Where To Order Afternoon Tea Delivery in Ireland

Mother's Day is getting closer and an Afternoon Tea delivery is the ultimate to treat...

Endless cups of tea, finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones served with clotted cream and jam: afternoon tea is easily our favourite foodie pastime. But for the best part of a year, it's one activity we haven't been able to indulge in. And if there were ever a time to indulge in a spot of afternoon tea, it would be Mother's Day. But with social distancing restrictions in force for a second Mother's Day in a row, it means that many of us will be unable to celebrate the special day in person with the mums in our life – let alone bring them out for tea.

Luckily for us, the clever minds behind some of Ireland's leading hotels and boutique cafés have come up with the idea of afternoon tea boxes. From bake-at-home kits to sprawling hampers, there are now plenty of options to make up for all those lost afternoon tea dates. No matter what county you live in, there’s a box of sandwiches, scones, cakes and more with your name on it, and for surprisingly reasonable prices too.

Fuss-free and guaranteed to put a smile on her face, we've rounded up 10 of our favourite afternoon tea delivery boxes and hampers, available to order right now

The Twelve

The Twelve hotel in Galway were quick to adapt when lockdown first came into a place just over a year ago. From at-home cocktails kits, virtual wine clubs and takeaways, The Twelve have shown innovation in these troubling times. Continuing on with their creative thinking, the popular Galway destination have created an afternoon tea box especially for Mother's Day. Each box contains freshly baked Cuinneog buttermilk and sultana scones with raspberry compote and vanilla whipped cream and for sandwiches, The Twelve Bakery breads are topped with smoked salmon and crab, classic organic egg mayonnaise and Arabic flatbread is served with oak smoked ham, brie and a wild rocket relish. Sweet treats include Cocoa Atelier chocolate dipped strawberries with local bee pollen, forced Irish rhubarb and custard pavlova, Cuinneog buttermilk pannacotta with The Twelve’s pornstar martini jelly and petit chocolate mousse and raspberry tart. The Mother's Day Afternoon Tea box comes beautifully presented in an elegant gold gift box and costs €30 per person (minimum order is 2 people). What's more, the box also comes with its very own playlist so you can recreate the feeling of being at The Twelve for afternoon tea. Orders are limited and are available for collection on Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14 from their Bakery between 1 and 5 pm. To order, click here.

The Westbury

Even though you can't visit the stunning hotel itself, The Westbury's afternoon tea experience includes everything you need to replicate it from the comfort of your own home. Starting at €120 for two, the package includes the hotel's signature teacups and saucers, plus the exclusive Westbury tea blend, alongside a selection of buttermilk scones with clotted cream and jam, plus eight specially-curated Mother's Day desserts. If you want to add a little something extra to this already stunning meal, there are optional extras available to order with your afternoon tea from The Westbury for an additional cost, including a beautifully presented seasonal bouquet of white flowers (€50), a bottle of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut champagne alongside two Belle-Époque glasses (€70), a Westbury signature bergamot candle (€40), or a voucher to spend anywhere in The Westbury, including WILDE, Balfes and The Sidecar. Delivery via personal chauffeur is available for an additional €10 within 10km of the hotel or you can opt for click and collect instead. Orders must be placed by Thursday, March 11th for collection or delivery on March 13th or 14th. To place your order, click here.

