Travel
Enjoy afternoon tea in London with me
Teapots, tiny cakes and tall tales – join Leonie on a delicious tour of some of London’s most unforgettable afternoon teas.
By Leonie Jarrett
Afternoon tea is a quintessentially English custom. There is no better place to take afternoon tea than London, so when I was there for a few days recently, I made it my mission to sample afternoon tea around the capital. Each was a unique experience.
Where and when did afternoon tea originate?
The Duchess of Bedford, Anna Russell, introduced afternoon tea in England in the 1840s to bridge the gap between lunch and the late evening dinner. She started the custom of taking a light meal in the late afternoon (between four and five o’clock) – tea, sandwiches and cakes.
The practice quickly gained popularity among the upper classes and evolved into a fashionable social event. During the 1880s, upper-class women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room.
Afternoon tea is different to high tea, which is a heartier, more substantial meal served in the early evening, often replacing dinner. That said, these days the occasions are often interchangeable, so look out for the offer of either or both.
The common elements of afternoon tea in London
There were many common elements in all the afternoon teas I was served in London.
For example, there was always a tea menu. Tea was always served in a pot and was refillable (changeable too if you wanted to try a different tea). A supplement can always be paid for sparkling wine or champagne. Sometimes, cocktails too.
Most of the teas were served in china teapots but, sometimes, silver. I always had silver cutlery, china tableware and a linen napkin.
Savouries were always served first. Sometimes, finger sandwiches only, but at other times sandwiches and other savoury delights. These were always refillable, although I never asked for seconds as I wanted to save myself for the sweets! Are you a savoury person or more of a sweet person, like me?
Scones were always served – one plain and one raisin – with jam and clotted cream. The main point of difference, apart from the venue, was the sweet dessert course of cakes and pastries.
Let’s take a stroll through the offerings.
Egerton House Hotel – Knightsbridge
“Treasures & Tea” theme from £75 per head
Egerton House Hotel is a red-brick Victorian townhouse dating from 1843. The boutique five-star hotel of 28 rooms and suites feels more like a cosy private residence.
Before I had afternoon tea at Egerton House Hotel, I was their guest at the Cartier Exhibition at the V&A Museum a mere five minutes’ walk away. Given that this Exhibition was sold out for my entire stay in London and for weeks afterwards, a ticket to the Cartier Exhibition was a six-star perk for this travel writer.
Afternoon tea is held in the Drawing Room and I really did feel like I was sitting in the drawing room of a country manor. The room was all shades of browns with velvet-covered furniture, country paintings and plush carpets. It is a very intimate space set up as a lounge for about 20 people.
As for the afternoon tea, Egerton House makes a show of the tea-pouring. “Tea artistry” if you will. My waiter, Mark, managed four silver tea pots on the silver tray at once without spilling a drop, even as he poured hot water into each of the four tea pots. Mark also suggested that we choose a black tea to start and then a green tea with dessert.
The stars of the show were the desserts which were Cartier-inspired. On massive silver cake towers, the home-made desserts were brought out with the scones, jam, lemon curd and cream. Everything I ate (bar the bread and the clotted cream) was made on site. Even the jam.
One of the cakes is a burgundy-coloured chocolate box inspired by the red Cartier box. Another is a clock – a nod to Cartier’s clock and watch-making.
As a parting gift, I was given a mini red box. Opening it, I found an assortment of tiny red macarons. Ahh, this afternoon tea both surprised and delighted!
Fun fact: Dogs are welcome in the Egerton House Hotel Tea Room only on Thursdays and Sundays with a limit of one dog per table!
Great Scotland Yard Hotel – Westminster
Wimbledon themed from £65 per head
The five-star boutique Great Scotland Yard Hotel is now part of the Hyatt group, but it was the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London. It is an 1820s Grade II listed building with Edwardian and Victorian architecture, featuring 151 rooms and suites. Great Scotland Yard Hotel has just been presented with an ‘Award of Excellence’ for delivering the highest standards in afternoon tea service, so you know you’re in good hands.
Afternoon tea is served in the Parlour. An intimate space, it has deep green themes with oodles of plants, a black and white tiled floor and white plantation shutters.
Chef Amador came out and spoke to me about the different themes they have for afternoon tea at the hotel, explaining that he and his team want to have fun with the food.
I enjoyed a preview of the Wimbledon-themed afternoon tea, taking inspiration from the British Royal Family and their love for tennis and from Wimbledon itself. The desserts were each a masterpiece in their own right. For example, there was a mango, yuzu and coconut “tennis ball.” The crowning glory was a cake topped with (biscuit) tennis racquets, accompanied by a (macaron) tennis ball and decorated with an edible Wimbledon logo. A feast for the eyes and the mouth!
