Wimbledon, Pride, and new stage shows: there's a lot going on in London in July, and the capital's afternoon tea scene got the memo. Check out these new afternoon teas available in London this month — some of them aren't here for long, so get booking!
Pride afternoon tea at Great Scotland Yard Hotel
Located close to the end of the Pride in London route in Trafalgar Square, the Great Scotland Yard Hotel is holding its own celebrations in the form of a rainbow-laced afternoon tea — think layered rainbow cake, a raspberry macaroon, and the 'summer love mousse'. Additionally, the hotel's cocktail bar, The 40 Elephants is serving a 'Rainbow Rhapsody' cocktail, consisting of Crystal Head vodka, mandarin, peach, citrus, vanilla and prosecco, garnished with rainbow sprinkles. Talk about tasting the rainbow.
Pride afternoon tea at Great Scotland Yard Hotel. £59 per person. Available 28 June-2 July.
Wimbledon afternoon tea at The Landmark London
Fancy Marylebone hotel The Landmark London is getting into the spirit of Wimbledon with a tennis-themed afternoon tea, served (see what we did there?) in the glass atrium of the Winter Garden Restaurant throughout the tournament. Sandwich fillings are traditionally British (cucumber, egg mayo and cress), and scones are all present and correct, served with three types of jams.
The desserts are where this menu gets special, specifically the Pimm's, orange and mint mousse shortbread (pictured above), shaped like a tennis ball — though with a creamy filling, rallying isn't recommend. It wouldn't be Wimbledon without strawberries, which come in the form of a strawberry, vanilla and custard tartlet, and other desserts include a Valrhona dark chocolate & salted caramel choux with Chantilly cream, and a raspberry, pistachio and lemon opera. One not to miss if you're 'in pursuit of greatness'.
Wimbledon afternoon tea at The Landmark London. From £65 per person. Available 3-16 July.
The Landmark London has also recently launched a High Seas High Tea, served in its new Champagne Bar. The seafood-centric afternoon tea includes Cornish crab sandwiches, tartlet of poached langoustine, scones and desserts... all washed down with a glass of champers, naturally.
Dalloway Terrace x Neal's Yard Remedies afternoon tea
Famously floral Dalloway Terrace teams up with health and beauty brand Neal's Yard Remedies, and mixer brand The London Essence Co for this year's decor and theme, including a limited edition afternoon tea menu.
Focus is on fresh British produce and sustainably sourced ingredients, and £1 from every afternoon tea served is donated to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which has us buzzing. Menu items include a wild English strawberry and pollinator-friendly elderflower tartlette, and scones with Scottish raspberry jam. There's a Neal's Yard Remedies' exclusive organic herbal tea blend, Lemon Balm & Elderflower Biodiversitea, to wash it down with.
Dalloway Terrace x Neal's Yard Remedies afternoon tea. £45 per person. Available now until mid-August.
Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane
Over at The Wellington Lounge at the InterContinental London Park Lane, fragrance brand Yardley is working with the chefs to create the Scents of Summer afternoon tea. The sweet and savoury dishes take inspiration from Yardley's fragrance range, with dishes including lavender-smoked halibut rillettes and slow-roasted Jerusalem artichoke with English peach. Plus, you'll receive a Yardley London's English Lavender Eau de Toilette (50ml) and a set of samples to take home with you.
Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane. From £62 per person. Available now until mid-August.
The Wizard of Oz afternoon tea at The Soho Hotel
As The Wizard of Oz comes to the London Palladium's stage for the summer, The Soho Hotel has created an afternoon tea tying in with the production. The desserts each nod to an aspect of the book-turned-film-turned-stage-show, including a strawberry and custard ruby slipper, an Emerald City blackberry macaron, a psychedelic Over The Rainbow lemon Swiss roll, and a red velvet cupcake with a mini Toto on top.
Adults can add on a tin man-inspired Hot Melted Silver cocktail (Ketel One vodka, lychee liqueur, coconut milk, chilli and lime) too, and there's also a tea and ticket option where you can enjoy afternoon tea and a theatre trip in the same day.
