My Christmas Afternoon Tea experience at The Ritz in London

In December 2015, I was in London on holiday. During that trip, just like every other time I’ve been in London, I had afternoon tea and was in love with it. After the trip, I did some research and found that the best Afternoon Tea experience in the world was at The Ritz Hotel in London.

I was determined to try it out. My grandmother, who visited the Ritz for Afternoon Tea in the 80’s and is quite the Afternoon Tea connoisseur, had said that the Afternoon Tea experience at The Ritz is the best she’s had.

HOW TO GET A TABLE

To get a table in the Palm Court at the Ritz, you need to know someone or book months ahead. For me, the latter was the only option. I made the reservation in April, without having a plane ticket or any real plans to go to London in December. We booked flights in September, and on December 29th 2018, my boyfriend and I had Afternoon Tea at The Palm Court at The Ritz Hotel in London.

My best tip for getting a table is to plan ahead and book the experience even if your travel plans are subject to change. It is always possible to cancel reservations. Make sure to not forget about the reservation as they will charge your credit card with the full charge of the Afternoon Tea unless you cancel at least 72 hours ahead of the time you booked.

Also, note that the sitting time is 1,5 hours which I’d say is a bit short when food is unlimited and you’re paying quite some money to sit in that room, so book the 19:30 time slot as it is the last sitting.

WHAT TO REMEMBER FOR THE EVENT

Don’t forget to update yourself on the dresscode. It is listed in the booking confirmation, and it’s fairly strict. Men need to wear a jacket and tie for Afternoon tea. Make sure to be at least five minutes ahead of time, as you will have to leave the coat (free of charge) at the cloakroom of the hotel.

THE AFTERNOON TEA EXPERIENCE

After leaving our coats, we were taken to our table by our server who pulled out the chairs for us. Another waiter came by to pour us a glass of The Ritz’s own champagne, and then left us to enjoy our champagne and decide what tea we were going to have.

I thought I couldn’t taste the difference between good champagne, less good champagne and Prosecco, but I could tell that this champagne tasted divine. It was all of a sudden clear why so many people love fancy champagne.

After choosing our tea (Christmas Spice and Earl Grey Imperial), we got our first round of sandwiches and pastries. The scones came in a little bit later, and they were warm and fluffy. They came with strawberry jam and clotted cream (which is one of the best things ever created by the way). The sandwiches and pastries tasted great and were of high quality, but the selection can vary. The current Afternoon Tea menu is very similar to what we had and can be found here.

As usual, I was mostly interested in the salmon sandwich, but they were all exceptionally made and tasted great. I think they refilled our sandwich plate three or four times. They offer to refill once you’re done to make sure that plates are never empty during the experience. Don’t be shy to ask if there’s anything specific you want another piece of. I can, however guarantee that you will be full faster than you think. This meal fills you up faster than the average dinner, and you will roll out of the hotel feeling heavier than ever before.

If you thought you were finished after sandwiches, scones and pastries, you were wrong. In the middle of our experience, the cake wagon came by our table, and we were offered carrot cake or English Christmas cake. I asked for a little bit of both, but got large slices of both. I was a bit too full to finish either, but the carrot cake was my favourite. The English Christmas cake had dried fruits and some form of alcoholic beverage in it that I was unable to discern. Whatever it was, it wasn’t my piece of cake.

Before I end this part of my review, I need to adress the tea. It was one of the best teas that I’ve had. Did you know that the Ritz Hotel in London is the only hotel in the world that has its own tea sommelier? He travels around the world to tea plantations to explore and stay up to date with the world of tea. What a job!

During our time at the Ritz, we were served a pot of tea each. The pot was quite heavy, I could barely lift it. Thankfully, the personnel poured the tea for us every time they noticed that the cup was empty. In the middle of our visit, they took our hot water, which by then was lukewarm, and gave each of us a new pot with hot water, so that we wouldn’t be having cold tea.

To conclude, the food experience was divine. It was the best Afternoon Tea I’ve ever had with the best service I’ve ever experienced. I had the Christmas Afternoon Tea, which might be a bit different from their traditional year-round Afternoon tea. I do, however believe that at least the Palm Court is the quite a lot more beautiful in December than any other time of the year, so try to go during the festive season if you can. I’d give my dining experience a 5 star rating, and if there weren’t so many other Afternoon tea’s I’d like to try in London, I’d be more than happy to come back.

THE VENUE

The Ritz has to be among the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever seen, especially with all the Christmas decorations. The Palm Court is stunning, and there’s so much thought behind every piece of the Christmas decor. During our time at the Palm Court, they had a person who played the piano, a choir that sang for us, and live entertainment throughout the Afternoon Tea experience. On some days in December, Santa Clause even shows up at the Palm Court to greet the children and give them a free Ritz teddy bear (I would’ve wanted one of those!).

I found myself just sitting there, enjoying the experience, unsure whether it was actually real or not many times throughout the evening. I’d been looking forward to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz for years, and it has been quite the bucket list experience for me.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience at the Ritz that only included one downside. Now that you’ve seen how beautiful this venue is, you may imagine that people take a lot of photos here. I’m guilty of that myself, but I took far less photos than many other people there. I do think that some people that were there took it a bit to far.

People spent more time taking photos than enjoying the experience. I unfortunately saw one person who sat ON a table with a photographer taking photos for several minutes before being told that this wasn’t a fashion show, and that she needed to leave. This is one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, and people pay a lot of money for their experiences here. That was both disrespectful and inappropriate. I’m highlighting this since it is important to not get too caught up in how insta-friendly this venue is (although I know it’s hard). Be respectful and remember that you’re part of someone else’s experience.

Besides what I mentioned above, I had a great experience at The Ritz in London. I would be happy to come back. I have many great memories from my evening there, and I am happy to have had the experience.

Next time you’re in London, try to visit this hotel. If your budget doesn’t allow for staying here, have Afternoon Tea here, visit a restaurant, or go for a drink at the bar. It is well worth the time and money.

What are your favourite Afternoon Tea experiences around the world? I’d love to get some tips on where to have Afternoon tea, either in London or other places around the globe!