When my friends suggested we go for afternoon tea for my birthday recently, I jumped at the chance. I love afternoon tea.
One of my friends works for a foodie magazine so after asking one of her colleagues where we should go, we had a shortlist of Bea’s of Bloomsbury, the Dean Street Townhouse and the Berkeley Hotel.
I plumped for Bea’s of Bloomsbury as I liked their menu and at ￡24.50 for a full afternoon tea, it wasn’t too expensive compared to some afternoon teas in the capital – some charge eye-watering sums of money.
Bea’s of Bloomsbury is a small chain of cafés across London specialising in cakes, pastries and afternoon tea.
They have outlets in Bloomsbury, St Paul’s, Marylebone, Farringdon and Maida Vale, but we decided to go to the Bloomsbury branch so we could visit the nearby Wellcome Collection afterwards.
The Bloomsbury branch is tiny, so booking is essential as it was pretty much full the entire time we were there. We were welcomed inside, and as the first afternoon tea customers of the day had our choice of tables, so we opted for a table opposite the counter.
We all chose the full afternoon tea menu – they also have vegetarian and wheat-free options, as well as menus that include a glass of prosecco or champagne.
The food soon arrived – a mouthwatering array of mini brioche rolls filled with: avocado and dukkha spiced yoghurt; parma ham with mascarpone cream, fig relish and honey; egg mayonnaise and cress; and smoked salmon and crème fraiche.
Along with plain scones served with jam and clotted cream; a selection of mini cake bites including brownies, blondies and meringues; and a full-sized cupcake each. All was washed down with a giant pot of English breakfast tea.
The brioche rolls were great, if a little messy – some were easy to cut up into bite-sized chunks and eat, others (egg mayo) less so. The smoked salmon and crème fraiche was my favourite as its one of my favourite sandwich combinations.
I didn’t like the avocado with dukkha spiced yoghurt as much as it lacked flavour and I found it a little odd and tasteless. Everything else was good though and it was nice to have something different to the standard cucumber and cream cheese.
The scones were lovely and weren’t too big – sometimes the scones are massive and a meal unto themselves, leaving you full before you get to the patisserie. And I enjoyed having a selection of miniature cakes as it meant you could try a little of everything.
We just about managed to eat all the mini bites, but had no room left for the cupcakes so we had these boxed up to take away with us.
As it was my birthday, my friends insisted I take them home with me and the cupcakes (chocolate oreo and red velvet) were incredible – beautifully light, moist sponge topped with a buttercream that wasn’t too sickly or sweet.
One of the things that made the experience so good was the friendly and helpful staff. They’d playfully joke with us as they brought out our teas, rolls and cakes, and when we asked for an extra plate or knife, they were happy to help.
Great service often makes or breaks these experiences, but I couldn’t fault the staff, and it was a chilled, comfortable place to while away a few hours.
If you’re looking for somewhere to have afternoon tea in London that won’t break the bank, Bea’s of Bloomsbury is a great place to try. It was a lovely, relaxing experience and the food was good.
And if you have any suggestions of other places that offer an excellent afternoon tea in London (Brown’s Hotel do a great one, too), share them in the comments.
Info
Bea’s of Bloomsbury, 44 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8NW
Open Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 7pm, Saturday to Sunday 10am to 7pm
From ￡24.50 for full afternoon tea
