Afternoon Tea at West Ivy

2 Rock Place, Bury

If you know me by now, you’ll know that there are few things in life I love more than a good old fashioned afternoon tea. Saturday 21 April happens to be not only the Queen’s Birthday (her proper one, the day she was born) but also National Tea Day. So it was only fitting for us to indulge.

However, West Ivy’s take on afternoon tea is far from traditional. There wasn’t a sandwich or scone in sight. Instead, you’re served a sewing box full of an eclectic mix of savoury and sweet treats. Make sure you’re hungry, as it’s a feast worth saving yourself for.

The savoury bits are so complete that it’s almost like tapas rather than afternoon tea. There are three chunky halloumi fries served with a sweet chilli dip, making a perfect combination. Halloumi is very fashionable these days and is the number one choice among my veggie friends. With its squeaky texture, I’m not sure what its appeal is, but, even as a meat-eater, it’s got me well and truly hooked.

Another trendy super-food also appears in the box: avocado bruschetta, topped with cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced radish. The avocado was tasty but the bread had gone cold by the time it was served, making it slightly chewy and difficult to bite through.

Next up: posh cheese on toast. Far from throwing a few slices of cheddar and a slice of Warburton’s toastie loaf under the grill, this was brie and caramelised onions on sourdough. It was deliciously tasty but the toast had gone cold, which let it down slightly. The rich and creamy soft cheese needs to be kept piping hot in order to prevent it from solidifying again.

The savoury course was completed by a Cajun chicken salad; a small bowl of spicy, succulent chunks of chicken tossed in salad leaves and dressing. All accompanied by a bowl of French fries, served with the skin still on and seasoned to taste. It was a conglomeration of flavours which kept you excited as you as you worked your way through the four miniatures.

The savoury selection

In a traditional afternoon tea, after the sandwiches comes what I like to call ‘the in-between bit’: the scones. Not savoury but not completely sweet, it adjusts your palate and builds up to the grand finale rather nicely. In this case, there’s no intermediate, you skip straight from the salty fries to the sugary sweet treats.

There’s also very little cake, but plenty of alternatives to fill the gap. The piece de resistance is the salted caramel cheesecake – of which we received two very different sized pieces. Cheesecake is my ultimate favourite dessert, so I don’t appreciate feeling like I’m being diddled. The flavour and texture was delicious nonetheless.

There was a giant toasted marshmallow sandwiched between two chocolate brownies on a skewer. The brownies were nice, with delicious chocolate fondant in the middle, but a giant marshmallow isn’t exactly the most exciting choice for an afternoon tea. It’s all sugar and no flavour. Thankfully, there was a Hershey’s chocolate dipping sauce, supposedly to accompany the two mini doughnuts and strawberries, but it complemented the marshmallow very nicely. As for the little doughnuts, they were nothing special and comparable to a tub of supermarket miniatures. The bucket of popcorn needs little explanation.

Unexpectedly, the Pink Unicorn Shake was a highlight of the sweet course. Containing a mixture of fruits, it tasted like Skittles in a glass. Topped with an old-school pink and white flump, the like of which I hadn’t seen for years, it taps into the magic of the unicorn craze without being too sickly. Although I’m not generally a believer of mixing savoury with sweet, I would recommend sipping on your milkshake as you work your way through the savoury course. Trust me, it works better than combining it with the marshmallows and brownies and, if you want to avoid leaving feeling sick, it’s the best way to avoid a sugar overload.

Sweet treats

The whole lot is £19.95 per person, including a choice of tea or coffee. It’s at the higher end of what is average for an afternoon tea, but although the savoury food justifies the price, sadly the sweet does not. You can add a glass of candy floss prosecco for an extra £3, which turns a magical turquoise colour when the candy floss is added to the bubbles.

Having eaten at West Ivy previously, I love the food and the staff are attentive and friendly. I applaud them for doing something different with their afternoon tea. The savoury side offers top notch alternatives to finger sandwiches, but the sweet needs to be improved upon. Having an afternoon tea without a scone is like having a roast dinner without roast potatoes – there’s a vital part missing.

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