It’s pinkies up (or not) at Flower Afternoon Tea at the Royal Lancaster London hotel. Writer Julie Hatfield tells us what to expect from the delicious and delightful experience. 

A chocolate butterfly tops a chocolate muffin at the Afternoon Tea at the Royal Lancaster London.

Sure, Queen Elizabeth probably has a nice teatime at Buckingham Palace every afternoon.  But it couldn’t be any more luxurious or special than the one at the Royal Lancaster London, one of England’s – if not the world’s – most elegant hotels. If the Queen and Prince Philip would like to experience an exceptionally beautiful high tea with touches and flourishes befitting royalty, they should hop in their carriage and book it over here from the palace some afternoon around 4 o’clock for the hotel’s signature tea. It’s not more than a quick ride away.

Set temporarily in the glistening white Carrera marble lobby of the hotel, which is undergoing a $111 million renovation, the British “tea ceremony,” as it were, takes a different theme with each season. Ours, for spring, was called the Flower Tea.

First item brought to the table to get things started was a tiny pot of what looked like soil but in reality was a combination of chocolate granules and tea leaves, with a tiny spade and fork for “planting,” along with a small packet of wildflower seeds for the guest to take home to their own garden to put into the ground. Among the utensils at the table was a tiny silver teaspoon made in the shape of a flower.

Even the spoon at the Flower Afternoon Tea at the Royal Landcaster Hotel has a flower on it!

You make your choice of tea from an exotic list of 14 different varieties, among them  Pai mu Tan, which, according to the menu, had the following pedigree: “Picked in the early morning mist, this white tea is one of China’s rarest and most famous teas.  Pai mu Tan’s silver tips are full of antioxidants and polyphenols, resulting in a pale golden tea which is mellow and sweet tasting.”

Another possibility was the “Spicy Rooibos” tea, which boasts “a caffeine-free super grade Rooibos blend with Brazilian pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and a hint of orange, fresh with subtle warming spice notes, a real energizer and afternoon treat.” You can have one tea or as may different cups as you desire, and when the waitress brings it, she also brings a set of miniature hourglasses, each a different color, to set up at the table with an infusion card to show you how many minutes it will take for your tea to be ready:  three minutes if green sand for Organic Jasmine and the like), four if yellow for white pear and ginger, among others, five minutes if black (for English Breakfast).

The hourglasses tell you when your tea is ready – depending on what kind of tea you ordered at the Royal Lancaster London.

Next comes the tower of edibles: sandwiches include “citrus chamomile tea-smoked salmon roses” (sic) on rye bread, free-range Barradale Farm egg with wild baby cress, bouquet of English asparagus, sun-blushed tomatoes and red amaranth, and cucumber, rock salt and crushed black pepper on saffron bread.

A variety of delicious and delicate sandwiches to accompany your tea at the Royal Lancaster.

The savory tray contains a warm tartlet of Somerset brie, Royal Lancaster honey (from the hotel’s own apiary), red onion chutney, and sunflower seed choux bun filled with coronation chicken.

The warm scones are served with homemade strawberry jam, orange marmalade and “Jersey clotted cream.” (Someday they may want to eliminate the word “clotted” from this classic description, which brings to mind the image of clotted arteries . . . which no doubt it helps to cause!).

The selection of sweet bites includes milk chocolate and lavender lollipops, a lemon and elderflower “sable dome” (imagine a scoop of ice cream on a cupcake), Valrhona chocolate flower pots with crystalized violets on top, strawberry tarts with lime curd and basil, and macaroons crusted with orange blossoms and ginger.

Sweet bites to enjoy at the end of the Afternoon Tea at the Royal Lancaster.

This memorable tea-time at the Royal Lancaster London costs $47. If you want to add a glass of Moet & Chandon Brut champagne for $60, you will waddle away completely satisfied and happy, in no need of supper – perhaps for days!  — Article and photos by Julie Hatfield

To learn more about the Royal Lancaster, click here. To learn more about the afternoon tea, follow this link.

Hungry for more? Enjoy these other articles written by Julie Hatfield.

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