MY TOP 5 AFTERNOON TEA'S
Those who know me personally will know I am a HUGE fan of afternoon tea. I am all about a good slice of tea and cake and I am a passionate believer that cream will ALWAYS come before the jam on your scone. However I will happily remove myself from any arguments around the pronunciation of the word scone... I'd much rather simply crack on and eat one myself!
But afternoon tea is much more than just your simple scone. I'm talking copious amounts of finger sandwiches that are replenished every 15 minutes, tea varieties you've never even dreamed of and more pastries and cakes you can count on your fingers and toes. If you're going to do afternoon tea, you've got to do it right and so I've put together a quick Top 5 list of those I've been to over the last couple of years.
In no particular order...
#1 THE SALT ROOM, BRIGHTON
I've lived in London for the last 4 years while at university but of course Christmas break has always meant heading back home to the coast to spend time with family. On Christmas Eve while my mum and sister were working I headed over to Brighton with Dad for some last minute shopping and afternoon tea at The Salt Room.
Now my dad is definitely more a savoury kind of guy and with mum being diabetic I have no idea where my serious sweet tooth has come from... but despite my dad's apprehension over scones and cake, we both LOVED The Salt Room's afternoon tea, their seaside theming and alternative savoury options were just second to none and I would highly recommend!
A personal highlight was the candy floss at the end and watching my dad attempt to eat it for what I think could have been the first time in about 40 years?! I mean who doesn't know how to eat candy floss?!?! Watching him try to lick it like ice cream was as amusing as the gif of the poor raccoon washing candy floss in a stream and watching it disappear before it's eyes! (If you know, you know...)
Despite the incredible sweet feast in front of us, what everyone else was ordering for lunch was giving us some serious food envy. The rest of The Salt Room menu looked incredible and we've been telling ourselves we'll be back sooner or later for lunch or dinner but it's now September and I have no idea where these last 9-10 months have gone?!
NEXT UP -
#2 THE RITZ, LONDON
Back in November we went to The Ritz for my Aunt's Mum's 70th. It was truly fabulous! There was no limit to the sandwiches, scones and pastries and the service was just as you'd expect - impeccable! We were truly well looked after. Worth every penny for a special occasion, but be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment on missing out on a favoured date.
#3 CLARIDGES, LONDON
After lapping up the luxury of The Ritz pre-christmas I felt it was only right we went across the city to try out Claridges for Mother's Day! As with The Ritz, the sandwiches and pastries just kept coming and the tea varieties were THE best I've had. I'm very much a milk and one sugar kind of girl but I found myself drinking some of the nicest, naturally sweetened black teas while dining here.
As I mentioned earlier, my mum is a diabetic and unfortunately just as we'd sat down to eat she discovered she'd forgotten her insulin injection and left this back at home in Sussex. She was completely distraught at the thought of having to completely skip tea and the whole afternoon going to pot but within moments the incredible staff at Claridges assured us they could have a sugar free menu bought out for her and it really was no trouble at all!
Of course I may have had to try a few of the things from Mum's selection and they may or may not have then bought out more for myself on top of all this...
Safe to say we left incredibly satisfied, full to the brim and well me - unable to move properly for a day or two. Without a doubt I would highly recommend Claridges to anyone, especially if you have any dietaries that need catering for. They were incredible accommodating and the whole experience of tea at Claridges is a pure delight.
#4 SKETCH, LONDON
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to try afternoon tea at Sketch. Mainly because of the crazy menu, pink aesthetic interior and I can't lie - the incredible instaworthy bathrooms!
After I left my Disney placement my manager Jessie booked us in for tea for when I was back at uni for my final year and we were able to have a proper catch up! Like with The Salt Room, Sketch's menu is definitely far from traditional, but still a total dream.
Jessie is both vegan and diabetic and Sketch were incredibly accommodating to her dietaries. Being able to cater to all guests is one thing I think that makes the afternoon tea experience complete and so important. There's nothing worse than spending so much on a lovely afternoon to find you can't enjoy half of it.
#5 THE SANDERSON HOTEL, LONDON
The Sanderson Hotel is home to the famous Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea. This was probably one of the first afternoon tea's I had in London with my mum. I'd made reservations for a post Christmas treat and on arrival we had no idea what to expect but were completely blown away by the creativity, feast of food, incredible china and even just the hotel itself! Everything was so quirky and different to what we'd experienced before.
It feels like it's been so long since I went now I'm sure I'll have to make a trip back, even drag my sister along too!
Unfortunately going down in my estimations, I have to take a minute to talk about Selfridges Afternoon Tea. I've been several times to the various restaurant on the roof seasonal installations and for £20 you used to be able to get the most heavenly afternoon tea spread in London.
