Kids Want Afternoon Tea In London, Mom Freaks Out At Expense
 

My family of five is spending a week in London in August. My kids are adamant that they want to go to afternoon tea. I checked threads here, and it seems that afternoon tea costs 25-30 pounds, per person.

Let's see. That's, oh, 150 pounds for all of us. $305. For tea. And scones. And other stuff that might be yummy.

We're staying in Clerkenwell. Can anyone recommend a specific place for afternoon tea (there or anywhere) that won't break the bank?

Cindy -- half-wondering whether she could get away with taking it out of their college funds

We've enjoyed the teas at Fortnum and Mason and Richoux. Both cost less than the teas at a hotel.

When they say afternoon tea, what is it they're hoping for? If it's fancy service with a flourish, then it's likely to be a bit on the pricey side, especially in the posh hotels.

If it's tea with some sort of confectionery, there are plenty of places. Many are cafeteria style, but there are plenty with waiter service.

You could try
http://www.teaandcoffeemuseum.co.uk/tea_room/index.htm.

Way out on a limb, the scones at Mudchute City Farm are fresh made deliciously crumbly (when I had them last week); and the jam was home-made. But it really only makes sense as part of a trip out to Greenwich; and you have to walk several hundred yards from the station through the parkland and past the animals:
http://www.mudchute.org/shop.htm

Unless you've changed flats since your earlier posts, you're not staying in Clerkenwell.

You're staying in Finsbury, or the Angel, or just plain Islington. And Islingtonians don't do afternoon tea, so I'm hardly an expert on this bizarre fetish but let's see if this provokes some other suggestions.

You can get a decent cup of tea at Brown's on Islington Green, or sometimes Afternoon Tease at Volupte down in Norwich St, EC4. But all that Stephen Fry butlery nonsense that's possibly what your children are looking for is deeply incompatible with the zeitgeist of the People's Republic of Islington. Anyway, who's got time to sit down for tea at just the time you've got to collect James and Caroline from school while charging yourself out at £1,000 an hour for due diligence on a PE buyout?

There are a couple of obsequiousness-free tea places reasonably nearby: the Great Court at the British Museum (for which you must reserve), or the Raj Tea Rooms at the top of Highgate High Street (<i>so </i>handy for Karl Marx's tomb).

But otherwise, you'll have to trek to the West End for Fortnum's, Richoux, Sotheby's Cafe or the Orangerie to get a bit ofthe white-glove treatment without forking out the Berkeley's silly prices.

Or try <i>le fif o'clock </i>at Paul (www.paul-uk.com) in Covent Garden or Marylebone High St

&pound;150? Have you thought of saying no to this colossal waste of money?

Tell your kids how expensive it is and suggest that the pay for it out of their spending oney

Have I thought of saying &quot;no?&quot;

Heck, yeah.

But this is our first-ever trip abroad. My eldest goes to college in 2 years. In 9 years, we will be empty-nesters. It seems a shame to spend $$$$$$$$$$$$ taking everyone to Europe and then refusing even to try to find a reasonably priced way to do something they want to do.

Man, how I would love to say no, though.

No, we haven't changed locations. You're right that we're on Percy Street, so Finsbury or Islington is the idea. Sorry, my recollection of the place names is a bit suspect at times.

How much are the teas in some of the places recommended? And can I get away with black pants, nice black shoes and a sleeveless drapy colorful top? What does my husband need?

You might try the Brahma Tea and Coffee Museum: they serve an ok tea, its full of historical ambiance and its near the Tate.

&quot;can I get away with black pants&quot;

No-one's going to care what colour your underwear is. But they'd probably prefer you to wear trousers, jeans or a skirt as well.

Though the idea that any of the places I've suggested would have the cheek to tell a customer what to wear is absurd. This isn't New York.

Many of the top hotels in London offer discounts at tea for people who have checked their luggage on the flight over . . . just a thought.

Is it just me or would this post qualify as a potential sitcom!!??
LOL!!

cindy

They may change their minds once they're there. I know my kids had several &quot;musts&quot; on their first trip but often found more interesting stuff.

Just say &quot;Yes&quot; and you'll be a hero no matter what. If you go to tea - great. It's only money :D. If they find other interests, you're STILL the hero!