The Wizard of Oz afternoon tea at The Soho Hotel. From £49 per person/£79 per person for tea and ticket package. Available now until 3 September.
Over The Rainbow afternoon tea at TĪNG Lounge at Shangri-La The Shard
Over The Rainbow is the theme at Shangri-La The Shard this summer — though it's unrelated to the Wizard of Oz happening above, instead focusing on a whimsical wonderland theme with clouds, hot air balloons, giant paper peonies, hummingbirds and butterflies as part of the decor.
TĪNG Lounge offers a new floral and botanical Over The Rainbow afternoon tea, served on a tiered stand decorated with wildflowers. Coronation chicken, smoked salmon and cucumber are among the finger sandwiches, along with a hibiscus flower and brioche burger, and sweet and savoury scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
For dessert: a hummingbird-topped tart with cloud-like pineapple compote and coconut mousse, a 'Forest Log' with berriolette, vanilla and chocolate decorated with an edible butterfly, and a 'Flower Power' choux bun made with peaches and yogurt crémeux.
As always with afternoon tea at TĪNG Lounge, the pièce de résistance is an edible mini replica of The Shard — this time round it's filled with hazelnut praline, lemon jelly and Valrhona Dulcey mousse. And of course, smashing views of London from the 35th floor are served throughout.
Over The Rainbow Afternoon Tea at Shangri-La The Shard. From £71 per person. Available now until the end of September.
Ladurée X Château d’Estoublon afternoon tea, Covent Garden
French bakery and macaron brand Ladurée has teamed up with equally French wine estate Château d'Estoublon for a summer celebrating its Roseblood rosé wine — which, in the Covent Garden branch, translates into a Ladurée Roseblood Afternoon Tea. It features scones, sandwiches, patisseries and Roseblood macarons, all paired with a glass of Roseblood rosé wine.
Ladurée X Château d’Estoublon summer afternoon tea. £42 per person. Available now until 30 September.
A Taste of Balthazar afternoon tea
We still lament the loss of the American-inspired NY-Tea at Covent Garden's Balthazar, but life moves on, and so must we. In particular, the French restaurant has moved on to the A Taste of Balthazar afternoon tea, a Parisian menu featuring dressed crab with herb mayonnaise, tarragon-poached chicken sandwich with truffle mayonnaise, a mini hamburger, and a comté cheese and ham croissant. They skip the scones, moving straight onto what France does best: patisserie. The Paris Brest is a choux pastry filled with praline cream, served alongside the Gateau Opera (a coffee-soaked sponge layered with ganache and coffee buttercream), a crème brûlée and an apple tart. Ooh la la, indeed.
A Taste of Balthazar afternoon tea. From £80 for two people. Available now, Monday-Friday, indefinitely.
Laurent Perrier Anniversary Afternoon Tea at Chelsea Physic Garden
Chelsea Physic Garden has a number of dining events and supper clubs taking place this summer to celebrate its 350th anniversary, including a one-off botanical-inspired Champagne Afternoon Tea served at the Physic Garden Cafe. Sample sandwiches and pastries with a glass of Laurent Perrier La Cuvée N.V, while a harpist plays in the background. Heaven.
Laurent Perrier Anniversary Afternoon Tea at Chelsea Physic Garden. £80 per person. Available 29 July only.
Book ahead for afternoon tea on the roof of The O2
Afternoon Tea Week takes place 7-13 August, so we're expecting to see plenty of special menus and events next month. One that we already know about — and expect to sell out waaay in advance — is afternoon tea on the roof of The O2.
The special tea is part of the Up at The O2 experience. Scale the walkway to the centre of the dome's roof, where you'll tuck into sandwiches, cakes, scones and Lipton iced tea while you enjoy the view. There are only three special climbs where the afternoon tea is served, taking place at 2.30pm, 3pm and 3.30pm on Thursday 10 August, so book quickly if you're keen. Age 8+.
Afternoon tea on the roof of The O2. £40 per person. Available 10 August only.
Hungry for more? Take a look at the best new afternoon teas launched in London in the last couple of months — plenty of them are still available now, including menus themed on music, fashion... and London itself.