Mount Juliet Estate

If afternoon tea bucket lists were a thing, Mount Juliet Estate would be at the top of our list. Afternoon tea has long been a tradition at Mount Juliet Estate so when it comes to serving up the best food - it's fair to say they know a thing or two. Now bringing their traditional afternoon tea experience to you, Mount Juliet has launched three at home experiences to choose from. The traditional Mount Juliet Afternoon Tea for two people is priced at €80 or there's a feed the family option available with Mount Juliet’s Family Afternoon Tea for two adults and two children which is priced at €120. But if you're looking to well and truly indulge, there is the Mount Juliet Afternoon Tea for Two with Henriot Champagne which is priced at €125. Each afternoon tea box has been specially created by Chef John Kelly and his team and uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Enjoy freshly baked Guinness and treacle brown bread and white soda bread loaves, served with a selection of toppings including Coronation chicken, Duncannon smoked salmon and beef pastrami with all the trimmings. Sweet treats include lemon drizzle cake, coffee opera cake, frangipane tart and freshly baked scones with homemade raspberry jam and lemon curd. Children can indulge in ultimate sweet treats with rocky road pops, Kinder cupcakes, giant cookies, and blondies, along with cheese dips and Nutella bagels, all paired with a delicious bottle of homemade lemonade. Simple and fun to assemble, with no cooking required - each box comes with a menu and a note on how to present, serve and enjoy your Afternoon Tea in the style of Mount Juliet. There is a delivery charge of €10 for delivery in Kilkenny only. Orders can be placed on the Mount Juliet Estate website mountjuliet.ie or by calling (056) 777-3000.

The Cake Café

Dublin 8's best-kept secret, The Cake Café is now delivering afternoon tea across the county. With prices starting at €49.80, the afternoon tea box includes a selection of mini sandwiches made on two types of house-made bread; a selection of freshly baked cakes and mini scones with homemade jam and cream; prosecco cocktails for two and a selection of artisan teas. Available for collection and delivery, Tuesday - Saturday, see the cakecafe.ie to place an order.

The K Club

Created by Executive Pastry Chef, Rey Encarnacion, The K Club has just launched it's very own afternoon tea service complete with white glove delivery. Carefully boxed in a handsome, tiered Afternoon Tea caddy, The K Club has designed an afternoon tea to remember especially for Mother's Day. With a selection of sophisticated finger sandwiches featuring free-range Irish chicken, langoustine, glazed ham and an array of gorgeous sweet creations from this master patissier, (think Royal Opera mousse feuilletine and classic choux-based Paris-Brest), there is no better gift to give the mother figure in your life. You can even have this delicious array of goodies delivered straight to the lucky recipient's door with white-glove service from The Parcel Concierge, a delivery service now available in Kildare and Dublin for €25 per order. Available for collection also, the afternoon tea box is priced at €35 per person with a minimum two-person order. There is also the option of upgrading your order with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Champagne at €65 per bottle, or perhaps adding a candle at €40 each. To order, simply visit www.kclub.ie.

The Shelbourne

A popular spot for afternoon tea in the city centre, The Shelbourne are bringing it's luxury 5-star afternoon tea experience to you with the aid of their Classic Afternoon Tea boxes. The boxes include a selection of impeccably dainty sandwiches including whiskey cured smoked salmon with Lakeshore mustard on Guinness bread, cherry vine tomato and feta cheese on pumpkin bread, egg mayonnaise and cress on white bread and chicken and avocado on poppy seed roll as well as homemade buttermilk scones with clotted cream and jams and richly sticky gingerbread. Not stopping there, the classic afternoon tea box includes some sweet treats from Executive Chef Garry Hughes and his talented team of pastry chefs at the hotel. Think éclairs filled with chocolate and orange with a rich chocolate mousse, orange crème and toasted almond crunch, a delectable banana and caramel cake with a chocolate cup, vanilla cream, caramel mousse with a caramel centre and candied pecan, a vanilla and blueberry cheesecake with raspberry mousse and shortbread biscuit, and a Baileys and mint mousse with a dark chocolate shell and an airy sponge. Priced at €110 and available for delivery, there is also the option to rent all cutlery, linen and crockery, including the tiered serving stand, for you to recreate The Shelbourne experience at home. For those living close to the hotel, you can also order to collect from the hotel. To do so, simply pull up outside The Shelbourne where you will be treated by the doorman who will then take your details and deliver you afternoon tea box to the boot of your car. See theshelbourne.com for more information.

