Disclaimer: This afternoon tea experience at Veeno was gifted by Buyagift in exchange for this review, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here.
I’m a big fan of Buyagift experience vouchers, both as presents for other people and as an excuse to do something new! In December I used a Time Together Experience Box to treat myself and a friend to unlimited sushi at Inamo in Covent Garden (highly recommended!) and this month I stayed closer to home with an Afternoon Tea with Fizz experience in Veeno, in Valpy Street, Reading.
I’ve never been big on Valentine’s day but I do think it’s important to spend time as a couple, and a Valentine’s gift of an experience is a great way to make sure that happens, or to treat a special couple who deserve it!
Buyagift do a whole range of vouchers to suit any budget which make perfect gifts for special couples.
We were offered a Dining for Two Experience Box which we used to go to Veeno in Reading for afternoon tea, with a bottle of fizz included.
Veeno in Valpy Street, Reading, is a lovey wine and cocktail bar which happens to be the place that I first met my other half, so it holds a bit of a special place in my heart. The wine and cocktail lists are great and the décor very ‘Italian trattoria’ with dark wood, hanging grapes, fairy lights and generally a cosy atmosphere. The only downside is the weird breathy cover version musak that they play; I’ve not quite worked out why.
Although we’ve been for a meal and several rounds of cocktails in the past, this was our first experience of their Italian afternoon tea.
What’s included in Veeno’s afternoon tea?
The afternoon tea at Veeno is a lovely Italian twist on the English classic.
As with any decent afternoon tea, you get both sweet and savoury treats all served on a three-tiered cake stand.
To start off with something savoury, you have two varieties of focaccia sandwiches (parma ham and mozarella, and roasted vegetables) to share, as well as some lovely Italian cured meat and gorgonzola.
For something sweet you have the traditional scones (with jam and cream), cannolo (pastry filled with a sweet creamy filling) and torta al limone, and of course tea or coffee.
We went for our afternoon tea at 2pm, and then around 3.30pm we finished up with a cup of tea and ordered a few cocktails… It was a lovely start to a very boozy evening out!
Buyagift experiences
The afternoon tea is one of several experiences at Veeno which you can buy for yourself another lucky couple via Buyagift, however if you want the option which comes with a bottle of fizz then you can get a Dining for Two Experience Box which gives 725 foodie experiences to choose from including three course meals, bottomless afternoon teas.
If you aren’t sure what your recipient/s will enjoy, or you just want to give them a bit more choice, you can go for a Date Night Gift Experience Voucher for Two which gives 1629 different locations/experiences – including this one – to choose from. With this experience box, which retails for £59, you have options including photoshoots, scuba diving, art lessons, helicopter tours, bird or prey handling, supercar driving…
Make sure you sign up to the Buyagift email newsletter, which offers regular discounts throughout the year. Vouchers are valid for at least 12 months from issue, so you have plenty of time to arrange babysitters!
Go to the Buyagift website to sign up to the newsletter and browse the experience vouchers.
(And, as promised, some slightly tipsy photos of later on that evening… Yes, that is a custard creme. No further questions at this time).
