Cream tea baked goods beyond scones, crumpets or cupcakes

Look for tearooms at some cathedrals and churches and National Trust properties. Some times in town look for tearooms one level up from street level. Some of the department stores have really nice tearooms, often on the top floor with a view. Posh hotels may have some posh teas. Good Luck. You've got me planning a trip to the Empress Hotel in Victoria BC. Although I really enjoy their Curry Buffet in the Piano Bar.

I'm sure you know this, but just in case... a cream tea tends to be tea, scones, clotted cream and jam... afternoon tea will include those, and a further selection of small fancy cakes, and a selection of generally three different small sandwiches. A cream tea can be had for £5, afternoon tea will tend to cost £15+ and is a bit more formal.

You won't get crumpets or cupcakes with a cream/afternoon tea, crumpets being a breakfast item, and cupcakes not being British... although they are available here. Fairy cakes are British, and similar, and you might get those.

The selection tends to be fixed with afternoon tea, maybe with a veggie option.

If you want to try different cakes and effectively create your own 'afternoon tea' selection, somewhere like Caffe Concerto, many in London, might work. You could just order a pot of tea and pick your own selection of cakes from the counter.

A lot of fine pastries have a French influence in London, no bad thing... Macrons are very popular, but quite pricey for their size.

Where you order will vary from place to place, but afternoon tea would tend to be ordered from a table menu.

The website below, a nice place for afternoon tea on Piccadilly, might give you some more info...

http://www.palmcourtlondon.co.uk/

I work in London and have not seen any of your suggested cakes on offer with afternoon tea, except for Victoria sponge. Afternoon tea usually means a slice of cake not buns or pastries, but you maybe offered chocolate eclairs etc.

You will find some of your suggestions for sale in supermarkets or if you can find one in London, a bakers. There tend not to be any local specialities, because things such as Bakewell tarts are available everywhere, not just in Bakewell.

Look out for the Hummingbird Cafe if you want Bake Off style cakes. Expensive but worth it.

Where you order your cream tea depends on the venue. They serve you at the Ritz etc whereas other (cheaper places generally or the NT) maybe self service.

As said, cream tea is probably not what you're after:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea

Are you relying on public transport or perhaps haring about the countryside in a motorcycle and sidecar?

If the latter, I can suggest that we tend to prefer local church teas and those at little village or town tearooms, or those brewed up by Mrs WI at the local garden participating in the NGS (National Gardens Scheme at http://www.ngs.org.uk/ which is local gardens open for a day or two a year for charity - usually very interesting, often very tasty, and good for a half day out)

The National Trust always (nearly always) have teas at their properties but I tend to find that the actual tearooms there are a bit plain and what you get is more than I usually would pay for a slice'er cake.

As for a cream tea, particularly a Devon Cream Tea, go for it and experience it. Particularly if you here when we have what is laughingly called summer, have a couple of fresh strawbs with it.

In different places around the country different things are served, in my experience. I've regularly had crumpets on the menu in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Thanks for widening our British food perspective. As avid food explorers, as well as culturally curious travellers, for us everyone's remarks are helpful. So yes, Mike & harleydonski, a straight up cream tea is likely not what we are after. Probably ideas for cake shops or independent bakeries is more what we had in mind. And by the way, online, I ran across a list of 50 London cake shops/bakeries in a March 2015 posting from the Standard. Jennifer, it mentioned the Hummingbird also as well as other French and Scandinavian bake shops. And thanks for mentioning Bakewell tarts as they are new to us.

Mike, Caffe Concerto lies near our Mayfair hotel so we'll check it out. Perhaps take an evening cocktail after theatre at the National. And Kathleen thanks for reminding us what places to seek out refreshment. We are not so much after having afternoon tea per se but enjoying a short break in less hectic surroundings.

I must disagree with Mike about crumpets being a breakfast item. I have only ever had them at tea-time, but not as part of an afternoon tea. We usually have them late afternoon if we have had a good lunch and don't want much more to eat.

