It was the week before Christmas and a festive afternoon tea was needed to get me in the festive mood. I had seen the Vale Resort had advertised their festive tea on Facebook so I thought I would give it a try. It was a week day, but there was only one other table dining in the restaurant. Afternoon tea was served in the Vale Grill Restaurant and we were seated in the bright conservatory area with a view of the golf course and the Christmas tree.
We were offered a choice of tea and coffee and we were given a box of tea samples to choose our tea. Obviously I went for the boring one, if you have read any of my other reviews you will know I always stick with English Breakfast. I guess it means I can judge every venues tea more accurately.
We decided to have a glass of prosecco each- as it was Christmas 🙂
The sandwiches were a mix of festive themed filings like turkey and cranberry with the usual egg and mayo, cheese, salmon etc. I requested no salmon for one guest on booking. The stand arrived with two salmons, but they did swap it for me when I pointed it out. They had got our plates mixed up with the other guests, luckily they hadn’t had theirs delivered yet!
The scones were were cranberry which was a nice festive touch. Jam, butter and clotted cream were provided. I used my butter for my barabrith which was very nice. It was my favourite item. The gingerbread seemed a little bit overcooked and unfortunately was a bit of a disappointment. The plate was smeared with jam, which at first I thought was really odd, but it tasted nice!
The top tier contained one coffee cake and one chocolate type. The coffee cake was disappointing, neither me of my guest liked it. We had to share as there was only one of each provided. There was a gingerbread tree, chocolate pudding truffle, chocolate wafer cone and a eggnog pannacotta. To be honest I was a little bit disappointed with the cakes.
The festive afternoon tea was £40.00 for two and an extra £4.95 each for a glass of prosecco.
The usual afternoon tea is £35 for two Monday-Friday and £40 on weekends.
The resort changes its menu on a seasonal basis, so the menu is changed frequently. There is more information on the current menu here but you are unable to book online. You can call to book on 01443 667800.
It’s not far from Cardiff and it’s good for spotting rugby and football stars. I like the Vale resort, however I was a bit disappointed with the food. Maybe it would have more atmosphere on a weekend, but at least we have a nice view and a nice catch up.
Afternoon Tea Cardiff 
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