An Afternoon Tea is an elegant tea-related ritual originated in Britain in the mid 19th century by Anna Maria, the 7th Duchess of Bedford who was a close friend of Queen Victoria and a prominent figure within London society.

Traditionally, an afternoon tea, a social occasion of high society, is a meal composed of delicately cut sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes. Tea imported from India or Ceylon is poured from silver teapots into delicate bone china cups.

 William Henry Margetson 

Although afternoon tea is now offered all over the world, we treasured the opportunity to experience one of the classiest, at The Ritz Hotel in London. Its popularity, where people are advised to book 12 weeks in advance, makes it almost impossible to get in at the last minute, which we fortunately did after trying our luck by calling the hotel.

An Afternoon Tea at The Ritz, popular since the hotel first opened in 1906, is set at The Palm court, a salon decorated with glimmering mirrors and birdcage chandeliers with ornate metal flowers.

In the hotel that remains anchored in an elegant past. a dress code is mandatory where gentlemen are required to wear jacket and tie. Feeling overdressed, we were seated near the center of the room with a stone fountain with gilded reclining female figure to our back and a blossoming floral display to our side.

The Ritz has five daily sittings for the afternoon tea, at 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm or 7:30pm. We had the most ideal time at 3.30 PM and as soon as we came in a gentleman with white tie and brass-buttoned tailcoats introduced himself and waited patiently for our order of tea.

It took a few minutes for us to decide from a selection of 16: Ritz Royal English, Darjeeling First Flush, Assam Tippy Orthodox, Ceylon Orange Pekoe, Oolong Formosa, Earl Grey, Rose Congou, Lapsang Souchong, Russian Caravan, Jasmine With Flowers, Chun Mee, Mint Infusion, Rooibos Red Tea, Passion Fruit And Orange, Camomile Flowers, Lemon Verbena.

Delighted that we could ask as many teas as we wish, we finally asked for the classic Earl Grey, a legendary blend of Chinese black tea and bergamot, silky smooth
with a delightful aroma; and Russian Caravan, a classic blend of Oolong and Darjeeling producing a sweet floral tea with
a slight roasted nut taste.

A plate full of dainty sandwiches arrived on our table covered with thick damask and a hidden shelf below the table to keep our handbags. The sandwiches, sans our dietary restriction, are choices of:

Cheddar Cheese, Chutney, Onion Bread

Cucumber, Cream Cheese, Dill, Chives, Caraway Seed Bread

Chicken Breast, Horseradish Cream, White Bread

Scottish Smoked Salmon, Lemon Butter, Rye Bread

Egg Mayonnaise, Chopped Shallots, Watercress, White Bread

Next came the assortment of British Afternoon Tea Pastries and Cakes, containing orange macaroon, fruit pies, chocolate éclairs, and devil’s food cake with its thick sandwiching of chocolate frosting.

All the delicacies were presented on a tiered cake stand with the Ritz logo on top.

The Ritz proudly presents its resident pianist, who has been loyally entertaining guests since 1995. Ian Gomes, who in the old days worked with Frank Sinatra, charmingly played classical favorites including Puttin’ on the Ritz and welcomes song requests.

We loved the music and tried to put a rest between enjoying the moist sweet and savory treats. However conscious of the 90 minutes time slot we began to eye the Freshly Baked Raisin and Plain Scones
with Cornish Clotted Cream and Strawberry Preserve placed in matching jars.

Clotted cream, originates in Devon and Cornwall, is a silky, yellow cream with a distinctive crust on the surface. It is made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk, left in a shallow pan for many hours which causes the cream to rise to the surface and 'clot'.

Sitting under gold-plated dome, on Louis XVI style lemony Dior chairs, surrounded by well dressed guests and overlooking palm trees and potted plants we were repeating the tradition of the bygone era.

Two gentlemen with a cart came by, offering lemon cake and a pie made of dates, walnut and toffee cream.

We almost had enough but did not want to pass the delicious opportunity. We happily tasted some and refreshed our teas with Camomile Flowers, a calming and delicate infusion of natural camomile with a floral aroma and sweet, soothing flavor and Lemon Verbena, produced from Verveine leaves,
an elegant, sparkling lemon tasting tisane that help digestion.

An Afternoon Tea at the Ritz is a memorable experience. We would like to keep the memory alive and bought a little book, The Ritz London Book of Afternoon Tea by Helen Simpson is full of recipes, tips on teas and stories about the legendary afternoon teas at The Ritz.

Feeling content, we silently praised Anna Maria, The Duchess of Bedford who left a lovely legacy by creating the English Afternoon Tea almost two centuries ago.

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All images by Omar Niode Foundation, unless otherwise noted