Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel

Royal Horseguards Hotel

2 Whitehall Ct, Westminster

London SW1A 2EJ

www.guoman.com/en/london/the-royal-horseguards.html 

0800 330 8090

On a beautiful sunny Saturday my mum is visiting London with just one expectation- that we simply must have afternoon tea. This seems an easy task being as there are plenty of tea venues in our great capital, but knowing how talented my mum is at baking I know it has to be the best of the best!

So when I hear of The Royal Horseguards Hotel, aptly close to Buckingham Palace and near Trafalgar Square, I feel that this will have the luxury essence that we both love.

On arriving we had already been shopping around Covent Garden so we were ready to sit, relax and chat- and being greeted to a spacious window table with a glass of their finest fizz was just what the doctor ordered! Being only 2pm some would say that's a little early, but we decide to opt for the famous words by Audrey Hepburn, 'It must be 6 o clock somewhere in the world!'

As we chinked glasses a waiter arrives with a secretive looking case of which I am enticed to see what is inside. As he opens it to reveal a variation of exclusive teas, I realise that it's the tea menu. I've never seen a tea menu in a case before and they all smelt heavenly!

After much pondering I decide to go for Strawberries and cream, with hints of fruit and vanilla which are my favourite whilst my mum goes for a classic English tea.

It soon arrived in large pots and vintage looking timers, all of which is set on our table with beautiful saucers and plates. My mum is obsessed with crockery (infact she has about 8 tea sets at home that she gets out at different times of the year) so when she sees the gold rimmed cups she instantly gives her seal of approval.

Our tier then arrived stacked with cucumber sandwiches, egg cress, chicken coronation and smoked salmon all made with aromatic breads such as sun dried tomato and olive- my mum and I are huge fans of fresh breads, so naturally we tucked in followed by a large selection of sweet treats!

Our cake menu included lemon butter cream, mint macarons, rasperry tarte and a cake made to look like a mini tennis court (it looked too pretty to eat but when in Rome, as they say).

We indulged in freshly baked scones with jam and cream and our friendly waiter also kept topping up our champagne glasses quite often!

The hotel itself is spacious, tranquil, beautifully set venue and has a relaxing ambience which is a perfect setting for a Saturday afternoon tea. All the tables are located in their own spot so you are not cramped and can chat without overhearing others conversation.

Will we be back? With the luxury of the champagne, sandwiches, cakes and scones I would say it is a must. Will we eat as much as we did that day? Most definitely.