Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London? Yes, Please.

If every highlight of our London trip I mentioned in the previous post were not quintessentially English enough for a fully enjoyable visit, having afternoon tea at The Ritz London is quite literally the icing on the tea cake, and we highly recommend.  Some will say it’s excessive, too expensive, too far from the casual American culture for comfort, and maybe even a tad rich in rules of etiquette, to which I say, “Yes. Reservation, please.”  This is not a meal for merely satisfying tastebuds.  It’s a flavorful moment to savor in your memory for years to come.

Here’s what it was like, along with what to expect when you book your reservation…

When you make plans to have a luxury afternoon tea such as this one at The Ritz, don’t forget there will be standards of dress you’ll need to know and adhere to which are very much part of the experience.  Men will need a jacket and tie to go with their dress pants.  Ladies will need a nice dress, suit or pants of modest style.  I had read that covered shoulders and knee lengths or longer are what’s typically expected over sundresses or short skirts, and that was consistent with what we saw.  A few ladies were wearing hats or fascinators, but most were without.

As much as I would love to stay at The Ritz sometime, so far we haven’t splurged quite that much, and I did wonder if we might feel like outsiders when we arrived by taxi, but we were immediately welcomed by the doormen on the street who were dressed in their spotless suits and smart top hats, as friendly as we could possibly ask for.

 

When we said we were there for tea, they escorted us down the long hallway, pointing out the ways to the restrooms, coat rooms, etc.  They even suggested a couple of nice spots for pictures and offered to take some for us.

 

I had read that tea would be served in Palm Court.  However, we were led through a series of colorful rooms and then seated at a table in a room of rich red.  Later, I learned this was the William Kent Mansion, a historic house that is now part of The Ritz, which has private dining rooms where royals and dignitaries have dined, now being used to serve Afternoon Tea.  Further research stated that the last episode of Downton Abbey was also filmed here!

 

 

The room was buzzing with waitstaff, all moving like clockwork to serve the guests, their performance drumming up a friendly atmosphere.  Once we were seated, the crisp white linens were placed on our laps and menus were placed in our hands.

 

Everything was handed to us with a smile and we were asked to choose our tea selection.  Any question about the tea was answered right away and they explained from the top what we should expect : the tea of our choice would be brought out for each of us, along with a tiered tray with a variety of tea sandwiches and beautiful tea cakes.  We would start with the sandwiches, which would be replenished as many times as we could want.  Then we would be brought scones with clotted cream and jam, after which we would enjoy the top tier of cakes.  After all of that, there would be yet another offering of cake slices which would be brought as a finale.  It is a definite practice in pacing yourself  through some extremely delectable bites.

When the tea arrives, resist the temptation to pour it into your cup, and also resist the temptation to wonder how the tiny sieve works.  The Tea Master will be along to top your cup with the sieve and then to pour your tea through, allowing it to catch the tiny leaves.  Even when you’re ready for a refill, allow the staff time to come around and repeat the pour for you again.  A proper tea has a limit of time it should steep before it passes its prime, thus the reason they will offer another pot or even another before you may have had time to drink it all.  And before we go on, I will confirm the tea itself was utterly delicious.  I chose an Organic Darjeeling which I can still taste when I think back.

 

 

All the serving pieces are tiny works of art, stamped, gilded, or marked with The Ritz’s recognizable lion and crown. There is music, of course, classical English- but not so loud to drown out the sounds of the guests enjoying their tea with the clinking of China adding a melody of its own.  Speaking of which, my research explained that if you use a spoon to stir milk or sugar into your tea, it’s considered bad etiquette to let the spoon hit the insides of the cup when stirring.  Instead, try to gently swing the spoon back and forth silently in the cup.  Of course, loud laughter or boisterous chatter is also considered unfitting, but laughter and pleasant conversations are definitely encouraged and even instigated by the waiters.

 

The sandwiches are small enough to lift to eat with a couple of fingers, but the proper way to eat is by tearing off one smaller bite at a time.

 

 

When eating the scones, it’s said to be proper to tear the scone apart with your fingers, then transfer portions of the clotted cream and the jam to your plate, spreading a small amount of each to your scone as you take each bite.  And you will absolutely love taking those bites, I should say.  That clotted cream is heavenly!

 

Did I mention the plethora of cakes? So much food.

 

 

Even with all of these rules to consider, the entire atmosphere was still very pleasant and easily enjoyed.  We never felt as though the staff were looking down on us or impatient in any way.  We even got a little amusement when our waiter made the comment that I was very “aware”, in reference to how I was responding to the formalities.  So I guess my goal to try to be fitting for the occasion was accomplished!  We were 4150 miles from our very different culture in Tennessee but I was relieved to know that, for a few short moments, we were able to keep that distance concealed.

I could have stayed here for hours just admiring the decor, and I tried to remain calm even as I clicked these shots as we left the tea.

 

 

 

 

 

We took our time to peek into a few more rooms as we left…

 

Noted the amazing colors in the fabrics and rugs…

 

And then, as if our decorum was on a timeclock that was about to run out, Lola and I had to take a bathroom selfie.  Note the luxurious hand towels lined perfectly on the little shelves…

 

 

Did we enjoy ourselves?  Absolutely.  Will we return?  That depends on whether my husband forgets how big of a hit his wallet took on this one.  Stay tuned.  Meanwhile, if you go, enjoy some extra clotted cream for me.  Savor each sip of your tea, take in the beautiful surroundings as you sip, and let me know what you think!