EATING OUT: Christmas afternoon tea in the Garden Room at The Principal York

THERE’S something magical about The Principal hotel which shook off its rather dusty past as the Royal York in a £25 million refurbishment last year.

The grand staircase, tiled lobbies and Victorian proportions still speak of a bygone age, but have been dressed in an opulence that makes it the handsomest hotel in the city.

Throw in some Christmas trees and festive decorations, and the magic is enhanced all the more.

If you are looking for somewhere special to go to soak up York’s festive atmosphere and feel thoroughly spoilt, then an afternoon in The Principal’s magnificent Garden Room is just what Santa ordered.

Its giant windows look on to the hotel’s grounds and over to the Minster. There are a mix of small tables, perfect if you are dining two, as well as chairs and sofas, ideal for relaxing into over a cup of coffee, a small snack, or reading the newspaper.

The Garden Room is also where The Principal serves its popular afternoon tea (£25.95 per head/£14.95 for children. Bargain hunters note: holders of the She Loves York card are eligible for 2 4 1 deal).

The hotel’s Christmas afternoon tea menu is now available, which is what I sampled with my friend K during our visit. I’d telephoned to book ahead –which is advisable.

We were shown to a pleasant spot in the far corner by the window. We sank into two comfy armchairs and studied the menu while the waitress brought us each a glass of champagne (it is £6.05 extra to upgrade to a Champagne afternoon tea – recommended!).

The fizz was lovely, neither too dry nor sweet, and a real treat.

Tea is sourced from the Rare Tea Company, which supplies directly from farmers and their tea gardens. Owner Henrietta Lovell personally selects the tea, travelling to small mountain farms and working directly with the farmers. There was an impressive ten choices, with a green tea, peppermint and chamomile on the menu alongside a Darjeeling, Early Grey, Jasmine Silver Tip and a smoky Keemun.

I only drink decaf, so opted for that, while K put the Single Estate English Breakfast to the test. She said this was lovely and refreshing, quite strong, with a hint of malt. My brew was not very distinctive, but I accept that decaf has its limitations.

Anyhow our attentions were more focussed on our tower of treats. Afternoon tea is – and should be – a bit of a drama. A play in three acts, if you like. The curtain raises as the cake stand arrives and your eyes take in the prettiness of it all. Presentation is almost everything, and rightly so. The Principal did not disappoint. On the bottom tier were four finger sandwiches; a trio of scones on the second, and a tempting section of pastries and sweet treats on the top.

TOWER OF TREATS: Afternoon tea at The Principal

As much as I enjoy afternoon tea, I always feel there is too much emphasis on sweet over savoury. I had been to The Principal earlier in the year for afternoon tea and liked very much that they kicked everything off with some complimentary savoury amuse bouche before bringing out the platter. This balanced out the offering, but also made it more of a struggle to finish off all the cakes (but that’s why they invented the doggy bag, surely!).

So K and I were disappointed that this extra was not part of the Christmas afternoon tea menu, despite it being a similar price. We pointed this out to the waitress and asked if she could do anything about it.

And she did, in the shape of bringing us two small espresso cups of the soup of the day – a deliciously sweet and creamy white onion veloute. I do think The Principal should rethink this and bring back these pre-snacks as they were the highlight of the afternoon tea I enjoyed back in January.

Our sandwiches, while dainty, were robust enough: perfect white, crustless bread, filled with turkey and cranberry, cheese and chutney, and egg mayo.

Also on the savoury selection was a crab and chive tart, a teeny thing with a mousse filling which didn’t quite pack the flavour I was expecting.

The trio of mini scones were still warm and came in three flavours: plain, fruit and – my favourite – orange and chestnut, which had a lovely citrus aroma and taste. It would be nice to have had a cheese scone as one of the options and some butter to accompany the pots of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Here’s a tip: if you go to The Principal for afternoon tea, be prepared to share. There is only one of everything on the sweet plate, with six selections in all.

The most difficult to split in two was the white chocolate and eggnog hot chocolate with nutmeg cookie. This came in a teeny milk bottle with a single straw in candy cane stripes. It tasted like a thick, slightly warm, crème anglaise, with hints of Christmas spices. Very nice.

The flavours of the season were evident in most of the dessert choices, which included a delicious gingerbread macaron with red fruits and vanilla bean cream, and a spiced apple cake with cinnamon cream topping,

Chocolate lovers might be disappointed however as its only appearance came inside a choux ball in the form of a chestnut and dark chocolate cream. This was rich and decadent and hit the spot.

The brown butter and salted pecan custard tart was perhaps a pie too far, and a lighter option would have been more welcome.

K’s favourite was the clementine mousse with cranberry compote, served on a round of star anise shortbread. The topping was soft and creamy and the base lovely and short with a buttery crumb.

It is surprising how an array of small and dainty food items can be so filling.

But we were in no rush. We asked for more tea – at no extra charge – and relaxed back in our comfy armchairs, catching up with each other and savouring the lovely ambience of one of York’s very special places.

The Garden Room at The Principal York

Station Road, York

T: 01904 653681

W: phcompany.com/principal/york-hotel/

Food: Good 3.5/5

Service: Attentive 4/5

Ambience: Opulent 4.5/5

Value: Good 3.5/5