'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through The House, no creature was stirring, not even the chocolate mouse…
The chandeliers glittered, the teacups were placed and tiers full of wonder were ready to taste...
From November 14 to January 4, we’re inviting you to a fabulously festive Christmas afternoon tea inspired by the beloved Clement Clarke Moore poem.
It’s a feast of festive storytelling, with edible nods to the Christmas Mouse, Father Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the dancing sugarplums, the Naughty and Nice list, cookies and milk and a sky full of sparkling stars.
We offer our wine partner Flint Vineyard's Charmat Rosé or Charmat White as a fizzy addition to Afternoon Tea: add a glass to an adult’s tea and pay £45 for tea and something sparkling!
This tea is available for the following diets – no allergens, intolerances or preferences (Classic), with 24-hours’ notice, vegetarian or dairy-free or vegan or gluten-free (menus below) and with 48 hours’ notice, vegetarian and gluten-free, vegetarian and dairy-free and dairy-free and gluten-free.
We cannot adapt the cakes on this menu to be nut-free.
For guests with multiple dietary requirements we now offer a non-themed allergen tea – please see here. Got a question about afternoon tea? It's probably answered here! All bookings are for one of our Georgian dining rooms, including the restaurant and Ivory Room.
A discretionary 10% service charge is added to all bills, all of which is distributed between all staff. Tea can be adapted for vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free diets, please mention when booking and to your server on arrival. We handle numerous allergens in our kitchens and due to the potential for cross contact, cannot guarantee our food is free from any allergens including tree nuts and gluten. We are no longer able to offer a nut-free or diabetic version of this afternoon tea. If you have an allergy, please let us know at least 24 hours before you visit and tell your server on the day of your visit so we can provide you with allergy information in relation to the 14 legally-defined allergens.
'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea Classic
£37.50 per person, £20.95 for under-12s
- Verse one: sandwiches of;
- Cheddar cheese and Bramley apple chutney
- Local ham and mild grain mustard
- Free-range egg and cress
- Verse two: savouries of;
- An Assembly House Festive Sausage Roll
- Elf-Sized Cheese Toastie – mature Cheddar, Red Leicester and mozzarella toastie with tomato chutney
- Mark Mitson's Parmesan and pistachio shortbread
- A soft finger roll of roasted Norfolk turkey, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry and watercress
- A pastry fish of smoked salmon and Marie Rose cream cheese mousse, chives, flower petals
- A beef ragu and horseradish vol-au-vent
- Verse three: Assembly House teatime scones;
- Cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone, butter
- Fruit scone, strawberry jam and clotted cream
- Verse four: delicate cakes and pastries;
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a white chocolate mouse filled with raspberry ganache
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake – carrot cake with cream cheese icing
- Father Christmas Macaron - a jolly red macaron with pineapple curd and coconut new-fallen snow
- Sugarplum Dreams Trifle – sponge, jelly, sugarplum jam, custard,Swiss meringue, hundreds and thousands and glitter
- Night Sky Gâteau Opera – layers of Oreo sponge and frosting under a glittering sky of silver stars and a crescent moon
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
Children’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
£20.95 for children under the age of 12. Please ask for afternoon tea for your under-12 when you order: we never assume anyone’s age! This tea can be adapted to be gulten-free, vegan, vegetarian or dairy-free with 48-hours’ notice
- Verse one:
- A selection of finger sandwiches;
- Strawberry jam
- Honey-roasted ham
- Mature Cheddar cheese
- Verse two: savouries
- The Assembly House Sausage Roll
- Elfi-sized Three-cheese toastie with smoked tomato chutney
- A soft finger roll of roasted Norfolk turkey, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry
- Verse three: Assembly House teatime scones;
- Cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone
- Fruit scone with Norfolk Strawberry jam and clotted cream
- Verse four: delicate cakes and pastries
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a white chocolate mouse filled with raspberry ganache
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake – carrot cake with cream cheese icing
- Father Christmas Macaron - a jolly red macaron with pineapple curd and coconut new-fallen snow
Vegetarian 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
£37.50 per person, £20.95 for under-12s
- Verse one: sandwiches of;
- Cheddar cheese and Bramley apple chutney
- Cucumber, whipped cream cheese and chive
- Free-range egg and cress
- Verse two: savouries of;
- An Assembly House Festive Squashage Roll
- Elf-Sized Cheese Toastie – mature Cheddar, Red Leicester and mozzarella toastie with smoked tomato chutney
- Mark Mitson's Vegetarian Parmesan and pistachio shortbread
- A vegetarian mince ragu and horseradish vol-au-vent
- Bridge roll of truffled wild mushroom, stuffing crumble, cranberry, crispy onions
- Pastry spoon of beetroot, cream cheese mousse, chives, flower petals
- Verse three: Assembly House teatime scones;
- Cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone, butter
- Fruit scone, strawberry jam and clotted cream
- Verse four: delicate cakes and pastries;
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a white chocolate mouse filled with raspberry ganache
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake – carrot cake with cream cheese icing
- Father Christmas Macaron – jolly, red, filled with pineapple ganache and topped with coconut “new-fallen snow.”
