For Afternoon Tea Week - Top 5 Teas IMO

Especially for Afternoon Tea Week and after saying that the Scoff & Banter Tea was in my top three,  I've since been asked what are my top five teas - obviously I haven't yet been to every Afternoon Tea there is but I'm working on it ...

So what do I consider an Exceptional Afternoon Tea ? For me of course it's partly the food-  both taste and how it looks and a good choice of teas but that's really not enough to make it special. It also needs to include service that shows an understanding of the tea experience, the surroundings - the room, maybe a view, the furniture and also the crockery and cutlery really score with me, as a does a nice crisp white table cloth. Value counts too but I also don't mind paying if it really is outstanding.  
A place can lose points for jam in pots, cold scones, curly sandwiches, teabags or packets of sugar. They also need to have endless tea (and the offer to change blends if required) or coffee offered and the venue needs to have pleasant toilets - even better if there's quality scented handwash and hand lotion in there !! 

So after much debate with  myself and making myself hungry looking at old pictures, here are my top five, so far!

At 5…. Conrad St James (was the Intercontinental Westminster)

The Silverware 

Alice in Wonderland Tea 

Chelsea Flower Show Tea

Having been there five times, I couldn’t really leave it off my list. The fact that you can have unlimited champagne also helps but I’ve had that at other places and they don’t always concentrate on the other details whist topping you up. The room is beautiful and has a relaxed feel with comfy plump sofas and chairs, and the times we have been have never felt rushed out or hurried. The food is always exquisitely presented, plentiful and delicious. What’s also great is how they change the menu often according to seasons and events. It won’t be my last visit as its perfect place to take a group of girls for an early evening tea and drinks – £35 without champagne or £49 with - if you have ever ordered a bottle of prosecco or champers in London you will know what good value this is !

http://yummyandscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/alice-in-wonderland-tea-conrad-st-james.html



At 4..The Hotel Café Royal, Regent Street, London 

admiring the savouries!

This was my last birthday treat and was hard to beat for the sheer opulence of the room –the service which was outstanding and the food which was beautiful and delicious. The savoury selection of not just sandwiches but goats cheese puffs, smoked salmon bagel, wild boar and crackling bun among the delights on offer – we also liked that the different “courses” were brought separately, with an amuse bouche and explanation of each tray brought out. Plus of course were served on gorgeous crockery with shiny cutlery. A glass of champagne finished off the feast.

Check out our experience here

http://yummyandscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/amazing-afternoon-tea-for-birthday.html



At 3… Scoff & Banter Tea Room, Oxford Street, London 

We are both still reeling from the gorgeousness of this recent tea which totally epitomises what a tea experience should be about – it’s not super expensive but the attention to detail in the food , the Tea Room and the service is very special.

http://yummyandscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/high-tea-time-how-very-british-scoff.html



At 2 BG Restaurant, Bergdorf Goodman, New York 

This is one that was special for lots of reasons, it was part of a fabulous girls trip to New York , but also was in a stunning room overlooking Central Park, again with fantastic attention to detail and a real desire to create an “Authentic” British Tea, sandwiches and savouries were great (we ordered extra platefuls so good were they) and a great choice of teas all served on duck egg blue crockery that toned with the room, and served by white coated but friendly staff

Read and enjoy the pictures here ! http://yummyandscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/afternoon-tea-at-bergdorf-goodman-5th.html



At 1 The Savoy, London 

This still remains my top tea – have been to the hotel a few times for drinks, we go for an annual black tie event and even stayed there once, but not since 2011 for tea. Really must get back there. Its pricey , even without a champagne option, but it is beautiful, very traditional, superb service and you really can sit there for hours and keep ordering more sandwiches cakes, tea (or at least we could in 2011)

Our last experience is here http://yummyandscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/savoy-hotel-thames-foyer-afternoon-tea_14.html

So readers, what are your top five teas ?

We would be especially interested about out of London ones! 
And what do you think makes a good tea turn into a great afternoon tea?

I suspect that my next visit to Brighton and intentions of having tea at the Brighton Grand, may well push one of the above off the list but who knows?