I sample Jing Tea with lovely cakes at the Halkin

Tea and champagne at the Halkin

Last month I was invited to check out the afternoon tea offerings at Belgravia’s Halkin hotel. My write-up of the afternoon has already featured on the High Tea Society so below is a shortened version. Enjoy!

Afternoon tea at the Halkin, London

Set in the heart of Belgravia, around the corner from Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly and Hyde Park, the chefs at the five-starred Halkin have carefully thought through their new offering which includes a good selection of sandwiches, light and petite scones along with a gorgeous selection of pastries.

Afternoon tea spread

The afternoon tea began with a glass of Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne which led onto us being served a selection of Jing teas which included white peony, oolong, jasmine pearls and Assam. We were then offered a selection of fresh sandwiches with delicious fillings that included Scottish smoked salmon, cucumber, prawn and chicken.

Nicely filled sandwiches

Dainty and buttery scones were served fresh from the oven and were a good interlude between the sandwiches and what I had really come for – the very well presented selection of pastries. Highlights for me were the raspberry and passionfruit macaroons which were surprisingly light along with the decadent Opera, an almond and cocoa sponge cake soaked in coffee and chocolate mousse.

Lovely pastries

All in all, the quality of the food was good, the service friendly and welcoming and the furniture comfortable – the type of sofas that you just want to sink into and make yourself at home for an afternoon. I would suggest having afternoon tea at The Halkin as a friendly place to drop in while on a walk through Belgravia or a nice quiet spot to enjoy a good long gossip with friends after visiting some of the local sites, of which there are many.

The Halkin can be found at, Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DJ. Nearest tubes are Hyde Park, Green Park and Victoria. Afternoon tea is available at the Halkin from 3-5pm daily.

Britain’s Tea Poet

P.S. As a bonus we were also treated to a reading by Britain’s Tea Poet, Elizabeth Darcy Jones – her book is delightful and a must for tea lovers of all shapes and sizes – if you’d like to know more see http://www.teapoet.com/.

Baby loves Cake and I were guests of The Halkin and Jing Tea. The usual price is £28 per person, on par with London’s more established tea venues. Thank you to both companies for allowing me to bring her along, I let out a massive sigh of relief when we left knowing that she had been on tip top behaviour for the afternoon.