The Ivy Spinningfields

Dan Curley

Last Updated 10 August 2022

The Ivy Spinningfields, The Pavilion, Byrom Street, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3HG – Visit Now

La-di-da types, rejoice! Until Sunday 14th, it’s officially National Afternoon Tea week, a whole seven days dedicated to that curious tradition of eating sarnies, scones and cakes so darn posh they make Jacob Rees-Mogg look like Johnny Vegas.

To mark the event, The Ivy Spinningfields has partnered with Laurent Perrier to offer a Champagne-fuelled feast over August – a set menu now furnished with a glass of LP’s rose Champagne. This is ideal for mums and grans, so I bring my mum as my +1, so she can pretend to be the queen for an hour.

The Ivy Spinningfields has partnered with Laurent Perrier to offer a Champagne-fuelled Afternoon Tea feast

First up, the finger sandwiches, and you get three for your money. The smoked salmon and cream cheese one is wolfed down first – lovely and fresh. Next, grilled chicken and truffle mayo in a brioche roll, which my mum assures me is “absolutely gorgeous” but being a pescatarian they kindly swapped the chicken for feta cheese – all very nice, the bun rich and tender.

The last finger butty we have is a simple cucumber and courgette affair. I’m not used to sarnies with such flimsy innards, a few calories of green salad being a bizarre “filling” concept to me, and as someone who dislikes cucumber at the best of times I have to force this one down, a mission accomplished with more haste thanks to a large swig of the rose Champagne. However, my mum loved hers so it might be just me.

We tackle the scones next, two each, served with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and a small dish of clotted cream so dense it’s got its own gravity field. This is all outstanding, the scones baked to perfection with all the accompaniments clearly made with love and the very best ingredients.

A small dish of clotted cream so dense it’s got its own gravity field

Despite having not eaten for about 6-7 hours before we arrived, we’re starting to get full now, buttons bulging. We approach the cakes, two each, starting with a divine, beautifully soft red velvet raspberry cake followed by a madeleine cake with lemon curd, the madeleines being a perfect mix of cookie and cake, a marvellous texture.

We wrap up with a mercifully modest chocolate plant pot with a little glass of strawberry milkshake. The chocolate is heavenly, potent in flavour and will linger on your lips long after you leave. It also comes with teas and coffees if you want, but we were happy washing it down with the posh LP booze.

Price start from £28.95 a head, or £37.95 if you want the Laurent Perrier Champagne (available this week only). It’s available throughout August between 3 pm and 4.45 pm.