This year Claridge’s was awarded the highest accolade in the British tea world: the Tea Guild declared it the "Top London Afternoon Tea" spot for 2011, taking the honours from the previous year’s winner, The Langham. We met with Head of the Tea
This year Claridge’s was awarded the highest accolade in the British tea world: the Tea Guild declared it the "Top London Afternoon Tea" spot for 2011, taking the honours from the previous year’s winner, The Langham. We met with Head of the Tea Guild, Irene E. Gorman, at the iconic Mayfair hotel to enjoy the perfect afternoon indulgence.
The Tea Guild, established 30 years ago by the Tea Council, is a body that recognises exceptional tea rooms which fulfil the organisation’s stringent criteria. “When people apply to join the Tea Guild it doesn’t matter if they’re Claridge’s or Clara’s tea room in Ruislip, they’re all judged exactly the same,” Gorman tells us. “How is the tea served? Are the staff knowledgeable and accommodating? Is there variety? Is the tea brewed and served properly? It’s not difficult, but the expertise has to be the same as if they were offering you dinner or wine.”
With the Edwardian décor, string quartet, and nearly every table occupied, it is easy to slip into the prevailing mood of unrushed elegance in Claridge’s open and spacious tea room. Our waiter talks us through the seasonal menu of over 40 teas on offer, and after choosing our blends we settle into some champagne, traditional sandwiches made from organic produce, fresh scones with clotted cream and jelly, and French pastries. Gorman tells us about the history of tea time in England: “The tea break was brought in during the industrial revolution,” she says. “Otherwise factory workers were drinking gin. Also at one time it was the only thing young women could do without being accompanied. You would enjoy an afternoon with your friends; it was very elegant.”
Further East in Clerkenwell, The Modern Pantry are establishing their own tradition by offering Afternoon Tea alongside a wide selection of cookies, cakes and seed and oat bars left temptingly on display. For a few hours every weekday afternoon, the light-filled, minimalist dining room is transformed into a lively, contemporary tea room. It is the perfect location for sipping from beautiful old mismatched teacups and enjoying the new flavour combinations brought to traditional fare—slow roasted tomato, feta, and green pepper relish sandwiches, or rosewater and sour cherry chocolate brownies, for example—by chef-patron Anna Hansen. As she tells us herself: “Ever since I was a child I have always loved Afternoon Teas, with their dainty little sandwiches, scones and cakes.” Bringing this love to the menu, Hansen has stuck with a traditional formula, “but given it our own twist.”
Our favourites: Claridge’s own blend seasonal teas and Marco Polo jelly, The Modern Pantry’s matcha scones with gooseberry compote and clotted cream, and tea smoked salmon with yuzu mayo and pea shoot sandwiches.
Text by Ananda Pellerin
