100 Queen’s Gate Hotel London, Curio Collection by Hilton, is celebrating London’s prestigious gardening event by transforming its traditional afternoon tea into a floral flourished tribute to the show from Monday 13thMay to Sunday 30th June. 

A stone’s throw away from the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, guests are invited to experience the very best of British gardening traditions by indulging in a spot of high tea with a carefully selected blend from Whittard of Chelsea in its new contemporary hotel space. 

Inspired by the gardens shown at Chelsea, sweet pickled heritage baby carrots, baby beetroot and courgette flowers will sit among a selection of delicate and botanical-inspired pastries.

Complete with cakes served on a bed of edible chocolate soil, along with a selection of savouries, including gin and tonic smoked salmon and cream cheese on flower-shaped dark rye, the Chelsea Flower Show themed afternoon tea menu aims to bring the quintessentially British event to its guests.

The hotel was the former home of Victorian aristocrat William Henry Alexander, and as such has been transformed into a hotel that embraces the building’s heritage, retaining much of its original 1870s architecture. 

The Victorian era also provides huge historic interest for many of the gardening enthusiasts who will be visiting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. 

To celebrate its Victorian heritage, 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel – London will be hosting a special one-off guest lecture by modern plant hunter, horticulturist and TV gardening presenter, Tom Hart-Dyke.

Guests will be invited to enjoy the specially designed Chelsea inspired afternoon tea in Botanica, followed by a tipple in the hotel’s intimate ESQ bar – where the horticultural star will talk through his journey as a modern plant hunter and previous plant hunting expedition in the Colombian jungle. 

Tom will also be speaking to guests about his very own first-hand experience at the world-renowned Chelsea Flower Show, along with the gardening highlights from this year’s show.

Tom has an interesting story. He first shot to international prominence in the year 2000, when he was kidnapped by Farc guerrillas in the Colombian jungle on a plant hunting expedition that went dangerously wrong. 

Taken while hunting for rare orchids on the border between Panama and Colombia, he was held for nine months and threatened with death. Tom decided he would use his precious time left to design his dream garden, drawing plans in his diary for a World Garden that contained the plants he had collected across the globe.

Thankfully Tom was released unharmed and set about bringing his vision of a World Garden to life at his family estate in Lullingstone Castle, Kent and has continued to hunt plants across the globe ever since. 

KEY BOOKING INFORMATION:

The special Chelsea Flower Show guest lecture and afternoon tea event will take place on Thursday 23rd May and will be available to book via [email protected] and priced at £55 per person.

Bookings for the Chelsea Flower Show afternoon tea can be made at 100queensgate.com/food-and-drink/botanica and is priced at £45 pp

100 Queen’s Gate Hotel London, Curio Collection by Hilton, is ideally located in close proximity to many of London’s most recognised visitor attractions including Kensington Palace and Hyde Park, the Natural History Museum, V&A and Harrods. 

The hotel is located a short five minutes’ walk from South Kensington tube station.