Afternoon Tea @ Palm Court, The Langham Hotel, London

Afternoon Tea is one of the few things that makes me proud to be British. We invented it and are still very good at it. The Palm Court is where it all began 140 years ago and thankfully the Scones are still fresh. If Michelin stars were awarded for such afternoon delicacies, this venue would have about 5 by now!!

The room is beautiful, however as I'm not Mr LLewelyn Bowen, I won't try and describe the furnishings, instead here's a pic.

The tea list was longer and more impressive than some restaurant's wine lists, they even have a tea sommelier! We opted for Earl Grey, Jasmine with Rose and Vanilla. All had very distinctive notes and just danced around your mouth.

The current offerings include a Christmas inspired selection of sandwiches and cakes as well the Stephen Webster designed bijoux tea which for an extra £7 is well worth sampling. Fillings such as foie gras and apple, duck egg mayonnaise with caviar and native lobster with piquillo peppers and flying fish roe were served up as well as some more traditional flavours. Here's the link to the site and menu anyway.  http://london.langhamhotels.co.uk/restaurants/palm_court.htm

The scones were still warm and were so light, I was forced to have two, accompanied by lashings of strawberry jam and clotted cream of course. Meanwhile, the tea flowed and the pianist alternated between Rachmaninoff and Jonah Lewie!!

The cakes were amazing and looked liked they had been created by Willy Wonka. Each one was a kaleidoscope of colour, texture and flavour. The jasmine mousse with apricot was divine and the roasted pistachio chantilly topped sponge cake just took things to an even higher level.

Such decadence comes at a price, about £50 a head. Some may think that obscene for a few sarnies and a bit of cake! This is about the whole experience though, the setting, the ambiance, the service and the amazing creativity and expertise of the pastry chef. You won't come out hungry and what you can't eat, the staff box up for you in a dainty little doggy bag.