tea in London

Pip pip!

They say afternoon tea is incredibly therapeutic. It's a great time to sit and relax in the afternoon, socialize, and reap the many health benefits of tea. There are three types of tea: afternoon tea (with finger sandwiches and pastries), high tea (16:00 with hot food), and royal tea (with champagne). I've had afternoon tea twice in London, both times at The Orangery (yelp!) in the Kensington Palace Gardens, and both times were so fun and so amazing and made me feel so British. I'm not sure I followed tea etiquette properly (ref: Emily Post or perhaps something slightly more modern) but I greatly enjoyed myself.

darjeeling tea

smoked salmon finger sandwiches

pear and apple tart

scones with clotted cream and jam

belgian chocolate cake

cutie pie puppy dog!

perfect on a cold winter afternoon

Darjeeling tea is incredibly delicious and so is clotted cream (on a scone). I refuse to eat American rock-like dense scones ever again. These scones were airy and fresh and light and delicious and ruined all other scones for me. The tarts and cakes and other desserts were set up in a nice display and it all looked great; we chose the pear and apple tart and some chocolate cake. Both were super sweet and yummy. In general, all of the food was so fresh and well-prepared and delicious.















There are lots of places to get tea, including Harrod's, but I love the idea of having tea on palace grounds and you can walk around to burn off some calories afterwards. You can check out the Tea Guild's list of top 10 tea places for more suggestions.

citrus salad

chicken salad

lots of tea

cucumber sandwiches (cliche?)

awkward

I've tried the chamomile tea and I'm not really a fan. It tasted too flowery for me. And I think finger sandwiches are so precious, a bit cliche, and delicious. The bread they use is super fluffy and crustless and filled with yummy stuff.

The interior is really beautiful, lots of marble and columns and busts and so full of light.





Cheers!