Afternoon Tea at Brown's

A few weeks ago it was my friend Bridie's 20th birthday, so to celebrate we went for afternoon tea at Brown's in Reading.

 I took the opportunity to dress up a little in one of my numerous daisy print dresses!

The dress, believe it or not, was a cheeky Primark purchase! At only £13, I couldn't say no. Shoes were also Primark, and the necklace was a gift from Tiffany & Co.. I tried out a middle-parting/plait/ponytail thing with my hair and I'm not sure it went quite the way I wanted but I had no time left to make any adjustments so just went with it. 

Meredith rolled up to pick me up in her newly purchased beaut of a red mini, and off we went.

We were the first to arrive and were seated promptly while we waited for the others.

Brown's offer an afternoon tea option for both one or two people, with or without champagne. Naturally, we all went for the champagne option, which sets you back at a very reasonable £24 for two.
You also get a choice of tea, with options such as Earl Grey, breakfast tea or numerous fruit teas.

After we ordered, of course the photos began in full stream!

And then our teas arrived and even more snaps happened.

 The sandwich fillings (salmon and cream cheese, egg and cress, and cucumber) were delicious, but they were let down by the bread, which was noticeably not fresh.

 The scones were amazing- fresh and warm, they went wonderfully with the strawberry jam and clotted cream.

By the time we got to the cakes we were all getting quite full and couldn't quite handle the richness of the 'ginger brownie' (?) or fruit loaf, but the lemon cake was wonderfully light.

After we were all suitably full, we decided to head outside and grab a cocktail in the sun! I opted for a Long Jerry Ice Tea, a take on the Long Island variety.

Taste test...

Approved.

All in all it was a lovely afternoon, and the weather being in fine form at the moment made it that bit more perfect! If you're looking for a budget afternoon tea then give Brown's a go.