Macdonald Hotels, is throwing the Mother of all tea parties for Mother’s Day this year, predicting that as many as 100,000 cakes and sandwiches could be consumed. If you stacked one on top of the other, the cake stands holding the tasty treats would be over four times the height of the world’s tallest building; the Burj Khalifa.
After over 80,000 cakes and sandwiches were eaten on Mother’s Day last year at the 45 Macdonald Hotels around the UK, the group expects afternoon tea to be even more popular this year as they have introduced a variety of different ‘tea’ options and packages.
The amount of tea predicted to be consumed across the group’s portfolio is roughly equivalent to the volume of a domestic swimming pool (roughly 3,000 cubic litres), never mind the increasingly popular introduction of prosecco to their Afternoon Teas.
Generations of families return to Macdonald Hotels year after year to treat mothers to a well-deserved afternoon tea because of the excellent service and high quality produce. Famous mums from around the world have enjoyed the quintessentially British treat, including Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her family, who frequently visited the Macdonald Randolph Hotel in Oxford when her daughter was studying there.
The roots of afternoon tea as a formal dining event can be traced back as far as 1840, when Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford felt peckish between the established two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), where she would take tea and a light snack. At the time this was taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon, however later that year the trend to invite lady friends to join the host in the drawing room became respectable.
To get a taste of the treat that lies in store for mums across the country, here are five hotels that are adding extra luxury this Mother’s Day:
- Macdonald Randolph Hotel & Spa, Oxford
- Macdonald Crutherland House Hotel, Lanarkshire
- Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel, Marlow
- Macdonald Rusacks, St. Andrews
- Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa, Windermere
For mother’s hoping to be pampered, the luxury four-star Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa offers the perfect escape. With the Luxurious Spa Day Package, Mum can start her day by unwinding in the Sensuous Spa with two Elemis treatments, before taking afternoon tea in the Terrace Lounge overlooking the Lake Windermere.
The tea includes a selection of sandwiches, scones and Cumbrian favourites, served alongside a chilled glass of Prosecco. Food pairings with afternoon tea options will vary across the country in line with Macdonald Hotel’s commitment to using the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients.