The Many Faces of Afternoon Tea

Back in May, my parents came to visit me in London. We're all devout lovers of afternoon tea, so whilst they didn't have a set schedule for their trip, they knew they wanted to have as many afternoon teas as possible. I can't blame them. Afternoon tea is a delightful British tradition, and frankly, when done properly, it's my all time favorite meal. 

For those who many not be familiar, afternoon tea is generally taken between 2 pm and 6 pm. The custom dates back to the 1840s, amongst the wealthier classes. A traditional afternoon tea is comprised of tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, an assortment of cakes and patsies, and of course, TEA! Since then, it's become a staple of British culture and something I absolutely adore! While my parents were in town, we were able to have four different afternoon teas, all of which were delicious! 

Afternoon teas can range from posh, which requires booking, dressing up, and a bit of spending, but there are also some more informal afternoon teas out there, which are more wallet friendly! In this post, I want to share pictures of the afternoon teas that I've enjoyed in London so far, give you a sense of each of these places, and who knows, maybe if any of you find yourself in London, you'll refer back for some advice! :D

Afternoon Tea at The Milestone Hotel

A good friend of mine from college was visiting London for vacation and invited me to join her for afternoon tea at her hotel, located in Kensington. This very posh and elegant hotel serves afternoon in a cozy library-esque setting. The afternoon tea here is more on the traditional side in both what is served and how it is served. I found everything to be delcious and beautifully presented. I would go back here, although, I will warn, this afternoon tea is on the more expensive side, weighing in at £40 per person. For more information, check at the Afternoon Tea section of the Milestone Hotel's website: http://www.milestonehotel.com/food-and-drink/afternoon-tea. 

~~~

Afternoon Tea at The Connaught Hotel

Back in November, I was lucky enough to be treated to afternoon tea by my aunt and cousins. For this family reunion, I enjoyed an enjoyable afternoon tea at the Connaught Hotel, located in Mayfair. This was a very extravagant and luxurious affair. The dining room was huge and very elegant. This afternoon tea reminded me a bit of the Milestone Hotel. Classic fare beautifully presented. I particularly enjoyed the cakes are the end of this afternoon tea. Afternoon tea at the Connaught Hotel is a swanky affair, so do dress up a bit! Also, for one person, afternoon tea costs between £45-£50. Whilst that price is a bit steep, it's well worth it. For more information, check at the Afternoon Tea section of the Connaught's website: http://www.the-connaught.co.uk/mayfair-restaurants/london-afternoon-tea/.

~~~

Afternoon Tea at Soho's Secret Tea Room

In March, my boyfriend came to visit me in London. After we spent a couple hours at the National Gallery, I decided to treat him to some afternoon tea. We stumbled upon this cute little tea shop, hidden about a pub, in Soho. As the name implies, this is a secret tea room, so it doesn't advertise. To get in, you have to KNOW that it's there. I will say, this probably wasn't the best afternoon tea I've have. It felt like we were in someone's living room. The quaint feeling was pleasant, but the quality of the food wasn't great. Sandwiches were a bit dry and un-imaginative, the scones were hard, and the cakes were a bit dry. Such a bummer! Still the whole "secret tea room" novelty was a bit cute and certainly added a bit of charm. One cream tea costs £7.50, which isn't bad.For more information, check out the Soho Secret Tea Room website: http://www.sohossecrettearoom.co.uk/#home.

~~~

Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace Cafe

In May, around my birthday, I treated myself to a day at Kensington Palace. This is one of my favorite places to visit in London, as it is not too large, but incredibly stylish and interesting. After spending some time exploring the palace and the adjacent garden, I decided to relax with a spot of afternoon tea. Now, unlike the afternoon teas that I've shown you so far, this is a far more humbler afternoon tea, consisting only of tea, scones, clotted cream, and jam. Whilst the traditional full spread is divine, we can't be having that all of the time...right? Although this was a very simple afternoon tea, I was really lovely and quite tasty! The scones were nice and fluffy, whilst my milk tea was perfect. It also helped that the weather was cool and sunny, perfect for reading my book outside. If you find yourself at Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, or in that general area, and you want a casual tea, I highly recommend stopping here! It will only cost you £3.75 for the scone/cream/jam and £1.95 for your tea, bringing the grand total up to £5.70. Not too shabby! For more information, check out the Kensington Palace website: http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/#gs.null.

