Afternoon Teas Around The World
Treats from far and wide at elite hotels and even museums
We all love to indulge our sweet tooth – and why not? Dating back to the mid-1800s, the tradition of afternoon tea was first introduced by the aristocracy of England and its colonies.
Since then, the indulgent and sugary treat has infiltrated the world’s most elite hotels, historic museums and kitschy patisseries.
Whether you’ve been shopping or relaxing at a spa, stopping off for a quintessentially British afternoon tea is a delight. However, it’s not just us Brits who love a good cuppa and a scone. Try New York for a little less Big Apple and a lot more Big Cake. Visit Tea & Sympathy, located on the very English corner of lively Greenwich Village. Traditional British dishes like Heinz soup and baked beans on toast are available, alongside an afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, cakes and steaming hot tea. Then pop next door to their very English grocery shop and pick up a souvenir Tea & Sympathy loose-leaf tea tin or Cadbury’s chocolate.
Or how about a touch of royalty? In Dubai you can literally feast like a queen in the palatial surroundings of The Palace Hotel restaurant in downtown Dubai, where there are traditional and Arabic afternoon tea options available for visitors and hotel guests alike. If a taste of Arabia that suits the sumptuous surroundings is what you fancy, then do try scones flavoured with saffron and cardamom, a camel milk crème brûlée – yes, camel milk! – along with plenty of sandwiches. Plus endless tea, of course.
Why not go a bit ooh-la-la and take your afternoon tea to a 5-star level in Paris? At the beautiful La Galerie lounge in the Four Seasons
Hotel George V, one of Paris’ finest hotels, afternoon tea is served on silverware and fine china. Enjoy delicate finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, an assortment of flaky French pastries and cannelés (a pastry with a custard centre and absolutely not to be missed), plus decadent desserts from the chef’s trolley. This is all washed down with plenty of tea and a glass of champagne – or two – while a pianist tinkles the ivories in the background. What’s not to love?