Afternoon Tea Week: Blackpool Tower Ballroom serves 45,000 afternoon teas every year
"Afternoon tea is a wonderful British tradition, and there can be few more memorable places to enjoy it...”
More than 45,000 afternoon teas are served at Blackpool Tower Ballroom every year, with the historic venue marking Afternoon Tea Week by revealing the scale of its mega tea-time operation.
The ballroom, which opened in 1894, will celebrate Afternoon Tea Week with a special menu featuring a different internationally-inspired dessert each day. Guests can enjoy freshly prepared sandwiches, homemade cakes and traditional scones at tables inside the Grade II-listed venue, accompanied by the sound of its famous Wurlitzer organ.
The ballroom - which serves a grand total of around 135,000 sandwiches, 45,000 scones and more than 3,000 gallons of tea to visitors each year - has continued to attract visitors and dancers from around the world more than 130 years after it opened, and has hosted events ranging from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing to community celebrations and corporate functions.
‘The most beautiful room in Britain’
Rob Smith, General Manager of The Blackpool Tower, said: "Travel expert Simon Calder recently described The Blackpool Tower Ballroom as the most beautiful room in Britain, and I completely agree.
"It is an extraordinary venue that continues to take people's breath away. Every day we welcome guests who choose to enjoy afternoon tea here to celebrate life's special moments, from birthdays and anniversaries to family gatherings and even marriage proposals.
"Afternoon tea is a wonderful British tradition, and there can be few more memorable places to enjoy it than under the magnificent architecture of The Blackpool Tower Ballroom while listening to the iconic Wurlitzer organ."
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Away from its regular programme of events, afternoon tea has become another major part of the venue's business, with thousands of guests choosing to dine in the ballroom each year. A new children's afternoon tea menu has also been introduced this year, offering a selection of sandwiches and cakes for £9.95.
The figures have been released as Afternoon Tea Week gets under way, with the Blackpool venue using the occasion to highlight the volume of food and drink served in one of the town's best-known historic buildings.
Afternoon tea for two starts from £60 and can be booked online at www.theblackpooltower.com.