Food at Afternoon Tea

In the States, we tell the server what sandwiches we don't want and they give us double of something else. Haven't needed to do it in the UK.

Debbie
Florida

1.The Goring Hotel. They will bring you a three level display of sweet treats and scones. Normally, the lower level is sandwiches; you could ask that they bring more sweets instead, or tell them what fillings you'd like in the sandwiches instead of the nasty cucumbers or salmon.

2.The Delaunay, or 3.The Savoy. They will also make substitutions as you like. Know that all these places require reservations, and proper dress, at least dressy jeans and a nice sweater.

Also, you could go back through previous pages here on the "To The North" section, and scan the titles of threads for more suggestions on tea in London, given weeks or months ago. Then search out the reviews on Trip Advisor. Currently, the Search for previous "tea" threads on this site may or may not work, but you can go back through previous pages easily.

If you just want tea and cupcakes, avoiding the cucumber and salmon sandwiches altogether, try Primrose Bakery, on Tavistock, near Covent Garden.

Thank you, Rebecca! I actually went through about 10 pages of To the North and did a search of the site and didn't find anything that talked about specific items on the tea menus and whether you could sub, etc. I guess when I call to make a reservation I can ask them about subbing certain items. I definitely want scones and clotted cream but want to try other yummy treats along with it. My husband will not dress up, so I have to find something that is ok in whatever we may be wearing that day. I will definitely check out the menus for the places that you have mentioned. Thanks again!

Amy, you are welcome. A more casual location is the Cafe in the British Museum. They serve a good afternoon tea with scones, sandwiches, and sweets. Convenient, since you may already intend to go to the museum.

Another casual place for afternoon tea is Bea's of Bloomsbury, not far from St. Paul's Cathedral. They also serve all kinds of sandwiches and salads; good lunch place if you are in the area visiting St. Paul's.

These two places are less pricey than some of the hotel teas.

Bea's is one of the ones that I saved as a favorite! It was featured on a Travel Channel show about eating in London and looked great. I'm looking to keep it under 20 pounds per person, and there is a lot to choose from in that price range. I'm already hungry..... ;)

Amy, Here is a great site for tea. Just click on the different sections of London in the left column, and keep exploring:

http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/uk/london/kensington-chelsea/

Have a great trip!

Another great place to have afternoon tea is The Orangery at Kensington Palace, besides have a great tea it is really pretty.

The OP's concern the way I read it is not where to have afternoon tea, but how to avoid the ever-popular cucumber and/or salmon sandwiches.

You are right, Norma. I hope that she can use the website "afternoon tea" that I gave to access the websites of each hotel or tearoom she might be interested in, and send them an email to ask if they serve these sandwiches/would make a substitution. The website I gave gives a link to each of the establishments it lists, which I hope will be helpful to her.

I went to the Orangery near Kensington Palace three months ago. According to Rick Steves, reservations were not required, but when I got there I was told they were required. Didn't stay for tea because it would have been a half-hour wait, so I can't comment on what their tea is like. It was in the expensive range, however.

The original Bea's of Bloomsbury is in Bloomsbury - about a 10 minute walk from the British Museum. When I was last there a couple of years ago, they only did a "savory" tea on weekends - no cucumbers. During the week it was just a sweet tea - the best scones I've had, and lots of little cakes, then a signature cupcake (American cupcake with lots of buttercream frosting).

My understanding is that a Cream Tea is scones and lots of cakes and other sweets, in other words, Afternoon Tea minus the savory sandwiches.

In some of the places I've had tea, the policy was "no substitutions" except if you requested vegetarian, always something with cucumbers, either way.

Here I am! Rebecca, I LOVE that website! I found a lot of great options. I love that you can look by neighborhood! Yeah, there are a million places to have tea, so I don't necessarily need recommendations for specific places. Unless someone knows of a place that doesn't have salmon or cucumber. ;) But really, it would be great to find a place that has sandwiches that we would like. Nothing better than some salty with the sweets! Another option that I just found was that the UK/Ireland has Groupon! I signed up for those and a few times a week, they are selling Groupons for afternoon tea. It's too early to buy because the current ones are expiring before our trip, but it will be a nice option if I find a Groupon for a place that has decent Tripadvisor ratings (most of the ones I've seen so far have horrid ratings!) and get more bang for our buck!