Merchants Manor’s new CBD Oil themed ‘High’ Tea is definitely the most unique afternoon tea I’ve ever had!
We were invited along to enjoy this weird & wonderful new creation as part of a spa day package, which includes use of the hotel’s pool, steam room & sauna, plus a 30 minute treatment too. Despite being in the middle of Falmouth, I hadn’t ever been to Merchants Manor before, so was excited to see what it would be like!
The four star manor hotel was built in 1913, but has recently been lovingly refurbished with a luxurious, classic but modern feel. You certainly feel right at home as you walk in and discover the sumptuous lounge areas and huge roaring fire!
We arrived in the afternoon and were taken straight to the hotel’s pool area, where we got changed and spent an hour or so relaxing in the 12m pool, steam room and outdoor Nordic barrel sauna.
Non-guests can become a member to enjoy a Gym & Swim pass giving access to these facilities plus the fitness suite, or you can book a spa day that includes a treatment and either lunch or afternoon tea – like we did ☺️.
At 3pm, I headed up to one of the hotel treatment rooms for my Drift Away treatment with therapist, Megan. The ‘Drift Away’ is a full body, super relaxing massage paired with dreamy essential oils, and I can confirm it works! I did indeed fall asleep during the treatment 😂… this always seems to happen when I have my feet and legs massaged. #SorryNotSorry
Feeling totally blissful, we were then set up in the best lounge spot in front of that beautiful fireplace for our ‘High’ Tea – unsure of what to expect!
This new concept has been developed by the team at Merchants Manor to be a lighter, low-carb, low-alcohol version of an afternoon tea, promoting the healing and relaxing properties of CBD Oil (aka Cannabidiol – a compound extracted from cannabis plants).
I’ve never tried CBD Oil before, but have heard great things from friends who have used it to help with anxiety and also chronic pain. The compound CBD is not psychoactive (and therefore doesn’t give you the typical ‘high’ that cannabis is associated with), which is why it’s legal and used throughout the UK as a natural therapeutic medicine or in in fun foodie creations like this!
Our ‘High’ Tea was kicked off with a non-alcoholic sparkling tea cocktail, brought in with our very own pipettes filled with CBD Oil, to ‘self administer’ into our drinks; a really fun way of making it interactive.
While we were enjoying these, we were brought out our ‘first course’ of savoury snacks, including a hemp and herb frittata, smoked salmon on blinis, and Vietnamese rolls with cucumber and a hemp seed chilli sauce. Each item was delicious, and Head Chef (Hylton Espey) even came out to talk us through the ingredients too.
Merchants Manor’s restaurant, Rastella, holds three AA rosettes and Chef Espey is incredibly passionate about using locally sourced, high quality ingredients that are inspired by nature and his days running a health food restaurant. His passion definitely came across in all his food creations and the creativity of how it was all served!
The bar staff certainly know how to make a great cocktail too! After our first course, the most spectacular cocktail arrived at our table, alongside a Cornish gin and tonic – both with a couple more pipettes of CBD oil too.
I honestly think this cocktail is the tastiest I’ve ever had… a new favourite! It’s called the CBTiki and is made with CBD Bitters, and I could definitely taste pineapple, passionfruit, and potentially banana in there too.
Next up, our sweet course was brought over, with beetroot lollipops rolled in hulled hemp seeds, a super tasty chocolate brownie made with sweet potato, and a completely heavenly chocolate torte each.
And then came the pièce de résistance…
Presented in a bell jar filled with a cleverly crafted herby blend of smoke that smelt JUST LIKE the real thing – a fun twist on ‘chocolate cigarettes’ which really brought the ‘High’ Tea to life 😉. These definitely turns some heads as it’s brought through the bar, but tasted incredible with rich manjari chocolate and pistachio.
As I said, the whole experience was truly unique, and unlike any afternoon tea I’ve had before, and great value too! For just £16pp, you won’t find an afternoon tea this cool or such good quality for that price anywhere else, plus you can pair it with a spa package (including pool access & 30 minute treatment) for £55pp too.
Find out more about Merchants Manor and their restaurant at https://www.merchantsmanor.com/. Who would you treat with this?
*We were invited for a complimentary package for purposes of review, but all opinions are my own. It was so much fun and I’d highly recommend!
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