Voucher for Afternoon Tea

If you don't use it, then it's your son's money you are wasting and probably hurting his feelings.

I agree Grandmabatty. At that price it must be Afternoon Tea with Prosecco!

It was given to you with love, so go and enjoy. If you don't use it is even more a waste of money.

Yes - I don’t understand your thinking either. That voucher is just money in a different form - use it, you might enjoy it and you can always bring what you don’t eat there home - it’s a given.
I think £32 per person is about average price around here, some places throw in a glass of fizz for a couple of £s more.

It’s a gift, so not your money and I agree that your son will be disappointed if and when he learns you’ve wasted it.

I was given a similar afternoon tea voucher. I took a dear friend and we sat for 4 hours chatting and being served savoury and sweet bitesize goodies plus a glass of fizz and endless tea. We couldn't eat it all and asked for a doggy bag. It was a memorable occasion.
Ours was the Signet Library in Edinburgh. Are you quite sure you won't enjoy it?

I cannot understand your thinking. As has been said, if you don’t use the voucher, you son would have wasted his money, and be very upset by your ‘principles’. Take a friend, who would enjoy a treat, and have a lovely time.

I love Afternoon Tea! My daughter has given me and OH a voucher several times. It’s a lovely experience. Just bite that bullet and find someone to go with.

Ungrateful

I think that's a really nice present, I got such a birthday gift from a family member a year or so ago, afternoon tea in a Cotswolds hotel, it probably was all afternoon as well. I think such presents offer a small window of feeling indulged and cossetted, a thoughtful gesture from your son.

You'll enjoy it. Just don't have lunch beforehand so you'll be extra hungry! It was a lovely gift.

I love getting an afternoon tea voucher as a gift. The downside is it messes up the day’s routine meal arrangements. The last one we were able to use it at lunchtime, which made better sense of our day.

It depends where you go for it if you’ll enjoy it or not.We have had a gift of this twice, the first time in a well known bakery/cafe in the Cotswolds and it was horrible, the second time in a local garden centre and it was lovely, too much to eat so we took the cakes home, they boxed them up for us.
It hasn’t cost you anything so go and enjoy!

If is too much to finish off for just the two of you ask if you and your friend could take what’s left home in a box/doggy bag.
Then it isn’t a waste.
Is a lovely gift and am sure you will enjoy it.
Personally I am not an afternoon tea fan but if someone was generous enough to spend that money on me to go and enjoy it I would certainly do my best and be ever so grateful.

DD and I enjoy an afternoon tea with a glass of fizz. We can chat for hours and catch up, as she works long hours and has little free time.
We always ask for a doggy bag, so nothing goes to waste.

In fact DD, DIL, DGD are planning one at the moment.

I think you are a tad ungrateful and out of touch. £65 would be normal here.

Plan your food intake beforehand, in other words eat sparingly, prepare for a carbohydrate overload, but as others have said most places will box up what you can't manage. We've had some lovely experiences having afternoon teas, all beautifully presented on tiered cake stands. They are infrequent indulgences, and you certainly won't want to eat anything for the rest of the day, but it's such an enjoyable experience though.

I have been in a similar position twice - I am not a fan of afternoon tea, and had to go along with it both times as the vouchers had already been bought.

Maybe just think of the thought behind it and that your son had good (& generous) intentions?

The goodie bag idea people suggest is helpful and might make you feel you are not being wasteful?

I was treated to an afternoon tea recently and it was exquisite. Beautifully made sandwiches, cakes and scones, limitless tea, cream, jam etc, served on pretty china with silver service, and cardboard boxes to take the remainder home.
A real experience; don't forgo it.

I also think afternoon tea is a big rip off. My sister loves them, however, and so I wanted to buy one for herself and her husband for their wedding anniversary.

When I found out the price though, I balked at the idea and got them a voucher for a garden centre- where they could have used it towards the afternoon tea. They bought a plant instead.

That said, however, I feel that you should use it.

Take photos for your son to see what he bought with his money- or maybe even take him with you!

Whatever, just enjoy and, as others have said, be grateful that your son has been so generous.

Sometimes it isn't just the food, but the ambience that has the most value...

I feel quite sorry for adult kids when I read posts on here. Either they don't do enough for their parents or as in this case they are too generous.

The one we went for last week was quite a bit more expensive. But they are very labour intensive if you think about it.

I ve had that as a gift and it is lovely but I think they are very overpriced although I don’t think ours is as.much as yours
Take husband /partner/ friend and enjoy it ….it was given you with love
It’s not your money you’re eating and it was given with thought enjoy it and thank him profusely and don’t be surprised if you get it again another year, as it’s hard for people to think of presents for older folks

I would love a present like that - afternoon tea is a real treat, and if you can't eat it all, they will be more than happy to box up any leftovers for you to take home. Your son has already spent the money on you - so go and enjoy it in the spirit in which it was intended.

I had a very bad experience with a voucher. I was given a £60 Table for two voucher from John Lewis which sells Red Letter Days. It was so restrictive that it was impossible to spend in Brighton and it only could be used in one pizza restaurant who were very helpful. When I tried to use it, the code wouldn't work. You have to book it via a useless badly written system. And no way could I get it to work. I suggest you tell your son that is he doesn't mind could you have cash as you have your mind on something you want to buy and maybe he and his wife can use it. I also think that our children don't understand that this is a huge sum of money to some people and we have make our children understand this.

My voucher was given by a friend, and it could be swapped for other experiences with money added. I have it to my daughter in the end who lives in London and has more restaurants she could use it at. The helpline was useless.

Cabbie21

I love getting an afternoon tea voucher as a gift. The downside is it messes up the day’s routine meal arrangements. The last one we were able to use it at lunchtime, which made better sense of our day.

Messes up your day?? Rather ungrateful comment, I think. How would your son feel if he knew you felt that way?
It’s quite simple - on afternoon tea day, you have a slightly later breakfast and no lunch. That means you’ll be hungry by the time you eat.
You are lucky to have such a thoughtful and generous son and I can’t believe you can feel the way you do about this gift.