Five of the best afternoon teas in London
- L.S.
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
1) WHIMSICALLY WES ANDERSON
To celebrate the Design Museum’s Wes Anderson: The Archives - the first major museum exhibition devoted to director and inspired by his unmistakable aesthetic, a limited-edition afternoon tea menu is available offering a playful take on the Courtesan au Chocolat. Served in the museum’s upper-level Design Kitchen, it features a standout centrepiece dessert that pays homage to one of the most memorable confections in Anderson’s filmography.
The delicious menu features savoury highlights including, smoked chalk stream trout and cucumber tartlet, beetroot and whipped goat’s cheese brioche, egg and chive sandwich and a Coronation chicken sandwich. While the sweet treats feature the Courtesan au Chocolat showstopper as well as a pistachio financier, raspberry and rose shortbread sandwich, plus, warm sultana and lemon buttermilk scones, served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Adding a touch of sparkle, the tea can be served with a glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine. The cost of the afternoon tea is £38.95pp or £53.95pp including a glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine. Monday to Thursday: by booking only. Friday to Sunday: available all day, subject to availability.
2) HER ROYAL GRACE
Origin Kensington at the Royal Garden Hotel has unveiled an afternoon tea collaboration with luxury accessories brand Grace Han. Admired by the Princess of Wales for its sculptural leatherwork and East-meets-West aesthetic, Grace Han has inspired Origin Kensington's culinary team to create a tea which pays homage to the brand's most iconic designs, textures and tones.
The sweet selection brings the collaboration to life - the Love Letter Handbag features dark chocolate mousse with mandarin kumquat compote on chocolate sponge and a sesame base, echoing the collection's signature envelope flap. The Raspberry & Szechuan Pepper Pleated Delight layers sablé biscuit with raspberry yoghurt cream and pleated Jivara chocolate, inspired by the Ballet Lesson collection's pleated leatherwork. The Rose & Lychee Pearl Sphere combines lychee mousse with pomegranate confit, evoking Grace Han's elegant Pearl Earrings.
Guests can also enjoy savoury classics including Forman's smoked salmon croissant, Norfolk coronation chicken sandwich, and warm bites like Clonakilty black pudding sausage roll and sweet pea morel tart. Each guest receives a gift certificate for a complimentary stationery set at Grace Han's flagship store (first-come-first-served). The tea is available until 19th April 2026, Thursday to Sunday, 2:00-5:30 PM and costs £45 per adult, £25 per child. Add English sparkling wine or signature cocktail for £12. Plant-based and children's menus available.
3) WAGASHI FOR THE WIN
Akira - the restaurant in Japan House London on Kensington High Street - presents a distinctive Japanese-style afternoon tea that reimagines the classic British ritual. Available daily from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, this refined offering showcases the artistry of Japanese hospitality through carefully curated sweet and savoury elements.
Guests can choose from the Japanese Tea Single Set (£24 per person) featuring a pot of premium Japanese tea, coffee, soft drink, or dessert sake paired with seasonal wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) and a dessert selection including mochigashi, yokan, dorayaki, castella, and baumkuchen. Alternatively, the Japanese Afternoon Tea Set (£70 for two) offers the addition of savoury sushi snacks alongside seasonal wagashi, desserts and a drink.The beverage menu spans traditional green teas and distinctive smoked black teas, offering an authentic complement to the delicate flavours of wagashi.
4) FOR THE PECKISH DUCHESS
The Orangery at Kensington Palace offers an afternoon tea experience steeped in royal tradition. The ritual is often attributed to The Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell (1783-1857) who served as one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting. To curb her afternoon hunger pangs, the Duchess introduced a light meal of tea, sandwiches, and small cakes - a practice that quickly gained popularity within royal circles and beyond.
The Orangery's afternoon tea menu pays homage to this legacy, featuring a selection of finger sandwiches such as English cucumber with cream cheese, egg mayonnaise with cress and beetroot, smoked Chalk Stream trout and lemon cream cheese bagel and a coronation chicken red pepper and baby spinach wrap. Accompanying these are traditional scones served with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve. The experience is completed with the Palace’s signature organic tea blend and an assortment of cakes like lemon and poppy seed battenberg, classic Victoria sponge and Orangery choux.
Afternoon tea is priced at £59pp, with options to include English sparkling wine for £71pp or Pimms for £67pp. A vegan tea is available for the same price. Details here
5) ENDURING TRADITION
For a classic afternoon tea with all the trimmings, The Milestone Hotel in the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington is hard to beat.
Enjoy a traditional English spread of finger sandwiches like Wiltshire cured ham with English mustard mayonnaise, cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon with lemon and dill crème fraiche and perfect, warm, plain and raisin scones served with clotted cream and homemade preserves. Until the 6th of March the sweet treats in the traditional afternoon tea will draw inspiration from Cirque du Soleil, crafted in honour of the spectacular production OVO, captivating audiences at the nearby Royal Albert Hall. Desserts come in the form of a Guanaja 70% chocolate and raspberry ladybird macaron, a hazelnut praline butterfly choux, Yuzu & white chocolate egg and a delicious Kiwi, coconut and lime tartlet. The tea includes an extensive selection of loose-leaf teas or a glass of champagne. From £85 per person or £105 with a glass of Champagne Lanson, a Royal Warrant holder since 1900.
There’s also a children’s afternoon tea for £45 featuring bite sized sandwiches and a selection of cakes and pastries plus the choice of a milkshake, hot chocolate or soft drink.
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