The best afternoon tea in London (that won't break the bank)
With one hand carelessly waving about a fruit scone slathered in clotted cream and raspberry jam and the other brandishing a teacup filled with Lapsang Souchong, I declared I would afternoon tea my way through life.
Strong words, spoken in a different time and a different place. Casual cream tea and afternoon tea can be found almost anywhere in Scotland, you can imagine my shock then when I relocated to London and discovered afternoon tea was a swish affair with prices that cost as much as a fine dining experience.
I can’t afternoon tea my way through life at such astronomical prices, yet I refuse to abandon such a joyfully frivolous pursuit. I’m dedicated to finding the best afternoon tea in London, specifically, relaxed places that won’t break the bank and, quite frankly, deliver the goods.
Terms
- Afternoon tea: savouries, pastries, and scones with clotted cream and jam accompanied by tea or coffee (bookings required!)
- Cream tea: scone(s) with clotted cream and jam accompanied by tea or coffee
Roots & Berries
One of the best affordable traditional afternoon tea experiences in London at £24 per person. The experience is traditional yet casual and social and can be enjoyed in Roots & Berries cafés located in Greater London green spaces, with my favourites being The Skylark Café on Wandsworth Common and The Garden Café at Strawberry Hill House & Gardens.
You can choose the Classic or the Vegetarian Garden Afternoon Tea menu, both come with the goods displayed on the classic three-tier cake stand. On the bottom tier are the savouries: miniature artisan soft buns filled with the usual delights like Severen & Wye smoked salmon with dill cream cheese. The second tier offers little cakes, while the scones take the crown. Lather in Cornish clotted cream and jam.
Tea is provided by The Bellevue Tea company or there’s filter coffee from Curious Roo Coffee Roasters. My tea recommendation is a classic Earl Grey with a slice of lemon, no milk, but order what you want. Be sure to leave some tea for the end, and never be afraid to ask for more hot water to infuse the tea again.
£24 per person
Various locations | rootsandberries.co.uk
The Muffin Man
My pick for the most affordable afternoon tea in London. This little neighbourhood spot is popular for brunch and lunch and their love of the toasted and buttered English muffin. It’s hard to find a decently priced afternoon tea for two in London with most priced per head, but The Muffin Man offers a traditional three-tier tea for two with savoury sandwiches, cakes, and scones with Devon cream and strawberry jam, with a glass of Pink Prosecco each. When it comes to the tea, I recommend The Muffin Man Own Blend English Breakfast.
The café also offers cream tea sets and toasted and buttered English muffins, crumpets, and tea cake. It’s relaxed, well-priced, down to earth, and a real London treat; I’ve yet to meet a person who didn’t know The Muffin Man – and didn't love it.
£33.50 for afternoon tea for two
Kensington, W8 | Instagram
The Tea House from Bread Ahead
The Tea House at Pavilion Road is the tearoom venture from the popular bakery Bread Ahead. This is a moderately priced traditional afternoon tea experience that is great value for money for several reasons. First, you get a taste of an elegant afternoon tea but with an atmosphere that’s still comfortably casual. Second, it’s Bread Ahead – the pastries and scones are top-notch. While I recommend The Tea House for its afternoon tea, the £19.50 cream tea is a little too steep for my wallet and I have recommendations below for well-priced cream tea.
The three-tier cake stand comes fully loaded with pastries and is topped with scones and the savoury bridge rolls are filled with the usual suspects: London smoked salmon, coronation chicken, Burford brown egg mayonnaise and the like. The apricot, almond & lemon thyme tart is the preferable pastry offering, specifically when afternoon tea-ing – while rich, chocolatey ones are great on their own, when there’s a lot of eating to be done – as with afternoon tea – light, zingy, and moorish is the way to go.
There are plain and fruit scones, Cornish clotted cream, and strawberry jam. My only complaint is that raspberry jam is superior and I would prefer the option but hey ho. The Fortnum & Mason tea menu ensures you can’t pick wrong, but as your resident tea master, I have to recommend the Ceylon Orange Pekoe. This tea is light in body and naturally sweet, milk would only ruin it, and for a real gamechanger pair the smokiness of Lapsang Souchong tea with a strawberry jam adorned scone.
