Afternoon tea at the Ritz, London

It was for my 19th birthday that I had decided that I well and truly wanted to mark the occasion therefore I decided to have an afternoon tea at the Ritz hotel, London with my two best friends. I never gave it a second thought to have an afternoon tea anywhere else but the Ritz itself. To have afternoon tea at the Ritz came with the price tag of £54 per person (however this has now gone up to £57) which I was more than happy to pay as I heard so many grand reviews about the Ritz. And what a better way to spend your birthday right. The booking process was very sleek where you could book online or over the phone. I opted for the phone option as I had dietary requirements of being a vegetarian that does not consume eggs or gelatine. When I booked over the phone the procedure that I had encountered was that they take your card details as lets say a 'deposit.' So if you do not attend your scheduled slot and don't cancel you afternoon tea beforehand your card gets charged the total amount. However this is nothing to be alarmed by.

I was completely stunned with the elegant interior of the Ritz and did not really know what to expect but this blew any expectations that I did have out of the waters. And may I add how picturesque this corridor is! (As you can tell I really have a thing for 'picturesque' places.)

Now for the most anticipated part yet...the review. I was overwhelmed with the vast range of tea's that was available (in a good way.) After great deliberation I ended up with a simple yet light camomile tea as I didn't want to feel too full up. The service was AMAZING and that's something important to highlight as it made my experience even highly enjoyable. The waiter pours out your tea for you because let me tell you ladies those metal tea pots are not exactly the lightest things. And yes it gets better. Not only do they pour your tea out once for you but they continuously top it up. You literally do not have to lift a finger.

In terms of the sandwiches they were unlimited which was great because you really do get your moneys worth (yes I'm the biggest cheap skate but who isn't?!) However, I personally was not the biggest fan of the sandwiches and maybe that was partly because my options were very limited being someone who doesn't eat egg. Although it was a little disheartening enjoying one sandwich out of four, the sweet treats greatly made up for it and I was so pleased with the eggless selection. Bearing in mind I had no idea what the menu consisted of beforehand everything was an utter surprise to me.

For me, my afternoon tea experience was heightened when the waiter brought out a birthday cake and my birthday was very much authentically celebrated and I believe I was not the only one. Immediately straight after the whole room came together to sing happy birthday. It was really something special.

Overall I exceptionally enjoyed my first high end afternoon tea experience at the Ritz and didn't let the sandwiches put me off. This is another great recommendation to come to with your loved ones to celebrate an occasion or simply when you fancy a cup of tea and cake!