Afternoon Tea in London or Scotland recommendations

I would do some visual research online to find what you want and what you get in each price range. Sometimes we Americans envision High and Afternoon Teas to be something different than what we will find. I think that most Americans are thinking of Cream Teas which are the ones with all the little cakes and scones. There are really a lot of choices. Some of the Posh Places are modern places with no Ye Olde Charm, which is what I would like. You might be able to find that sort of thing in Edinburgh.

I had a lovely tea in these historic tea rooms in Glasgow.

https://www.mackintoshatthewillow.com/

High tea is what children ate back in the 1950s at about 5pm rather than eat with their parents! You could get a boiled egg and soldiers, if you ask for that rather than an afternoon tea😄

The topic of afternoon tea in London comes up from time to time. You might find one or more of the earlier (rather lengthy) threads via the Search function. I recall some information about places high on the value-for-money scale. Afternoon tea in London can be as expensive as £70 per person, I believe, which strikes me as exorbitant for little sandwiches and cakes.

Check into afternoon teas at The Ritz hotel, the Orangery by Kensington Palace, or Fortnum & Mason. Those would be higher end teas. Another possibility is afternoon tea at Liberty London. It might not be as pricey as the others.

What about afternoon tea at the Rubens Hotel in London? £500 for two

https://rubens.skchase.com/vouchers/1eaf0000-0000-0000-0000-000000081454/golden-tips-tea-experience-for-two?_ga=2.112965572.1157586473.1606215125-1638459504.1577036526

cheaper alternatives are available....

I had a lovely afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace on my first trip to London in 2005. I don’t remember it be overly expensive for the time. It looks like it is now served in a pavilion but what could be better than tea at a palace. It looks like it still overlooks the sunken garden, £34-44. Enjoy!

Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason is considered to be the pinnacle of a proper afternoon tea in England. We did this several years ago and loved it, but you need to dress up to attend and you need to make reservations in advance or you won't get in.

I enjoy a good afternoon tea with my wife, I find it relaxing and fun. If you are in the southwestern part of London (near Richmond) the Petersham Hotel is excellent, you can have afternoon tea on the terrace over looking the Thames river. If you want to have a afternoon tea you will remember for a lifetime, when in Edinburgh go to the Witchery Restaurant and have afternoon tea (highly recommended by Andrew Lloyd Weber).

Half the cafes in Britain serve afternoon teas, but as others have pointed out, the price can vary significantly. In cafes where I live, they cost around £10-15 per head (and are more generous sized), although you can spend over £60 for the same thing in London. In most places, you will be brought a tiered cake stand with dainty sandwiches and small cakes and scones and a pot of tea, so you help yourself - it’s not formal dining. The Ritz is the classic splurge for afternoon tea in London. In Edinburgh, take tea aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

I prefer to have just a cream tea mid afternoon - tea/coffee, scones, clotted cream and jam as if you skip lunch before an afternoon tea, you will be ravenous by mid afternoon then you won’t want a meal in the evening.

Regardless of where you go, you have to decide:

Tea or milk first?

Cream or jam first?

Thank you all for your tips and recommendations and, yes, I really mean afternoon tea; Not wanting to spend much more than 30-35 pounds per person. I looked at the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow and will certainly explore the other suggestions.

Frank, guessing tea before milk and cream before jam.

In London try the Wallace Collection restaurant for afternoon tea.

Tons of tea rooms in Scotland, don’t worry. The Edinburgh Castle has a tea room. Afternoon tea is 25-30€. https://www.benugo.com/application/files/6015/5689/3372/Queen_Anne_Menu_April_19_web.pdf

The Grand Central hotel in Glasgow has an afternoon tea also. We were staying there and kept forgetting to make a reservation so we didn’t try it, but it looked nice. The concierge managed to get us a spot at The Corinthian Club, which was gorgeous but they were playing very loud dance music which was very odd. I think they had transitioned to the happy hour scene, so go earlier than 4:30! Also 25€. https://www.thecorinthianclub.co.uk/offers/afternoon-tea/

Claudia and travelforfun, thanks for your suggestions too. I will look them up.

hey hey linda
couple things you can look at
cross-pollinate.com
this is a site with bnb's, apartments in london. the couple started the beehive hostel in rome and have grown the company.
wowcher.co.uk
it's like groupon here, special 2 for 1's,
check under restaurants and teas come up, plus other things under travel. you will need to register with email for free
recommended by poster, emma
afternoonteaonline.com
has many listed, even scotland, under region.
b-bakery.com
a bakery in covent garden that serves tea or the classic red double decker bus tour. get on the bus gus (!), takes you around london and see city attractions from above.
so many teas to look at, some have themes, read the menus, what's included, where they are (get good map).
streetsensation.co.uk
the street markets around london.
have fun and if i think of more i'll send you
aloha

Princes Pupule
Thank you for the reminder about Cross-pollinate. Linda and Steve are wonderful and I am very familiar with The Beehive, as I have stayed there in Rome twice now. And thank you for the other recommendations and links.

