What do you think about this afternoon tea?

[SebastianTheCrab]

Very much a first world problem but curious as to opinions.

If you booked a Halloween-themed afternoon tea (yes they exist; yes my DC was excited) and this was the advertised picture on their website vs the actual offering - would you feel a bit put out?

We had a good time, the food was fine (although they did initially bring us off milk for the teas) and it wasn't as expensive as some afternoon teas, especially themed ones.

But... it looks a bit rubbish compared to the pic doesn't it?

The picture on the left is a stock image. You probably couldn't eat it.
The picture on the right is of real food, and probably much better cooking
I'd hate both, but YABU

I would probably email them and say that you are seriously considering posting an unfavourable review online. It’s patently false advertising. They should give you your money back or offer you something. Unless you felt they were over worked and did their best... I mean businesses are struggling in these covid times. In which case I would still send an email and say that this poor service will not help their bid to stay afloat.

It looks different, yes - but it has more variety than the original photo, it looks quite interesting - so I wouldn't be disappointed. My DC would love it!

So you paid £45 in a London hotel for the whole family to have sandwiches, tea and cakes? And you're moaning that it's not Michelin star quality. Right.

Actually I think what you got looks more like afternoon tea (selection of different sweet treats) and the picture looks more like cup cakes and biscuits. Agree the cup cakes and biscuits look better decorated but I don't think I'd be disappointed with offering.

You didn't say anything at the time, no point thinking about it now, after you have eaten it.

Only thing that really matter is if the children enjoyed it and had a great time or not. If they did, just cherish that memory. 👻🎃

Well your toddler liked it...that's all that matters really! I'd be a bit but it doesn't look bad...what you got I mean.

Neither look like afternoon tea - maybe a Halloween themed 'cream tea' is nearer the mark. An afternoon tea would have savoury and sweet options.
But it looks awful - did it taste nice?

Sorry, I see you also got sandwiches etc. This is why I'd rather do my own thing at home - less chance of disappointment!

For those saying it's not an afternoon tea - it was a 3-tier cake stand with sandwiches on the bottom plate, scones, jam and cream in the middle and the "themed" cakes on top. So very much an afternoon tea.

So it was an adequate afternoon tea with different themed cakes? In that case I don't think it's bad at all.

I'm not sure I could bring myself to eat the spider! (arachnophobe here)

So would you have preferred what was in pic one 4 cupcakes and 5 biscuits, all the same just decorated a bit different? I think I would be more annoyed about that.

Well it is an extraordinarily ugly plate of stuff compared to the picture. What on earth is that ghastly thing that looks like a fried egg ? And the massive jelly spider from a supermarket is very bad indeed.
The “web” on the custard tart looks as though it was drawn by someone after ten straight vodkas.
The green thing in a glass ? Is that a jelly or a drink ?

i imaged searched that picture and yes its a stock image.

I would have expected what i saw to be what i'd get though - iced biscuits and nice cup cakes.

But i do always look at the actual description of what cakes i get in an afternoon tea - i don't want all lemon possit stuff!

I also think that (even though it was a mistake on your part) if you got to share one halloween themed and one regular afternoon tea between the 3 of you and it was filling etc, I think you sort of won if that makes sense. Id be happy :)

I prefer the second picture, the first looks like something you could buy from a supermarket. The second looks fresher and more interesting.

Forgive me if you said and I missed it in your post, but how did the Halloween cakes actually taste? I think that the ones in the promotional pic would probably have tasted artificial and over-sweet (I have been disappointed by similar iced biscuits before), whereas you clearly did get proper patisserie items made on-site.

I get that, for a toddler, identifiable Halloween decorations are important, but you say he was excited anyway so no harm done.
Not saying you are not entitled to question this a bit, but if they tasted good then you probably won out in the end. If it makes you feel better you could maybe send a polite follow up email which praises the good bits but points out the discrepancy between the look of the ad and the actual food.

Looks better than four biscuits and some cookies to me

Muffins*

@Ferrari458

The iced biscuits and cupcake version looks like the kids' tea, the one you got looks much nicer and more aimed at adults.

I agree, the advertised picture consists of only decorated biscuits and cupcakes, nothing fancy at all and based on that picture I wouldn't have booked. What you actually got has WAY more variety and content as well as looking far nicer.

First one looks professionally designed, high-quality baking. Second one looks like someone bought boxes of aldi's own cakes and let their three year old decorate them.

False advertising.

Totally right to hold a grudge forever. It looks rubbish, especially compared to the original picture. Anyone can stick eyes and squeeze icing pens onto a Mr Kipling.
I hope the scones and sandwiches were good.

I think I've got a box of those jelly spiders in the cupboard. They're from Lidl.

@EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide

So you paid £45 in a London hotel for the whole family to have sandwiches, tea and cakes? And you're moaning that it's not Michelin star quality. Right.

I do love the wilful misinterpretation on Mumsnet. How you got from "Look at these two photos of cakes - one looks more Halloween-y than the other doesn't it?" to "I paid £45 and it's not Michelin-star quality, how very dare they?" I'll never know.

The food tasted fine but the reason I booked this tea was so my Halloween-obsessed toddler could enjoy some cakes and biscuits shaped like ghosts and cats and graveyards, especially since he won't get to do trick or treat this year.

And yes, at the time he didn't care because he was stuffing his face with cake but he would have noticed if they'd been properly decorated. We took him to get a ghost-shaped ice cream last weekend and he's been talking about it for a week.

That is a really good thing to say in an email to the hotel then. They should take notice of a complaint that their advertising is misleading. Not to the extent that you should get any more than an apology or maybe a small voucher, but perhaps you’d feel better if others were not similarly misled?