Yesterday I was invited to The Botanist*, Leeds for a bloggers tea party and a chance to sample their food and cocktails. It was a tea party that the Mad Hatter himself would like to attend, wonderfully flavoured teas, vintage crockery and the chance to have a lovely catch up with some of my favourite bloggers.
I had not done much research on The Botanist, so going to the venue I did not know what to expect,but upon arrival I was overwhelmed by the beautiful decor and the uniqueness of the Botanist. It is somewhere you would expect to be anywhere, but Leeds, but somehow nestled in the corner near Leeds Trinity, it is a perfect location.
Our first treat of the evening was to sample the Botanists lovely selection of fragrant teas. I am usually an Earl Grey girl or love my green tea, but this time I opted for the Blackcurrant flavour. The tea was bursting with flavour, very fruity, but not too over the top. For someone who usually despises flavoured tea, this was a pleasant surprise and I could have easily drank two or three more cupfuls.
The next step of our Botanist journey was to sample their deli boards. As a vegetarian, I often find eating out a nightmare. Pubs and restaurants tend to play it safe by offering a veggie burger choice and that is it, but I like restaurants that are experimental, that do something a little different and that settle my hunger pangs by a variety of flavours and spices.
Our starter consisted of a few glasses of Prosecco, hummus with bread, spiced onion petals and for the none-vegetarians a sample of the Botanist Pate - that I have been reassured tastes lovely and you should all try it. As for the hummus and fried onions, I absolutely loved it. The hummus tasted fresh and combined with warm bread (presented in the most wonderful little basket) tasted like a treat. In fact, I have never seen a group of bloggers as quiet as they were tucking into the food that evening. All you could hear was the 'mmm' noises as we devoured every last mouthful.
Our main meal was a Deli Board consisting of our four choices from the menu. I choose the roasted peppers, beetroot salad, the cous cous and brie cheese. In the past I have never found deli boards that filling, but I left this meal feeling like my belly would explode. The cheese was soft and mouthwatering, the cous cous was fresh and aromatic, the beetroot salad was zesty and refreshing and the roasted peppers were cooked to perfection. I was loving every second of this evening and it had barely even started.
The final part of the evening was to taste the infamous Botanist cocktails. The first two that were presented to us was the Botanist special cocktail and a Mojito. I opted for the Mojito as the Botanist was a little bit too fizzy for my liking, both however tasted wonderful and definitely hit the spot.
The final cocktail we had definitely packed a punch. On first sip, I was greeted with a strong taste of tequila and I instantly knew that this was a drink that I needed to take my time with.
I had the most amazing night at The Botanist and this was probably the best blogger events I had ever attended. The atmosphere was perfect, the food was delicious and to top it off, the cocktails tasted divine. They say that first impressions count and this was a perfect start to my new found love with the Botanist.
This looks really fun! The cocktails look great.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an absolutely lovely venue. I adore anything to do with tea parties!
ReplyDeleteMegan x | MeganRoisinn
I love the Botanist :) So many great places to eat and drink in Leeds!! Pricey though! And I'm not veggie but sometimes I'm intolerant to meat, so it's good to hear they have decent veggie stuff. X
ReplyDeleteThis looks like such a cute place! I need to get me to Leeds at some point! :) x x
ReplyDeletewww.curiouser-and-curiouser.co.uk
It looks like such a lovely place to spend time in! The food and cocktails look delicious, looks like you had a fab time xx
ReplyDeleteHannah @ FashionistaDigital
Oh my this looks truly amazing! x
ReplyDeleteLeanne - A Slice of My Life