time for tea @ W

To celebrate the last year, my Mum and I made a new years resolution to treat ourselves to an afternoon tea once a month, at all the iconic venues in the city we'd always wanted to go. Indulging in sandwiches, scones, cake, tea and a chit chat once a month was  definitely a resolution that we were able to stick to! So I thought I'd share with you some of the spots in London where you'll find the good, bad and ugly ways of enjoying of this age old English tradition.

Unsurprisingly, our first stop was somewhat unconventional. Instead of going with the traditional, we began with a rock 'n' roll inspired interpretation of afternoon tea at the W Hotel, Leicester Square.

The W Rock Tea featured a cocktail, sandwiches, scones and cakes inspired by legendary rock 'n' roll artists and tracks, all presented on three tiers of vinyl records. First a 'Rock Mar-tea-ni' which aside from being a great pun was a fabulously fresh Hendrick's cocktail served in a teapot, followed by 'Dark side of the Moon' sandwiches of smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise, cucumber and roast chicken. Next were 'Rule Britannia' scones, followed by a selection of rock themed cakes including a gorgeous glittery 'Purple Haze' battenburg and a very messy 'Sticky Fingers' meringue, all served in the iconic W Lounge. There was even a live DJ, in a very bizarre but fabulous sequined dress and night cap, serenading us with slow rock as we fell into a sugary coma.

I probably won't go into specifics as much with a lot of the other afternoon tea experiences I'll share with you, but with this one I will, simply because the attention to detail was sublime. Everything had been carefully considered, selected and displayed with the intent of ensuring a completely unique and first class tea service, and it really made all the difference. The staff were all really helpful and friendly, informing us that everything in our tea was replenish-able, they kept offering us more, didn't rush us in any way and even invited us to stay for a cocktail in the lounge after our tea.

Sadly the W Rock Tea, as with all the themed afternoon teas at the W Hotel, was only available for a short time, but I would not hesitate to go back again. It was the perfect way to while away what was  a very dreary January afternoon, and what's more we even managed to get the tea on a 50% off offer, making it a luxurious treat that everyone can afford, and one that I would recommend completely.