Have a great time. My kids' first exposure to Europe was England. Now they love it as much as I do.

(and make sure you take that cheesy photo at Abbey Road!)

a set afternoon tea at any of the &quot;name&quot; hotels will run &pound;20 and up - some waaay up.

And even the restaurant in the Br Museum Great court will cost about the same.

I'd suggest the Orangery in Kensington Gardens- it won't be cheap but will be a less then the Ritz, etc. A set tea will still run about &pound;15 pp.

A full afternoon tea will have enough food so you can really cut back at dinner. I often book a late tea on a day when I'm going to the theatre. Tea at 4:00 or 5:00 and then just a quick bite after the play.

If you do have a full tea you can skip either lunch or a big dinner, so the expense averages out and you really aren't spending much more than you would have that day.

Why don't you just go to a regular caf&eacute;? Sod all the Jeeves and Wooster stuff. You can get tea and scones all over.

Hi Cindy,

See http://tinyurl.com/3cnbvm

((I))

Just checked the Ritz price for afternoon tea for a client and the price is 80&pounds; for two people.

As has been mentioned, there are more reasonably priced places. The Orangery would be my choice, but Richoux's is also good.At either place you could just order tea and scones for considerably less than for an 'afternoon tea'.

yes - you can have tea and scones anywhere. But that is a snack and you'd still have to deal w/ lunch/dinner. A full set tea has sandwiches (small but surprisingly filling), pastries, scones and more. So if you are going to &quot;do tea&quot; I'd spring for the full spread.

Cindy, are you going to any of the National Trust places? Most of them serve afternoon tea, and you might find one which serves tea in a beautiful garden next to a grand mansion. The price should be way less than 25 pounds. Of course there's the admission fee, but maybe you can find tea at a place you'd be going to anyway.

Bramah Tea Museum-7 pounds each and free history!
http://www.teaandcoffeemuseum.co.uk/tea_room/index.htm

A Fodorite from London posted about having tea at a Church. It may have been near Hampstead Heath. The website was posted and it looked like a great place for tea(and at a decent price) and only available in summer which could work for you and your family. I think the tea was served out on the lawn.Perhaps that poster will chime in--it was posted summer 2006.

There's any number of places you can grab a cup of tea and something to nibble between 3 and 5. Even in Islington.

The question is, though, whether cindysphinx (or the children) think production values out of a Merchant Ivory film are essential as well. Because that's what escalates the cost from &pound;3 to &pound;30.

Cindy--The tea is at St Anne's Church near Kew and is only on Sunday, 1:30-5:30. The grave of Gainesborough is in the church cemetery. Sorry but I can't find the website in my notes.

http://www.saintanne-kew.org.uk/index-2.html


http://www.saintanne-kew.org.uk/sub%20pages/teas.htm

&quot;A full afternoon tea will have enough food so you can really cut back at dinner&quot;

Not really, especially if you are talking kids -- and especially if the kids skip the sandwiches in favor of sugary cakes, which fuel the appetite.

London is just too expensive for me to enjoy right now. It is a very expensive city anyway; combine that with the weak US dollar and I just can't handle what things cost. There are so many other places to go that London will just be &quot;off my list&quot; for a while.

With that said, how long do you think you will spend at tea? Are you going to any shows in the West End? You might want to compare the cost to that...think of it more like entertainment than a snack.

janis

Tea is not supposed to replace either lunch or dinner, it is precisely an afternoon snack. If you want to gorge yourself on enough buns and sarnies to last you till bed-time, good luck.

Sounds like the hotels and tearooms are making a packet out of gullible tourists who've read too much Jane Austen.

The setting for an afternoon tea at St. Anne's Church seems like it would be a nice opportunity to meet locals and get to know them. It seems like it would be more authentic, proceeds go to a good cause, and not as touristy.

I <u>know</u> what tea is meant to be.

But - for a special occassion, a full set afternoon tea w/ sandwiches, scones and so on would replace another meal.

