Afternoon Tea - this is the one I couldn't manage to post from England! Better late than never!

Off on Friday morning to explore Knightsbridge and Belgravia a bit - first stop is Harrods - a good look around the food hall and you get an idea of what everyone raves about - here is everything under the sun to eat here - all beautifully presented. We bought a bit of cheese and pate to have back at the flat, then wandered a bit through the store, then off to walk in the area. So many beautiful buildings here - many of them are foreign embassies! Now we're tired, and are just outside Harvey Nicols, which is also touted as having a great food hall, so we check it out. I think I might like this one a bit better, even. So many gourmet delights - and we decide to have little rest and a cup of tea in one of the cafes.

Then we find the tube and head off to Hyde Park Corner - and promptly get lost looking for Park Lane (which you would hardly be able to credit, if you could see the map, but we did it!)

Finally find the right way to go and head off down Park Lane beside the park (naturally) and go by so many grand hotels, until we find The Dorchester. We have decided that our first afternoon tea will pull out all the stops! We are ushered into The Promenade – a golden-glow of a room with much marble and gilt! The waiters are all in tuxedos and the seats are all plush banquettes with pleasingly-plumped-pillows! Sink back against them and prepare to be dazzled. While there is a fairly limited selection of teas, there are a few each of black, green and herbal teas to choose from, and they are all served as loose-leaf teas. I choose Paris – a lovely scented black tea with hints of caramel.

I love an afternoon tea that pays as much attention to the savories as the sweets, and this one does itself proud! Five different types of finger sandwiches are offered and offered and offered again, so that only when you are really ready to move on do the sweets begin to arrive. Of course, they are heralded by the presence of the hot scones, two kinds of preserves and clotted cream. What a delight. Next came a dizzying array of tea cakes and confections. Finally, after several hours of pampering, we were ready to head home. Back down the street to the Hyde Park Corner tube station, and home we come.

The Orangery

Saturday morning, we found that the rainy weather had cleared and we had a pretty, sunny day. So we set off for a little bit of shopping and then some time in the park – this time Kensington Park (our own neighborhood park and the site of the Kensington Palace). This was another residence for royal families through the times, and the most recent resident was Princess Diana. You can tour the state rooms, and there's an exhibit of her formal gowns there, but we opted to spend the day in the gardens. The grounds are lovely, and on a sunny afternoon, a perfect place to people watch and to feel a little apart from the crowded streets of London.

As we toured past some of the other grand homes in the area (many of these were also embassies), we found ourselves wandering toward the Orangery. This is a wonderful restaurant in the park. We expected it to be very informal, and it was, in that people certainly dropped in after wandering about in the park in their Saturday rambling clothes, but it is an elegant, airy atmosphere. And one where afternoon tea is served. So, of course, we partook! This was less fancy, but still delicious – cucumber sandwiches, scones and clotted cream and a wonderful orange sponge cake made up the food selections, and there were a few teas to choose from. The shadows got long as we whiled away a couple of hours in this busy, bright spot!

A final look around the area and a leisurely walk home!

Two absolutely wonderful afternoon tea experiences!