Afternoon Tea in London: A Guide to the Best
Few rituals are as gloriously London as afternoon tea. Tiered stands of finger sandwiches, warm scones and delicate pastries; a pot of something fragrant; an hour set aside to do nothing but enjoy them. It is part indulgence, part institution — and it began, as the best London traditions often do, with an aristocrat and a craving.
How a Duchess Invented Afternoon Tea
The ritual is credited to Anna Maria Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, in the 1840s. Faced with the long gap between lunch and a fashionably late dinner, she began taking tea and a light bite in the afternoon — and soon invited friends to join her. What started as a private habit became a social occasion, and then a national one.
Where to Take Tea
London still does it best. The Ritz remains the most theatrical, all palm court and pianist; Claridge’s and The Savoy offer polished Art Deco grandeur; Fortnum & Mason serves tea where it has sold it since 1707; Brown’s, one of London’s oldest hotels, does a quietly perfect version; and The Wolseley brings grand-café glamour to Piccadilly. Many of the finest sit a short stroll from Mayfair and Marylebone.
Afternoon tea is not really about the food. It’s about giving yourself an hour.
The Art of Doing It Properly
There is an etiquette, gently observed: sandwiches first, then scones, then pastries. Warm the pot, and give loose leaf time to steep. And on the eternal question — jam first or cream first — London tends to side with Cornwall (jam, then cream), while gently agreeing to disagree. The only real rule is to slow down.
Tea on Your Doorstep
For those who live in Prime Central London, the city’s grandest tea rooms are a walk, not a journey. Valoir’s furnished apartments in Marylebone, Kensington and beyond put this most civilised of afternoons within easy reach.
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