3-5 source I have been a very lucky blogger this month. At the beginning of March I was invited along to The Botanist* blogger tea party, in which myself and 6 other bloggers were offered the chance to sample their menu and cocktails at our very own Alice in Wonderland themed setting. Situated underneath the Trinity Leeds shopping centre, The Botanist is the sister restaurant to the much loved Alchemist which can also be found in Trinity Leeds. As I work in the center I already knew where to find this little gem, however I'd never actually been inside before due to it always being so busy on a weekend! So it was an absolute treat to have the chance to review the restaurant with some of my favorite Yorkshire bloggers.
Fit for the mad hatter himself, the table was absolutely stunning, set with beautiful vintage crockery on their old school wooden benches. & of course no tea party would be fit without a cup of tea itself. We were all offered a choice of several different loose leaf teas, from good old English breakfast, earl grey, & even the very intriguing Russian smoked. The tea arrived in beautiful floral teapots & I managed to get 2 1/2 cups before my pot had ran dry. Shortly after tea and chat, we were then presented with our starters, hummus with fresh warm fresh bread presented in a large salad leaf, salt & pepper spiced onion petals with cool dip, and a sample of The Botanist Pate which came sat in its own little plant pot & chutney in the cutest miniature wheelbarrow. I think the hardest party of the night was actually choosing from the deli board menu. All 7 of us regularly changed our minds throughout our assault on the starters, & in fact I've never seen a group of bloggers so quiet at an event, only the occasional sounds of 'mmm's and 'ahhh's escaping as we examined the menu ready for our next course.Eventually I chose the blushed tomatoes, Parma ham, blue cheese and Caesar salad all of which were divine. I was really impressed by the portion sizes too. Normally a deli board for me would be a starter, something to nibble on before a heavy main. But the block (yes it was a block) of blue cheese was more than I expected, making this blogger bloated in the happiest way possible!
Finally after our boards were clean & stomachs satisfied, we were moved into the bar area to sample three of The Botanists cocktails, the first being an English Mojito & house special The Botanist cocktail, followed by a fiery peach martini. (see full drinks menu here)
My favorite was most definitely The Botanist, sweet, fruity and just enough alcohol to know you're actually having a cheeky drink. The peach martini however was strong, there was no mistaking the alcohol content in that one! - It was dangerously delicious though.. One more & would have been wobbly!
Overall I have to say, The Botanist has put on possibly the best blogger event I have ever attended, every detail was thoroughly thought through. The food was immense, the cocktails delicious & the atmosphere created not only by the setting but the staff too was perfect. The Botanist has definitely become one of my favorite places to eat and drink in Leeds. You can find more information about The Botanist on their website Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Lookbook
