On Wednesday, I was invited to have Afternoon Tea with the lovely team from Grand Central. Of course, being my over eager and anxious self I arrived a full hour early! Not that I minded though, It turned out in my favour as It gave me ample time to browse the shops… A lot of shops.

Grand Central is a shopping centre located in the hub of the train station ,but no, they’re not part of it! They hover above it and the two worlds could not be more separate. Instead of the rushing commuters below, the shopping centre offers a really relaxing atmosphere and with the 67 brands to choose from there’s I was definitely spoilt for choice! I spotted a few familiar names and a few unfamiliar, from luxury to high street brands and It’s not surprising how much variety the centre has… the space is used so well and you can easily find all you need for a full day of shopping. 

 

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A photo posted by Simon Williams (@yamyamsi1971) on Jul 5, 2016 at 7:24am PDT

For me, Shopping has often been a necessity and not a pleasure as I’ve suffered with social anxiety (Agoraphobia) for most of my life. Which is why I rarely attend events and meet ups however, I have to say, it was one of the best shopping experience I have ever had. It wasn’t rushed or pushy or anything I’m used to. They honestly made me feel like they were talking to me and not as a customer, from the first shop, I felt at ease. There are so few times I can say that I have been shopping and walked away with stress-free! I’m sure you can all relate to that too,  after a long week at work you want to spend your free time unwinding and treating yourself to a bit of ‘me-time’. 

So of course when I had reached the pandora shop I couldn’t resist the temptation, it’s shop front to a two-way split which left me intrigued, what mysterious luxury items do they have in there? Why’re they hiding them from me?! So of course I came out with a smile and a new ring! Oh pandora, you are so sneaky!

It’s Tea’O Clock!

Now, for the actual meet up in Caffe Concerto we were seated at a table over looking the busy floor of the train station. It was so nice to sit in such a relaxed place, beautiful sky above you (everything is open plan) so it’s really bright and airy, and you can watch the hustle and bustle below. There’s something very satisfying about watching others rush about whilst you sip tea.

From our seats we could see the glass display case that span the length of the caffe’ housing fresh pastries, cakes and savouries along with an ice cream booth with some incredible flavours and the classics, of course. For a typical Brummie-lass who hasn’t really been to a sit-down breakfast, unless you count a bacon sarnie in the charlie down the road, it was definitely a new experience for me.

The menu is so varied, from classic croissants and sandwiches to handcrafted macarons and tarts, I’m not sure if it was the amazing food or the atmosphere it’s self but it really felt like an occasion to be there. Everything felt so, luxurious, gold edged spoons and traditional tea sets and display cases. It was a proper ‘tea’ party, sandwiches, cakes and scones, mousses and tarts.

All in all, I had an amazing experience in Caffe Concerto which was all amplified by the amazing staff in the whole of grand central. Each one working to make you feel special which of course makes a huge difference to anything you might treat yourself to whilst on your next visit.

Be sure to pop into their beauty stores for expert advice, we were told about their experienced beauty teams in each hub who are, and I know from experience, well trained in health and skin care. Like I have said above, each one took the time to know me and my skin care routine and gave me advice on what suits my lifestyle. Needless to say, I came away with an arm full of goodies from several of the top brands and will definitely be going back to review their next events.

I really had an amazing day in Grand central. Being able to spend that time with two great bloggers; Plutoniumsox and Fashionmommy who if you don’t know, you really should. Please bare in mind, I was invited to Tea in Caffe Concerto by The Team in Grand Central. I love writing about my experiences so I can share them with you, hopefully you share some back with me. So, just to reiterate, they have not asked me to write anything on their behalf, I just really enjoyed my experience.

Have a brilliant weekend, what ever you decide to get up to!