Welcome back to another portion of extravagance of London. Our previous post was dedicated to London’s most outstanding and luxurious hotels to stay in as well as special selection of the most delicious and interesting places to have your lunch or dinner. This time we thought you should take you visit to London further and explore some of its traditions like afternoon tea, get acquainted with its private membership clubs which are hard to get to or enjoy champagne tastings in some secret places.
It’s tea o’clock!
No visit to the British capital is complete without taking afternoon tea. It’s a tradition that even the most boring Londoners consider an essential indulgence. This tradition was introduced more than 150 years ago as 7thDuchess of Bedford began serving a meal between lunch and dinner. Today the finest options in London range from classic formal choices at the Ritz and Savoy to cocktail-filled, Instagram-friendly extravaganzas at Dandelyan. We’ve chosen some of the finest spots in London to indulge in one of the oldest English traditions.
The Savoy
From £65
Afternoon Tea at The Savoy is served in The Thames Foyer putting you very much at the heart of one of London’s iconic hotels. Afternoon Tea at The Savoy is an enduring custom where guests can choose from a range of teas served with finger sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream & jam and a mouth-watering selection of seasonal cakes and pastries created by The Savoy’s Executive Pastry Chef, Ludwig Hely.
Claridge’s
From £65
Savour a variety of finger sandwiches, patisserie and warm scones accompanied by Marco Polo gelée and Cornish clotted cream. You have a choice of 24 loose leaf teas, including regional English, rare blends and herbal infusions, served on fine, jade-and-white striped china. This magnificent place holds several awards and accolades: Best for a celebration – London’s 10 best afternoon teas 2017 (The Telegraph), Best for stylish tea connoisseurs – The best afternoon tea in London 2017 (Condé Nast Traveler), Best Traditional Afternoon Tea at the Afternoon Tea Awards 2016.
The Ritz
From £57
Tea at The Ritz’ is a quintessentially English institution. Served in the beautiful Palm Court beneath a spectacular glazed skylight, choose from 18 varieties of tea, finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream and a range of delicate pastries. The Ritz received a Commended certificate at the Afternoon Tea Awards 2016 in recognition of their high standards in tea service.
Browns
From £55
It is from here that Rudyard Kipling penned many of his novels and it is believed that The English Tea Room was the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’. The English Tea Room serves one of the most famous Afternoon Teas in London and was awarded a Highly Commended certificate at the Afternoon Tea Awards 2017 in recognition of their outstanding quality.
Dandelyan
From £58
The Dandelyan Wyld Tea takes the classical form of an afternoon tea & applies a distinctive Lyan twist. The new menu brings together Dandelyan’s love of captivating flavors and a search for botanical stories, with each course folding a tale from the colorful world of cocktails into the wonderful world of tea and scones. Dandelyan at Mondrian London holds several titles from the Tales of the Cocktails Spirited Awards 2017, including World’s Best Cocktail Bar, Best International Hotel Bar and Best International Bar Team.
Capitals’ best private clubs
If you got tired and want to escape the masses or do one of those Friday 3pm meetings that somehow extend into Saturday, you turn to a member’s club. Exclusive and hard to get into, a golden ticket to a private institution is a sign good taste and particular social status. Especially if you are frequent guest of the capital, we highly recommend you have a look and consider becoming one of club’s members listed below to fully enjoy all the benefits that come with the membership.
Soho House, Greek Street
£1100/year (plus £400 joining fee)
Probably the best members club for international travelers. Recently renovated, this world-renowned institution takes five historic Georgian townhouses, with an outdoor courtyard, roof deck, bar, restaurant and club rooms. It’s the first Soho House — a real piece of clubland history, which makes it a stylish heritage.
The Art’s Club
Over30s: £2000/year (plus £2000 joining fee)
Under 30s: £1000/year (plus £1000 joining fee)
A place that united creatives and financiers. Founded with the vision of providing a haven for those working in the arts, literature or sciences, the principal areas of interest for current membership include film, fashion, theatre, photography and art.Look out for live music, from Sam Smith and Mark Ronson to Idris Elba.
The Ned, Bank
£3,150/year (plus £1,000 joining fee)
Soho House and Sydell Group (New York) joined forces to create The Ned which opened in London in May 2017. Set in the former Midland Bank building, the place has 252 bedrooms channeling 1920s and 1930s design, nine restaurants, a range of grooming services, as well as Ned’s Club – a social and fitness club where members have access to a rooftop pool, gym, spa, hammam, and late-night lounge bar.
The Groucho Club
£950/year (plus £250 joining fee)
Founded in 1985, The Groucho Club is the original arts and media members’ club in the heart of Soho. The club is home to London’s creative elite, with a number of celebrity members, and is renowned for its contemporary art collection.
Devonshire Club, The City
£2,400/year (plus £2,400 joining fee)
The Devonshire Club, located in the heart of the City, opened its doors in 2016. The Devonshire Club is planned by the brains behind the Arts Club and Home House – so you can only expect good things out of it. The former 19th-century Regency warehouse boasts interiors with a 1950s appeal and the space boasts a sizeable private garden.
Champagne? Yes, please!
London is a luxurious playground for lovers of champagne, and historically speaking, it’s been this way for quite some time. “The UK, and especially London, has enjoyed a very special relationship with champagne for over three centuries,” says Francoise Peretti, Director of Champagne Bureau UK.
Champagne has remained it capital’s fashion due to its sophisticated evolution. More than ever before, people nowadays are looking for deeper knowledge to foster and underscore their appreciation for wines, champagne and other spirits.
Secret Champagne Bar
Within the prestigious Connaught Hotel, there’s a hidden, 20-person champagne room filled with exceptionally rare champagnes served in bespoke crystal Baccarat glasses. (Hint: look for the velvet curtain—and then look behind it.) Gems in this exclusive collection include one of the very last remaining bottles of Vintage Pol Roger’s legendary 1914 vintage. There’s also a champagne trolley providing tableside pours.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
One of the world’s oldest, original wine merchants, indelibly perched on the corner of St. James, veers downstairs to the ancient, low-ceilinged vaults of the preferred off-license of Napoleon Bonaparte, and serving the Royal Family since the reign of George III. Berry Bros and Rudd boasts a new wine cellar, pairing suppers, a Wine School and a scintillating program of Champagne tastings in one of the capital’s most historic and evocative settings this summer.
Champagne-On-Demand
The Sunday Roast is a British tradition, but at Bob Bob Ricard—an art deco sanctuary of luxury—both the chef and the pampagne are French. Famous for the Instagrammable ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons in every booth, a glass (or bottle) of bubbly is practically mandatory with lunch.
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our specialists.
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