To A Tea | Fortnum & Mason

In efforts to help out your future adventures in London, round out the final days of my pregnancy with shocking caloric intake, & spend time with my girlfriends in cute places...

I took on the task of trying out different places for tea in London for you to enjoy during my transition into motherhood. See, the thing is- visitors always seem to have this on their bucket list when planning a trip to London.While there are many institutions that do tea service well, my goal is to give you a handful of opportunities at several different price points & styles within different neighborhoods in London.

While most of the places I'm trying are smaller and lesser known,it only seemed right to start with a real London classic for afternoon tea. So here you have it... Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea.

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Within the famous department store, Fortnum & Mason, is one of London's favo(u)rite tea rooms. It used to be known as the "St. James Tea Room," but was recently renamed "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon." In honor of, well, you guessed it- the Queen's Diamond Jubilee last summer. My mom treated her daughters {and their daughters} to ladies tea on Christmas Eve, and while it was a pretty big splurge, I think we would all agree- it was an awesome memory.

My mom & me, fresh in from the winter rain.

Here are a few things to know about having tea in this special place:

It's fancy.

Yes, you need to make reservations... which I recommend doing online to avoid the long-distance call and to have a physical, printed copy of your reservations. Never hurts.

You need to dress appropriately.

People go here for a splurge... so don't yucky up their special day with eyesore fashion like tennis shoes & ski jackets. You'll have more fun dressing up and sitting like a well-heeled Londoner, too... take my word for it. {Plus, certain dress requirements are required by guests.}

Tea Time here is a feast.

When you order  the "Afternoon Tea," you can expect the standard silver-tiered tray of yummy sandwiches, scones with clotted cream & jam & tiny cakes and sweets served with your choice of one of F&M's famous green pots of tea. {£40 per person}

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With "High Tea" you start with a main plate {think eggs benedict, lobster omelette, cheddar & haddock soufflé} and THEN you have the tiered tray of scones & cakes served with your choice of tea. Definitely don't plan on eating anything before this, or you won't have any room to enjoy it. Go on and consider it your lunch... and then some. {£44 per person}

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You are going to be unbuttoning your fancy dress pants under the table to make room for all of this goodness.

Editor's Note: If you flip back a couple of pages on the menu, you can find a la carte items, which has more variety and can be a slightly less expensive way to craft your visit at F&M. If you'd like a main + scones or cakes, the staff is happy to piece together whatever you like.

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If you have kids, don't hesitate to ask for the Children's Tea which comes with their own tea pot of tea, hot chocolate or juice and a special selection of treats... which, if your kid is anything like my niece, will absolutely tickle their fancy. {Children's Tea: £20}

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I'll be posting more great places to enjoy tea in the great city of London over the weeks to come... but in the meantime, have you had tea anywhere special while you were visiting the UK? {I may need some more places to add to my list!}

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

** If you'd like additional information, you can read about my previous visit to Fortnum & Mason for tea here

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