I was a serious advocate of this and I cannot count on one hand how many times I went with friends, family, work colleagues over the space of 2 or 3 years... worryingly really... But last summer when Forest on the Roof went all Italian the price of the afternoon tea shot up, quality of the food went down and as did the quantity! I can't say I've rushed back or will be heading back for afternoon tea again soon, which is such a shame when you look how incredible things used to be... SELFRIDGES, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
However on my desperate 'to try' list are One Aldwych, London - Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea and the new Mary Poppins inspired Afternoon Tea at The Shard. I've seen great things on Instagram and am desperate to try both of these out! So if you've been and can recommend which to try first, do let me know!
Thanks for reading,
Izzie x
But afternoon tea is much more than just your simple scone. I'm talking copious amounts of finger sandwiches that are replenished every 15 minutes, tea varieties you've never even dreamed of and more pastries and cakes you can count on your fingers and toes. If you're going to do afternoon tea, you've got to do it right and so I've put together a quick Top 5 list of those I've been to over the last couple of years.
In no particular order...
#1 THE SALT ROOM, BRIGHTON
I've lived in London for the last 4 years while at university but of course Christmas break has always meant heading back home to the coast to spend time with family. On Christmas Eve while my mum and sister were working I headed over to Brighton with Dad for some last minute shopping and afternoon tea at The Salt Room.Now my dad is definitely more a savoury kind of guy and with mum being diabetic I have no idea where my serious sweet tooth has come from... but despite my dad's apprehension over scones and cake, we both LOVED The Salt Room's afternoon tea, their seaside theming and alternative savoury options were just second to none and I would highly recommend!
A personal highlight was the candy floss at the end and watching my dad attempt to eat it for what I think could have been the first time in about 40 years?! I mean who doesn't know how to eat candy floss?!?! Watching him try to lick it like ice cream was as amusing as the gif of the poor raccoon washing candy floss in a stream and watching it disappear before it's eyes! (If you know, you know...)
Despite the incredible sweet feast in front of us, what everyone else was ordering for lunch was giving us some serious food envy. The rest of The Salt Room menu looked incredible and we've been telling ourselves we'll be back sooner or later for lunch or dinner but it's now September and I have no idea where these last 9-10 months have gone?!
NEXT UP -
#2 THE RITZ, LONDON
Back in November we went to The Ritz for my Aunt's Mum's 70th. It was truly fabulous! There was no limit to the sandwiches, scones and pastries and the service was just as you'd expect - impeccable! We were truly well looked after. Worth every penny for a special occasion, but be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment on missing out on a favoured date.
#3 CLARIDGES, LONDON
 |
| PRE FOOD COMA... |
As I mentioned earlier, my mum is a diabetic and unfortunately just as we'd sat down to eat she discovered she'd forgotten her insulin injection and left this back at home in Sussex. She was completely distraught at the thought of having to completely skip tea and the whole afternoon going to pot but within moments the incredible staff at Claridges assured us they could have a sugar free menu bought out for her and it really was no trouble at all!
Of course I may have had to try a few of the things from Mum's selection and they may or may not have then bought out more for myself on top of all this...
Safe to say we left incredibly satisfied, full to the brim and well me - unable to move properly for a day or two. Without a doubt I would highly recommend Claridges to anyone, especially if you have any dietaries that need catering for. They were incredible accommodating and the whole experience of tea at Claridges is a pure delight.
#4 SKETCH, LONDON
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to try afternoon tea at Sketch. Mainly because of the crazy menu, pink aesthetic interior and I can't lie - the incredible instaworthy bathrooms!
After I left my Disney placement my manager Jessie booked us in for tea for when I was back at uni for my final year and we were able to have a proper catch up! Like with The Salt Room, Sketch's menu is definitely far from traditional, but still a total dream.
 |
| Sketch |
#5 THE SANDERSON HOTEL, LONDON
The Sanderson Hotel is home to the famous Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea. This was probably one of the first afternoon tea's I had in London with my mum. I'd made reservations for a post Christmas treat and on arrival we had no idea what to expect but were completely blown away by the creativity, feast of food, incredible china and even just the hotel itself! Everything was so quirky and different to what we'd experienced before.
It feels like it's been so long since I went now I'm sure I'll have to make a trip back, even drag my sister along too!
* * *
I was a serious advocate of this and I cannot count on one hand how many times I went with friends, family, work colleagues over the space of 2 or 3 years... worryingly really... But last summer when Forest on the Roof went all Italian the price of the afternoon tea shot up, quality of the food went down and as did the quantity! I can't say I've rushed back or will be heading back for afternoon tea again soon, which is such a shame when you look how incredible things used to be... SELFRIDGES, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
 |
| How incredible tea used to be at Selfridges! |
 |
| Incredible value for £20pp! |
However on my desperate 'to try' list are One Aldwych, London - Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea and the new Mary Poppins inspired Afternoon Tea at The Shard. I've seen great things on Instagram and am desperate to try both of these out! So if you've been and can recommend which to try first, do let me know!
Thanks for reading,
Izzie x
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