£35 per person for afternoon tea (£19.50 per person for cream tea)
Chelsea, SW1X | breadahead.com
Great Court Restaurant at the British Museum
This is for the time-tight tourist. Most London museum and gallery cafés offer an afternoon tea service or at least a cream tea service, I’ve selected the British Museum purely because it’s one of the most popular museums in the city and the restaurant’s location in the Great Court offers plenty of natural light. Every museum and gallery café will be on the noisy side so be prepared for that.
At £40 per person, you could definitely have a more relaxed atmosphere elsewhere but when you’re tight on time, afternoon tea is the best way to start or end an hours-long meander around a museum. The Great Court Restaurant offers pretty china, Early Grey tea-soaked raisin scones and Somerset farm butter scones with Cornish clotted cream and jam pots. The pastries are perfectly finger-food sized which is a detail any afternoon tea worth its weight in butter should observe.
£40 per person
Bloomsbury, WC1B | britishmuseum.org
Cream tea
If your budget can’t stretch to afternoon tea or you really just want the good stuff – scones with clotted cream, jam, and tea, here are my recommendations for the best-priced cream teas in London.
Cheeky Scone
Cheeky Scone boasts of being England’s first scone shop. Dine or take away, you can indulge in an array of unique scone flavours with clotted cream and jam, paired with tea or coffee and you’re golden. The different flavours here appeal to scone lovers: Maple Pecan, Salted Caramel Popcorn, and Banoffee Pie have all featured on the menu. I’m a purist when it comes to scones, preferring fruit or plain, but I appreciate the creativity and celebration of cream tea. Whatever you do just put the clotted cream on before the jam. I’m joking. Or am I?
The classic cream tea of scone with clotted cream, jam, and tea is an attractive £8. You can’t go wrong.
£8 per person
Notting Hill, W11 | Instagram
The Muffin Man Tea Shop
Unsurprisingly, the café that offered a bargain afternoon tea for two at £33.50 also does a smashing cream tea. The Devon Cream Tea Set (£8.40) comes with two toasted scones with Devon cream, jam, and a pot of tea. The Muffin Man Tea Set (£9) comes with a toasted English muffin or tea cake with jam, a choice of cake, and a pot of tea. Once again, I recommend The Muffin Man Own Blend English Breakfast tea with your choice of milk.
£8.40 for cream tea or £33.50 afternoon tea for two
Kensington, W8 | Instagram
Audrey Green Café (and Larry’s) at the National Portrait Gallery
Audrey Green is the National Portrait Gallery’s stylish café, complete with framed portraits and a beautiful mosaic floor. This is probably my favourite gallery café, it’s relaxed but still feels a little elegant. It’s my favourite place in central London for cream tea as it’s well priced at £7.50 and the café offers superior raspberry jam along with clotted cream. The tea is supplied by Good & Proper Tea and my go-to order is always Earl Grey, no milk.
You can have cream tea in Audrey Green or the gallery bar, Larry’s.
£7.50 for cream tea
Central London, WC2N | npg.org
Cake Hole Café
Columbia Road’s Cake Hole Café is located in the back of the Vintage Heaven shop and has long been popular for cream tea and requires no booking, just keep in mind that the café is only open on Saturdays. I love the homey vintage shop atmosphere and the Mad Hatter-esque vintage teaware collection. The cream tea comes with two scones, clotted cream, and jam with a pot of tea for one or for two. My tea choice is the Ceylon Silver Kandy made with the young silvery tips of the tea plant.
The café offers three well-priced afternoon tea sets (£14.50—£18.50 per person) that are popular with private events and must be booked in advance for six or more people on Saturdays only.
£8 for cream tea for one, £9.50 for two
Hackney, E2 | Instagram
The Café at Foyles
I’d be remiss not to mention the always popular, always busy Foyles Café at the Charing Cross Road flagship shop. At £3.75 for a scone and about the same price for a pot of English Breakfast or Earl Grey on the side – paired with a good book – you’ve got yourself a well-spent couple of hours.
£3.75 for a scone with clotted cream and jam, plus a pot of tea of your choice between £2.50—£3.75
Soho, WC2H | foyles.co.uk
Editor's note: Spot any incorrect information? Or have an article idea for HeadBox.com? Get in touch at submissions@headbox.com