Oh, and “make a new plan Stan”. Hee hee

Tea in London sites:
- Camden Town Basement Tea Room: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d5817765-Reviews-The_Basement_Tea_Rooms-London_England.html

• Brown’s Hotel, The English Room: https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/browns-hotel/restaurants-and-bars/english-tea-room/

• The Wolseley: https://www.thewolseley.com/afternoon-tea

• Tea & Tattle: http://www.teaandtattle.com/tea-room

• Afternoon Tea.co.uk: http://www.afternoontea.co.uk

• National Portrait Gallery Restaurant, decent prices Reservations

• Afternoon Tea Bus Tour: https://london.b-bakery.com/afternoon-tea-london/afternoon-tea-bus-london-tour/
  -- Looks like fun

Here is an explanation about the difference between High tea and Afternoon tea.
They are quite different events.
I think the OP is probably looking for Afternoon tea.

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-high-tea-and-vs-afternoon-tea/#:~:text=%20Difference%20Between%20High%20Tea%20and%20Afternoon%20Tea,meats%2C%20fish%20and%20other%20heavy%20food...%20More%20

There is always a long-standing running joke between Edinburgh and Glasgow people.
Glaswegians are perceived to be more generous and welcoming than Edinburgh folk; so the saying is, in Glasgow, when someone arrives at your door at tea-time ("tea" in Scotland is often used as a word for supper or dinner) unexpectedly, the householder will say in a welcoming voice, "Come away in and have your tea!"
In Edinburgh they will supposedly say, with a reluctant voice, and the door barely open: "Ah, you'll have had your tea then?" Meaning: I'm not giving you any!

Not true at all....I lived in Edinburgh for many years, and you always got offered something, no matter the time of day! :)

Ha! SJ, I appreciated your story of the comparison of tea in Glasgow and tea in Edinburgh. Funny

and there are "Devon Cream Teas" which can be found where the Rodda's is served.

Check out the website "Afternoon Tea".
Best Places For Afternoon Tea In London.

There are 22 pages of places, so just scroll on through, using the arrows at the bottom of the page.
There are 10 places profiled on each page, so a good number of choices.
https://afternoontea.co.uk/uk/london/

I have this bookmarked and I browse through it every time I'm going to London.

The National Portrait Gallery is closed until 2023 for major building work, so I assume there isn't currently food being served there.

Last spring (just before Covid-19 devastated things), we had Tea at Fortnum & Mason in London. They have a lower-priced option on the first floor, or the full-scale Tea further upstairs. We went big-time, in the posher tearoom, and even got 2 pots and some extra cakes. Overindulgent Americans, maybe. Delightful? Definitely! Dinner was pretty small that night, as I recall.

While these are a bit different, they’re essential:

In Edinburgh, get roasted pork at Oink!, either of their two locations. When all the pig’s been served for the day, that’s it, until tomorrow.

In Glasgow, the place to get ice cream was Nardini’s. They’ve unfortunately closed for good, a couple years ago, but there are many other ice cream parlors still scooping up the good stuff. Mabe have an Ice Cream Tea if in Glasgow?

Scone rhymes with gone.

Unless you are visiting Scone Castle in Scotland, then it is "scoon".

there is only one way to pronounce "scone" correctly and it is the way my mother did

Nigel: Which is . . .

there is only one way to pronounce "scone" correctly and it is the way my mother did

which I think is the correct answer for most Brits unless trying to change class or heritage.

My mother, by the way, and all the people she knew and I knew growing up pronounced it the Home Counties way, rhymes with bone.

Maybe, then, it doesn’t matter what you call them, just don’t call me late for Tea !?!

There is Earl Grey ice cream, and green tea ice cream. Ice cream - if not served in a cup, is it a cone, or a “cahn?”

Milk before tea and jam before cream definetly.

I'm Canadian, but grew up partly in Edinburgh, then went back to live there as an adult.
It was always "sconn" there!
And yes....milk in the cup first before you pour the tea!
Has to be "builder's" strength tea....none of your barely there stuff.... ;))

And do we let the tea "mash"?

We could go on for days on this.... ;)

No circular stirring in the cup...oops, I mean tea cup, no touching the sides of said tea cup, and worst of all, no slurping. I'm on the Best of England tour next September. I'd better work on all those bad habits before then, or I'll be voted off the Island and sent home.

Whoa, this turned out to be quite the hot topic. It’s going to be an enjoyable late afternoon of delicious delights and quiet time. I hesitate to bring this up, but I am a huge futbol fan and will definitely try to catch a match in a pub somewhere. 😜

in Britain we spell that football....;-)