Ad. It’s not often we get to do fancy things since having our little boy in 2020. The only other fancy thing we’ve done since his birth was having a delicious meal at York Minster Refectory shortly after it opened its doors. So when I was invited for an afternoon tea at the Minster Refectory when my son was at preschool and my husband was off work, it was like the stars had aligned to give us a fancy afternoon out that we both needed.
But this wasn’t just about the afternoon tea, the event showcased some beautiful fine jewellery from Kay Bradley, of Bradley’s York, the independent jewellers.
The Afternoon Tea
Of course, this was delicious. We had high expectations as we LOVE Chef Andrew Pern and his restaurants and menus. We started with a plate of four tasty finger sandwiches, each with a different filling. The oak-smoked salmon with cucumber, dill cream cheese was amazing.
The middle plate was two scones each with jam and clotted cream. I made a BIG error here by eating the sandwiches and scones too fast and feeling too full for the rest. I had to take a bit of a break, but that’s what afternoon tea is about, right?
The dessert plate had one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. The Fabergé inspired egg dessert with dark chocolate and cherry Kirch liqueur. It was a rich, sweet and delicious mousse-filled egg that hit the spot.
Jewellery by Kay Bradley
As soon as I saw the jewellery, I was instantly drawn to the Fabergé pendants on display in a glass cabinet. In 2022, Kay Bradley became the only British female independent retailer to have collaborated with Fabergé. Her collection has some stunning pieces. My favourite two pieces were the Fabergé Heritage Rose Gold Diamond & Pink Guilloché Enamel Hen Surprise Locket and the Fabergé Christmas Robin Egg Pendant.
We got to see some jewellery over at the York Minster Refectory, and after we had our afternoon tea, we went over to the shop to talk to Kay and the lovely ladies working there.
Trying On Bradley’s Jewellery
It’s difficult to capture on camera the detail in each of these pieces. They are so intricate. If I ever win the lottery, that Rose Gold Egg is mine!
Being a Yorkshire girlie, I was naturally drawn to the York Rose collection. The inspiration from this collection comes from the York Rose window on the York minster as well as the White Rose of York. Again, the detail was amazing. I loved the solitaire diamond rings that had the York Rose on the side encasing the diamond.
I also fell in love with the daffodil collection. How could I not? Especially at this time of year!
The final collection I adored was the rainbow collection. This collection was designed by Kay during the pandemic as a way to evoke feelings of hope and optimism. My favourite piece from this was the rainbow daisy ring. Sadly, I don’t have any photos of this. But you can discover it for yourself, as well as all the other collections by Kay Bradley, over on the website here.
Address: Bradley’s Jewellers, 67 Low Petergate, York YO1 7HY