Original Maids of Honour

I have to start with a confession, June’s been a busy month and I’ve only managed to fit in two afternoon teas, both very different but both equally wonderful. I made a return visit to the Original Maids of Honour, for a very traditional High Tea, and also sampled the delights of a Moroccan afternoon tea.

The Original Maids of Honour tea rooms are located opposite Kew Gardens, so whenever I go the gardens I try to combine a visit to both of them. I’ve previously included them in Scones of the Month June 2014 when I reviewed their cream tea. However, on this occasion I introduced Davide to these delightful tea rooms, where we partook of their delicious High Tea, before we visited Kew Late.

Original Maids of Honour

Doesn’t it just look delightful? To me Maids of Honour epitomises the  quintessential traditional, British tea room, with its olde worlde décor, mock Tudor style frontage and colourful hanging baskets of flowers. However before you go inside please  take a moment to look at out for Mr John, their very cute silver grey 1930s Austin delivery van, which will be parked outside if its not out on local deliveries. There is also a yellow Morris Mionor called, wait for it, Johnny Morris, which even I haven't seen yet. Good excuse for an other return visit, all in the name of research of course :)

The tea rooms are named after a type of cake, how cute is that? The Maids of Honour was reputedly was one of Henry VIII’s favourite tarts!

Original Maids of Honour

On entering you arrive in the shop with its counters groaning with tasty treats and the main tea rooms are charmingly furnished in a comfortable and homely style, with fresh flowers on the tables and interesting assortment of nik naks around the room.

We ordered a High Tea which came beautifully presented on a three tier silver cake stand. On the bottom level was a selection of vegetarian and traditional sandwiches. On the middle tier was the scones, there were two per person so we  each had a plain and a fruit scone. It as accompanied with individual sized pots of strawberry jam and clotted cream. I must say I much prefer having my own supply as I then don’t feel guilty about taking all the clotted cream. The high tea also includes a cake of your choice from the patisserie or a Maids of Honour Tart. Davide chose a chocolate éclair while I had a choux bun and both, like the sandwiches, were utterly delicious.

Original Maids of Honour

The plain scone was large and the top dusted with flour and the fruit scone was slightly smaller. Both were firm on the outside with a soft interior, the perfect consistency for scones. I really enjoyed both scones, but my personal preference is for plain, so for me that one had a slight edge. They were accompanied with a generous supply of strawberry jam and clotted cream. Included with the food was a pot of tea or hot beverage of your choice. Davide and I both chose different teas and my tea pot had a hand written note letting me know which was my Assam. This was also accompanied with a pot of hot water, which is always a thoughtful touch.

The service was great throughout. This is where I should publically admit that Davide was patiently waiting for me to arrive, as I experienced a significant delay on my tube journey,  but the staff were relaxed about this and thankfully when I did arrive food  was served very prompt, which was much appreciated as we were both ready for our food. Our High Tea was excellent value at £15 per person. I have to say I have a real soft spot for the Maids of Honour and I will be making a return visit there next time I visit Kew, as it’s one of my favourite traditional tea rooms in London.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/12

 Momo Restaurant

I’m always on the look out to try something a little bit different, so when I hear that Momo, a North African restaurant (belonging to Mourad Mazouz who also owns Sketch), were offering authentic Moroccan afternoon tea, Davide and I arranged a visit. Momo is just one of the delightful restaurants located on Heddon Street, aka the Food Quarter, a little pedestrianized street just off Regent Street and almost invisible unless you are in the know.

We had pre-booked a table and when we arrived we took a quick look at the Mo Café, wow it was pretty, it was just like stepping into a jewel box, an Aladdin’s cave. It’s beautifully decorated in the style of a souk tea room with colourful hanging lanterns, low backed cushioned seating, tray topped tables and objet d’art.

Momo Restaurant

It was quite a dilemma, but as the sun was shining we decided to eat al fresco and take a table in their quiet courtyard, and made a note to self that we’d go back an eat inside soon. We ordered two Moroccan afternoon teas which were served on a rather  ornate four tier cake stand accompanied with a separate woven basket of scones.

Momo Restaurant

The regular and the vegetarian savoury options were served on separate plates.  The savoury food consisted of cheese briouats (sweet puff pastry), smoked salmon sandwich with cream cheese (veggie option cucumber and fresh mint sandwich), Zaalouk (aubergine) & Mechouia (vegetables) on toast and Moroccan chicken wrap (veggie option falafel and courgette dip sandwich). We both really enjoyed our savoury food which was spicy but not too hot. 

Momo Restaurant

The large scones were attractively presented in a woven basket and were served warm. They were delicious with a delicate flavour of cinnamon. They had the perfect consistency crunchy on the outside with a soft interior and were accompanied with generous portions of clotted cream and strawberry and fig jam. The fig flavour gave the strawberry jam an nice zing to it and the whole scones  eating experience was extremely tasty and enjoyable.

Momo Restaurant

There were also two plates filled with Moroccan pastries. The plate on the left has a selection of Maghrebine (North African) pastries, which looked amazing and are very sweet . While the plate on the right has lemon cream pain de gene (lemon sponge cake topped with a meringue),  pistachio macaroon and chocolate brownie with chocolate mousse. I had traditional mint tea to drink, which the waiter poured from a silver teapot into my pretty little glass, it was refreshing but also very sweet, while Davide was served a pot of his choosing from  the extensive tea menu.

We both really enjoyed out Moroccan afternoon tea, the menu was a bit different from the traditional tea, the service was consistently good and we loved the relaxed setting. It’s very good value as £22 per person as it includes a humungous amount of food. I particularly loved their scones and the accompanying flavour of jam. If you are a seasoned afternoon tea-er looking for something original and a bit out of the ordinary this is the perfect afternoon tea for you.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 3, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/12

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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