Afternoon tea difficulty

The clue’s in the name. It’s supposed to be a HOTEL, not your great Aunt Maude’s old mansion house.

They already provide cheese sandwiches on the kids menu so where’s the issue for the hotel? 🤷🏻‍♀️

In your shoes, I’d cancel and find a decent hotel as this one is clearly shit and thinks being snooty is more important than providing decent customer service.

Are they buying in the entire menu rather than making everything fresh on the premises? I’d want to ask them this.

Seriously, find somewhere else and don’t give them your business.

Well where does it end? Do they slice or grate the cheese to satisfy her? Seperate risk assessments! Butter the bread or not? Mild, mature, extra mature? Cheddar, Red Leicester? Double Gloucester? Cheshire? Stilton? So many options! Pickle? Chutney? Relish? Tomato? Cucumber? White? Brown? Granary? Wholemeal? It's not a simple demand and fussy people are the worst to accommodate as everything is being judged.

A cheese sandwich is a can of worms. And I speak as a toastie professional 😁

You may be right. I don't much like eating out anyway, for similar reasons. But the afternoon teas seem like the worst food and value to me. I love fruit and vegetables and you seem to get so little of them when you eat out.

That’s ridiculous, especially given they have them on the children’s menu! I have been veggie for about 20 years and I wouldn’t eat cream cheese and cucumber either, it’s grim, a lot of places seem to think as long as they provide 1 veggie option everyone should be over the moon! They are being difficult

It is strange that they can not make a simple cheese sandwich, really very strange. You gave them prior warning too.

You're paying for the experience and service, not the food. Take any restaurant meal or even a takeaway - you could make it yourself much more cheaply. If you don't like the sandwiches and cakes typically offered, fair enough, but I don't think afternoon teas are any worse value for money than other types of eating out.

I love afternoon tea and have never been refused a change to the sandwiches. I've never asked for only cheese but I have had prawn and salmon replaced with cheese.

I would be concerned that the sandwiches are not made fresh too.

I’d take my business where they would accommodate me and my picky eater! I’ve never heard the likes of a hotel being so difficult. I’d head my review up with “prepared to lose £xx over a cheese sandwich”!

I’d cancel her afternoon tea and book her a sandwich and cup of tea separately then she shares the cakes as there’s always too much

I’d cancel her afternoon tea and book her a sandwich and cup of tea separately then she shares the cakes as there’s always too much

Thanks. I didn't realise they were that (ridiculously) inflexible. Personally, I hate those afternoon teas anyway - a few sandwiches and cakes I don't particularly like when I could buy a week's groceries for £30.

You would not be unreasonable to cancel the booking and go somewhere else, if you can find somewhere that accommodates your friend's preferences.

You would be very unreasonable to leave a bad review because they can't offer something that isn't on the menu. They have looked into it and suggested the nearest alternative - it isn't as if they dismissed your request out of hand.

I’ve been to many a “posh” (Michelin star etc) restaurant in my time … never been to one that doesn’t make allowances for taste.

Smacks of “bought in” sandwiches … but even if that were the case, takes 5 minutes to made a sandwich

If they charge a lot of money for the afternoon tea and they have the ingredients,it's odd to refuse to make a cheese sandwich. It's not as if the OP was asking them to source a rare food.

They do do cheese sandwiches...just not as part of the set, afternoon tea menu.

Lots of places won't change things on a set menu

Seemingly, if she wants a cheese sandwich, she can not order afternoon tea and order off the other menu.

Taste is a sense so I don't even think saying it's a sensory issue is a lie. But even if it was, it's hardly going to bother other people with other sensory issues. I doubt they need you to be offended on their behalf.

I wouldn't expect the hotel to serve a sandwich that's bot on the menu but I am surprised they don't have vegetarian options besides cream cheese and cucumber.

She didn’t tell us either.

Sorry you are so angry over this, I can understand it now because she is vegetarian.

I eat very little meat and when I go to afternoon tea I make up for it by eating scones and sweet things. There is usually plenty and more available also.

Say it's a food intolerance, go, then leave a bad but honest review.How on earth can they claim that they can't do a cheese sandwich?!

But thats not true...the friend doesn't have sensory issues, she has a taste preference.

Lying about that is a piss take for people who genuinely need requirements due to sensory needs.

It is possible the hotel do not make the afternoon tea, but purchase it from an outsourced supplier each day…. But they of course don’t want to tell you this 😀

Why don’t you ring back and say that one friend has sensory issues and would only eat cheddar cheese sandwiches. I feel like they’d change it then? If not then I’d order her a sandwich from the children’s menu to have as well as eating the sweet treats.

Yabu. I don't blame the restaurant... afternoon tea is usually a set menu. Imagine if everyone who ordered afternoon tea wanted to hand pick the selection of sandwiches they had...time consuming, possibly more costly and potentially confusing for the restaurant.

There is (likely) options that isn't afternoon tea if she doesn't like the range on offer

That said, their afternoon tea sounds crap for vegetarians if all they offer that isn't meat or fish is cream cheese...not much variety!

I'm very fussy when it comes to sandwiches (don't like butter, mayo, picky about ham and certain filings have to be on certain breads - i know i know...) i don't bother with afternoon teas as know the sarnies won't be to my tastes (not least because the crusts are the best bit!). i would love just cheese on brown bread but it wouldn't occur to me to request them to be made - i'd just eat the cakes if i had to go

HOWEVER if it's a large booking with plenty of notice at the request, and they do plain cheese sarnies on the kids menu, then i don't think it's unreasonable to ask the question esp if they aren't offering a proper veggie alternative other than cream cheese. i don't think they are BU to say no though - afternoon tea does tend to be a set menu

just don't go there again next time i guess!