Afternoon tea is always a treat, but The Ashmolean has really raised the bar by offering a Festive Afternoon Tea at its Rooftop Restaurant, running right up until December 23.
Whether you’re viewing one of its exhibitions, visiting the city, meeting loved ones, need a break from your Christmas shopping or just fancy spoiling yourself, this is the place to go.
First in to try it out for ourselves, the stunning vista frames Oxford’s wintery skyline. One of the most stunning restaurants in the city, when we arrived it was a crystal clear afternoon, diners finishing off lunch, a group of students studying tea vessels (only in Oxford), while some American friends tucked into said tea with gusto.
Whetting our appetites, we kicked off with a glass of Hundred Hills bubbly (an extra £14), to be precise the 2019’s Preamble No.2 from the local award-winning vineyard) and although it’s not allowed to be called Champagne as it hails from England, you’d never know the difference, the fizz really hitting the spot, making it feel even more of a special occasion as we awaited our tier of afternoon delicacies.
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The restaurant itself is a beautiful spot, light, airy and contemporary, it’s the perfect foil to the antiquities below, large enough to cater for the vast number of visitors thronging the famous museum, it’s still spacious.
There is a great mix of teas and coffees on offer to accompany the festive tea and we opted for an Earl Grey, a chai latte and a maple spice cappuccino.
But it’s the sandwiches which are always my favourite part and they came up trumps here by including cucumber and dill cream cheese, the cucumber sliced suitably thin but still crunchy and juicy, the thin crustless white bread layered with the soft cheese.
On a more festive note, the roast turkey with sage emulsion, cranberry sauce and rocket got us in the mood, while the smoked salmon with dill and horseradish crème fraîche was served in a choux bun. To finish off a dainty Brie and cranberry shallot shell with shallot purée, like a tiny quiche which you could pop in your mouth in one bite.
The festive theme continued within the scones; cranberry and mixed spice sneaking their way into the menu, served, of course, with the obligatory English clotted cream and a strawberry Tiptree jam. Two per person was generous to an extreme because we were already eyeing up the upper tier and didn’t want to peak too early however good the scones were.
Rather than a layer of cakes there was a wider variety of tiny puds on offer – a mini Baileys mousse with a Tia Maria syrup in a glass, a pert gingerbread biscuit and then a triangular mince pie biscuit, the fruit segmented between the shortbread, (controversial for any mince pie traditionalists) and then a creamy vanilla cheesecake, with a sharp candied clementine segment.
There is also a vegan festive afternoon tea (£32.50) available with some inventive nibbles – think maple roasted beetroot, sage and rocket sandwiches or a nut roast with fig relish and spinach variety, followed by a chocolate and orange mousse.
So if you fancy something a bit different, this is the ideal way to see in Christmas with style, and well worth the splurge.
The Festive Afternoon Tea at The Ashmolean costs £32.50 with fizz at an extra £14 each and runs until December 23 from 11.30am-4pm every day. Book here https://www.ashmolean.org/cafe-and-restaurant
