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Tea time in London

‘Afternoon tea’ or ‘high tea’ on a special occasion is something dear to the hearts of both Londoners and visitors alike.

Afternoon tea at the Berkeley

“Anyone for a cuppa?” “Madam, your tea is served.” “How about a brew?” From mugs of tea at classic cafés to delicate teas served in bone china at elegant London hotels, tea is undeniably Britain’s favourite beverage. Here’s a selection of tea establishments to provide a refreshing slant when visiting the capital:

Tea with a Twist

‘Afternoon tea’ or ‘high tea’ on a special occasion is something dear to the hearts of both Londoners and visitors alike. The phrase immediately evokes images of opulent surroundings at the Ritz or the Savoy, where a selection of delicate sandwiches such as smoked salmon and cucumber are served with fine tea poured from ornate silverware.

It was the 7^th Duchess of Bedford that decided that the time between lunch and supper was too long a period to go without food. Her Grace then decreed that every day she would take tea at 3pm, freshly brewed leaves from India that would be partnered with delectable morsels. Thus the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ was born — a special ritual that still remains dear to all centuries later.

One of London’s best value afternoon teas can be enjoyed at the fabulous National Portrait Gallery’s roof-top restaurant with the added bonus of city views of Trafalgar Square and across Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben. For around £20, you are served a selection of savoury sandwiches, passion fruit and white chocolate macaroons, mocha and gold leaf éclair, scones, clotted cream & preserves, and choice of tea or coffee. Afternoon tea hours are available from Monday to Sunday, 15.30 to 16.45.

The Berkeley in Knightsbridge adds a creative twist to the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea with its Prêt-à-Portea (a Fashionista’s Afternoon Tea), offering cakes and pastries inspired by the latest fashion season’s catwalk designs for the style conscious and with savouries in miniature mouthfuls for the figure conscious. The menu is changed every six months to follow the changing seasons in fashion.

Classic London Café

Often described as ‘caffs’ or ‘greasy spoons’, classic cafés have been part of the London cityscape for more than half a century and are great places for a cup, or most likely a mug of tea. But these snug, warm havens beloved of workmen and famed for their all-day breakfasts are actually little microcosms of urban British culture, architecture and interior design. Many have been replaced and refitted with plastic-moulded interiors devoid of any character, but some are national treasures that have retained many of their original fittings and furniture.

An excellent example is the Regency Cafe at 17-19 Regency Street in Westminster. With an imposing black-tiled Deco exterior with a lovely typeface logo, and a cream-tiled interior with red and white check curtains, the Regency is so exemplary of a classic café in the Modernist mould that fashion shoots sometimes take place here to obtain that retro-chic backdrop. It has also been used extensively in film and television productions, so it may seem strangely familiar. The Daniel Craig movie 
Layer Cake shot a scene in the Regency and it’s a great place for people-watching.

Inside, the clientele will most likely consist of manual workers tucking into calorie-rich fry ups and drinking tea from white mugs. While the gleaming vintage water boiler splutters and gurgles on the counter top, the owner shouts out the meal orders in a voice a football fan would be proud of. Look out for a number of surviving details such as the old, black contemporary coat-hooks, pictures of sporting legends, and an assortment of old adverts and a great 1960s poster that says ironically: “Stop for coffee — it’s delicious.”

A Tea for Every Occasion

“My first rule of tea drinking is that it’s your cup of tea and you must drink it the way you like it,” says Stephen Twining, inside the famous shop Twinings at 216 Strand, where fine teas have been traded since 1706. Stephen, a tenth-generation Twining works as a roving ambassador for the company and is an acknowledged authority on the history of tea. He firmly states you have to choose the tea type according to the occasion.

“I usually drink several cups a day, and like to begin with a strong, robust invigorating tea like English Breakfast,” he says. “Around mid-morning, I like to work into a Ceylon or a Darjeeling. A post-lunch tea may be an Earl Grey followed by a delicate tea such as a Prince of Wales in the afternoon. Around English teatime, I may have a Lapsang Souchong — a golden tea with a distinctive smoky character — and in the evening, it’s mainly loose green teas.”

For some people, matching certain teas with particular foods may be an alien concept, but not so for tea connoisseur Stephen. Some of his favourite pairings include a delicate Darjeeling with a strong cheese, a pungent high-grown Kenyan tea with a dark chocolate and a robust English Breakfast tea to accompany a breakfast of haddock or kippers.

216 Strand is a showcase for Twinings range of speciality teas, together with books, teapots and all the paraphernalia for making a perfect cup of tea. To the rear of the shop is the delightful Twinings Museum, full of stories and artifacts from the past.

Cabbies’ Shelters

It’s 9.30am on a Tuesday morning and, inside the Grosvenor Gardens Cabbie Shelter near Victoria tube station, the atmosphere is warm, comforting and excessively cosy. Sue, the waitress on duty, carries plates heaped with heart-warmingly greasy grub to cabbies crammed around Formica bench tables, laughing, joking and unfurling The Sun and The Daily Mirror.

“The rules are that only taxi drivers are allowed to eat and drink inside, but we can serve the public from the window,” says Sue, as she passes a cup of tea through the 
serving hatch to a customer on the street outside. Over 60 of these remarkable little structures were once built at city intersections or in the middle of busy roads, to provide hot food and comforting cups of tea to Victorian cabmen outside in all weathers. Some shelters date back to the 1870s but only a few have survived.

“There are only 13 of them left now,” says John Mills, a cabbie with over 40 years experience as he tucks into breakfast. “One of the best known examples is opposite the museums in South Kensington and there’s a good one in Notting Hill, just off Portobello Road.” London cabbies’ shelters are quirky survivors from another era and wonderful places for a good value cuppa.

TEXT: Andrew Marshall

PHOTOS: Karin Riikonen