Nothing marks a special occasion like an Afternoon Tea. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, a graduation or simply reuiniting with someone special for a catch up, there’s something about the tiers of delicate treats, perfect sandwiches and china cups of tea that makes for the perfect setting.

At The River Lee, Afternoon Tea is available every day from 2.30pm – 4.30pm, with a menu that features all the classics like cucumber & crème fraiche sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jams, and delicate macaroons.

The hotel also boasts its very own Afternoon Tea Hostess, Serena Tesei. We chatted to Serena to find out about her role, what she loves about Afternoon Tea and her favourite dishes on the menu.

“My name is Serena Tesei, I'm Italian and I have been working in The River Lee since December 2015.

“I was working in The Weir Bar as a waitress, and I was delighted to be chosen as the dedicated Afternoon Tea Hostess when we started offering Afternoon Tea in our Lobby Lounge.

“What I love about being the Hostess for our Afternoon Tea is being part of the celebrations our guests have for their birthdays, hen parties, baby showers and catch ups. I love to make sure they will get the best memories from their experience. I recall an Afternoon Tea with two friends celebrating a birthday and my colleague David and I went to the table with a birthday plate, singing the happy birthday song. I’ll never forget their smiles, the surprise and delight on their faces -  for me it felt amazing to give such joy to others.

"I love the attention to detail on the dishes - from the setup, to the food preparation, nothing is left to chance. The expression of our guests’ faces when I place their goodies on the stand always amazes me. I explain all about our sandwiches and cakes, and for most of our guests (and even for me!) the best part of the Afternoon Tea is the top plate, with the pannacotta, our miniature fruit tarts, and my favourite, the chocolate truffle - it's actually melt in your mouth, so yummy!

"Of course, we are always looking for innovative new ideas - we want to keep surprising our guests. At the moment we are working on an Afternoon Tea memory - we want our guests to have something small to remember their experience with us.  We are working on a special thank you card - I got an instant polaroid  camera to capture our guest's celebration and we are going to personalise the card with their special moment. 

More ideas are on the way, so don't miss it. Hope to see you all soon!”

You can read more about the Afternoon Tea  here. A Classic Afternoon Tea costs €30pp, and a Sparkling Afternoon Tea costs €40pp.

To make a booking call +353 21 4937772 or email riverlee@doylecollection.com