Crumpets are toasted and spread with butter (and sometimes jam) before they are eaten. They are called pikelets in some parts of the country. Muffins are usually split and toasted before being eaten; they bear little resemblance to the English Muffins that I have seen in the U.S.

If you want something really filling, look out for lardy cake. This is a yeast product containing dried fruit, lard and sugar. It should be eaten hot, and I like it with butter.

Afternoon tea is sometimes offered with champagne, but personally I don't find that combination appealing.

Nigel,
Sigh.....we are constrained to public transport for our trip in less than two weeks, August 12-22nd. And still in time to savour English strawberries, we hope.

Nigel, the thought of us "near-pensioners" roaring down the lane with our "freak flags flying" causes me to chuckle. Next UK visit for checking out church charity and special garden openings tearooms. This suggestion is a 'keeper'.

Plus One for Lardy Cake - Plus 10 if I could. Then again, after a couple er wodges you WILL be plus 10!!

I put on 10lbs just thinking about lardy cake!!!!!!!!

Try Hathaway Tea Rooms, right on the High, in Stratford upon Avon. http://www.hathawaytearooms.com/

Devonshire (or Cream) Tea is just tea served with scones, (strawberry) jam and (clotted) cream.
High Tea extends that, with ribbon sandwiches, small savoury baked goods ( such as quiche), small sweet baked goods (such as fruit tarts and eclairs). High Tea, for many, would be taken around 5pm and replace an evening meal. No one needs an excuse to order Devonshire Tea at any time of the afternoon - scones must be freshly baked and still warm !!

I love so many of the desserts mentioned but two of my favorites are sticky toffee pudding and Victoria's sponge.

High Tea (now really dinner) and Afternoon Tea:

http://britishfood.about.com/od/faq/f/highteavafttea.htm

"What's a ribbon sandwich?"
Probably a sandwich cut into "finger" shapes.

That was a new one to me, too....

If you haven't had a proper traditional afternoon tea, it's something worth doing. You will be full so skip lunch and you probably won't want a full dinner that evening. However, if you're up for something a bit different and definitely Bake Off inspired inventiveness, have an eyeball at these:

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/the-15-quirkiest-afternoon-teas-in-london

That OXO tower one has my name on it!

And the next season of the Bake Off starts next week so you might catch an episode or two while you're here. :)

"What's a ribbon sandwich?"
Probably a sandwich cut into "finger" shapes.

Exactly. Crusts off, cut into thirds, like ribbons. Best using cream cheese, mayonnaise or mashed avocado as a 'glue' to hold things together.

ok, I'll buy the thin fingers of sandwich. I've never seen tea using avocado pears.

I love the British sense of moderation... And that adding spring onions (scallions) to egg constitutes going mad, lol, love it!

OK, time for me to also take against mayonnaise and cream cheese.

Pretty much all the teas my wife and I have had have had butter based sandwiches. And cut in triangles, rarely fingers.

Now to put the pussycat among the pigeons -

Hands up for pronouncing Scone - like skone (rhymes with bone)

or

other hands up for pronouncing it like skon (rhymes with gone)

Which are you? I've always used the first myself, as does my wife.

Definitely skone.

I come from a long line of Scottish tea jennies and it has always been " Skawn" in our family.

Skone of course.

Emma is my hero

Skon, skone. Please pass them down the table to me right now, with ham and egg, salmon and cream cheese, or just clotted cream. And coronation chicken! Good Lord, I'm hungry now!

Rebecca, clotted cream and strawberry jam.

A chicken sandwich must have mayonnaise to bind the chicken, chopped celery, walnuts and tarragon.

During one of our trips to England a few years ago, we stopped for one of our two daily cream teas and it came with raspberry jam. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven, raspberries being my favorite fruit.

Norma, thanks! Must not forget to add the jam! Yum!

Oh my!! I love Lancashire parkin. I haven't had that for years :-(

While we are on the subject of tea and crumpets, does anyone have a recommendation for afternoon tea in Southampton? We will be here for a few days before a QM2 transatlantic crossing to NYC. (Forgive the initials.)

Definitely rhymes with gone....been fighting weird looks on this all my life here in the US. :)