lemon crème fraiche, crumpet Crayfish cocktail, caviar, brioche Truffled duck egg mayonnaise, chive, brioche Cucumber, dill cream cheese, beetroot bread Honey roast ham, piccalilli, English muffin SCONES Raisin and plain scones Clotted Cornish cream and strawberry preserves SWEET Cinnamon and star anise apple crumble Seasonal red berry mousse tartlet Strawberry Christmas bauble Traditional Yorkshire fruit cake, Mascarpone cream Paris Brest hazelnut cream and almond choux 38
ST PANCRAS AFTERNOON TEA Add to the classic afternoon tea one of the following drinks CHAMPAGNE Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé (Supplement 5 ) COCKTAIL Barlow Blue Bacardi Superior, Cacao Blanc, double cream, crème de menthe The Muffin Bacardi Oro, crème de banana, double cream, pistachio syrup Verbena Fizz Star of Bombay, egg white, lemon verbena syrup, tonic water Espresso Dandy Woodford reserve, Martini Riserva Rouge, Campari, crème de cacao Cuckoo Martini Grey Goose Vodka, Bombay Gin, Dry Vermouth infused with popcorn tea Hugo Cocktail St Germain Elderflower Liqueur, mint, Champagne Sweet Dram Drambuie, Crème de cacao, soya milk, camomile tea East India Trading Co. Bacardy 8 yr, chai tea syrup, apple juice, earl grey tea 48
The following tea is sourced and supplied by Rare Tea Company St Pancras English Breakfast Traditional British tea at its finest Crafted for a unique depth of flavour, that combines the power of a breakfast tea with satisfying complexity. Earl Grey Satemwa Estate, Malawi and Reggio Calabria, Italy A traditional Earl Grey blended with single estate black tea and pure bergamot oil. This is a classic British tea made to exacting standards. A clean and exceptionally bright infusion with exhilarating citrus notes. It can be enjoyed with or without milk, or a twist of lemon zest. Keemun Anhui Province, China Hand-crafted black China tea. It was first enjoyed in the 19th century and soon became one of the most favoured teas in the UK. Soft and smooth with a faint hint of smoke from charcoal roasting. Best enjoyed without milk. 2 nd Flush Muscatel Darjeeling Makaibari Estate, Darjeeling, India This highly fragrant black tea is picked in the foothills of the Himalayas on one of the oldest and most beautiful estates in Darjeeling. This tea has a heady, floral aroma with soft notes of muscatel grapes. Best enjoyed without milk.
Whole Leaf Green Fuding, Fujian Province, China An exquisite Chinese green tea that is meticulously hand-crafted. The leaves are fired in a wok over charcoal in the same way and in the same place they have been made for over 3000 years. Clean, bright and remarkably delicate. Genmaicha Shizuoka, Japan Top grade sencha with organic, Japanese brown rice. Crafted by Moriuchi san - one of the most revered tea-masters in Japan, on his 200 year old tea-garden in Shizuoka - a family run garden. This lovely sencha is remarkably complex and deep. It has a very green, vegetal taste of buttered asparagus, with a warm, rich aroma of popcorn. Jasmine Silver Tip Fuding, Fujian Province, China A delicate white tea crafted entirely from spring buds. The tea is not flavoured but carefully scented over six consecutive nights with fresh jasmine flowers. Once the preserve of only the Chinese Imperial family. A deep and heady aroma with a light and gentle flavour. China White Peony Fuding, Fujian Province, China A pure white China tea - also known as Bai Mu Dan. Entirely hand-crafted from tender spring buds and fresh new leaves. This subtle tea has a gentle sweetness with grassy notes and a delicate hint of apricot.
English Peppermint Tregothnan Estate, Cornwall, UK Counter-intuitively, the menthol oils infuse more easily from the dried leaf, giving a brighter, cleaner flavour than fresh mint. This truly remarkable and unique peppermint is a wonderful end to a meal Cornish Manuka Tregothnan Estate, Cornwall, UK A unique Manuka tea made with the leaves and stem of this rare New Zealand plant. It has a light sweetness with deep woody notes and a subtle hint of ginger. The flavour is incomparable and utterly delicious Whole Chamomile Flowers Slavonija & Podravin, Croatia These delicate flowers are carefully dried and kept intact for a sweet and soft flavour. Clean and subtle, these flowers are also wonderfully calming and, of course, caffeine free Malawi Lemongrass Satemwa Estate, Shire Highlands, Malawi This uniquely complex and full-bodied lemongrass is made using the tender leaf rather than the woody base. A rich and exceptionally bright herbal infusion with grassy notes of fresh hay and lemon drops
THE MATCA EXPERIENCE Classical Afternoon Tea with added Matcha experience Our server will come to the table and prepare the Matcha right in front of your eyes. They will take you through the history and the benefits if this fabulous green tea that has been around since 1191 and has gained its popularity around the world mostly thanks to Zen Buddhists that took this tea from China to Japan around 400 years ago and from there it quickly gained popularity all over the world. In the 12th century, a Japanese monk, Eisai, wrote Japan`s first book about tea where he described matcha as a `healing medicine for healthy life`. As the purest and most potent form of tea, matcha has long touted as a precious medicine for health and long life 55
There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." - Henry James -