Getting fancy with London high tea.
If there’s one thing we knew we couldn’t miss while in London it was high tea. We’ve heard stories of these elaborate tea parties complete with hot teas, fresh crumpets, and creamy piles of clotted cream. In an ideal world I would have worn my Sunday best; a fancy dress, a ridiculously over the top hat, and lacy gloves for the event. There was only a few small problems. For one, we were backpacking around Europe for thirty days and the nicest outfit I had was one pair of jeans (sans holes) and one “smart” jacket. Also, it should be noted that I don’t like tea. Like, at all.
I’ve tried to like tea, believe me I have. There’s just something about flowers and leaves steeped in hot water that my palate doesn’t enjoy. My big girl taste buds have slowly been coming in and I’m hoping that tea will be in on menu in the next couple of years. Here’s to hoping. Nevertheless, my distaste for tea did not hold me back from experiencing a very posh high tea at the acclaimed Fortnum and Mason’s tea room.
I should have known that we were in for a treat the second we entered Fortnum and Mason. As it was a couple of weeks before Easter, our eyes were greeted by huge, elaborately decorated chocolate Easter eggs, colorful macaroons, and every type of bonbon you could imagine. My stomach had started grumbling as soon as my eyes feasted on all of the goodies before us. We quickly ran up the three flights of stairs to the Diamond Jubilee Tea salon where we were going to take our tea.
I have to make a confession. This wasn’t our first high tea experience. That had actually happened the day before. Our friends had treated us to a champagne high tea the afternoon prior and it was incredible. We had tiny finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and champagne. Champagne! I honestly didn’t think anything could compare. Imagine my surprise when we sat down and a plate stacked with the most amazing looking treats was laid in front of us.
I felt like I was Alice crashing the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Everything looked too perfect to eat. Not only was it beautiful, but it was delicious as well. I had fun imagining whether the light pink frosted eclair would make me grow taller or shrink me to the size of a strawberry. It did neither. Did I mention that there was a pianist who was pumping out sassy croons while we indulged? ‘Cause there was.
Our afternoon tea included a staggering five finger sandwiches, four fluffy scones, three kinds of jam, two turtle doves, and a variety of naughty cakes. We also had a bucket of clotted cream, which doesn’t sound appetizing but is actually quite scrumptious. We washed down the aforementioned treats with two pots of tea. I’m not going to lie, the tea was good. It’s still not something I’d drink on the daily, but our kind server chose a subtle blend that was perfect for my baby taste buds.
Would we do a London high tea at Fortnum and Mason again? Hells yes.
Psssss…
Our fancy pants high tea was courtesy of the kind folks at GetYourGuide. They’re happy to help you book catered tours all around the world. As always, all thoughts are our own i.e. we would have told you if the tea sucked, regardless of whether we paid for it or not. We give this experience four Captain and Clark thumbs up!
I’m sure you’ll acquire a taste for tea! Just keep trying until you find THE ONE! I personally love Earl Grey. It’s light and has citrus-y notes, but’ll give you a little caffeine buzz! I need to ask though, just way are naughty cakes?
Oh, I don’t think I’ve tried Earl Grey. I might have to give that a shot next time. I definitely need all the caffeine I can get! 🙂
Oh how very posh! Gotta say, you had me at “naughty cakes.” Can’t pass those up.
Right? You just can’t say no to naughty cakes!
London is great and Teo likes Tea…
We’re so with you!
i hope your pinkie was in the air the whole time
I’m sad to say that I forgot about the whole pinkie thing. 🙁 Slaps wrist.
Well you fancy huh? Q & I love our tea, so this would be right up our alley! I’d be scarfing down all those finger foods without ‘most proper’ manners
Haha that’s what I kept saying to Chris during our tea time. “Oh, you fancy huh?” I can’t say that he loved it, but I had fun. 😉
So this is what you ditched me for? 😉 Joking, so pleased you got to enjoy this British ritual!
Haha it was such a tough call! You now know that they way to my heart is through champagne 😉 Can’t wait to finally meet you at TBEX. You will be at TBEX, right?
I have yet to enjoy a proper high tea! I am a tea fan, so the infused flower leaves will do quite nicely, although, I have to admit, a champagne high tea sounds lovely too!
Champagne high tea was my jam! That is something I could do all day, every day 🙂
I love high tea! I did this a few years back for Easter, and wish I could do it more often. Just the idea makes me happy.
I used to hate tea, until it got forced on my visiting relatives all over Ireland. I still didn’t love it, until I stopped drinking it with milk. That, for some reason, changed it all. 🙂
Wait. So you liked tea better sans milk? Maybe I should try that next time!
As you know, I had my first tea in London a few weeks ago. It was FAB. Although, I would have loved it with Chris’ new accent to go with my cucumber sandwiches.
Bahaha! That definitely would have made your experience a memorable one!
How naughty were those cakes?? Lol. You gotta practice that pinky up, T. Maybe then you’ll like tea more. Hehehe
That’s right! I’ll have to try the pinkie next time. It might influence the way the tea tastes 😉
You know, as much time as I spend in fancy pants hotels, I’ve never once had a real high tea. Of course, I’ve also only spent a grand total of 24 hours in London, so perhaps that’s why. Well done:)
Oh, you’ve got to try a high tea! Tea aside, all of the cakes and sandwiches were to die for!
i’m in the mood for some naughty cakes after your post! what a great place to explore your non-love of tea!
Something tells us that you’re always in the mood for naughty cakes 😉 They were so good. I’m still a big fan of champagne high tea.
Oh wow, I didn’t know it was physically possible to not like tea! You learn so much from these reviews. Love the video, funny as always and the food looks amazing! I’ve added the post to my new series of inspirational lifestyle & travel stories, on my quest to convert more non-tea lovers, of course.
Ah, I know! I really want to like tea. I just haven’t found the perfect blend yet. It’s coming though, I promise. 🙂
Our little Tawny is growing up! 😉 Sounds like a nice afternoon break!
Woohoo! Big girl taste buds! I just recently decided that I liked milk in my cereal. haha!
In the video there is a shot of you drinking the tea then there is a surprised look on your face. Does that mean you were surprised by how good it was or did you remember why you did not like it?
we did high tea for the first time in dublin! so fun!!
I have been to London a couple time’s and have not yet had the chance to experience a genuine tea party. I would love to try to find one day but I always seem to get caught up sightseeing for most of the day. But it’s definitely on my list of things to do.