To A Tea | Four Seasons Park Lane

Typically, summers in England can be fairly... bleak. It's pretty common that your plans for picnics in the park or a weekend spent in the garden can be spoiled and swapped out for soggy days spent warming up over hearty meals and cups of tea. You find yourself living for those days when the skies clear and you- finally- get to see London in all it's steamy, sunny glory. As you sit sweltering in the air-conditionless English summer, you feel like you've earned each sunny moment with all of those rain-soaked days before it.

When I headed to the Four Seasons today to try their special afternoon tea, "A Journey Through British Summer," I knew it would be lovely... but I wasn't sure how it would be different than most of other afternoon teas. And if you're looking to spend a day out in London, you may be asking yourself why this particular afternoon tea is worth trying over so many others. And that's where me and my snazzy iPhotos can come to help.

First of all- location is everything, yes? So imagine yourself along the edge of Hyde Park, just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace tucked inside a plush room inside the Four Seasons. Sunlight is dripping in through the windows in that way it seems to imply even the sunshine is higher quality than elsewhere.

Imagine being served a three-tiered tray of the prettiest food you've ever seen. Each item looks like it came out of a photo shoot... yet rather than being enjoyed by thousands of reader, each gorgeous little cake, sandwich and scone was painstakingly handmade for the eyes of you alone.

(I know, I know... this gets me all hot and bothered, too. Stick with me though.)

Now, imagine that you have your choice of the finest teas in all of the world to sip with these treats. You can choose fromdelicately curled oolongs, flowering jasmine teas, a delicate lemongrass or any of the other gorgeous teas available by JING. (We were lucky enough to be served a flight of teas, because, really... who can even choose?) Normally, I like classic English breakfast with milk- but we had Felicity from JING there to guide us through pairing various items with the teas. I didn't have one splash of milk with the entire tea... and I actually preferred it!

The tea is themed for British Summer classics. Tiny cakes hit the highlights: chocolate cakes shaped like ladies hats from the Ascot Race, white chocolate domes hand-painted as Wimbledon tennis balls, strawberries & cream cakes, Pimms baba au rhum set the scene, while classic British sandwiches meet simple refreshment. (Smoked salmon with a tiny bit of mashed spring pea, cucumber sandwiches with tiny slices of radishes and mint, and a tiny merger of crab and brioche that might leave even the biggest skeptic a bit emotional.)

As the food began to disappear from the table and our eager faces melted into satisfied grins, we joked that the only thing missing from this classic British summer treat was rain.... but we didn't seem to mind as we ventured to the patio to round out the perfect experience.

Find out all about the Four Seasons Afternoon Tea here. Too far from London? Order JING and celebrate the art of tea at home to avoid those FOMO blues.

Looking for a great afternoon tea in London? I always am. See more of my favorite places in my London guide.