Afternoon Tea at Whittard of Chelsea Tea Bar in Covent Garden

We spent the past weekend in London. Storm Ciara had swept across the country with heavy rain and strong winds. And so, it was on a wet and windy Sunday, that we made our way to Covent Garden to try Whittard of Chelsea’s afternoon tea offering.

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Whittard of Chelsea is known for their tea and coffee and have several retail stores across the country including their flagship store in Covent Garden. In 2016 they added a sit-down tea bar to their Covent Garden store. Nestled right in the centre of Covent Garden, one level below the store is the tea bar. And it offers an afternoon tea menu that has something for all tastes - you can try the traditional afternoon tea with all the trimmings or if you prefer savoury over sweets, you can try the Grocer's Tea which is a savoury feast of sandwiches, cakes & scrumptious savouries, paired with your tea of choice. We went for the traditional afternoon tea which featured a spread of sandwiches, scones, cakes & tea!

The tea room has a very casual vibe and as we arrived (after having braved the strong gusts of wind and rain), we were greeted by a member of the staff and shown to our table.

We were offered a choice of a tea cocktail, non-alcoholic mocktail or a glass of prosecco to start off with. We opted for some lemonade instead. We were also handed the drinks menu to peruse. My, oh, my, what an extensive selection of teas we had to choose from! We had never seen such a long list of drinks in an afternoon tea menu. After some deliberation, I opted for the Whisky tea, a rich black tea laced with flavours of fine Scotch whisky. It was lovely - warm, malty and slightly smoky. Bhavin tried the Moringa & Bamboo herbal infusion. It was an unusual combination and had a light earthy sweetness that he loved.

Also worth mentioning here is that we were served our tea with tea timers so that we could keep track of the brewing times for both the teas.

The sandwich selection typically includes – smoked salmon with lemon cheese; coronation chicken; cucumber and egg & cress. We asked for the meat sandwiches to be replaced with vegetarian variants which the staff kindly substituted for us. The sandwiches were fresh, light and flavourful.

The scones were lovely too - with a light brown top and light and crumbly interior. There were two scones each; one plain and one with raisins. They were served with clotted cream and three different jams and marmalade; each of them infused with a Whittard tea!

For the sweet treats, we were served two mini desserts and Whittard's limited-edition raspberry and white chocolate cake. The cake was soft and tender and we loved the combination of raspberries and white chocolate.

You have the option to choose five bitesize cakes if you do not prefer larger cake slices.

Overall, we loved the afternoon tea experience - delicious food that was beautifully presented, extensive choice of teas, a casual & cosy ambience, and great service from the staff.

The Whittard Tea is priced at £30.00 per person (a glass of Prosecco for an extra £6.50).

If you are heading to Covent Garden and are looking for a special treat for your loved one this Valentine's Day, then Whittard's Afternoon Tea experience is the perfect way to spoil your partner.

To check availability and to book a table for afternoon tea, visit www.whittard.co.uk

Whittard of Chelsea Tea Bar | 18 The Marketplace, The Piazza, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8RB
Phone | 02072 403 532

Are you a fan of afternoon tea? What do you like more - the sweet treats or the savouries? Let me know via the comments section below.