Afternoon Tea has always been a celebrated occasion at Mount Nelson, ever since it was introduced as a dining experience at The Nellie in November 1989. But with the welcome return of Pastry Chef Vicky Gurovich, it has reached a new level of indulgence. Back at the helm of the hotel’s pastry department after an eight-year hiatus, Vicky is on a mission to elevate TheNellie’s legendary afternoon tea to new heights.
Vicky was the Pastry Chef at the Mount Nelson from 2009 – 2014. She left the hotel to be part of the opening team at TheWestcliff Four Seasons in Johannesburg, a period she describes as “extremely exciting and a huge learning curve”. Later, she completed a stint at the acclaimed Pierneef at La Motte restaurant in Franschhoek before moving to New Zealand for seven years.
Chef Vicky decided to return to the beautiful Cape and to the iconic Mount Nelson in late 2022, just in time to prepare a lightand vibrant afternoon tea menu for the summer. Since her remarkable return, Vicky has collaborated with South Africa’s first expert-trained tea sommelier, Craig Cupido, to punch up the flavour quotient in the sweet offerings of the hotel’s Afternoon Tea.
Courtesy of these culinarians, the time- honoured tradition of “Afternoon Tea at The Nellie” presents a curated menu with delicacies from the tea service, and a perfectly matched global tea pairing. Layers of flavours make artfully crafted pastries into temptation itself. Arrayed on elegant, tiered stands, the melt-in-mouthsweet surprises include lemon blueberry meringue choux bun, pistachio carrot cake, and raspberry and chocolate mousse on Valrhona brownie.
Guests will be drawn to Vicky’s afternoon tea spread in the lounge including seasonal cakes in the lounge, fluffy scones andseasonal surprises. Guests with a savoury tooth will still find comforting classics like cucumber, fennel cream cheese finger sandwiches on white bread, along with newcomers such as rare roasted beef and grain mustard crostini with aioli, and sundried tomato and spinach palmier with whipped feta.
As for the tea itself, connoisseurs can choose from over 60 premium loose-leaf and flowering teas, as well as local infusions such as buchu, rooibos, and honeybush. Can’t decide? Opt for the signature Mount Nelson Tea.This sublime blend of Darjeeling, Kenya, Assam, Keemun, Yunnan, and Ceylon has a unique added ingredient: pink rose petals which give the tea ablush colour that complements the hotel’s iconic pink walls.
Coffee lovers are also superbly catered for. The barista, coupled with a fancy San Remo Racer coffee machine, guarantees animpeccable brew from the finest single-origin beans that have been sustainably sourced from Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Fancy something stronger? Don’t forget to ask about the menu offering premium whiskies, cognacs, and liqueurs.
