Afternoon Tea at The Ritz

An Afternoon Tea experience at The Ritz is probably as fabulously British as you can get, add on to that a spectacular performance including live singing from Soprano Miranda Heldt and a string quartet, and you have a truly memorable evening. With it's reputation for glamour and opulence, and the destination for fine dining, the hotel's prestigious Palm Court made for a spectacular location for our Afternoon Tea.

The hotel dates back to 1905, and the regal building with the name in dazzling lights screams regal glitz and glamour, and inside the stunning art-deco interiors, rich colours and opulent furnishings reflect the etiquette that is anticipated within the establishment. The service throughout was impeccable, right from the sincere warm welcome extended to us before we sat for tea. The waiters approached our table cheerfully and chatty - which lightened the atmosphere somewhat, as dressed to impress and within such grand surroundings it could have become a little intense. Our waiter poured us a glass each of The Ritz own champagne as the string quartet began playing their first piece.

Our incredibly knowledgable and passionate waiter presented us with seventeen types of loose-leaf teas to choose from, including the Ritz Royal English, Rose Congo and Rooibos Red. We were told about the history of the different types of tea, and of the journey that the loose leaves go on before reaching our cup in London. We opted for a Green Tea and a Ritz Royal English which were served into delicate bone-china tea cups from silver tea pots - no expense had been spared.

It wasn't long before the tiered sandwich and cake stand arrived, complete with six different types of crust-less sandwiches, including the scrumptious chicken breast and horseradish cream and Scottish smoked salmon on rye with a citrus zing and lemon butter. Charlie and I polished off them all and ordered a few more of our favourites. All of the sandwiches were traditional of a British afternoon tea, and once they were polished off, the warm scones were bought to the table.

Still warm, and perfectly formed, the scones were beautifully textured and tasty, and Charlie and I both opted for the Strawberry preserve and Devonshire clotted cream.

The confectionary on the top of the stand was breathtaking to say the least, the fabulous arrangement included a rosewater macaroon, it's pastel pink shell just too beautiful to resist (and oh-so-instagramable!) and the Panna Cotta with its white chocolate coin made the perfect palette cleanser after the heavier scones. Fruit tarts piled with berries, and layered chocolate ganache slices also made up the top tier, and if that wasn't quite enough, a tea trolley made its way to our table featuring a scrumptious carrot cake (of which I had third helpings of) with perfectly piped peaks of cr�me fra�che   and a strawberry and pistachio frangipan, which may quite possibly be the most scrumptiously heavenly desert I have ever tried.

Our overall experience at The Ritz was everything we expected it to be and more - impeccable service, opulent surroundings and attention to detail making the whole experience absolutely faultless. The evening felt like a magical experience, heightened by the incredible musical performance, and one which will be hard to beat on my search for London's Best Afternoon tea!

Traditional Afternoon Tea at The Ritz starts at �50.00 per person, and be sure to go on a Thursday evening if you'd like to enjoy the incredible performance from Miranda Heldt and the string quartet. 

Have you ever visited The Ritz?