Sanderson Hotel

This month has seen me partaking of more scone eating with like minded friends and includes one of the most charming afternoon teas ever, the Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson, a cream tea in an art gallery restaurant, scones in my favourite department store and  a fabulous, affordable afternoon tea directly on Leicester Square itself.

I had heard some fantastic reports about the Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson, so with much anticipated excitement Katie and I visited the other week. As this review is meant to focus on the scones let me start by saying I’ve written a separate blog post about afternoon tea at the Sanderson, for those who’d like to know more. The afternoon tea has an Alice in Wonderland theme and the three tiered cake stand arrived topped with a carrot meringue on a bed of pea shoots and then you descend down into plates of pastries and scones. The dainty sandwiches have been cut into diamond shapes and the pastries include chocolate tea cups, drink me potions and the most amazing clock faced Victoria sponge cakes.

Sanderson Hotel

Afternoon tea arrived with two medium sized scones, one savoury and the other sweet, which I really liked. Both were of medium size and served cold. The savoury scone was served with a generous portion of herb butter. This worked beautifully with the scone being firm on the outside, contrasting well with the soft interior and the creaminess of herb butter.

 Sanderson Hotel

The sweet scone contained chocolate chips and was accompanied with generous portions of clotted cream and strawberry jam with chunks of fruit. Again that hard and soft contrast of the scone was complemented well with the fruity jam and cream. There was also an amazing selection of teas including rhubarb and custard flavour. The service throughout was excellent and we were offered more sandwiches, scones and our tea pots were refilled. Afternoon tea is served inside a gazebo in the hotel’s interior courtyard. Please note that due to its popularity your table is reserved for a two hour slot, while they don’t rush you out the door it’s not a place to go if you want a very leisurely tea.

From the photos you can see that the crockery is rather distinctive and the hotel is rather unique and quirky. It was originally built as the head office for Sanderson, the luxury wallpaper and fabrics manufacturer, but I will say more about all this in a separate blog post. Tease! Afternoon tea costs £38 per person, so it is one of the more expensive, however it is also one of the most charming, quirky and original afternoon teas I’ve enjoyed and one of my favourite teas of all time.

Ratings:  Scones: 3,   Accompaniments: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Overall:  11/12

 Gallery Mess – Saatchi Gallery

Earlier this month Davide and I visited the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea to check out their contemporary art exhibitions and ended our trip in their restaurant. The restaurant offers full afternoon teas but we both opted for their cream tea. The  tea was every attractively served on a tear shaped plate. It consisted of three mini fruit scones and was accompanied by generous portions of strawberry jam, served in an oh so cute mini milk churn, and clotted cream. I really loved how the food was presented, as for me nicely presented food and the sense of anticipation it creates is just as important as the actual consumption.

Gallery Mess – Saatchi Gallery

The scones were served warm and lived up to the expectation, as they were delicious. They were firm on the outside with a soft interior and with plenty of fruit. I really like mini scones and these were lovely, but it would have been nice to have had a mixture of both plain and fruit scones. The scones were accompanied with a pot of tea of our choice.  I choice Assam and there was a selection of about ten teas to chose from.

Gallery Mess – Saatchi Gallery

The restaurant is part of the Duke of York HQ, a former military building, which is a grade II* listed  and designed by John Saunders in the early 1800s. Inside the restaurant has vaulted ceilings and decorated with contemporary artwork. Although the Gallery Mess is the restaurant for the Saatchi Gallery  it’s has a separate entrance, which is located next door, and this means that it remains open in the evening when the gallery itself has closed. The atmosphere was relaxed, service was fine and we were left to enjoy a leisurely meal. The cream tea cost £9.50 which was good value given its location. Overall the tea was very nice and this is a great option if you are looking for somewhere a little less obvious and a little a bit quirky.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

The Place to Eat, John Lewis

While I don’t regularly hit the shops on Oxford Street when I do I often pop into The Place to Eat, on the 5th floor of John Lewis, for some food and a moment of calmness. The other week after attending a photography workshop at RIBA I went in and has tea and scones. The restaurant is self service and I was promptly served. All the items are priced individually. They offer a choice of plain or fruit scones and there was individual packets of Rodda’s classic Cornish clotted cream and a choice of Wilkin and Sons Tiptree preserve. I chose a plain scone, clotted cream, raspberry preserve and a pot of Assam tea with a total cost of £6.10. The scone was huge and served cold. It was tasty with a firm exterior and soft inside. There were more than ample clotted cream and jam for the size of the scones.  As their restaurant is on the 5th floor if you’re lucky you might get a table with a view overlooking Oxford Street. Alas it was rather busy when I visited otherwise I would have included a photo of the view. This is a great and reliable choice if you’re near Oxford Circus and looking for a good quality food and it’s large enough that even at busy times there’s always a couple of tables free.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

 Muriel’s Kitchen

For those of you who haven’t been introduced to Muriel yet, this is a small chain of restaurant. At time of writing only there are only three branches. Their Leicester Square branch is on the north side of the square, by the Empire cinema, has recently introduced afternoon tea, which is served from 3- 6pm daily and no pre-booking required. The other week I visited with Shuk, friend and pastry chef extraordinaire (check out her amazing baking skills at The Two Shuks stall at Shepherds Market). We arrived a little before 3pm but the staff accommodated our request for afternoon tea although we were slightly early. The tea is served on a tray and consists of three sandwiches on home made bread. This is the point I need to publically apologise to Muriel’s  we were too busy chatting that I forgot to request veggie sandwiches, however the staff were chilled and replaced them immediately. The pastries consisted of two jam brownie bits and Muriel’s legendary carrot and walnut cake, which was both our favourite part of the tea and it’s to die for. It was accompanied with unlimited tea from a choice of about eight teas, and our pot was quickly replenished when we requested it.

 Muriel’s Kitchen

The fruit scone was very large and served warm. It was accompanied with a individual tub of clotted cream and a full size jar of Mrs Darlington’s strawberry jam, which was very fruity. It pains me to say it as everything else was perfect, but the scones had a biscuit texture and I didn’t really enjoy eating mine. This is very much a personal preference, as I know a lot of people would have really enjoyed it, but for me the texture of a scone and a biscuit are very different and I want my scones to be more traditional. That being said I still rated the scone as two out of three as they were well made and it was evident that they had been made with good quality ingredient, it just wasn’t right for me.

Muriel’s Kitchen

The restaurants have a charming, homely interior with an eclectic selection of  bric a brac and the service is always friendly and prompt. Muriel’s afternoon tea is excellent value for money at £14.50 per person and it’s a great walk in option,  as there is no pre-booking required. My advice is visit now before everyone discovers Muriel’s secret.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/12

Until next time…

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds.

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