Tea land is a wide and deep world where flavors are created, mixed, and used to give off not only amazing aromas but also delectable taste. It took visiting England to fully make my discovery.
Fascinated that people in the country loved tea my friends and I decided to part-take in teatime. We quickly learned the difference between Afternoon Tea and High Tea. For us the definition was quiet simple; affordable verses pricey. To break it down further than that Afternoon Tea (low tea) is usually served on a lower table between 3pm to 5pm with assorted snacks. Meanwhile, High Tea (Meal Tea) is served on a higher table and has heartier meals provided between 5pm to 7pm. Once that was squared away, and we checked our budget we made our way to The Tea Room at Harrods in Knightsbridge London.
The calming environment filled with piano music, comfortable seating, and a refreshing ambiance is the perfect setting to forgot about the hectic hustle and bustle of the city outside. If you can, snag a seat in a plush couch! Opened Monday thru Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 11:30am to 6pm tea lovers aren’t constrained to the “typical” afternoon tea hours.
With a list of “Afternoon Tea” options, we selected the “English Fancies” which included tea and a choice of three afternoon tea fancies for £29 ($46.51).
What’s a tea fancy?
Tea fancies are mini baked goods and dessert that can accompany your tea putting a spin on the traditional crumpets (resembles and taste like an English muffin). For “fancies” we chose a scone, a lemon meringue slice, and queen of puddings. For our tea choice we indulged in the Vanilla Excellence, a Chinese black tea infused with Vanilla from Madagascar. The scent was amazing!
Your tea is served in loose leaf form within your kettle. A strainer is provided for your cup to catch all the leaves. Such a tranquil time. My scone was soft and chewy, not like most scones I’ve had in America that are hard and need the tea for softening. My favorite of the “fancies” was the queen of puddings. The raspberry jello-like jam mixed with the meringue was very yummy. Wish I could have another. My tea was lovely, I didn’t want tea time to end, which is hard to believe since I’m usually a busy person.
The Tea Room at Harrods opened my eyes to a love of tea, considering I didn’t just stop there with my search of Afternoon Tea while in the country. I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon and did Afternoon Tea there as well and now that I’m home in Boston I’ll continue to keep people updated on where they can enjoy a relaxing pot. So many places in my city, I’m excited!
Thank you Harrods!
The Tea Room at Harrods
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge
London, SW1X 7XL, United Kingdom
+44 20 7730 1234
http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/the-tea-room/
