London's ten best afternoon teas

by liamssoft | July 26, 2012 at 11:30 pm

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The ritual of afternoon tea owes its origins to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. As a young women in the early 1800s she lived during a time when it was common to eat only two main meals a day, with breakfast scheduled early in the morning and dinner occuring late in the evening. Weakened and irritated by hunger pangs each day, she decided to schedule time to take tea and snack each afternoon. This private ceremony was firstly done furtively in her bedroom, but over time well-heeled acquaintances joined her and the practice was perpetuated. Nowadays tea rooms and hotels in London and throughout the country offer permutations of this centuries-old tradition. Plenty are pretty much indistinguishable but quite a few offer something unique. Below are some of the capital's best afternoon teas for those who want to experience something special.

1) Best for traditional afternoon tea: Claridge's afternoon tea

Top treat: freshly baked raisin and apple scones, served warm with spiced Marco Polo jam and silky dollops of clotted cream, scooped into a tumbler like ice-cream.
Address: Claridge’s, Brook St, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
Days and times: tea is served daily at 3pm, 3.30pm & 5pm or 5.30pm
Cost: £38; champagne afternoon tea £49-£62

2) Best for healthy indulgence: Brown's Hotel's Tea-Tox

Top treat: a sugarless chocolate cup with yoghurt and berries was far more decadent than I would ever have thought possible.
Address: Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BP
Days and times: Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm; Sat-Sun 1pm-6pm
Cost: £39.50; champagne afternoon tea £49.50

3) Best for fashionistas: The Berkeley's Prêt-à-Portea

Top treat: the brightly coloured Lanvin cassis bavarois with crème de mûre jelly topped with folded meringue.
Address: Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BP
Days and times: daily 1pm-6pm
Cost: £37.50; champagne tea £47.50 - £54.50.

4) Best for a ceremonious experience: Teanamu Chaya Teahouse

Top treat: The lo mai fan lotus leaf rice parcel - a sticky, tea-infused rice with braised mushrooms and sweet azuki, £3 was a revelation.
Address: Teanamu Chaya Teahouse, coach house, 14a St Luke’s Road, W11 1DP
Days and times: Saturdays and Sundays: 12pm - 6pm.
Cost: Tea or tisane, £3.50; snacks £2-£3; minimum charge per head, £10.

5) Best for Chinese-style tea: Grand Imperial's Oriental Afternoon Tea

Top treat: the unusual rich chocolate dim sum creations, a deliciously different dessert.
Address: Grand Imperial, 101 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0SJ
Days and times: daily midday-5pm
Cost: £20; £28 with a glass of sparkling rosé

6) Best for playful luxury: Sanderson Mad Hatter Tea

Top treat: the scones themselves were perfection. Light, fluffy and freshly baked - they were still warm when they arrived at the table. Served with lovely thick clotted cream and divine Alain Milliat strawberry jam.
Address: Sanderson, 50 Berners Street London, W1T 3NG
Days and times: Mon-Fri 2pm - 5.30pm, Sat-Sun 1pm - 5.30pm
Cost: £35 each

7) Best for literary mums: Chesterfield Hotel Mayfair, tea poet readings

Top treat: The delicious chocolate scones, spooned with clotted cream and home-made jam (only with the chocolate afternoon tea).
Address: The Chesterfield Mayfair, 35 Charles Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5EB.
Days and times: Served daily from 1.30pm to 5.30pm. Elizabeth Darcy Jones will also appear this Mother's Day (Sunday March 18).
Cost: £27.50 (£30.94) Chocolate afternoon tea; £25.50 (£28.69) for the Chesterfield Traditional afternoon tea; Champagne tea from £33.50 (£37.69). Figures in brackets denote price including discretionary service charge.

8) Best for men: Sanctum/CSDR gentlemen's afternoon tea

Top treat: the poached oyster with Bloody Mary relish was an ideal jumping-off point: keep that down, and you'll sail through the rest of the menu.
Address: Sanctum Soho Hotel 20 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NF
Days and times: daily 2pm-6pm
Cost: £50

9) Best for enjoying a cheap day out: Fan museum

Top treat: a satisfyingly hefty hunk of chocolate brownie, moist and filled with white chocolate chunks, will banish the evil spirits even if the fans don't.
Address: Greenwich Fan Museum,12 Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10 8ER
Days and times: Tues 3pm-5pm; Sun 3pm-5pm
Cost: £6: two scones, jam and cream, two cakes, pot of tea

10) Best for homely atmosphere: The Tea Rooms

Top treat: Their fresh, homemade raspberry jam for the scones is quite possbly the finest jam in London, a fact affirmed by my fellow tea-tasting buddy, a self-proclaimed condiment connoisseur who was somewhat crestfallen when she discovered they'd run out of jars to take home.
Address: 153-155 Stoke Newington Church Street, London, N16 0UH
Days and times: Mon-Fri 11am-6pm; Sat-Sun 11am - 6.30pm
Cost: £15 or £17 including a glass of prosecco. A special Mother's Day tea costs £20

Source:telegraph.co.uk