Tea

I had lunch but not tea at the Orangery at Kensington two years ago and it was lovely. The food was excellent. Do check to make sure it is still open as I had read it was being redone. I liked it there but would not have tea there. I had tea at Forum and Mason and that was wonderful! I also had tea at the Pump Room in Bath and loved that too! ( Same trip, two years ago). The service and room are wonderful and when we went they had a small band playing pretty music.

Have a great time.

I can strike one from your list. The Orangery at Kensington Palace is closed for renovation. It used to be a favorite of mine, but the last time I visited in 2016 I was SO disappointed. They had a new vendor in charge of the tea room and it wasn't as yummy before. It used to be you were overwhelmed with choices. In 2016 it was the usual set menu with no choice. I hope when they re-open, the vendor will be new, too.

A friend stayed at the boutique 4 star St Paul's Hotel in S Kensington and enjoyed the afternoon tea at the hotel's Melody restaurant. 10 minute walk from Hammersmith tube station.

hey hey yoda_615
don't know when or how long you will be in london, plus how many people you are traveling with.
there are lots of choices to chose from for tea.
afternoonteaonline.com
b-bakery.com they do a big red bus tour through the streets of london seeing sights and landmarks.
wowcher.co.uk like groupon here in the states. you need to register and look up afternoon tea, they have 2 for 1 options. thanks to emma from london on this forum for recommendation.
aladyinlondon.com is a blog she writes about london and beyond
have a fabulous trip, we loved london and bath.
aloha

I would recommend the Pump Room in Bath. We had an excellent tea time there and the decor and atmosphere are lovely. Musicians were playing and it felt very elegant. It was worth waiting in a slight queue.

I bookmarked this thread which was helpful to me, we’ll be at Fortnum’s in October...

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/tea-in-london-without-breaking-the-bank

I agree with organizer8 about the Pump Room. Really elegant ambiance like that we associate with Jane Austen's Bath.

Another reason to go to the Pump Room in Bath is their Kir Royale. I had lunch there last year (which was very good) and treated myself to a cocktail.

Yep, the Orangery at Kensington Palace is closed. We had tea at the Pavillion there in June and it was a little disappointing - the service wasn't what I would have expected from such a place. It is lovely to be able to say I had tea at KP, though!

Fortnum’s is a special experience. Try the lobster omelette

Thanks all - based on the reviews I have booked a table at the Pump room. It will be neat to have tea in the room referenced in so many Austen novels!

Another nice place in London to have tea is The Wolseley. It's right next door to The Ritz and about 1/5 of the price! Cream tea is only 12.75 GBP and afternoon tea is 30. Beautiful place to stop in. I usually make a reservation but the have tables available for walk-ins.

Kevin, that sounds sooo good...

I hope you enjoy your tea in the pump room! I loved having it there last year. I was at first disappointed because I wanted tea at Kensington and then saw it was closed, but I ended up being really glad to have it at the pump room.

I've also had a very nice tea at the British Museum, which -- after a fascinating but exhausting day -- was not only convenient but delicious! Have fun.