Clifford
Mould seeks out the finest Afternoon
Tea in London
There
is a detailed list of prices
and addresses at the end of the
article.
Years
ago, afternoon tea in one of the
opulent public rooms of a grand hotel
was just a routine for the residents.
Nowadays it has become a treat for
the tourist, or an afternoon out
for the family that wants to celebrate
in style. For many of us, afternoon
tea is a legitimate excuse to sit
in very comfortable chairs in swanky
surroundings whilst being waited
on hand and foot. The cost of the "full
works" is anything between about
fifteen and over forty pounds, but
at least there are no necessary extras
like bottles of wine, mineral water
and coffee that somehow seem to double
the price of lunch or dinner.
Be
warned, however, that most of the
grand hotels operate a basic dress
code, which means a jacket and tie
for men; mostly there's an embargo
on denim and trainers, though children
are usually exempt. If you're not
certain, ring before you go. The
hall porter can usually lend you
a tie if you find yourself in
extremis. I once had to borrow
a white bow tie from a hall porter
in an hotel in Venice. It was a dreadful
clip-on tie and it pinged from my
throat to the platform when I went
for a high note in the concert in
which I was singing. Very embarrasing.
But not as bad as the trousers I
once had to borrow for a concert
in Vienna, but that's another story.
Reader
Update 2001
My hubby and I just returned
to the States from 10 days
in London. We were fortunate
to have formal afternoon tea
five times. Hubby said you'd
like to know how we got on,
so this is my informal critique.
Ritz: Expensive, but
amazing. The service was top-notch
and the food was flawless.
Very welcoming atmosphere in
spite of the lavish surroundings.
Not intimidating at all.
Brown's: This was
my favourite place, although
the service left a bit to be
desired. They did come around
with extra bonus desserts like
sponge cake and tarts which
were in addition to your pastry
tray. Very yummy and nice environment
to relax in.
Lanesborough: Garden-like,
Asian setting. Again, somewhat
slow service, but a fine tea
overall. Made we think of an
Indian garden when Britain
still had an empire.
Claridge's: Art Deco
to the max! They have a wonderful
South African tea with a hint
of vanilla (Bourbon was the
name) which was delicious.
Unfortunately, service was
extremely slow and we were
only checked on once during
the meal.
Four Seasons: An excellent
tea-stop for beginners and
tea fans. We were one of only
two tables enjoying tea on
the day we visited. The hostess
was very helpful and explained
the meal completely and even
poured and refreshed our cups
several times. Quiet, lush
surroundings with live piano
music. We also had a final
sorbet included in our teas
which was an excellent finish.
Thank you for your earlier
input. We are looking forward
to a return to London in the
near future. |
For
the most traditional English afternoon
tea, one's first port of call would
probably be Brown's Hotel in
Albemarle Street, just off Piccadilly.
It is London's oldest hotel, established
in 1837 by Mr & Mrs Brown who were
servants to the late Lord Byron.
At Brown's you can sink into the
deep armchairs of the Drawing Room
while waiters fetch sandwiches and
cakes on Victorian silver tea stands.
Across
Piccadilly on the South side is The
Ritz Hotel where afternoon tea
has become rather an institution.
It is so popular that there are three
sittings. It comes in a bone china
service by Royal Worcester served
at little tables in the high camp
opulence of the Palm Court with its
Louis XV chandeliers, curlicues and
cabriolet legs. To avoid disappointment,
you really must reserve a table at
the Ritz, especially at the weekend.
Further
down Piccadilly, towards Hyde Park,
the privately owned Atheneum Hotel
is an oasis of calm. I had tea in
the elegant sitting room, and a smiling
waiter laid up the coffee table with
proper napery and a colourful tea
service. Unlike most of the other
hotels where there is a set price
for afternoon tea, at the Athenaeum
you can choose from a range of options
starting with a pot of tea and with
home made pastries charged separately,
as well as two more substantial set
teas - see details at the end of
the article.
For
the true gourmet, the beverage itself
is of more significance than the
sandwiches and cakes. At Claridge's in
Mayfair, serious consideration is
given to the brewing of tea, having
been first carefully selected from
the enormous range offered by the
specialist Parisian importer Mariage
Frères. Their very own
Monsieur Frank Desaine recently came
over from Paris to demonstrate the
art of brewing tea to the Claridge's
staff. They are now using special
unbleached cotton filters that allow
the tea space for the extraction
of all its essences. After three
minutes, the stimulant theophylline will
have been extracted along with sufficient
other flavours and tannins. After
this the additional tannins and darker
colours will add only a vulgar coarseness
to the brew. As well as a choice
of fourteen varieties of teas, there
are the usual delicacies such as
freshly baked raisin and apple scones
with cream and strawberry jam.
At
the Dorchester Hotel on Park
Lane there is a bewildering choice
of over thirty different varieties
of tea to choose from, but the most
popular is the Dorchester's own brand.
All their blends can be purchased,
wrapped in the Dorchester's distinctive
livery.
nExecutive
head chef Andrew Turner, of
the Berkeley Hotel, has clearly
been inspired by the Chelsea Flower
Show, one of the early attractions
of the "season" - that quintessentally
English procession of halcyon social,
sporting and cultural events. At
the Berkeley you will find warm sloe
gin scones and honey blossom cakes
baked in little individual flower
pots. Nasturtium blossoms and elderflowers
have been pressed into fragrant service
and on no account should you miss
the lavender brulee and the orange
blossom pomponettes.
Handy
for Harrods and the other smart Knightsbridge
emporia is the Capital Hotel whose
maître de cuisine Philip
Britten somehow finds the time
to bake fresh teatime breads, make
homemade jam and supervise the preparation
of a waist enhancing array of cakes
and pastries. The Capital Hotel tea
is served in their very elegant sitting
room and we vote it the best value
for money of all the grand hotel
teas in central London.
In
Summer, tea is best taken al fresco,
or at least within sight of a garden.
At the Hyde Park Hotel, opposite
Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge,
there is a fine view over the park,
but if the weather is fine you can
sit outside on the terrace at Cannizaro
House on Wimbledon Common enjoying
the sweep of a grand country house
garden within the London postal area.
This fine hotel has a kitchen brigade
that launch themselves (successfully)
at just about every culinary competition
going, so expect a great selection
of home baked calorific concoctions.
Because it's just outside central
London, the cost of your tea at Cannizaro
House is rather less stratospheric.
Back
in the metropolis proper, tea at The
Savoy is taken in the magnificent
Thames Foyer with its hand carved
French porcelain roses and original
art deco mirrors. Nowadays a pianist
accompanies an orchestra of tinkling
teaspoons, but in the roaring twenties
Victor Sylvester and the Savoy
Orpheans used to play for the Thés
dansants. In the nineteen thirties
there was many a storm in a teacup
at the famous Savoy "Tango Teas".
Today, if you fancy strutting your
stuff over a cup of Earl Grey then
you must go to the Café de
Paris on Sunday afternoons. It
has recently reopened in great splendour
after a 1.5 million pound refurbishment
of the Grade II listed premises in
Coventry Street, W1. To get you going,
there is an eight piece orchestra
plus the added excitement of The
Indigo Club, Britain's first
theatrical Ballroom Dance company.
At each Tea Dance they execute two
demonstration sets: classical ballroom
as well as Latin American. I haven't
yet checked out the cucumber sandwiches,
but I'm told the honey and crumpet
is absolutely fabulous!
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