One of the places I was most looking forward to on our trip to London was visiting Fortnum and Mason for afternoon tea. At 80 pounds per person my expectations were pretty high. And well, the ridiculously posh tearoom did not disappoint.
Although Fortnum and Mason was founded in 1707, the tea room is relatively new {well, for London standards anyway}.
In March of 2012, “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, visited the store to open the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.”
One interesting aspect of the afternoon tea service is that all the food and tea served is replenishable {at no extra charge}., which was a nice surprise.
We ended up trying three tea blends; Royal Blend, Early Grey and Victoria Grey. All three were fantastic, but the Victoria Grey tea ended up being my favorite.
Ooh la la.
I honestly don’t remember what the desserts were, but they were all wonderful.
The scones, clotted cream and jam were spot on as well.
Egg salad, cucumber, salmon and coronation chicken. {We liked them all but the salmon.}
Two macarons to finish.
We spent about an hour and a half at tea and when we were finished we received a 10% off coupon for the store.
But first… The loos.
Our first stop was the home and kitchen level to see the iconic hampers. And there were tons of them. There were also plenty of staff on hand to help you create curated hampers as well.
I wish I would have taken more pictures in that part of the store as some of the hampers were pretty spectacular.
My dream mixer.
Isn’t it a beauty!? I really liked the soft, matte robin’s egg blue color with the hammered copper mixing bowl. I think it would look dreamy in my kitchen.
In addition to the tea salon, home goods, fine china and everything you could possibly want for tea, including fine china, silver and tea trolleys, there’s also a pretty amazing food hall on the lower level.
The melons there are a little more reasonable than Harrods.
In the end though, we were really there for the tea and biscuits… so we both loaded up on those.
In the end I left with 7 boxes of my new favorite tea, Victoria Grey. What a fun place. I could have spent all day there… But you know… miles to walk, things to do, new foods to try. 😉
If you love tea and you’re ever in London, be sure and check out Fortnum and Mason. You’ll be so glad you did.
~Mavis
Mary says
On my list for next time, because like you I feel i really need to visit London again!
Shari Harniss says
F&M teas are the best!!
Love to try the Victoria!
Lynne says
The very first “afternoon tea” I ever had was at Fortnum & Mason back in the 1980s. It was a little less fancy then, but lovely nonetheless. As a solo traveler, I was asked if I would be willing to share a table, and I sat with another single lady. When they put down all the stuff – teacup, strainer, extra teapot with water – I was very confused. The lady sharing the table leaned forward and explained how to get my tea poured and ready to drink. It was an interesting experience. Also in the tea room that day was American composer Marvin Hamlisch. I’m not a tea drinker, but when I was in London a few years ago, I had tea at Harrods. They do a nice tea, too.
Andrea says
Heaven! So glad you and Jen indulged.
Wolfe says
Lovely!
Tiffany F says
This looks amazing!
I thought it was funny that you said you both did not care for the salmon sandwiches. My daughter and I had afternoon tea at a tearoom about an hour from our home last year and the salmon sandwiches were the only thing we did not prefer either. It is a lovely little tea shop owned by a lady who moved here from London.
sandy says
CHEERS! You can buy your dream Kitchen Aid in US for cheaper! Maybe wait for a sale??
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/kitchenaid-blossom-artisan-stand-mixer/?pkey=s~KitchenAid%20Blossom%20Mixer,%20Design%20Series%20-%20Artisan%204.7L~49&position=0&sbkey=default
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh wow!!! Thanks Sandy.
Sue S. says
Years ago my mom and I enjoyed afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC. We were visiting my aunt in Friday Harbor and it was a side trip along with another to visit Butchart Gardens. The tea was so very British. Tea just hasn’t ever been the same since.
Sue says
$105.00 per person for leaves in hot water. With tiny sandwiches, miniature scones, and postage-stamp-size sweets.
How curious.