Queens Hotel prepares for Southsea Food Festival

The Queens Hotel is preparing for Southsea Food Festival on 16 and 17 July.  Head of Pastry Chloe Barter loves the alchemy that results from mixing simple ingredients to create mouth-watering teatime treats. Visitors to Portsmouth’s ultimate food event will be able to sample her “afternoon tea in a box”.

Chloe Barter, Head of Pastry at the Queens Hotel said

“We want to give visitors to the Southsea Food Festival a taster of what our afternoon tea is all about and I’m hoping to spend some time on the stand too.”

Her passion for pastry is palpable – and when you ask her to explain, the reason becomes clear.

“I love the fact you can take simple ingredients like milk, butter and flour and depending on the way you mix them you can create so many different things – I love the variables.

“To me choux pastry is a beautiful thing – and then there’s a macaron. Simple ingredients and together they make something incredible,” she declared.

Since she joined the team at the Queens Hotel, her afternoon tea has earned multiple plaudits and ecstatic reviews on Favourite Table and Tripadvisor. Every element of the tea is created from scratch, with only the clotted cream and jam being bought in.

“Afternoon tea is the perfect meal. It’s fancy but not too over the top. It’s something you can look forward to and a great excuse to get together with friends and family.”

“It’s very British and the perfect mix of sweet and savoury.”

Afternoon Tea Top Tips from Chloe Barter

• Try not to overwork your pastry and use a cool surface like a granite countertop or marble board will help
• Always buy local in-season produce if you can to guarantee the best flavour
• Find your own style and enjoy baking – it’s so much fun…