- Night Sky Gâteau Opera – layers of Oreo sponge and frosting under a glittering sky of silver stars and a crescent moon
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
- Sugarplum Dreams Trifle – sponge, jelly, sugarplum jam, custard, whipped cream, hundreds and thousands and glitter
Gluten-free 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
£37.50 per person, £20.95 for under-12s
- Verse one: sandwiches of;
- Cheddar cheese and Bramley apple chutney
- Local ham and mild grain mustard
- Cucumber, whipped cream cheese and chive
- Verse two: savouries of;
- A beef ragu and horseradish tart
- Roasted Norfolk turkey and cranberry sandwich
- A gluten-free Assembly House Sausage Roll
- Mark Mitson's gluten-free Parmesan and pistachio shortbread
- Gluten-free three-cheese toastie - mature Cheddar, Red Leicester and mozzarella toastie with smoked tomato chutney
- Pastry tart of smoked salmon cream cheese mousse, chives and flower petals
- Verse three: Assembly House gluten-free teatime scones;
- Cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone, butter
- Fruit scone, strawberry jam and clotted cream
- Verse four: gluten-free cakes;
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a white chocolate mouse filled with raspberry ganache
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake – gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese icing
- Father Christmas Macaron - a jolly red macaron with pineapple curd and coconut new-fallen snow
- Sugarplum Dreams Trifle – jelly, sugarplum jam, custard, whipped cream, hundreds and thousands and glitter
- Night Sky Gâteau Opera – layers of gluten-free chocolate cookie sponge and frosting under a glittering sky of silver stars and a crescent moon
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
Vegan 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
£37.50 per person, £20.95 for guests under the age of 12. Please book at least 24 hours in advance
- Verse one: sandwiches of;
- Vegan cheese and Bramley chutney
- Roasted red pepper pâté
- Cucumber, pesto, lemon
- Verse two: vegan savouries of;
- An Assembly House Festive Squashage Roll
- Mark Mitson’s vegan cheese and pistachio shortbread
- Vegan cheese toastie with roasted tomato chutney
- Bridge roll of truffled wild mushroom, stuffing crumble, cranberry, crispy onions
- A vegan mince ragu and horseradish tart
- Beetroot tart, vegan cream cheese mousse, chives and flower petals
- Verse three: Assembly House vegan teatime scones;
- Fruit scone with Norfolk strawberry jam, whipped vanilla ‘cream’ and Flora
- Vegan cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone with Flora
- Verse four: vegan cakes and pastries;
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a dark chocolate mouse filled with vegan raspberry ganache
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake – vegan carrot cake with vegan vanilla frosting
- Father Christmas Macaron - a jolly red vegan macaron with pineapple curd and coconut new-fallen snow
- Sugarplum Dreams Trifle – vegan trifle sponge, vegan jelly, sugarplum jam, vegan custard, vegan meringue, hundreds and thousands and glitter
- Night Sky Gâteau Opera – layers of dairy-free sponge and chocolate cookie frosting under a glittering sky of silver stars and a crescent moon
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
Dairy-free free 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Afternoon Tea
£37.50 per person, £20.95 for guests under the age of 12. Please book at least 24 hours in advance
- Verse one: sandwiches of;
- Dairy-free cheese and Bramley chutney
- Ham and grain mustard
- Egg dairy-free mayonnaise and cress
- Verse two: dairy-free savouries of;
- Bridge roll of roasted Norfolk turkey, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry
- An Assembly House Sausage Roll
- Mark Mitson’s dairy-free cheese and pistachio shortbread
- Dairy-free cheese toastie with roasted tomato chutney
- Pastry tart of beetroot, cream cheese mousse, chives and mild horseradish cream, flower petals
- A beef ragu and horseradish tart
- Verse three: dairy-free Assembly House teatime scones;
- Fruit scones with Norfolk strawberry jam, whipped vanilla ‘cream’, Flora
- Dairy-free cheese, Colman’s Mustard and chive scone with Flora
- Verse four: dairy-free cakes and pastries;
- The Christmas Eve Mouse – a dark chocolate mouse filled with vegan raspberry ganache
- A Carrot for Rudolph Cupcake: dairy-free carrot cake with dairy-free vanilla frosting
- Father Christmas Macaron - a jolly red dairy-free macaron with pineapple curd and coconut new-fallen snow
- Sugarplum Dreams Trifle – dairy-free trifle sponge, dairy-free jelly, sugarplum jam, dairy-free custard, meringue, hundreds and thousands and glitter
- Night Sky Gâteau Opera – layers of dairy-free sponge and chocolate cookie frosting under a glittering sky of silver stars and a crescent moon
- Gingerbread - decorated with candy canes and sweeties, each secretly marked Naughty or Nice. Have you behaved this year...?
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