The Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester
I’ve previously spoken about
my love of partaking in a spot of afternoon tea. There is nothing more
quintessentially British. I’ve tried a fair few different ones, from the plain
and simple to the elegant and extravagant. As with anything, some are better
than others, but I really appreciate it when a place brings something a little
different to the table.
Henceforth, it’s time for me
to tell you about my latest spot of afternoon indulgence, courtesy of Home
Sweet Home. I’ve previously written about this little gem of Manchester City
Centre – you can read my review here.
Originally based in the
Northern Quarter, it’s a quirky and quaint American diner which specialises in
sensationally stodgy comfort food. Its enormous popularity led to the opening
of a second joint inside the Great Northern Warehouse a couple of years back.
Last month, they launched
their own take on the afternoon tea. My first glance at the menu almost caused
palpitations. It offers something completely different. Rather than the usual
triangle sandwiches and scones, there’s a selection of American and Mexican
inspired delights, including open bagels, cinnamon churros and a conglomeration
of Home Sweet Home specialities.
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There were three mini open bagels. Cheddar cheese and
tomato was the simplest of the trio, a classic that you can’t get wrong. The
second was a BLT, layered up with a slice of tomato, rocket leaves and crispy,
maple-cured bacon. The final bagel was an unusual combo: smoked salmon and
smashed avocado. Two delicious ingredients that, on paper, you wouldn’t expect
to work together, but they do. The bagels were freshly baked, soft and
ever-so-slightly sweet, reminding me more of a brioche roll. Served with a
handful of homemade crisps – sorry, ‘potato chips’, as the Americans bizarrely
call them – dusted with barbecue and paprika. These salty, crunchy morsels were
a welcome little extra, and certainly needed in preparation for the forthcoming
sugar overload.
At stage two, on the middle tier, were the churros.
These choux pastries, fried until crunchy and sprinkled with sugar, are mainly
eaten for breakfast across Spain, Portugal and France, but the cinnamon version
originated in the States. Traditionally, they’re eaten dipped in chocolate. It
couldn’t be more different from the humble fruit scone with jam and clotted
cream. Generally, they’re not something I’d order for dessert, so I haven’t
tried many of them. However, these will certainly take some beating. They were
incredibly light and fluffy on the inside, cripsy on the outside, and they
pulled apart effortlessly, making for easy dipping. They were served with a
pot of Nutella and ‘Dreamcheese frosting’, a Home Sweet Home creation. Coupled
together, the Nutella and the Dreamcheese frosting together with a shameless bit
of double dipping made for a taste sensation. It’s a dessert that needs
creating here and now.
Onto the top tier, which was filled with a plethora of
Home Sweet Home delights: a lemon meringue pie, three squares of red velvet
cheesecake brownie, the cupcake of the month – which also happened to be red
velvet – a cup of chocolate espresso moose and three chocolate truffles. The
cakes are always the highlight of an afternoon tea, and truly are the jewel in
Home Sweet Home’s crown, so I was highly unlikely to be disappointed.
The lemon meringue pie struck the perfect balance
between sweet and tarty, oozing with lemon filling and topped off with soft
meringue. The cheesecake brownie squares were a delicious mouthful, a red
velvet brownie filled with a dollop of creamy vanilla cheesecake. I would have
preferred a standard chocolate brownie exterior, however, given that the
cupcake of the month was also red vevlet. Delightful though it was, with a
vanilla butter cream icing and topped with a glacier cherry. A shot of rich,
smooth chocolate espresso moose was another item on the top tier. As a loather
of all things coffee, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this, but it was actually very nice. I think this was down to the fact that it was milk chocolate based,
rather than dark. The milk choc helped to soften the bitterness of the coffee.
It made the perfect dip for the two fresh strawberries which were thrown in for
good measure. Well, if there’s some
fruit in there then it’s healthy, yes?
We ended on the three half-moon chocolate truffles: one
lemon, one chocolate fudge and one red velvet (again!), all coated in white
chocolate. I’m not quite sure how to describe the texture of a truffle: think a
slightly moist, stodgy sponge. They’d gone slightly gooey by the time we were
got to them, having spent too much time under the low-hanging ceiling lights
whilst we were gossiping, but they were still yummy, my favourite being the
chocolate fudge one. The top tier was, literally, the icing on the cake and reminded
us of exactly what Home Sweet Home does best.
This stupendously scrumptious afternoon tea is a novel
change from your usual sandwiches and scones. It’s a tooth-achingly sweet treat
that may leave you bouncing off the ceiling by the end of it, but it’s worth
it. Your first hot drink is included, but you’ll certainly need to purchase
extras in order to get through it. The majority of the cakes, with the
exception of the red velvet cheesecake brownies, had to be cut up and shared, rather
than being served as mini individuals, so it’s very much a couple’s afternoon
tea – quite how it would work with an odd number of people, I’m not sure.
It’s only been a month since it launched, but I have no
doubt that this afternoon tea will become a popular fixture at Home Sweet Home.
It’s only available at the Great Northern site. I imagine this is due to the
fact that the Northern Quarter place is walk-in only, whereas booking is
essential for afternoon tea. This is a shame, as I think the Northern Quarter
restaurant is more suited to an afternoon tea, as it’s quaint and quirky,with a
tea shop feel, whereas the Great Northern feels much more like an American
diner.
If you’re a sugar fiend who, like me, loves to try a
little bit of everything, then this an experience you cannot afford to miss. If
your palate is more savoury, it’s perhaps best to avoid it.
£20 per person. View the menu and book your afternoon
tea here:
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