High Tea in London is not exactly a cheap affair but it is
nice when you get good service for what you pay. I have been once before (link)
to the Berkeley where we enjoyed the fashioned themed sandwiches and cakes and
thought it was good value. Unfortunately, I have heard negative reviews of The
Ritz where they obviously rely on their reputation and charge a high price and
do not provide great food or service.
At Fortnum and Mason however, we were lucky and received
both good food and good service. We chose teas from a menu of over 80 teas (yes
this was a difficult task for Lynne who is terrible at making decisions!). I
started with pot of Chai and around the table Orange Pekoe, Huang Ya Cha Yellow
Buds (Yellow Tea – had never heard of this before!)and Gunpowder tea, were all
ordered. They are also happy to accommodate other tastes, such as apple tea for
the kids (served in a teapot) and a Hot Chocolate (for one of the bigger kids).
We chose the classic menu so received a 3-tiered cake stand
with sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries. There is also an option to have a
savoury high tea where the scones are all savoury and the cakes and pastries
replaced with foods like blinis, toast and mini pies. The kids chose from the
Children’s menu – I think it was pretty easy for them to decide –Annabelle had
‘Cakes for Girls’ and Harry had ‘Cakes for Boys’.
Although the difference
between the two was difficult to determine.
 |
| This is the ''cakes for boys''. |
For the rest of us we started with the sandwiches, an
assortment of Chicken with Fortnum’s Tarragon Dijon Mustard, Cucumber with Mint
Butter, Rare Breed Hen Egg with Mustard Cress, Poached and Smoked Salmon with
Lemon, and Caper Crème Fraîche and Rare Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream. Once
Jen and I had eaten them all we were quickly offered replenishment and got
another plate of the same. From here I moved up a tier to the scones, they were
either plain or with sultanas and served with clotted cream and a choice of
Fortnum and Mason preserve. I stuck with the theme and had their Jubilee Royal
Sovereign Strawberry, it was very tasty indeed. We were all especially
impressed as Bray, Jen and I have had some interesting experiences with scones
before.
One scone was enough before Jen and I moved on to the cakes
and pastries – they change regularly and we were fortunate to receive some very
decadent foods; a rose éclair, a cherry and white chocolate fondant/cake, a
chocolate mousse with a cake base and a
very rich and sticky caramel cake with gold leaf. They also allow you to choose
from Highgrove Cake Carriage, everything is complimentary and you can have as
much as you like. I did go for another pot of tea (Moroccan Mint this time) but
resisted any more food.
 |
| This does not do it justice. |
Andrea, Jonathan and the kids left (an hour and a half in
our company was more than enough for Annabelle and Harry) a little before us
but it was great to spend some time with them in London. We were then able to
finish our tea before taking our time to leave by checking out every floor of Fortnum
and Mason. Whilst the majority of the items they sell are wayyyyyyyy out of my
price range it is January sale time and I was able to spend a little of my hard
earned cash (a new 2013 diary) before I left – very full and feeling very posh.
All in all, a quintessentially English way to spend an
afternoon!
*note I did not actually dine with the Queen.