(BTW - we are now probably going to get the argument that Brits never do these frou frou set teas at the posh hotels - it is only crazy tourists. Well, every single time I've had a set tea at the Ritz, Grosvenor House, the Savoy or whereever - 50% to 75% of the other diners have been British. Probably 20-25 times over the years. Now, maybe they were hicks visiting London from oop nooorth - but they weren't from the colonies)

&quot;Sounds like the hotels and tearooms are making a packet out of gullible tourists who've read too much Jane Austen.&quot;

Last time I was in London, a British friend of mine insisted on taking me to afternoon tea over much protest from me. I finally made her forego the Savoy in favor of the chearper Goring (which was excellent, but still more than I like to see paid for a snack).

American tourists are having a very hard time meeting London's current prices. If hotels are depending on us, you can expect afternoon tea to disappear in short order. But I don't think they are depending on us. It's the British who are willing to fork over the money in London for all that overpriced -- yep, overpriced -- food.

When we took our then-10yo to London several years ago, we had an afternoon tea that was also our late lunch at Richoux. In terms of formality, it's like a normal restaurant, except it looks a bit more like a tearoom (there are several locations).

An advantage of having tea at Richoux was that my husband could order something less tea-like (and a beer), and my son got the &quot;whole thing&quot; - tea, little sandwiches and little dessert things. I had just some little sandwiches. But compared to how he gets tea here at home in the U.S., the amount of ceremony with the tea, and the pot, etc. was just what he had in mind.

In terms of this being a first visit, and wanting to do it all - I definitely understand! However, in working out trip plans with our kids, I present it to them as a time and money analysis. &quot;We can do this, but then we don't have time/money to do that.&quot; Then have them think about which activity is more important to them. Not only does it make sense, but it's a good life lesson.

We had our tea/lunch at the Knightsbridge location, then later in the trip, had just tea (son) and wine (adults) at another location. You can see their menu at http://www.richoux.co.uk/knights.htm. They have afternoon tea for 16.50 pounds (sandwiches, scones, cakes), cream tea (scones) for 8.50 pounds; sandwiches only for 6.95 pounds.

Let's turn this around: where's the best caff in London? I mean a real English tea -- industrial strength, sausage roll or chip butty, formica and chrome. I hear the New Piccadilly in Denman Street is closing down -- cultural murder. I'd take half an hour in a place like this over all of the afternoon teas in all of the fancy hotels in Europe. What's left?

Having afternnon tea at one of the classic hotels is a wonderful experience. But - if the trip isn't such that you're staying at one of those hotels - it may just be over the top - esp for kids.

I would do somethig like Richoux - which will be afternoon tea - and completely unlike anything they have seen before - and still not break the bank.

bookmarking

Is every kid on board with this expensive tea concept? Maybe one is particularly, and the others would prefer another activity.

Wow! You've got great kids! Nothing in my life will top my Tea at the Ritz London experience, and I think it's personally worth the splurge. Part of the whole British experience. Fortnum and Mason is a nice runner up though.

$305 for tea and biscuits, sweetie darling? Are you daft? I'm sodding rich and I wouldn't pay that for tea (maybe gin).

Could you imagine Brits lining up at the Four Seasons in Philly and paying $300 for coffee and donuts? Silly unless you are on an expense account.

Blimey

The Wolseley has an afternoon tea for 19.50GBP. It is served until 5:30 during the week &amp; 6:30pm on Sundays. I would say that if you're going to spend the $$ on a full tea, then the kids need to eat all the little sandwiches before digging into the cakes. Then the tea can double as dinner.

The Wolseley also has a cream tea (scones &amp; tea).

http://www.thewolseley.com/Menu.aspx

Cindy;

Maybe it's because I'm from another generation (b.1929), another world...but thank you for your valuable post.

I'm sending copies to our children (ages 53,50,46, 42, 40) and to our adult gandchildren (27,24,20,20 and even the 16 year old...but not to the five much younger
ones).

Call it an important adjuncy to their individual value systems.

Much obliged.

Stu Tower

Cindy:

The word above should be &quot;adjunct&quot; , of course.

Stu T.

&gt;&gt; would say that if you're going to spend the $$ on a full tea, then the kids need to eat all the little sandwiches before digging into the cakes&lt;&lt;

I'll say. I was brought up on the principles of &quot;bread and butter before bread and jam&quot; and &quot;no pudding till you've eaten all your greens&quot;, and all the better for it.