I've been doing alot of research on afternoon tea in London, and it seems like the Lanesborough would be a good place to go to.

Especially after reading Sandykins report, which I posted below:


FIRST PLACE: TEA AT THE LANESBOROUGH

Tea at the Lanesborough hotel was my absolute favorite, and I have decided I must take tea there whenever in London.

Tea is taken at dining tables in the rarefied atmosphere of the beautiful Conservatory, where the sky-lit, pink-and-green, Oriental interior and sounds of water trickling from fountains seem a world away from the gray of the city.

The tea selection was superb and diverse, including special teas such as the subtle and smooth yet invigorating Earl Grey Blue Flower and the peachy-fragrant Lychee.

I was most impressed by the service, which was attentive, unobtrusive, and impeccable. No one in my party of four was allowed to lift a finger to pour. In fact, the waiter must have been discreetly watching because, whenever my teacup was tilted more acutely because my tea was getting low, I saw him rush off and later return with a new pot of perfectly brewed tea. He did this for each of the four persons in our party, even though we each had different teas, in individual pots.

The finger sandwiches were the best I have ever had, very fresh, finely made, beautifully presented under a light sprinkling of green sprouts, and delicious. Especially tasty were the smoked-salmon, chicken-salad, egg-and-tomato, and cucumber (best I had in London) sandwiches.

The waiter asked whether we wished to have more sandwiches; only when we said we were done with the sandwich course, did the kitchen bake our scones and griddle-cook our crumpets (the only crumpets I found at tea in all of London during my stay). The just-baked scones were fantastic, buttery and light, the perfect base for the perfectly silky Devonshire clotted cream and excellent strawberry jam, which was my favorite of all the tea places we tried. The lemon curd was also delicious.

The last course was tea breads and pastries, and the five different pastries were utterly delicious, almost too beautiful and fine to eat, though I devoured them.

To all who are visiting London, I say to take tea at the Lanesborough if you possibly, possibly can.



However, this trip report was from 2004, and I was wondering if the service/quality of food was still the same:

1. Do they still refill your sandwich trays? That seemed like a real plus for me since the price for afternoon tea is so much.

2. Are the scones/crumpets still cooked only after you have finished your sandwiches - this seemed to be the clincher for us...I never noticed other places doing this, and it seemed like a real plus.

But, the only negative was that the tea room seemed to have an oriental theme, and I was sort of going for a more tradional english room(more like the dorchester?).

I haven't seen a recent review of tea at the Lanesborough, so I would love to hear from someone if they have.

Forgot to add that some also liked the Lanesborough over the Dorchester/Ritz because they did not have seating times, and that person felt they weren't trying to rush you at the Lanesborough - is this still the same?

The post on the Lanesborough sounds like a great place. I'll be visiting our daughter in London, and we are going there on april 21st. As we are trying to travel light! Can anyone who's been there tell me what they wore? Slacks and a nice blouse? is a jacket required over the blouse? Black flats o.k.? thanks!!

Just topping for more replies

ttt

May I insert here and ask if reservations are required? And, what is the price?

The Dorchester has just been awarded the "best afternoon tea" in London by the UK tea council Tea Guild - beating out the Lanesborough, Claridge's (last year's winner), Savoy etc.. The Ritz was awarded special recognition

The most recent price I saw was 28 £
for The Lanesborough or 37 with champagne.

Here's a great site for London teas -- but it is a year old:
http://www.londontown.com/London/Mot..._Afternoon_Tea

This topic is pretty old, but I was wondering if anyone had comments on the Lanesborough? I can't find anything recent... Prices, service, reservation?

This may be a personal preference of mine and not others, but I was a bit "put off" at the idea of tea at the Lanesborough being served at dining tables. I always loved tea at the old Brown's Hotel, where you sit in comfy overstuffed chairs or sofas and the tea is on a proper "tea table" in front of you. But as I said, maybe that's just me.

nessa,

I saw that you topped this and asked about prices and services - I included everyone about tea at the Lanesborough in my trip report. Just do a search under my name - it's under the heading "Our unforgettable adventure in Paris...".

We were in London in June 2007 - don't know if anyone else has been there recently. We actually went to Fortnum and Mason's on our first trip in 2002. Loved the teas, but I thought the food and service could have been better, especially for the price. I know they have just renovated the store, so I'm sure they might have changed the afternoon tea menu. Even if you don't have tea there, make it a point to visit the store. Along with the fabulous tea, the shortbread and chocolates there are incredible.

We decided to try the Lanesborough this past trip, and I wrote loads about it in the trip report.

For some reason, I can't find your trip report...

nessa,

Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/5ax72x

Hope it works since it's my first time trying the tinyurl!

Brown's Hotel used to be wonderful for afternoon tea and may still be--I haven't been there for about 8 years. I heard the hotel is rennovated. This is the hotel that Agatha Christie renamed Bertram's in her book, "At Bertram's Hotel" or something like that. Brown's is not too far off Piccadilly St.

It worked! Thank you Anna!

Looks like I got a bunch of reading to do.

No problem Nessa - just glad it worked! I heard Browns was renovated as well, and I'm sure there are some threads on it if you do a search.

It's funny that last year the Europe thread almost had a daily question about afternoon tea, and this year there's nothing - although the horrible exchange rate could explain that!