An Evening with Country Attire at Proper Tea Manchester

Last night I was kindly invited to spend the evening having afternoon tea with one of the UK's leading outdoor and luxury clothing companies, Country Attire to celebrate their 10th birthday.

Local to Manchester, Country Attire has built up a loyal customer base across the world. Beginning in 2006, Country Attire was the progression of an already established equestrian brand owned by entrepreneur Jenny Parker. Together with her husband Richard, the Parkers built Country Attire from their own kitchen fulfilling orders with established British brands such as Barbour and Hunter, of which they still stock today. Ten years on, Country Attire are now a much loved British brand themselves and currently stock their own label as well as luxury designer brands such as Ted Baker, Hugo Boss, Vivienne Westwood, Joules and Canada Goose. Staying true to it's origins, the brand still resides in Manchester.

During the evening we were able to preview the Country Attire A/W collection and then afterwards sit down and chat about the collection over afternoon tea. Their autumn showcase consists of lots of big brand outdoor names such as Barbour and Joules, mixed with luxury items from the likes of Ted Baker and Vivienne Westwood. There were many items that stood out to me last night and it really showed how versatile Country Attire are as a retailer, providing an eclectic mix of some of the best British brands that appeals to a wide range of customers. My favourite items from the evening had to be the wonderfully bright yellow Joules jacket which to me makes me think of autumnal walks on the British seaside, the burgundy Vivienne Westwood Angle-mania handbag and the Melissa Vivienne Westwood ballet flats. 

After we browsed the collection, we all sat down for a traditional afternoon tea at the Proper Tea tearooms where the event was held. Proper tea is a tearoom opposite Manchester Cathedral which offers a traditional afternoon tea, cakes and drinks all with a modern twist. The cafe works with artisan producers and local farmers and also uses fresh herbs and honey grown in the neighbouring cathedral grounds. The vegetarian Proper Tea afternoon tea is composed of a variety cheese and hummus finger sandwiches, a collection of fancy cakes and one giant heart shaped scone that even the Queen of Hearts would be proud of. I dined with several friends who all had different dietary requesters - kosher, gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian and all of them were catered for and the staff went above and beyond to ensure all their guests had a wonderful time.

The evening was wonderful, the food was great and Country Attire's autumn collection had me falling head over heels for everything.  Happy Birthday Country Attire and here's to another 10 years of Britishness!

Have you shopped at Country Attire before?