London’s Best Afternoon Tea, pt. 3: The Royal Tea at Harvey Nichols

It’s official: England has gone Royal Wedding crazy. And I’m not going to lie… I love it! (Much to the Clever Boyfriend’s horror). Between the Union Jacks currently fluttering above the entire length of Regent Street, the bunting which fills every shop window in the land, the unashamedly kitch souvenirs, being able to see the venue itself (Westminster Abbey) from the window of my office in Parliament, and the prospect of an entire day off work when it will be practically obligatory to eat scones and drink Pimms while planting oneself firmly in front of the BBC’s coverage of the event, it’s impossible for me to resist the lure of the young royals and this modern day fairytale.

And other than standing outside Buckingham Palace (though believe me, there’s nothing glamorous about willingly sleeping in a tent on a public roadway – the measures one would have to take to secure a spot on The Mall on the day), if there’s a more English way to mark a Royal occasion than with Pimms and afternoon tea, I’m yet to find it.* So for the next week, Harvey Nichols are throwing a super fun Royal Afternoon Tea in all their cafes and brasseries. For the princely sum of £30, you will get an assortment of tea, sandwiches, pastries and scones. The only downsides are that it seems to be de rigueur for the Harvey Nicks waiters to be grumpy, and it took several phone calls to successfully book a place (none of the ladies who answered the phone seemed to know what I was talking about and had to go off to investigate – though this could have something to do with the fact I was surely the first person to book a place, such is my wedding excitement). That said, there is an awful lot of bunting (which pleases me greatly, and which somehow compensates for other failings), and taking a seat on the little grassy terrace to have tea is really rather lovely.

And the very best bit? Just look at the fabulously silly souvenir mug which the lovely people at Harvey Nicks will give you to take home a swill Pimms out of? Hurrah indeed!

Love, Miss B xx

* On the actual day, I myself will be eschewing my Parliamentary ticket to watch the wedding live from Parliament Square (in the rain) and instead donning some red lipstick and heels and having a day-long tea party with my girlfriends.

The Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea is available until the end of April in all Harvey Nichols stores. £30 includes tea, sandwiches, cakes and a souvenir mug (normally £20).

London’s Best Afternoon Tea, pt. 2: Cocomaya

Cocomaya is one of those places that had been on my “London: To Visit” list for a good year (well, it is a long list…). The collaborative project of Serena Rees (Agent Provocateur’s founder), Joel Bernstein (former head of concept at Liberty) and Walid al Damirji (accessories designer), I knew it had to be good.

So late one frosty winter’s day recently - when only a glittering chocolate box of a place would do to lift the spirits – my friend Kiki and I took ourselves off to Connaught St for some sugary soul-restoration. You won’t miss it; against the London’s inky twilight, from the outside it stands out like sparkly treasure box.

What originally began as an artisanal chocolate shop, Cocomaya now has a bakery in the neighbouring shop, where they sell the most divine tarts, cakes, bread and salads (or, as I prefer, to take home for the most perfect brunch the following morning). Though you can take tea or eat in either shop, it’s the chocolate shop I really adore. There, the tables are strewn with tiers of sugary treats and flowers in silly vases, and glass cabinets hold sets of antique china and plates and plates of handmade chocolates (made on-site; the smell of cocoa wafting from the back room whilst you sit is sheer heaven). It’s unashamedly over the top kitsch, but in the most glamorous, gilded way. In other words, it’s exactly as you imagine your posh, eccentric relative’s dining room should look.

As for our own afternoon tea? Kiki had a gorgeous quince and almond tart, and as I had skipped lunch in anticipation, I started with a white mulberry tea and pumpkin, ricotta and seeded tart (the lightest, fluffiest quiche I have ever had). Though obviously any good intentions we may have begun with were then quickly offset by the hot chocolate (which is really just rich, molten dark chocolate with a hint of milk – so the small version will more than satisfy) and handmade chocolates (in garden mint, rose geranium and chilli) which followed.

The best part about this jewel of a place is that it’s tiny, and the service is therefore attentive and friendly (something which is rarely a given when going for tea in one of the large hotels, for example), they don’t mind you lingering for hours on end over good conversation fuelled by those delicious wafts of cocoa, and will happily bring out more tiny golden cups of that special hot chocolate to fortify you against the frosty, grey streets outside.

So tell me lovelies, what do you look for in a place to linger in for hours on a wintery afternoon?

Love, Miss B xx

Cocomaya, 12 Connaught St, London W2 2AF

London’s Best Afternoon Tea: The Parlour at Sketch

The English half of me has always had an inherent need for tea, but since moving to England, this has turned into a fully-fledged obsession. Whenever I have a spare afternoon, the mean reds (in the words of Holly Golightly), want to catch up with a girlfriend or just need a moment of peaceful decadence, I am usually to be found having afternoon tea all over London. I don’t know what it is, but a proper cup of tea and some pretty little cakes seem to me like pure luxury when served on floral china in a chintzy, gilded room. And after two years of hunting down the best establishments in all of London, Sketch is one of my firm favourites.

Though it’s incognito from the outside – you’ll be able to spot it from the big headless dog statue perched above the entrance – once you step inside the Parlour, it feels like Alice’s mad tea party meets a Victorian English eccentric’s over-stuffed sitting room meets Mayfair aristocrat (kind of a perfect mash-up, in my opinion). I love either perching right beside the window (for Conduit Street people watching) or, on a rainy day, happily hiding as far in the back as possible, settling in with a newspaper and a pot of tea beneath the big, illuminated stag heads.

The tea selection is extensive (I love the Jing Chai), but it’s the little cakes and pastries where they really excel – each one is like a little work of patisserie art, gorgeous enough to make Marie Antoinette herself squeel with glee. I’m enamoured with the Cardinal – a beautifully constructed oversized blackberry macaron with violet creme, crystalised violet petals and blackcurrant jelly.

Also, and I do not make this statement lightly, their macarons are some of the best I have ever had. For quality, they are certainly up there with Laduree and Pierre Herme, but their flavours (though they only ever have a few at a time) are wonderfully original – last time I had early grey tea and lemongrass (my tastebuds were simultaneously shocked and dancing with excitement).

Finally, you simply cannot leave the establishment without a trip to the toilets. Though this may seem a strange dictate to make, I’m quite certain that Sketch boasts the best toilets in all of London. To find them, head down the hallway, through the heavy doors (with golden ladies’ legs for doorknobs), and through the art gallery (which may be completely dark, but for a moving art installation on one wall). There, you’ll come to a ghostly white staircase where, at the top, sits a forest of giant glowing pods (each one is a toilet) watched by uniformed French maids. If ever going to loo could be a cultural experience, then this is surely it.

Do you have a favourite place for afternoon tea? And would you like to see this turn into a regular feature?

Love, Miss B xx

The Parlour at Sketch - 9 Conduit St, London W1S 2XG