St Pancras Renaissance

Amongst my friends my scone #obsession is well known so for my final blog of 2013, Scones of the Year seems like the perfect end to a fun filled year. So sit back and enjoy, in no particular order, a review of some of my favourite cream teas.

It's no secret that my favourite building in the whole of London is the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel as its beautiful gothic architecture never fails to take my breath away however many times I see it. Sadly my bank balance won't permit me to stay there but I have been able to visit a couple of times this year with some of my twitter friends, aka #teamcake, to enjoy their giant scones. Their scones have become legendary, they're so huge they could easily feed a family of four. Add to that the sumptuous surroundings it is the perfect place for a special tasty treat. 

Ampersand Hotel

This year I discovered the Ampersand Hotel, which is conveniently  close to the South Kensington Museums. I have been fortunate to visit twice and have enjoyed it so much on both occassions that I blogged about it each time. Firstly I went with my friend Julie for their regular afternoon tea after a visit to the V and A and fell in love with their white chocolate scones. On my second visit I had great fun enjoying their amazing themed Halloween Tea with twitter friends. 

Bettys

My next choice is Bettys, a Yorkshire icon, and one of my all time favourite tea rooms. There are six branches of which I've visited four of them. This year when we went for a weekend to York to see Mallard 75 at the National Railway Museum we included a visit to Bettys.  Each time I visit there is always a queue but it moves quite quickly and it is definately worth the wait as when you enter you feel like you are stepping back into an elegent bygone era where you are served delicious scones and cakes by uniformed waitresses. If you fancy something a bit different you can always order a Fat Rascal, their special fruity scones. 

Yumchaa

Returning to London, one of my favourite tea rooms is Yumchaa, their Goodge Street branch is the perfect place to escape the busy West End by relaxing with a pot of one of their  loose leaf teas. However this place is scone heaven as they offer both sweet and savoury scones. I love their vanilla ones but for something a bit different I would highly recommend either their olive and feta or cheddar and chives scones. For a double treat why not make a meal of it and have one of each? 

The Restaurant at the Royal Academy

In December I was very kindly invited to a very special visit to Spencer House followed by afternoon tea at the Royal Academy. I have to confess until then I had never visited the Restaurant at the RA and I was totally charmed by it. It has a stunning interior which was designed by Norman Shaw in 1885 and has on display some amazing works of art. The food is provided by Peyton and Byrne and as I would expect from them their scones were delicous and came with a very generous portion of clotted cream, this always scores extra points with me. The waiter service was fantastic, especially as I was part of a large pre-booked group. I am planning to say more about my visit by writing a blog post in the New Year. 

Cakehole Cafe

One of the most unique venues I visited this year was Cakehole Cafe, a delightful vintage style tea rooms, located at the rear of Vintage Heaven just one of the wonderful, quirky retro shops on Columbia Road. Their cream teas offer a choice of fruit or plain scones and include a pot of English Breakfast tea and come with huge pots of jam and clotted cream. There is more information about the cafe on my blog.

Royal Horseguards Hotel

For a very special treat Julie and I went to the Royal Horseguards Hotel in our quest as City of Westminster Guides to visit every single afternoon tea venue in the district, yes it's a tough task but someone has to do it! What we most liked about the hotel was it's excellent, unhurried service which lead to us having a very leisurely and enjoyable 3 hour visit, compared to the sometimes conveyor belt service in other establishments. The scones were in a deliciously, delicate fruit and cinnamon flavour. There is more information about our wonderful afternoon tea there on my blog.

Pretty Corner Cafe and Tea Gardens

When we went on holiday to Sheringham in Norfolk I tweeted if anyone could recommend a nice tea room and  as I got several responses highly recommending Pretty Corner Cafe so I felt that we just had to visit. Without doubt this is one of the most picturesque tea room locations I have ever visited, with the cafe being located in a charming garden complete with Pekin Bantams, a breed of chicken. The cream teas are delicious and the wonderful setting really makes for a very memorable visit.

Teanumu

Again returning to London my next choice is Teanuma, which offers a very special afternoon tea experience. It has a very tranquil and relaxing atmosphere and offers an amazing selection of teas. The menu options are both vegetarian and provide a delicious alternative to the usual afternoon tea menus. However as always the scones are my favourite part and these ones were served with rose petal jam which had the most delicate but devine flavour. For a more detailed description about Teanumu's afternoon tea see my blog.  

Le Pain Quotidien

My final choice is Le Pain Quotidien which has several branches in London that I have visited, all of which consistantly offer delicious food and provide great service. I enjoy their scones both for their taste and texture. The big plus for me is the nice selection of jams and spreads that accompany them. My favourite is Blondie, a Belgian white chocolate spread, which is utterly gorgeous. I raved about this so much on twitter that LPQ very kindly sent me a complementary jar.

Le Pain Quotidien

My final photo is a bit of a cheat, coming in at number eleven, is the hunormous scone I made at the Brioche and Scone Baking class, I attended at LPQ's Soho branch. Well let's be honest no one else would include it amongst their favourite scones of the year! I have to confess that making the scones was just as enjoyable as eating them. To find out more about the class read my blog.

Well that concludes Scones of the Year 2013, I hope you have enjoyed this light hearted round up of the year. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for the New Year and  I look forward to visiting more tea rooms next year in my mission to bring you Scones of the Year 2014! 

P.S. On 30th December I enjoyed a fabulous afternoon tea with friends at The Wolseley which was after I had finished writing this blog otherwise I would have included it here. However check my blog soon as I will be writing about our amazing tea there and it's opulent interior with a very interesting past!

Following on from this blog you might like to know I've now posting a regular Scones of the Month blog post.

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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