A LUXURY floating hotel in Scotland has launched an afternoon tea with a twist – just in time for Mother’s Day.
Fingal, permanently berthed in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith, has appointed its first expert tea sommelier to help diners find the perfect blend.
Fingal has appointed an expert to help diners find the perfect blend.[/caption]
Fingal’s Spring Afternoon Tea menu is priced from £65 per person.[/caption]
Fingal’s tea expert Judit Toomey-Kovacs has personally selected two unique varieties.[/caption]
Tea expert Judit Toomey-Kovacs has personally selected two unique varieties as part of the new Spring Afternoon Tea menu, including Yunnan Moonlight White Tea and Jasmine Yin Hao Green Tea – both supplied by Edinburgh’s loose leaf tea specialists, PekoeTea.
Yunnan Moonlight White Tea is made from the early harvest buds and leaves of the ancient tea plant and gets its name from the process of withering the leaves under moonlight.
Jasmine Yin Hao Green Tea has fresh, heady aromas and a gentle floral taste, which makes it one of the finest Jasmine teas available.
Along with the carefully selected blends, afternoon tea diners can also tuck into cured sea trout, nori and avocado purée with crème fraîche and asparagus and chorizo tart with sauce gribiche.
Freshly prepared sandwiches are also on offer include chicken, spring onion and smoked bacon; roast beef and rocket with beetroot and horseradish; glazed ham with English mustard mayonnaise; and Belhaven crab Marie Rose with cucumber relish.
Those with a sweet tooth can indulge with a choice of raspberry pâte de fruits with an almond sablé biscuit; rhubarb and ginger cheesecake; chocolate moelleux with Glenmorangie Chantilly and Pistachio, Amaretto macaron.
Fingal’s Restaurant Manager and new tea sommelier, Judit Toomey-Kovacs, said: “My passion for tea began whilst working and training with some of the world’s leading experts at top luxury hotels.
“I’m now looking forward to sharing my knowledge and enhancing Edinburgh’s ultimate afternoon tea experience onboard Fingal.
“During the afternoon tea, I always like to find out more about our guests’ personal tastes and what flavours they enjoy. I’m then able to recommend the perfect tea to pair with certain food and ingredients on the menu.”
Judit added: “My favourite tea is our Fingal Blend, which is a balance of different Ceylon teas, combined with Assam Yunnan and First Flush Darjeeling to create a refreshing and uplifting afternoon tea.
“This variety is the perfect pairing with savoury food like fish, meat and eggs.
“There are lots of options to pair with desserts, but I would recommend our lovely Yunnan Moonlight White Tea.
“The lightness of Moonlight’s combination of flavours dances on the palate.
“It has a slightly woody, but clear scent, lifted with soft flavour and a light amber colour.”
Fingal’s Spring Afternoon Tea menu is priced from £65 per person and is available daily from 12pm until 3.30pm in The Lighthouse Restaurant.
