Afternoon Tea at the Chestefield Hotel, Mayfair.

The Art of Tea

Traditional British Afternoon Tea seems to be a dying dining form in London as I discovered on my search for a truly authentic experience for one of my French students. Now I'm not talking about the Ritz or Claridges' which do exquisite teas; but we were looking for something more traditional, less fussy, more understated yet elegant.  The Chesterfield Hotel was exactly what we wanted. It started from the telephone booking  - friendly and professional. Arriving at the hotel we received greetings from everyone we encountered before being welcomed like long lost family by Loris Luchinni, their award winning Restaurant Manager. After settling into the lovely conservatory, a superb afternoon of delights unfolded.

A tray of delights!

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry conserves.
Now, this is what scones should taste like.  Everyone talks about how easy scones are to make, but most I've tasted in and around London turn into yeasty dough balls in your mouth.  These, on the other hand,  were delightfully fresh and  delicately flavoured with a spice - nutmeg maybe?

Delicious finger sandwiches of Scottish Salmon, ham and cheese, cucumber and butter, and coronation chicken with toasted nuts. This last one was amazing!

All of this was washed down with the Afternoon Blend tea (Assam and  Ceylon tea) for my student and a flowering Jasmine and Orange Lily tea for me.

Yummy, but we could not eat the entire lot. So...

We got a doggy bag ( my student thought my sons would love these - and they did!). The lovely restaurant staff boxed up our leftovers and added the red carnation! Now how's that for a doggy bag?

This hotel has won  awards for its Afternoon Tea  for three years now and after today's experience, I can say they truly deserve it! We had an absolutely fabulous Tea; excellent, warm and friendly service; and it is so nice to see people who understand that service is an art form and are striving to be at the top of their game. If I ever get a banker's bonus, I would certainly leave them a huge tip!!

Thanks to my student for this treat, and our compliments and thanks to Loris and his excellent team!