I have decided to pander to a foreigner’s view of British life by focusing this week on the brilliant tradition of afternoon tea, an experience that I know many students at LSE try when arriving in London or when parents are visiting.
Words can barely describe my first experience of afternoon tea, after all to a child with a mouth apparently completely filled with sweet teeth what is more exciting that a tier of different cakes and scones and the less exciting but necessary sandwiches which prevent a total sugar coma?
So I have compiled a list of top tea places which vary in price and location, but all of which come highly recommended for your forays into the fine art of taking afternoon tea.
Cheaper but still delicious
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Café in the Crypt
£5.25 per person
Daily at 2.00pm-6.00pm
Served in a landmark church crypt with vaulted ceilings and gravestones on the floor yet wonderfully cheap for such dramatic surroundings.
Bea’s of Bloomsury
£9 per person
Monday to Friday 2.30 p.m. onwards and from noon on Weekends.
Often described as a home away from home and this cosy café also does gluten free cakes!
National Portrait Gallery Café
£15 per person
15:15 – 17:00
Amazing views and featured in the film Closer with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen makes this a must for fans and tourists.
Pricier but Classier
Fortnum and Mason
£32 per person
2-7pm except Sundays 12- 4.30pm.
Elegance is expected from guests to reflect the sumptuous surroundings. There is a huge array of teas and a pianist to set the mood
Berkeley Hotel, Pret-à-Portea
£35 per person
Daily at 1pm to 6pm.
The menu is transformed every 6 months to follow the changing seasons in fashion. This season’s afternoon tea includes designs by Christian Dior, Burberry, Christian Lacroix, Louis Vuitton, and Mulberry.
Ritz
£37 per person
5 daily sittings- 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm
The royalty of tea-time reflected by the need to book 6-12 weeks in advance.
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