Game, set and match to the Great Scotland Yard Hotel (the pun was too good not to use!).
Fun fact: Originally, the site occupied by the Great Scotland Yard Hotel served as a dwelling for Scottish royalty visiting the English court, giving it the name "Great Scotland Yard." In 1829, it became the first headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police.
St Ermin’s Hotel – Westminster
Traditional tea from £52 per head
As I turned into the grand driveway in front of the St Ermin’s Hotel, I was staggered by the size of the grand red brick hotel that surrounded me on three sides. Originally, St Ermin’s Mansions, the mansion blocks were converted into a hotel in 1899, forming 331 rooms and suites.
The hotel is very close to the Houses of Parliament. In 1940, Winston Churchill held a historic meeting at St Ermin’s Hotel where he asked a group of people to found the Special Operations Executive (also known as Churchill’s Secret Army). This group took over an entire floor of St Ermin’s for its headquarters during WWII whilst Intelligence Agency, MI6, was stationed two floors above.
I was serenaded by a live musician as I walked across the verandah and up the grand staircase, past the most glorious arrangement of flowers in honor of Pride Month, to the cozy Tea Lounge.
The Tea Lounge is small but very, very pretty. Think Wedgwood Pink Jasperware. The room is all pale pink walls and white trims but the star is the ornate, original Rococo plaster work. To complete the look of an old world parlour, there are fancy chandeliers, flowers and wall sconces.
This was a more traditional afternoon tea but still delicious. Inspired by seasonal ingredients from the hotel’s rooftop kitchen garden, my personal favourite savoury was the chicken sandwiches and favourite sweet was the pannacotta with meringue.
Fun fact: On the third floor roof of St Ermin’s Hotel, there is a colony of 350,000 bees. Guests can watch the bees making honey from behind glass. There is also the ‘Bee and Bee Hotel’ which offers a wide variety of bees a comfortable home. The ‘Bee and Bee Hotel’ is also home to other insects.
Raffles at OWO – Whitehall
Secrets & Spies theme from £85 per head
I walked into the Drawing Room full of expectation to see the results of the transformation of the imposing Edwardian Baroque Old War Office (OWO). Opened in September 2023, the redevelopment took eight years and comprises the 120 room Raffles London hotel and 85 private residences.
The Drawing Room overlooks historic Whitehall. The room seats about 50 people and is lined with original timber panelling and bookshelves. There are scattered leather Chesterfield couches, leather tub chairs, velvet chairs, plush carpet, chandeliers, brass lamps and wall sconces, plus bountiful floral arrangements. The room is all shades of brown, mustard, dark red and quiet luxury. A pianist plays a Grand Piano quietly in the corner.
Benedict Kershaw, a Heritage Ambassador, told me stories of Winston Churchill (he had an office in the OWO for three years and would give speeches from the grand staircase in the foyer). Benedict also told me about Ian Fleming (he drew inspiration from the OWO for the “James Bond” series) and about the spies who worked at or for the OWO. The MI5 and MI6 intelligence agencies started here.
I could have listened to his stories for hours but I was at Raffles London to experience afternoon tea. First came a looseleaf tea in a pot with a tea timer (!), followed by an amuse-bouche, then delicious sandwiches and the usual yummy scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
Once again, the stars of the Raffles London “Secrets & Spies” afternoon tea were the desserts – four tiny cakes (per person) created and named for four female spies – and an incredible watch cake to share, inspired by the, “Watch that Stopped the War.”
The spy cakes – Christine, Virginia, Odette and Vera – were each delectable and mini works of art. Executive Pastry Chef, Dale DeSimone said that his team wanted to create an afternoon tea to share a bit of history and to honour inspirational women from WWII. Goal achieved!
Fun fact: The OWO has three metre-wide corridors so that messengers could ride on bicycles in both directions at once to deliver messages around the four kilometres of corridors in the building.
Which goes first, the jam or the cream?
My afternoon tea extravaganza confirmed my suspicion that London takes afternoon tea very seriously. Goodness, there are websites dedicated exclusively to afternoon tea, awards and rankings!
It is not a cheap experience. Mind you, not much in London is cheap and the Aussie exchange rate sucks. When you consider that afternoon tea substitutes for lunch or dinner, the cost is not so bad. I also ate in some hotels with beautiful decorations and amazing stories – priceless!
I am still no closer, though, to solving the riddle of whether jam or cream goes on the scones first – thoughts?
The writer and her husband were hosted for afternoon tea at Great Scotland Yard Hotel, St Ermin’s Hotel and Egerton House Hotel.
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