Piglets Pantry festive afternoon tea left me wanting more

Going to the many hotels, garden centres and independent tea rooms offering stacks of tiny fresh cakes, pastries and sandwiches may as well be a hobby.

However, as wholesome as they are, booking an afternoon tea can be expensive and it can be a pain trying to find a good one near you without spending a day travelling.

They can also be the perfect gift for a loved one, whether it’s for a birthday or Christmas present, but finding the time to go with everyone’s busy schedules in life can be tricky too.

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Did you know festive afternoon teas at home actually exist? This Piglets Pantry selection is not one to miss for a Christmas gift this year 🎅🏻☕️🍰

♬ Jingle bell (fun jazz arrangement)(1156098) - Musician Rabbit Usa-chan

But did you know afternoon teas at home actually exist? Even better, a festive afternoon tea can be delivered right to your doorstep in the space of a few clicks.

When I came across the Piglets Pantry festive afternoon tea at home on Buyagift, I just had to give it a go.

Mainly because my December is completely jam-packed from trips to the dentist (two, to be exact), dog grooming appointments and a few festive plans with friends thrown into the mix – so an afternoon tea on a weekend just isn’t possible (a hard life, I know).

I also wanted to know if this could make the ideal future gift for friends and family, if they’re craving some home-baked goods, all without having to leave the house.

Piglets Pantry festive afternoon tea at home left me wanting more

I had no idea what to expect and I feared what state it would turn up in because we’ve all had a takeaway disaster at some point.

There was so much variety in this Piglets Pantry festive afternoon tea (Image: Newsquest)

When I went to book the festive afternoon tea, the Piglets Pantry website did seem to be glitchy which made me feel uneasy but after contacting the company via email, the staff were very helpful when it came to arranging my preferred delivery date.

Nervously awaiting its arrival a few days later, I was very impressed when it was delivered by DHL.

It was packaged neatly in a huge pink box, each item secured in its own section and wrapped in paper or little boxes.

There was not a single crumb out of place and the decorations on the cakes specifically remained without a smudge in place.

Piglets Pantry festive afternoon tea - what's in it?

• 2 x goats cheese and red onion quiches
• 2 x sage and onion scotch eggs
• 1 x sausage roll
• 1 x pork and cranberry sausage roll
• 2 x scone
• 2 x pot of clotted cream and strawberry jam
• 1 x reindeer chocolate orange loaf cake
• 1 x Santa buckle fruit cake
• 2 x candy cane carrot cake
• 2 x chocolate bars
• 2 x English breakfast tea

This might be the biggest scotch egg I have ever seen (Image: Newsquest)

It also came with a leaflet providing instructions on which food needed heating up, how to store it before eating and allergen information.

Is this the best festive afternoon tea to feast on at home this Christmas?

As I boiled the kettle to brew the English breakfast tea, I popped the quiches, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and scones in the oven for around 10 minutes.

The quiche had light pastry, thin but crispy – just how I like it.

The balance of goats cheese and caramelised onion was spot on (and that says a lot as it’s my favourite pastry filling).

The scotch eggs were huge. I was hesitant about these because I’m fussy about them, especially the ones made with a lot of fatty meat which kicks off my IBS.

But these were delightful, although their size was a bit daunting, the meat was lean, it wasn’t sloppy and the yolk was a lovely bright orange colour – the coating had a slight dash sprinkle of spice too.

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Another favourite festive filling of mine is cranberry and this pork and cranberry sausage roll didn’t disappoint – it wasn’t too sweet and the pastry was flaky, buttery and crisp (all at the same time).

The standard pork sausage roll was the same and both had dense, thick sausages which I was a fan of as sometimes you can end up with little to no sausage inside.

When it came to the sweet treats, I think the scones were the winner for me because they were unbelievably soft and buttery.

They melted in my mouth, especially when warmed up and topped with a dolloping of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

It didn’t end there though, as there were also four cakes; two candy cane carrot cakes, a reindeer chocolate orange cake and a Santa buckle fruit cake.

What surprised me the most about these was how moist they were after travelling from Piglets Pantry (yes, I said the dreaded word).

I can't stop thinking about this chocolate orange loaf cake (Image: Newsquest)

The butter icing was smooth and silky and each cake was packed with flavour. All four were moreish and I’ve thought about the chocolate orange one a lot since.

In total, this currently costs £43.50 on Buy a Gift and I think it’s more than worth it for this homemade festive delight.

I ended my cosy evening feeling full and content - I've already thought about squeezing another one in before the end of the year.

Considering I usually spend a minimum of £25 per person for a decent afternoon tea, I think it’s the ideal Christmas gift for you or someone special.

Partnered with a twinkling Christmas tree, a classic feel-good film and your cosiest pyjamas, I don’t think you can go wrong.