I have decided recently that I would relish the life of one of the ladies that lunches and spend my days at leisure. There is one pursuit in particular that has inspired this change of life direction - AFTERNOON TEA.
Soho Hotel (£18 with no champagne)
I was lucky enough to be taken for an afternoon champagne tea at the Soho hotel (we sat on the green sofa in the pic) for my birthday. What an amazing afternoon, a truly delightful experience. The interiors of the tea room are beautiful; bedecked in hot pinks and lime greens it adds a modern twist to some of the more staid versions of tea rooms in London and yet keeps enough classical features to ensure you couldn't possibly forget you were embracing the somewhat formal British tradition of afternoon tea. The service was impeccable - the staff obliging, available and smiling throughout. The food was along the same lines with every detail considered - beautifully presented and deliciously fresh we were offered top ups. The sandwiches consisted of divine concoctions of crayfish and rocket, chicken and avocado and mini fruit tarts and macaroons followed on from a midle course of freshly baked scones with lashings of home made jam. When realising it was my birthday we were treated to a freebie top up on our champagne. The upshot - we spent nearly 5 hours on the sofa and spent more money on on early evening cocktails and as i don't think either of us were keen on leaving we invited friends to join us. I think there a very few other ways quite so divinely indulgent and resoundingly british to spend an afternoon and as soon as i have a viable excuse i am back there for another round of scones and cucumber sandwiches...anyone's birthday coming up..anyone?
Harrods (£24 with no champagne)
A week later and i was shopping with another friend - we have a tradition of going to coo at the Puppies at Harrods then once again resolutely deciding it is not fair on the dogs to be gawped at and besides £1800 for a puppy is ludicrous. As a late birthday treat my friend suggested indulging me in my new favorite pass-time - another afternoon tea. I have often walked through Harrods tea room and paused a moment to listen to the grand piano but never indulged in actually stopping and in the large dining room.So with the Soho hotel experience fresh in my mind i sat down expectantly and we ordered two afternoon teas from the most miserable and surly looking waiter with some form of cream wiped halfway down his waistcoat. We lapped up the melancholic tunes from the piano player but he stopped two songs in and we were left with overflowing background music and remote control car noises from surrounding departments. The lack of piano player also induced a quick glance over of the 'seen better days' interior of the, i imagine, once grand Harrods tea room. Dust laden fake flowers and carpets with ground in food and deep chanell tread marks were some of the obvious signs of neglect. It almost felt like a tea room that time had forgotten. I was hoping it would be resuscitated somehow when the tea finally appeared....but alas no it did not. Mini cheese and pickle and egg sandwiches on bread with chunky bits of crusts remaining (a real no no of afternoon tea etiquette) - other elements didn't fair alot better with cheap pots of cafe jam and stamp sized portions of cake so hard i would have been reluctant to feed it to the puppies round the corner. We battled to get the waiters attention for the bill which was about as much as both we both (the waiter and ourselves) could bare to manage and we hurried out of the tea room time forgot back into 2010 as fast as our legs could carry us.
The Soho Hotel created a real customer experience of such a wonderful british tradition and at the prices above it is a nice TREAT to go and enjoy...Harrods could learn alot from the tea room at the Soho Hotel but i fear it may be so set in it's ways it may be stuck in that dusty dining room for a good few years longer....
