pantry at 108

slightly confused with the different entrances, we ended up coming through from the main hotel entrance, passing by the chic lounge on the way in. the place has quite a homely vibe to it, furnished with vibrantly coloured plump velvet sofas and armchairs, and parquet floors. i also particularly liked the quirky pieces of crockery on the walls: from cats wearing eyeglasses and fascinators to a fish casually puffing away on a slick cigarette.

did you know that this week is afternoon tea week? i’ve been to quite a few afternoon teas across the uk now (mostly in london), many of which i’ve written about on here, but i still have a fairly extensive list of places i’d love to visit. at the weekend, i was invited to afternoon tea at 108 pantry within the marylebone hotel. and i was particularly looking forward to the fact that they offer a ‘gluten-free’ option, which i’ve never come across before. i’m not intolerant to gluten but i was interested to see how the products would compare to the ‘classic’ versions and be able to report back to you on here. i wrote my first gluten-free related post on here last week and it got a pretty good response, so there’s obviously a lot of interest in the subject.

when i started blogging about gluten free afternoon tea, “gluten free” were two very dirty words and were never meant to be mentioned in the same sentence as afternoon tea.  i would always contact the hotel before making a reservation to make sure that they would be able to provide a gluten free option.  fast forward almost 18 months and we have hotels offering special gluten free afternoon tea menus like pantry at 108 at the marylebone hotel; obviously the cake goddesses were listening to my many cake prayers.

this marylebone hotel restaurant offers fantastic scones, cakes and finger sandwiches in a champagne-laced afternoon tea - nom

after receiving an invitation to afternoon tea at pantry at 108, i experienced something really interesting. in every conversation i had with people about attending, the response was the same, ‘oh! i’ve heard it’s really lovely!’
my curiosity was high. further, the marylebone area is new to me, so i am in hot pursuit to learn more about what it has to offer.
first, i learned there is a marylebone high street, marylebone road, and marylebone lane. hmmm. tricky. tricky.
while the hotel is easy to find, it does involve knowing it’s on marylebone lane. yeah, i learned the hard way.
for my guest, i invited one of my favourite blogger friends, ashleigh from quintessentially me. she loves living healthy and promotes it on her blog. she’s also one hot south african lady to know!
once we were seated, we were treated to a tea presentation similar to ‘sensory journeys’ i’ve had in spas in the states. the server explained each of the six teas and gave us the opportunity to have a quick whiff of the tea leaves to absorb each of their aromatic powers.
tea selections: assam, darjeeling, earl grey, hibiscus, lemon verbana and english chammomile
ashleigh chose earl grey. this florida girl picked the floral hibiscus tea. it was liquid velvet. loved the rich, exotic floral taste. my tea was also complimented with some luxurious moet and chandon. one can never go wrong with that bubbly.
our tea tiers arrived quickly. ashleigh and i were a bit giggly when all the food was set before us. the table seemed covered in calories.
sandwiches: ham, cucumber, cream cheese and smoked salmon, egg and mayonaise
we had exactly the same tea sandwiches, except ashleigh’s utilized gluten free bread. i was a bit jealous of her sandwiches because they came with a side salad. it looked incredible and healthy!
the raisins scones with clotted cream were the same as well. i had no problem finishing mine. 
ashleigh’s scones came with strawberry compote, which is made in essex.
my top tier scored high marks too! the mini carrot cake was ultra moist. i probably could’ve eaten an entire large one. or tried, anyway.
ashleigh truly enjoyed her dessert selections and loved the champagne jelly shot. mini fruit tart, mini carrot cake, victorian sponge cake, champagne jelly shot with prosecco and mixed berries flap jack brownie, lemon cake and champagne jelly shot with prosecco
we nearly finished everything. there was only a few sugary strawberries left as shrapnel from our feast.
i loved the afternoon tea at pantry at 108. the marylebone hotel is in a fantastic location! and the english brasserie interior is simply, gorgeous.
from the spacious, sunny atmosphere, to the beautiful china, pantry at 108 leaves no details untouched. i loved the premium champagne offering paired with the gluten free advantage! sunny friends, if you’re looking for ambiance plus health value, this is the hot ticket in london right now!