Even on a cold December afternoon, Turnberry looks great. Suitably windswept, we retreated into the lounge for our festive afternoon tea. You can just about make out the domed shape of Ailsa Craig on the left of the photo, and on a clear day you'll see Goat Fell and Arran to the right as well.
Relax into the leather seats and be fussed over by the attentive staff in the luxurious surroundings. After a £150m investment, this old lady is looking good. Bright and plush carpets, smooth as silk paintwork and glistening chandeliers.
The Grand Tea Lounge & Bar Menu
The first decision, what tea to have?
Our server arrived at the table with a vintage tea trolley topped with a glistening samovar and drawers of loose leaf tea - 24 in total including various white, black, green, chair, rooibos (red bush), flowering...and well, if you don't actually like tea you can order coffee instead! I picked my usual Earl Grey, feeling that I needed some bergamot to pick me up with the dull weather, whilst Mr Foodie picked the Nutty Chocolate Assam.
A timer is also provided to get your brew right, as white, green and black all infuse at different times!
Our goodies (part 1) soon arrived, see further below for part 2!
A closer look at the sandwiches and dinky rolls.
A tier full of sandwiches included
butter-roasted bronze turkey, sage & onion stuffing, and cranberry jelly;
Peppered Roast Sirloin of Beef, Wild Rocket & Wasabi Mayonnaise;❤️
Hot Smoked Salmon Rilette with Katy Rogers Creme Fraiche & Watercress;
Cucumber with "spice of angels" * & Whipped Crowd; ❤️
Truffled Egg & Cress;
Prawn & Avocado Roll;
and Spiced Pork & Apple Sausage Rolls ❤️
* includes fennel pollen
Once we'd tackled the cakes, two types of scone soon replaced them (part 2!)
Golden Syrup & Walnut Scones plus Cranberry & Orange Scones served with Clotted Cream and strawberry & cranberry jam. Both scones were delicious, fluffy and warm, I think the cranberry and orange were the better of the two for that Christmassy feel.
Once we had eaten the scones, it was time to tackle the daintier cakes...
Christmas Pudding Truffle; Chocolate Yule Log and Winter Spiced Chocolate Orange Choux Bun. 😍 Don't they just look the part? But that's not all. Above this plate there's more!
Traditional Aged Christmas Cake and Iced Ginger Bread. We were struggling by now. Even professional gannets like us decided to fly the white flag. We admitted defeat and got the cakes boxed up for later. Yes, there's absolutely no shame in asking for a 'doggy bag' at the 5-star Turnberry Hotel!
Overall
A very filling afternoon tea - you can skip breakfast when you come in for this one! All the sandwiches were freshly prepared and the scones were top-notch. A relaxing feast with chilled ambient music playing. Toilets are not far, on the same floor and very swish! Our only gripe was that it took a long time for us to get our bill.
Festive afternoon tea is served from 12 noon - 5pm until the end of the year, priced at £30 per person. If you go, don't forget to share a picture on social Media of yourself enjoying it with the hashtag to be in with a chance of winning afternoon tea for 4 people.
TL;DR+ Great sea view
+ Superb sandwiches
+ Warm scones
+ Clean and impressive toilets
- Service was a little slow to get our bill
Where
Turnberry Hotel, Turnberry, Girvan KA26 9LT
https://www.turnberry.co.uk/cuisine
Book
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01655 334115
Disclaimer: we received a complimentary afternoon tea but we also ordered additional drinks which we paid for.
