{Review} Afternoon Tea at The Cavendish Hotel

I have a fondness for Afternoon Tea. Ironic given that I don’t drink tea, but I never know if it’s the ceremony, the invitation to eat cake in the middle of the afternoon or the downright Britishness of the experience, but I do love it. DH, in fact, has treated me to Afternoon Tea on several occasions. So I thought that My Father, who was celebrating a Very Significant Birthday, might appreciate a Birthday Tea at The Cavendish Hotel to celebrate his arrival at the threshold of Retirement.

I had not factored his Yorkshireness into the Secret Birthday Plans that were hatched by his wife, trusting her and their son- who it turns out is a far better secret keeper at aged Seven than I have ever been- to get him to the appointed place at the appointed hour. I had only to wrangle two small children, an unscheduled husband and a younger brother to the same place approximately five minutes faster than the Guest of the Hour. I could not have been more stressed.

I have no idea how we pulled it off, for when Mr Retirement walked out of the lift and across to our table, the only people not remotely flustered were the wonderfully attentive staff. They dealt with the surprise, and the craziness, and the extra people-age, without the batting of an eyelid. They minded not that I declined egg sandwiches for the children- giving them a choice of ham, cheese or jam instead- or that DH only wanted Coronation Chicken and not the other three flavours- he had his own special plate. They stepped over the Dimpled One, who found a quiet spot on the floor to enjoy her Complimentary Activity Pack in solitude. And they certainly catered for an army- there were more plates than people and every one was filled to bursting.

The Afternoon Tea package costs £20.00 per head for an adult and £10.00 for a child and is very very generous:

• An array of delightfully fresh finger sandwiches, including the Quintessential English Classic, the cucumber sandwich, which I adore.
• Two fat little scones each, served with luxurious clotted cream and syrupy jam
• A cornucopia of little cakes and pastries- lemon drizzle, frangipane, carrot-  half of which we had no room for
• Handfuls of handmade chocolate truffles the size of pebbles
• And all washed down with our choice of hot drink.

The Children’s package was more tailored to a child’s palette, which suited the three we had perfectly:

• A choice of finger sandwiches: egg, ham & cheese, jam.
• Two scones per head with the same delicious cream and jam
• A pair of cake-pops per child, smothered in coloured sprinkles and sugar
• Chocolate Biscuits to fill the gaps
• A hot beverage- the Hot Chocolates were massive! If I were being very critical, I would suggest that perhaps children should be offered a cold beverage of their choice since it’s not easy to wash cake down with hot chocolate. Both my children left half their drink and guzzled water all the way back to the Tube.

Add onto that the wonderfully luxurious surroundings, the fabulous, attentive and thoughtful staff, and the location- The Cavendish is tucked down a side street just off Piccadilly, and within spitting distance of Fortnum and Mason, The Royal Academy and Green Park tube- and you have the recipe for a perfect afternoon treat. And an even better surprise Birthday Tea.

It was a feast. It was a triumph. It was an unforgettable afternoon that The Girls are desperate to repeat just as soon as we are able. Even the Yorkshireman nodded his approval. And you don’t get higher praise than that.

 

*Disclosure: We were offered Afternoon Tea for Two Adults and Three Children for the purposes of writing this review. We paid for all other diners ourselves. All opinions are our own. And we will be going back!*