Claridge's, London > Reviews > Tea and cakes for 12 please

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Quality of Rooms	Excellent
Standard of Service	Excellent
Quality of Food & Drink	Excellent
Cleanliness	Excellent

Advantages:	Attentive service, delicious food .
Disadvantages:	A little pricey, the temptation to just keep on eating .  .  .  .  .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It was my Aunts 60th birthday and as a treat for her and her close female friends and family, we were all invited to Afternoon Tea at Claridges.

Afternoon Tea is held daily from 3pm until 5:30pm and this is something you have to book in advance, either over the phone or using the online booking form. As I didn't do this I can't comment on how easy or difficult it was. We totaled 12 and were sat on a long narrow table in a spacious area of the room.

~ The Room ~
To be honest I didn't pay too much attention - sorry! - but it was very ornate, high ceilings, a bit art deco and surprisingly not as 'posh' as I thought it would be. There was lots of space between the tables of which there were many and above the buzz of conversation you could hear someone playing the piano.

~ Tea, Sandwiches and Cakes ~
There were a few menus dotted on the table, of course I can't list every single tea (there were about 4 sides of A5 paper full of teas to choose), but I can remember the sandwiches as my Gran kindly left her glasses at home so I had to tell her numerous times what was what…..

Smoked chicken salad.
Ham & mustard.
Cucumber & cream cheese.
Egg mayonnaise & tomato.
Smoked salmon & horseradish.

The sandwiches were very dainty, crusts off, cut into triangles or fingers and were two bites big but each one (with the exception of the salmon which everyone hated as it was incredibly salty) was very tasty and incredibly more-ish. We probably munched our way through 2 rounds of sandwiches but as they were so nice - and the waiter brought out more without prompting - and you know what it's like, they were there so we just kept on eating.

The best bit of course were the cakes although every table received a slightly different selection so of course we didn't get what the next table had which did provoke a few "Oo what've they got" comments. We had several platters of:-

Fruit tarts.
Strawberries on a sponge flan.
A chocolate, ginger & apple bombe.
Scones.

I didn't try the fruit tarts or the strawberry sponge as to me they just didn't seem at all exciting, the chocolate bombe was delicious, caramelly, soft milk chocolate, thick cream, big chunks of apple and a delicate ginger taste. The apple and raisin scones were out of this world - very light and creamy, not at all like supermarket scones which go claggy in the mouth and feel like a brick in the stomach. The clotted cream wasn't too sticky and the tea-infused jam added a nice sweet tangy kick and to me was miles better than strawberry ever could be.

~ The Service ~
Quite attentive without being annoying, very organized. Each of us had ordered a different tea yet they remembered who had ordered what without anyone having to prompt.

The only "Garcon!" moment we had was when we had ran out of clotted cream and jam for the scones but this was replenished with freakish Roadrunner speed.

~ The Price ~
£31 per person although the price I paid was free - hurrah.

~ The Facilities ~
Teeny cubicles, you have to do an odd limbo to close / open the cubicle door. You also have a basin of hot water filled for you ready to wash your hands. Of course, such service will set you back a few pence as there is a saucer for tips between the basins and the lavatory attendant standing close by so I felt obliged to put in a £1 coin. Yes, sometimes I have no backbone.

~ Come again? ~
Hmm, well - the £31 per person is a little on the pricey side but you do get treated well and the cakes are absolutely delicious so this would be a lovely treat for something like Mother's Day or if you're feeling extra flush, something to have before going to see a show or hitting the shops.

I know I'll sound incredibly sexist but although there was the odd male there, to me the whole idea of 'tea and cakes' does seem not just quintessentially English but something that women would enjoy more than men - but who am I to say? If your man loves nothing better than settling back with some scones and a nice cup of Lapsang Souchong, get yourselves down there pronto!

www.claridges.co.uk