Bite-sized delicacies, crustless sarnies, finger food and sweet treats; and all on a child-friendly timetable. There are loads of reasons afternoon tea really suits children: why not treat your youngsters to one of these top offerings in London?
Little Prince and Princess Afternoon Tea, The Milestone Hotel
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Enjoy tea fit for royalty overlooking Kensington Palace and Gardens. The bespoke children's menu features cute classics like finger sandwiches (with a choice of bread, ideal for fussier diners), scones with clotted cream and jam, and mini cupcakes, all washed down with a milkshake, hot chocolate or soft drink.
A short stroll away is Princess Diana's Memorial Playground, centred on the huge wooden pirate ship: a great spot for them to work up an appetite.
Kids' Afternoon Tea at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, W8 5DL. Menu is aimed at those aged 12 and under, with various separate afternoon tea menus available for accompanying grown-ups.
Little Hatter's Tea, The Sanderson
The super-stylish Sanderson inspires a sense of childish wonder whatever your age: The Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea is one of the most renowned themed afternoon teas in London, exquisitely detailed, with literary references to test even the most ardent Alice fan.
Kids can join in the fun too with the Little Hatter's Tea menu, a smaller but equally-as-thrilling version of the main menu, featuring magic marshmallow mushrooms, Red Knight Army shortbread and a White Queen Minion's macaron. The sandwiches too are more child-friendly — think sliced ham, and peanut butter — paired with a 'drink me' potion (it's a fruit-based drink, perfectly suitable for little diners).
Little Hatter's Tea at The Sanderson, 50 Berners Street, W1T 3NG. Main Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea menu is available for accompanying adults.
Children's tea parties at Betty Blythe, Hammersmith
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Little girls who love to dress up will adore this chance to adorn themselves with pearls, gloves, fascinators, hats and other accessories from the 1920s-30s, for a vintage Hollywood-themed photoshoot, before sitting down to an introduction to tea-time etiquette.
Tea begins with teapots full of hot chocolate, pretty teacups, napkins and flowers. To eat: cheese, cucumber, ham or jam sandwiches followed by pink wafer biscuits, popcorn, mini muffins and mini cupcakes. Additional activities on offer are biscuit decorating, jewellery-making, chocolate cookery and china painting. Perfect for a posh birthday treat.
Children's Tea Parties at Betty Blythe Vintage Tea Room, 73 Blythe Road, W14 0HP. Children's tea parties are aimed at 5-11 year olds.
Jurassic Afternoon Tea and Science Afternoon Tea at The Ampersand, South Kensington
Inspired by the neighbouring Science Museum and Natural History Museum, The Ampersand Hotel offers two different but equally exciting afternoon teas, both available for children as well as adults. You'll want to have a camera ready to capture not only the interactive elements, but the looks of joy on your children's faces.
Jurassic Afternoon Tea features an apricot and lemon volcanic eruption, a Jurassic mountain and a dinosaur egg basket — all edible of course. Begin with mini hot dogs (always a winner!), a T-Rex foot cheese straw, and a dinosaur jam sandwich, followed by scones with toppings including freeze-dried fruit and chocolate pearls, and a passion fruit curd squeeze tube, all to be added by mini diners themselves. Finish up by excavating a chocolate dinosaur from chocolate soil.
The Science Afternoon Tea, meanwhile, features jams served in petri dishes, chocolate astronauts and dinosaur biscuits, all to be washed down with a spaceman hot chocolate, topped with cream and marshmallows, naturally. Savoury treats are similar to those in the Jurassic Afternoon Tea — mini hot dogs, a rocket cheese straw, and that dinosaur jam sandwich. Desserts include a caramel, chocolate and raspberry planet, and the same chocolate dinosaur waiting to be excavated.
Jurassic Afternoon Tea and Science Afternoon Tea at The Ampersand, 10 Harrington Road, SW7 3ER.
Brigit's Bakery Bus Afternoon Tea
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Ding-ding! Climb aboard for double the fun on a double decker bus: a sightseeing tour and themed afternoon tea by Brigit's Bakery.
Play spot-the-London-landmark as you pass the likes of Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, Nelson's Column and the London Eye while sampling scones, sandwiches, mini quiches, mini cupcakes, macarons and pastries fresh from Brigit's Bakery in Covent Garden.
Such has been the rise in popularity of family-friendly afternoon tea bus tours in recent years, that there are several different themes available at any one time. At time of writing, fans of Peppa Pig, the Beano and Paddington Bear are all catered for. The first two each last 90 minutes, while Paddington Bear is 1hr 45 minutes — and do keep in mind that there's no toilet on board the bus.
The company also offers a gin afternoon tea tour strictly for adults, and seasonal menus throughout the year, including at Halloween and Christmas.
Brigit's Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus Tours, daily departures from Northumberland Avenue, and Victoria Coach Station. Beano and Peppa Pig are aimed at age 2+, while Paddington is aimed at 5+, with adult versions of the menu available for parents and carers. Seating is available on both the upper and lower decks, and you can pick your exact seats when booking, so plan ahead if you want to claim a coveted top deck spot.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea, One Aldwych
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Another of London's best themed afternoon teas which comes in a mini size for younger diners is the scrumdiddlyumptious Charlie and the Chocolate Factory treat of a tea, served with a generous side of eccentricity.
Blending fantastical creations and classic favourites, the menu features 'fabulous fluffy floss', a fizzing lemonade posset, retro-bottled chocolate caramel milkshake, and a scrumptious raspberry and rose sweet. On the savoury side, sandwiches are kept simple; egg mayo, cheese, cucumber and cream cheese, and ham. Scones are not forgotten, served warm with 'snozzberry' jam and clotted cream.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych, 1 Aldwych, WC2B 4BZ. Children's menu is for age 12 and under, with the regular Charlie afternoon tea menu available for accompanying grown-ups.
Grover's Children's Tea, Grosvenor House Hotel
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The kids' tea menu, served in the hotel's Park Room, is themed on the hotel's canine mascot, Grover — and includes a toy Grover for children to take home with them.
Before that though, there's a menu of finger sandwiches, including banana (interesting...), ham, cucumber and cream cheese, and strawberry jam, followed by miniature scones served with clotted cream and jam, and more unusually, vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis.
But let's be honest, most eyes are going to be drawn to the dog-themed pastry section of the menu. The Mr. Grover is a Valrhona milk chocolate mousse cake; the Hound Hotel, a ginger cake with chocolate crunch and caramel mousse; Bone Appetit takes the form of a strawberry and cream shortbread sandwich; and Sweet Dreams is a double chocolate brownie — the ideal finish.
Grover's Children's Afternoon Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, W1K 7TN. Children's afternoon tea menu available for diners up to 12 years old, with a full afternoon tea menu available for adults.
