A Sumptuous Summer Afternoon Tea at The Wellesley Hotel in Knightsbridge

It has been far too long since I last visited The Wellesley. Living so close I always think to myself “I’ll be back for dinner, or pop in for a drink”, but like always when living in London – the things closest to you are sometimes the ones you manage to forget. With all that in mind we finally made our way back to The Wellesley to divulge in its latest offering – Sweet Summer Afternoon Tea. Set in the glamour of the Jazz Lounge, a live pianist recites a playlist of requested pieces while a stunning afternoon tea is served tier by tier.

To set the scene we started with a glass of chilled Veuve Clicquot and rather lovely bowl of fresh and ripe strawberries. It wasn’t the usual offering you’d find at the start of any afternoon tea, but one bite of each of those juicy red strawberries and you’ll know exactly why it should be. They were all accompanied by a pot of thick and indulgent clotted cream which was devilishly good. A lovely, summery way to start our afternoon.

One thing you must know about the afternoon tea here – is that they don’t skimp on portions sizes. Be sure to skip breakfast and come hungry. First to be enjoyed alongside our house-blended tea was lovely array of fresh sandwiches which are topped up upon request. Filled with fillings such as cucumber and cream cheese, pan brioche with smoked salmon, Italian focaccia with mozzarella, tomato & basil, plus our favourite – moist roast beef with rocket and Parmesan. The latter of which we ordered a second helping of.

I shamefully swayed from my afternoon tea etiquette and completely forgot scones were arriving next – accidentally diving into my sweet treats. Thankfully someone stopped me in my tracks, because the warm scones that arrived were excellent. Three flavours were offered. Classic, fruit and the unusual chocolate – which turned out to be my favourite. They were all made even better with a good smothering of chocolate sauce, clotted cream and strawberry preserve. Much to our surprise even more food arrived – in the form of a creamy panna cotta topped with a red berry jelly, swirl of cream and zesty blueberry.

The main spectacle yet was the sweet and moreish top-tier, full of cakes, pastries and lollipops. Delicious creations such as light and chewy rosewater macaroons, meringue lollipops, fruit tarts – not to mention the cherry mousse which had been piped into a chocolate cone and sealed with biscuit. My favourite was the vivid and colourful purple coated sponge roulade, finished off with a Wellesley chocolate shard. There’s a lot of attention to detail here and each creation is every bit as delicious as it looks.

We had such a lovely afternoon at The Wellesley in Knightsbridge, enjoying the Sweet Summer Afternoon Tea. Not only is everything here a delight to look at and eat, but priced at £35 (without Champagne) it’s a real bargain to be had, offering so much quality food for your money. You could quite easily spend a whole afternoon here while listing to those soothing sounds from the piano. If you’re looking for an afternoon tea with class, decadence and opulence – I couldn’t recommend The Wellesley any higher.