I lived in London for 13 years, enough to get quite keen on a few British traditions, and there is one in particular that I love: afternoon tea. It is the perfect excuse to indulge in eating sweet little pastries in the middle of the day, and whilst I don’t have much of a sweet tooth I do enjoy sitting around a pristine table laden with delicate china and elegant pastry trays, between a steaming pot of delicious tea and a cup of champagne, to enjoy an utterly civilised moment with friends or family.
Over the years I have fine-tuned my list of London favourites for afternoon tea, but, before we start, a little piece of trivia: some people confuse afternoon tea with high tea (in South Africa the chic-est places that offer tea call it high tea), when they are two very different meals. Afternoon tea is a light meal of bite sized tea sandwiches and savories, followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and ending with sweet pastries, which you eat with fingers, usually around 4PM. The tradition was started in England in the 1840s when The Duchess of Bedford wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner, and it became a thing amongst the high society. High tea on the other hand was a working class family evening meal or supper, made of of meat dishes, potatoes, baked beans, basically a nourishing meal at the end of a long day at work. It’s called high tea because it is eaten on a high kitchen table.
My all-time favourite: Jean-Georges at The Connaught
This is my favourite, probably because this is the place we came to for my birthday right after the birth of Little Madame, it was our first outing as a family of four. Things could have gone horribly wrong had she needed a feed half-way through, but both she and her brother behaved absolutely perfectly (much to the relief of the other guests who had openly gawked when they saw us arrive with a pram and toddler in tow), thanks to the colouring book and little cars we brought for Little Monsieur and the fact we had fed the baby just before leaving the house, but overall I’m a big believer in taking small children to all types of places to ensure they get used to behaving accordingly from an early age.
The setting is a winter garden style gallery overlooking Carlos Place, with stained glass panels and beautiful art work. The room is sophisticated but not stuffy, and very light: tea is served on the beautiful marble tables, whilst you sit in the plushest soft grey sofas. We came on a Spring afternoon and there were gorgeous floral arrangements everywhere. Service at the Connaught is always impeccable: think “make clients feel like uber VIPs” and dial it up a notch. The meal itself is delicious and quite unique compared with other teas in London: a classic tea menu with a twist, with South-Asian and Mediterranean inspirations and a nice addition of spices to what can sometimes be quite bland recipes. The scones come with the traditional clotted cream and jam, as well as delicious lemon curd. The cakes are very elaborate, with a lot of mousse textures and beautiful colours.
A classic London grande dame: The Wolseley
The Wolseley is the quintessential Mayfair eatery, and I would happily eat here for breakfast, lunch, tea and supper any day. I always try to come when I’m in London, and my favourite time of the year to eat here is late Autumn to Winter: I absolutely love coming at the end of a shopping spree in Mayfair on a cold and dark afternoon, it’s the perfect hang-out from which to look out onto busy Piccadilly. There are three options for tea, including a very affordable “Cream Tea” if you just want to sample a little bit of London luxury without breaking the bank, and if you’re coming with anyone who is not too keen on the full tea experience there is a broad menu of sweets and savouries to pick from. I love the Champagne Tea, and usually ask for a table on one of the balconies at the back of the room to enjoy it with a little less noise, whilst still enjoying the view of the restaurant’s bustling floor.
The menu is quite classic, but totally delicious, with warm scones at the top of the three-tier tray, under a little cloche, six cakes on the middle tier, made each morning by the restaurant’s pastry chefs, and five sandwiches at the base, washed down with a tea from the special Wolseley selection, as well as a glass or two of champagne. Remember, this place is super popular, so it’s key to book in advance, as the Wolseley will rarely have tables for walk-ins…
Perfect for tea with the girls: The Gallery at Sketch
Tea at the much-hyped Sketch in Mayfair is served in the millennial-pink Gallery from 11:30AM, and this is where I like to come with my girlfriends for an afternoon of edulcorated fun in what looks and feels like the inside of a fluffy pink cake. This place is the epitome of English eccentricity, with the egg-shaped toilets (google it, they are world famous, but the first time is a little interesting, I’m not going to lie…), the interesting prints all over the walls and the funny quotes on the crockery. The string quartet in the corner plays the Beatles rather than Beethoven, a bit of a contrast to the elevator music of most hotel lobbies.
First course is a spoonful of caviar on a perfectly poached quail’s egg yolk on top of silky béchamel sauce (my favourite course of the whole meal!), then you move on to the usual dainty sandwiches, cakes, more cakes, some shot glasses of white-peach and verbena cheesecake, as well as a giant pink marshmallow. Warm scones arrive later (by now I’m stuffed), and then a huge slice of Victoria Sponge from the trolley is the finale, if you have space left. I always come here with loads of time, as tea at Sketch is a drawn-out affair, there is the need to pace oneself seeing as there is so much food…
Best to lose track of time: The Dorchester
I have been coming to Dorchester for tea for quite a while, in fact I had my mini baby shower for Little Monsieur here, and we all had such an amazing time chatting about babies, style, and life that we totally lost track and didn’t realise we had been sitting around our teas and cakes for hours.
Tea is served in the Promenade, behind the lobby, a ballroom-sized space filled with oversized bouquets and the largest brocade sofas I ever sat on, and inhabited by the most delightful staff who all treat you like their favourite guest (even more so if you are an heavily pregnant mama fond of the Christmas stuffing sandwiches…). Everything here is classic luxury, don’t expect modern or contemporary but it’s just perfect as it is. The food is divine, especially the scrumptious scones, and the tea selection is very good. I usually opt for Lapsang, and theirs is extra flavoursome. The afternoon easily rolls into the evening, and when not pregnant this is a perfect time to move to cocktails.
Fashionista favourite: The Berkeley
The Berkeley’s Prêt-à -Portea in Knightsbridge is where you go to mix afternoon tea with fashion, and over the years the chefs have taken some of the most memorable looks from the catwalk and beyond (recently the V&A Christian Dior exhibition) and transformed them into a tasty assortment of cakes and biscuits. This is the most instagrammable of all afternoon teas in London, if you’re into fashion. The tea is served in the the Collins Room, which is decorated in Dior grey, making for a beautiful background to the whole experience.
I first came here with Little Monsieur when he wasn’t even one, and our friends had a toddler daughter, and yet both babies had an amazing time with the atmosphere remaining lively and totally un-stuffy. We did laugh at how the waiter described every cake and confection and the fashion inspiration behind it in minute detail, though he did seem to have absolutely no interest in fashion whatsoever… I come here more for the style than the food, altough it is perfectly lovely as well…
Afternoon tea makes no sense as a daily meal, but as an occasional indulgence, nothing gets quite close, and each time I am back in my beloved London I make a point of having tea in one of the beautiful restaurants and hotels of the city. One last tip before I leave you: it’s usually a good idea to skip tea in the museums and galleries, as the food is usually bought in and far from fresh…
With love, S.
A Styled Life 