The Midland has been fortunate to have an amazing Pastry Chef. Sarah Mason is responsible for the thousands of Afternoon Teas served in our Sun Terrace restaurant. We have almost lost count of the number of scones going from oven to cake stand, but not quite. Let’s just round it up at well over quarter of a million! Sarah tells us about delivering Afternoon Tea at The Midland.
How did you start your career as a Chef?
I studied locally at Lancaster and Morecambe College, and worked in the kitchens of The Midland since August 2009. Prior to that I had worked in various hotels, mainly around the North West.
A Passion for Pastry
Pastry became my passion back in 1996, and I’ve managed the pastry section and Afternoon Teas at The Midland since 2013. There are usually just two of us on pastry, but in particularly busy periods we get another pair of hands to help with the volume of scones, cakes and desserts that are served in the restaurant. I can also be found in the kitchen preparing breakfast five days a week.
A Special Recipe
On a typical day we will have bookings for fifty Afternoon Teas, but it can be much more than that. We have reached 300 Afternoon Teas in one day! Just today I made 90 scones, 45 fruit and 45 plain. We make all of our finger sandwiches fresh each day using the best local produce. All of our scones are baked in house to our closely guarded recipe. Most of the cakes are also made in house, these range seasonally throughout the year including our traditional egg custard tart, chocolate eclairs, panna cotta, fresh fruit tarts.
About twenty years ago I was shown how to make scones by a Chef I was working with at the time. I’ve made them by the same method every day since – and it never lets me down.
The jams for our Afternoon Teas come from the Hawkshead Relish Company. They are rich and full of flavour and go perfectly with our scones. We also have a vast array of teas from all over the world.
Afternoon Tea with a View
I think The Midland is a special place because of the interesting history, and the amazing clientele that it has had throughout the years. The location right on the prom with fantastic views is also another highlight.
How Many Scones?!
Since 2013 when we started doing Afternoon Tea we have served approximately 130,000 covers, and 260,000 scones.
All I can say about the kitchen at The Midland is that it’s busy! We work non-stop every day, serving food from 7 am till 9:30 pm, somewhere in the hotel. Despite the workload, it is a happy and fulfilling place to work. Baking more than a quarter of a million scones since 2013 must be testament to that!
Book Your Afternoon Tea Treat
Due to the popularity of Afternoon Tea at The Midland, we strongly recommend that you make a reservation. Simply call the team on 01524 424000 to book a delightful treat for you and yours.
