Tea at the Dorchester

The Dorchester has, undoubtedly, the best cakes, champagne, scones, sandwiches, and service.

This is possibly my favourite place for tea, but unfortunately I can only find this photo. It's not really the kind of experience you want to interrupt with photos. So you'll just have to trust me on this one!

Luckily Google has helped in showing where we sat.

Tea at Harrods' terrace bar

My mum and I went last summer for her birthday, tea here was absolutely as scrumptious as you could imagine!

I still dream about those little lobster rolls! 

Ladurée Tea Rooms at Harrods

I really like tea at Ladurée because the food is always so sweet and everything is so beautifully served.
Prepare for an onslaught of photos. I had so many more that I can't find, which is such a shame as everything created is a piece of art… edible art.

Feast your eyes on this!

Afternoon tea at the Hempel

 The Hempel, the hotel that really introduced me to afternoon tea and its glory.

I went twice in 2011 but unfortunately, since then I'm not sure if the hotel or its restaurant no.31 is still open for tea as you can no longer book online; I really should call and see…note to self…

So here it starts, in beautiful glass crockery!

This was honestly one of the most scrumptious tea party selections ever!

Delicious scones, perfect sandwiches, and yummy cakes. What more could you want?

…a latte?

 I only used to drink coffee at afternoon tea, can you believe it?

only clean plates left!

And one shot from the first time I went in 2011!

Puttin' it on the Ritz

Last Thursday a group of us went to the Ritz for my friend Victoria's 21st birthday.

Us all being big Iggy Azalea fans, we'd had Fancy in our heads a while and felt it especially relevant now. Play it while reading the blog, go on.

So upon arrival we gave our coats to the cloakroom and sat down to a tea menu, I decided on Darjeeling Flush but later switched to coffee.

Cakes and sandwiches presented as beautifully as you'd expect and replenished as often as you could possibly desire. 

Scones soon came and were so delicious that it felt as though they were melting in your mouth. Though a better selection of jam wouldn't have gone amiss. 

At some point even more cake was offered, a choice of sticky toffee or lemon drizzle, of course sticky toffee was what I opted for. 

The celebrations were wonderful and the delicious champagne definitely helped. 

As did some gossip… kaffeeklatsch o'clock.

With stomachs ready to burst we left with one last photo for the birthday girl's memories.

Mad Hatter Tea Party at Sanderson

In February my brother, his friend, and I all went to Mad Hatter tea at the Sanderson hotel. 

Though I was very excited, I was certainly not let down.

As you enter some one will take your coat and seat you either at the bar or outside by the pond (where we were). At the table you'll find the Old Souls book with the menu hidden inside.

Shortly after your arrival a waiter will present your party with four adorable little glass bottles filled with tea leaves and flavours, I opted for rhubarb and custard while my brother chose chocolate and mind and his friend strawberries and cream. There was also the choice of apple pie which smelt gorgeous too!

The tea was presented in little pots with paper crowns.

Sugar anyone?

It's quite funny, because they didn't have any background music at the restaurant, we just kept winding this up and playing it. The sugarplum fairy was fitting.

As the pièce de resistance was revealed we were given the cutlery and napkins, which were cutely presented in a paper ring with a  riddle written on.. 

The sandwiches, scones, and cakes were all delectable!

Here's the menu:

Savoury
Smoked Cumbrian ham with wholegrain mustard on sun-dried tomato bread
Cucumber and chive cream cheese on spinach bread
Cold smoked salmon and lemon butter on dark rye bread
Egg mayonnaise with watercress and smoked sea salt on lemon bread

Daily quiche

Sweet
Carrot meringue served on a bed of pea shoots
'Strawberries and cream' homemade marshmallow mushrooms
'Tick Tock' traditional Victoria sponge
Melting mango cheesecake
Matcha green tea and white chocolate mousse served in chocolate tea cup
'Drink Me' Potion 

Selection of homemade savoury and sweet scones,
served with herb butter and fruit preserves with clotted cream

Jelly Wonderland

Their favourite was the victoria sponge, but mine had to be the teacups.

This little drink me potion was pretty tasty too.

Soon it was all gone, save a couple of mushrooms and some bubbles.

The Jelly bar however left a lot to be desired, but you win some, you lose some. I wasn't about to complain anyway.

So we left very happy and full after a wonderful tea party!

On our way out we explored the hotel a bit and found lots of interesting furniture… 

Tea for three at the Kensington Close Hotel

So my cousin, her friend and I came to this hotel on April 1st for some tea. Upon arrival we were offered the choice of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Since the tea list wasn't very extensive, we chose a cappuccino and two hot chocolates. Not a traditional afternoon tea but the drinks were lovely. The food on the other hand was less fun, the scones and sandwiches were alright but the cakes really weren't anything to write home about. Yet, for the price (only £15) it was worth it.

The location is pretty good too, just down a road adjacent to High Street Kensington, so it was perfect for a spot of shopping afterwards.