The Dorchester is pleased to announce the launch of a new afternoon tea for children, created in collaboration with the Year Four pupils of Manorfield Primary School, Poplar, Tower Hamlets.
As part of The Dorchester’s ongoing partnership with this truly inspiring school, executive chef Mario Perera ran a chocolate tasting masterclass for ninety of the Year Four children and challenged them all to come up with a design for an Afternoon Tea menu. A shortlist of winning designers were invited to the hotel’s kitchens to help create a new children’s afternoon tea offering.
Chosen as The Dorchester’s official Children’s Afternoon Tea Committee, Sufyaan, Imran, Arda, Maryum, Aizah, Aeesha, Gemma and Ishaq visited the hotel’s kitchens for an immersive experience with Mario, encouraging bursts of creativity through cupcake decorating, scone making and overseeing the pastry brigade at work. Following this session in the pastry kitchen, all of the children enjoyed afternoon tea in The Promenade before boxing up their own culinary creations to take home as a special preview for their friends and family.
The Manorfield Children’s Afternoon Tea features an exciting selection of sweet and savoury elements, reflecting the preferences of the pupils. Savoury highlights include; Crudités and Cauliflower Cheese Dip, Ham and Cheese Doughnut, Cucumber & Cream Cheese Sushi Roll, and a Strawberry Ladybird Sandwich. Sweet offerings include; Strawberries & Cream – the children overwhelmingly preferred fruit to remain independent of chocolate – Smarties Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie, Dulce Cupcake – this was the most popular flavoured chocolate from the masterclass – and a Rainbow Vanilla Milkshake adorned with Hundreds & Thousands.
Mario Perera, executive chef at The Dorchester, comments: “When creating an offering for children, I feel it is important to consult them directly and explore what it is that truly excites them, rather than simply devising a child-led menu through an adult lens. I was very impressed with the children’s palates and level of understanding when it comes to flavour profiles, as well as how inquisitive and eager they were to learn more. I remember dreaming, as a child, of one day working in The Dorchester kitchens. You never know, one of these fantastic bright children could be the next generation’s executive chef in the making!”
The Dorchester has been working with Manorfield Primary School on various initiatives since 2019, including deploying a number of the hotel’s chefs to the school kitchens to cook for key workers’ children during the pandemic. A number of fun and exciting collaborations have also taken place throughout the past eighteen months to inspire and educate the children when it comes to food. From pizza masterclasses to sandwich workshops and chocolate tastings, The Dorchester’s team is excited for the latest collaboration and to bring the pupils’ creativity to life through the launch of the Manorfield Children’s Afternoon Tea.
Manorfield champion a ‘creative curriculum and innovative approach to learning’ for all of their pupils, who start at just two through to 11 years old.
For more information or to book The Manorfield Children’s Afternoon Tea visit https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/restaurants-bars/afternoon-tea/
