Sky High Afternoon Tea with WeBlogNorth – 100 feet up

Being a blogger, I get invited to some pretty cool stuff, but last week’s event with Robert’s Bakery, may have to top them all! When I was invited to a Sky High Afternoon Tea, at The Etihad in Manchester, I didn’t give much thought to what that actually meant, only that it sounded awesome and involved food! I rallied some WeBloggers together and the next thing you know, we’re standing in the ‘departure lounge’ ready for our flight, and it dawns on us that we’re going to be heading-up 100 feet in the air for our afternoon tea!

Now I’m not the best with heights and I’m certainly not an adrenaline junky, so the thought of being strapped into a chair, feet dangling, 100 feet up, wasn’t the most comforting notion. But how could I not do it? Surely it’d be a once in a lifetime experience?…

Sky High Afternoon Tea

We were greeted by the team from Roberts Bakery, shown the menu for the afternoon and talked through the experience ahead of us. I had butterflies but was super excited and it was great having some fellow blogger friends to lean on for support (and distract me from my nerves!).

Before we knew it, we were being strapped into very comfy chairs, attached to a table, surrounding a tiny kitchen and service area, that would essentially be floating in mid-air. Luckily our afternoon tea was already presented in front of us, so I was pretty quickly distracted and eager to know what food I’d be eating.

But then we started moving…and moving pretty quickly! Our Sky High Afternoon Tea was beginning its ascent, high above the rooftops and suddenly, we were all quite nervous. But the reassuring smiles and whoops from the Roberts Bakery team, helped us get over our fears quickly. I’d say we were up in the sky in about 30 seconds!

The Food

Next up, we were poured cups of tea and our dining experience had begun! We were talked through the options in front of us, that we’d all be enjoying, which included:

‘Bloomer Beauties’ – 

Stilton, Walnuts and oh-so-sweet Pear, on Seriously Seeded Bloomer

Creamy Wild Mushroom Crispy Bacon on Mightily Malted Bloomer

Chorizo, Fabulous Feta and Rocket on Wondrous White Bloomer

Peri-Peri Chicken on Fiery Corn Ready-to Rolls

These were served up as open-sandwiches and absolutely delish! I think my favourite was the chorizo, with the stilton coming a close second!

Then onto the ‘Brand New, Never Seen Before Savoury Breads’…

These were perfect mini loaves, conjured up by the Roberts Bakery team, trying something a little bit different to create some amazing taste sensations:

Fresh Courgette, Mushroom and Turmeric Mini Loaf

Marbled Red Pesto and Pink Peppercorn Mini Loaf with Creamy Goats Cheese centre

And then a surprise, hot out of the oven…

Bijou White Bread Mini Loaf with a secret centre of Creamy Camembert Cheese and Rose Jelly

Wow, these were stunning! All served with balsamic and olive oil and a fresh pesto to dip. My favourite was definitely the Courgette mini loaf, which was moist and delicate in flavour and perfect with the dips!

Then onto something a bit different – ‘Boozy Baking with a Jazzy Pizazzy Lemony Zing’…

Gin and Tonic Fun Buns (I personally love anything called a “fun-bun”)…which were liked a enhanced version of a hot-cross bun, served toasted and with simple slightly salted butter. These had the pleasant bitterness of tonic water and a slight aftertaste of gin…delish!

Then the finale…the sweet treat – ‘The First Time Ever Sweet Flavoured Scones with a Twist’…

Sticky Toffee Scones with Soft Fudge and Dates (as good as they sound! Easily my favourite thing of the day!)

Lemon and Orange Scones made with zest and squeezed juices ten mixed with candied citrus for a fruity, fresh finale

Both served with copious amounts of clotted cream! Perfection!

#EmbraceTheNew

This was Roberts Bakery’s chosen hashtag for the event and boy did they do something different! I love it when a brand really cares about what they do and getting their passion across to the consumer. The team were so passionate and knowledgeable and excited to share their products…it was infectious! We all really enjoyed finding out more about the brand, in a totally unique situation.

Their products are really exciting and if you’re a foodie like me, you’ll be happy to see something different in the bread aisle!

So thanks Roberts – you did us proud! I’ll certainly always remember my first ever Sky High Afternoon Tea, that’s for sure!

Which product would you like to try most?