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Perhaps it's the setting of the grand, ornate ballroom and the silver and fine porcelain on the table. Or it could be the white glove service that bestows a pot of Earl Grey Imperial tea, fresh scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserves, and delicate finger sandwiches with cucumber, cream cheese, dill, and mint. All of these things, and other upscale amenities, are the hallmarks of the quintessential British custom called afternoon tea, and sitting down to it at The Ritz London is the icing on the teacake.
It's a tradition that took hold in the mid-19th century, and according to Historic UK, it was the seventh Duchess of Bedford who started it. With her fashionably late dinner served at 8 p.m., the duchess is said to have devised a late-afternoon snack of tea with bread and butter. Soon she began inviting friends, others adopted and expanded the practice, and afternoon tea became a ritual for high society ladies, who would dress the part in their gowns, hats, and gloves.
Virtually all of London's top hotels and upscale tea rooms continue to offer afternoon tea seatings, but The Ritz London is considered the preeminent venue for this lavish display of affluence and privilege. The iconic hotel, at 150 Piccadilly, next door to the city's sprawling Green Park, has attracted famous celebrities and personalities since it opened in 1906. Afternoon tea customers will be happy to know they are dining where the likes of Nöel Coward, Jackie Onassis, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, the Aga Khan, and others came before them.
What To Expect During Afternoon Tea At The Ritz London
Visitors to The Ritz London should remember there is a dress code for dining at the hotel, so it's time to put on your best garb. For afternoon tea, men must wear jackets, and jeans and sportswear aren't permitted for ladies or men.
Several sittings per day are offered for Traditional Afternoon Tea and Champagne Afternoon Tea, at 11.30 a.m., and 1.30, 3.30, 5.30, and 7.30 p.m. The champagne option includes one glass of champagne; otherwise, the menus are the same. Visitors will dine on those finely cut sandwiches, scones, teacakes, pastries, and other sweet and savory delicacies and choose from 18 different kinds of loose-leaf tea, all selected by the hotel's tea master, who, according to The Ritz London, travels to various tea plantations around the world to source the teas.
Expect sandwiches featuring ham with grain mustard mayonnaise on brioche bread, cheddar cheese with chutney on tomato bread, chicken with tarragon creamed mayonnaise on malt bread, and Scottish smoked salmon with lemon butter on sourdough bread, for example. Tea varieties include Ceylon Orange Pekoe, Oolong Formosa, Russian Caravan, Rose Congou, and Lapsang Souchong, to name just a few.
And there's music. The Ritz London's afternoon tea features a rotating schedule of musical entertainment that include a pianist, sometimes with a vocalist, plus a harpist, and the London Dance Orchestra. Pricing for afternoon tea is $75 for adults, $50 for children under 16, and $102 for the champagne option. Reservations should be made through the hotel website.
The Ritz London Has A Central Location on Piccadilly
It was Swiss hotelier César Ritz who opened the London hotel bearing his name eight years after he opened the Hotel Ritz Paris. The same designers built both hotels. At The Ritz London, the exterior and interior are inspired by the architectural traditions of Paris, specifically the neoclassical Louis XVI style. The London hotel has 136 rooms and suites, and visitors interested in spending a night or two at the landmark will find per-night rates starting at about $1,000 and going substantially higher from there.
Tourists who pop into The Ritz London for an afternoon tea experience will find several of the city's top sights within an easy walk or a short drive from the hotel. Here are a few places worth seeing in the neighborhood of this historic property:
Green Park, immediately next door, is a popular place to stroll or sit on a bench and enjoy the quiet. Walk across the park to see Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the U.K.’s sovereigns since 1837, is open for public tours during summer and in December and January. Visitors can watch the changing of the guard ceremony year-round at 10:45 a.m.
The Royal Academy of Arts, founded in 1768, is almost directly across the street on Piccadilly. Frequently hosting touring exhibits, its displays focus on up-and-coming artists. It's open daily except for Monday.
* Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born, houses the best of the Royal Collection of paintings and has superb gardens. It's a 10-minute drive from Piccadilly and opens for tours from Wednesday to Sunday.
* British Museum, about a 15-minute drive, has a world-renowned permanent collection that includes such objects as the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, and Parthenon sculptures. It's open daily and, as a public institution, offers free entry.