As British as... well, Afternoon Tea. This little custom is self-defining... and we blimmin' love it.
Nothing refreshes quite like a cuppa. And nothing helps dry up that liquidy tea quite like a slab of cake or a cucumber buttie.
Refinement is the name of the game where afternoon tea is concerned... so don your best tweed/ pill-box hat, pull up a pew and tuck into that most British of rituals.
Treacle on Columbia Road boasts of its dazzling cupcakes and simple, no frills mugs of tea to wash them down with and for most of us that’s all we need to call an afternoon a winner. Cupcakes may have become a victim of their own saccharine success but when they taste like Treacle’s it is difficult to care. The colours summon childhood memories and on a budget this is one of London’s best.
This is the curve ball known as Not Afternoon Tea, a daily event in the upper echelons of the OXO Tower in a world where everything is opposite. Forward is backward, backward is forward and instead of tea and scones it’s cocktails and chocolate tarts. If you find the concept of afternoon tea a little stuffy then this is the place to be with the all the views, the haute cuisine and the subversive switching of an institution.
Not particularly afternoon tea but it’s one that everyone should visit, especially if you’ve ever questioned London’s romantic credentials. Not quite the hidden gem it was but now more people are enjoying the best window display of cakes in the city, zany artwork and the café’s unmistakable Breton bohemia. Tres cool.
Sketch and its Parlour room come straight out of the court of Louis XV. This is the only place in town where it’s acceptable to indulge in sticky fingered fun and clotted cream covered faces without feeling rude. The quality of the dainty sandwiches and pastries is sublime but this Sketch is all about the luxury of a palatial cup of tea. Monsieur, with these scones, you’re really spoiling us.
Fortnum and Mason has been selling tea for over 300 years, which is some CV. This year their new Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon was opened by none other than HM the Queen, who offered it the Royal approval. £38.00 will buy you finger sandwiches, scones and a selection of cakes from the Diamond Jubilee Cake Carriage plus Fortnum’s Classic Blend Tea.
If you like the flamboyant extravagance that Soho does best then Bob Bob Ricard is for you. The Champagne afternoon tea is the only way to go and rushing on the bubbles is positively encouraged. What’s more the all-booth dining room features tables equipped with a ‘Champagne Button’ which when pressed summons a new bottle of pop. The over the top art deco interior is incredibly ostentatious, remaining impressive with every visit. The usual finger rolls and cakes cost around £35.00 with Champagne.