BAKED PATISSERIE & CAFÉ

Baked Patisserie & Café has quickly become a household name for many families across the country. Renowned for its delicious desserts and quirky treats, the cafés have remained open for takeaway and online orders throughout the pandemic. Now venturing into the world of at-home boxes, Baked Patisserie & Café has launched it's very own afternoon tea box filled with beautifully crafted treated. Think freshly baked Raspberry, Blueberry or Raisin Scones, cookies, tapas cakes, red velvet cupcakes, Malteser mousse, black forest gateau, coffee slice, lemon meringue, macaroons - this is an afternoon box for those with a sweet tooth. Priced at €29.90, the afternoon tea boxes are available for collection in each of it's four locations. The boxes can also be delivered at a small charge. There's also a gluten-free option as well as the option to upgrade the order with flowers, prosecco and coffee (for non tea drinkers) See bakedonline.ie for more information.

Killashee Hotel

Killashee Hotel in County Kildare has introduced a number of delicious take-out options this week including its 'The Spring Afternoon Tea'. Afternoon Tea at Killashee is a favourite amongst the hotel's guests and the take-out Spring Afternoon Tea at €25 per person captures all its essence. Treat your tastebuds with a delicious spread of dainty sandwiches, cakes and treats including Lemon Macaroon filled with lemon curd and white chocolate ganache; Chocolate Tart with cocoa jelly, milk chocolate Chantilly and chocolate shards; Warm Pear & Raspberry Crumble, speculoos tart, raspberry pastry cream and pear compote with ginger crumble; Blueberry & Cream éclair, blueberry confiture & cream filling, blueberries and spring flowers. Savoury sandwiches and warm homemade scones with seasonal preserves are also included in the box. The selection includes Roast Sirloin of Beef with horseradish mayonnaise, rocket, tomato relish on sourdough; Killashee Egg & Bacon egg mayonnaise, bacon crumb on a brioche bap; Smoked Salmon Rillette with lime creme fraiche on treacle brown bread; Avocado, grilled pepper & courgette hummus served with wholemeal bread. Orders must be placed 24 hours in advance and is available 12.30 pm to 5 pm Friday-Sunday. To order, call 045 879 277 or see killasheehotel.com for more information.

The Merrion

Another popular spot for afternoon tea in the city centre, The Merrion have boxed up their luxury afternoon tea experience so you can enjoy the experience without lifting a finger. Created with love in mind, chef Paul Kelly has created 'Love pastries' which were inspired by by Kelly’s favourite flavours and include a vanilla and fresh berry sweet pastry tartlet, a milk chocolate and salted caramel mousse and a blackberry macaron filled with cassis ganache and blackberry pate de fruit. The pastries are expertly matched with a selection of teas, delectable sandwiches, tasty scones, carrot cake, traditional Battenberg, The Merrion porter cake and a delicious lemon drizzle cake to create the ultimate afternoon tea experience. Aptly named 'Love Tea', the box is priced at €35 per person with options to upgrade with a Merrion Rose bouquet of flowers or a bottle of Henriot Rosé Champagne for the exclusive price of an additional €55 per item. To order, simply phone 01 603 0600.

Vintage Tea Trips

If you were even in Dublin city centre on a busy weekend before the pandemic, you would have likely seen a vintage double-decker bus whizzing around the streets serving afternoon tea. That was Vintage Tea Trips. While much like the rest of the hospitality sector, they had to press pause on their afternoon tea with a difference experience but have cleverly adapted by creating their very own afternoon tea kits. Delivered directly to your door (not in a double-decker bus, unfortunately), Vintage Tea Trips' afternoon tea boxes consists of a mixture of savoury and sweet treats. Our seasonal menu consists of two sandwiches, a brioche bun, a fruit scone (with jam, clotted cream and butter) and three sharing desserts per person. Available in 2 (€25pp) or 4+ (€22pp) options, delivery is available in the Dublin area only for a fee of €15-€20 depending on your location. You can even upgrade to their VIP Afternoon Tea which includes 2 of branded Keep Cups and a complimentary bottle of prosecco for €16. To order, simply phone 01 255 1777.