~~~

Afternoon Tea and Brown's Hotel

Whenever we're in London, my parents and I ALWAYS have afternoon tea at Brown's Hotel. In fact, it's basically the first thing we do when we arrive in London. It's been a family tradition for a few years now, and hopefully, it will continue to be so. Brown's has been named as one of the best, if not THE best, afternoon teas in London. Located in the very sophisticated Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, this afternoon tea is not only classy, but delicious. (Also, unlike other places, they keep refilling your plates...) This is a very traditional afternoon tea, following the sandwiches/scones/pastries/tea cakes model. Afternoon tea at Brown's is utter perfection. Everything is delicious and the ambience of the tea room is very relaxing. There is a reason why we keep coming back. That said, I'll be upfront, afternoon tea at Brown's is a bit on the expensive side, costing about £47.50. Still, if you want to splurge and can, this is my recommendation. For more information, check out Afternoon Tea page on the Brown's Hotel website: https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/browns-hotel/restaurants-and-bars/english-tea-room/.

~~~

Afternoon Tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace

When my parents were in town, they too wanted to go to Kensington Palace, so we did just that. In their case, rather than settle for the cafe, I thought I'd make their visit a bit more special and I booked us afternoon tea at the Orangery, which is located only a few minutes away walking, from the palace. The Orangery is Kensington Palace's restaurant and then I was at the palace a few weeks earlier, I scoped this place out, and the afternoon tea looked great! The building has a very distinct neo-classic aesthetic, which the whiteness and the columns and the high ceilings. It felt very glamorous here. For our afternoon tea, we indulged a little bit with some bubbly. The afternoon tea itself was a mix of new and old. The sandwiches, which included a wrap, were a bit newer in terms of what is normally served, but still relatively tasty. For me, the sweets were the winner. The scones were big and fluffy -- utter perfection and the cakes on offer were classics like Victoria Sponge, which I absolutely love! I really enjoyed my afternoon tea here. The aesthetics were very nice, the afternoon tea itself was quite tasty, and the views of the outside were very nice. If you're at the palace, and you want a bit more than a scone and some tea, I'd recommend this place! Standard afternoon tea costs £27.50, but if you want to splurge and indulge a bit, like we did, the Royal Afternoon Tea costs about £35.00. For more information, check out Kensington Palace's Orangery website: http://www.orangerykensingtonpalace.co.uk/afternoon-tea/. 

~~~

Afternoon Tea at the Victoria & Albert Museum Cafeteria

Whenever people ask me for afternoon tea recommendations, I ALWAYS recommend the V&A museum cafe, which is a personal favorite of mine. Although this isn't a full afternoon tea, it's still delicious and really lovely. Not to mention, the dining room is STUNNING! Afternoon tea at the V&A, like the Kensington Palace cafe, is a humble affair, consisting of tea, scone, jam, and clotted cream. The scone/jam/cream costs about £4.50, whilst the tea costs about £2.95, bringing the grand total to £7.45. I will openly admit that out of all of the teas listed, this is the one I always come back to. Since moving to London, I've had afternoon tea here about 3 times? It's a great place to hang out with friends or to have a solo day. I've brought homework AND novels with me! Highly highly recommend afternoon tea here. Also, the V&A museum is great! For more information, check out the Victoria & Albert Museum website: http://www.vam.ac.uk/visit#cafe.

~~~

Afternoon Tea at Hotel Cafe Royal

The last afternoon tea that I enjoyed with my parents was at the Hotel Cafe Royal. This was a very new place for us, which is always a bit fun. From the moment we walked in, all I would think is, "wow!" The tea room is glitzy to the max, what with it's gold and red velvet decor. Of the many afternoon teas I've enjoyed, this was probably the most out there in terms of creative presentation and also taste. The sandwiches were little buns, rather than crustless rectangles, and one of the sandwiches came with a syringe-thing filled with tomato juice that I had to inject into the sandwich. This was very messy... After sandwiches, we were served a palate cleanser that was a unsweetened fruit juice of sorts and some white chocolate truffles. Very tasty. Scones were pretty standard, no complaints there. For me, the most memorable part of afternoon tea was the cakes. I've literally never seen such creative and beautiful cakes served at afternoon tea. The colors alone were fantastic! Sadly, the cakes looked better than they tasted, but hey, you can't win them all, right? I still had a great time! Afternoon tea here costs around £42, but there are special deals available through opentable. When I made our booking, I got a special deal on the champagne afternoon tea, which costs £52. I think I was able to get champagne afternoon tea for two at £52, rather than £52 per person. Still, check open table if you're interested! For more information, check out the Afternoon Tea page on the Hotel Cafe Royal website: http://www.hotelcaferoyal.com/afternoon-tea/.