12.27.2015

time for tea @ harrods


As it is the festive season, I felt a bit cruel for leaving such a negative afternoon tea review with you in my last post, so I thought I'd spoil you with another. As we all know, after the festive fun of Christmas Day, comes the infamous Boxing Day Sales. In London, one of the first names that come to mind when you think shopping is of course, Harrods. But there's so much more than just shopping to the iconic department store, and there is no reason not to make an indulgent day of it.



It won't surprise you to hear that Harrods is so much more than a department store. Harrods offers more than a few exclusive services, including an Urban Retreat, a Parfumerie, a Cobbler's and no less than 10 different places to indulge in a bite to eat, as well as floor upon floor of retail heaven. In search of a break from a full day of shopping, we headed down to the Harrods Terrace for a little tea time treat.

Harrods do actually have a dedicated Tea Room where you are able to just walk on in and surrender yourself to this delicious past time, however at the time I visited, the Tea Room was under refurbishment and so they booked us into the Harrods Terrace Restaurant. I do believe since the re-opening of the Tea Room, Harrods have changed the way in which they serve afternoon tea, but sadly having not got around to trying that yet I can only comment on the afternoon tea I experienced earlier in the year!

It was an unusual experience to walk into a department store and have afternoon tea, something I enjoyed most about afternoon tea at Harrods was the fact that they make no pretense that you are in a department store. The Terrace is constantly busy, people of all walks of life are coming, going, wining and dining while just a few yards away you can watch shoppers browsing the floor in search of that perfect buy. It was a strange juxtaposition, but one that was immediately comforting, and I quickly decided that there couldn't be a more perfect way to people-watch than in the center of the landmark department store.

Now, on to the tea! Harrods of course pride themselves on directly sourcing the finest quality teas, boasting tea as one of their primary commodities since the store opened in 1849. The selection is one of abundance, with Green, White, Black, Fruit and 'Exclusive' teas on offer. Thank God you're not limited to how many you can try, because you will want to sample more than one! Alongside the tea come finger sandwiches of cucumber, salmon and cream cheese, red pepper and humus, chicken and mayonnaise and a lobster roll, all of which are completely delicious and replenishable. The scones are warm, freshly baked and the smell alone is absolutely divine. To top it off there is fruit cake, macaroon, lemon meringue pie, chocolate cake and mille-feuille, all so carefully crafted and exceptionally tasty, if you still have the room.

As a Londoner I love hustle and bustle of this city, and the thing that made this experience so unforgettable was the fact that you can be experiencing some of the things that make this city what it is whilst enjoying the most decadent in cakes and sandwiches. The eccentric sights, vibrant pace and eclectic collection of people are there to observe, whilst you indulge in tea time treats meticulously designed to delight. Then, once your stomach, and your soul, are sated with sugar you leave your table and are whisked up within that crowd, becoming part of that atmosphere and part of London.

24 comments:

  1. That looks delicious! I love Harrods, whenever I visit London I make sure to stop there for afternoon tea. :) I also like the Italian Café in the basement, they got the best muffins. x

    113-things-to-say.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow all of this food looks absolutely amazing! I am almost overwhelmed at how much food there is! Sounds like such a lovely experience, hope you guys had a great time!


    Rae | Love from Berlin

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always get hungry after food posts. Hahhah. I love your photos.


    New post is up on UNIQUEYEAH !
    uniqueyeah.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been to Harrods so many times and never stopped for an afternoon tea which is one of my favourite things to do!! These photos are beautiful and has convinced me to go!!!! Great post!!!

    Charlotte x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous31.12.15

    Wow, I just drooled a little reading about the yummy food! This definitely sounds and looks like a luxury afternoon tea, I can only think of what better experience the actual tearoom serves!

    Pop over to my blog!

    Sarah
    sarahinks.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  6. Festive indeed, Happy New year, cheers to 2016 and all its goodness,xoxo Bing.

    www.bingyourstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow everything looks delicious! I love harrods! :)

    Girl About Town blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love a good afternoon tea and surely Harrods has to be up there with the best? Especially judging by those cakes - they look seriously divine and your photos just make me want to dive in! Hope you have a fantastic 2016 Raj! :)

    Musings & More

    ReplyDelete
  9. Woooww the pastries looks tasty
    Seems like a great experience.

    The Bandwagon Chic | Instagram | Bloglovin | Snapchat: bandwagonchic

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've always wanted to have tea at Harrods! I think I might suggest this for my birthday actually haha it all looks so wonderful! I'm so glad this one was one to remember xx

    Sophie Elizabeth
    www.popcornandglitter.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks so good, I wish I was there right now
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've been to London twice but never been to any of these classic British tea sessions! Need to make a visit in the future. Would make the experience twice as better when it's in Harrods haha! Thank you for sharing Raj x

    Real Life Nerd // www.vivienekok.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'd love to sip delicious tea and eat amazing food while people-watching at Harrods!!!
    http://carolinapage.eu

    ReplyDelete
  14. I had no idea Harrod's had a Tea Room as well! Most higher end places where I am have mini cafes, but tea seems to be missing from all of them. You have to go an actual tea place here, and they're usually quite pricey :(

    Angelina Is | Bloglovin'

    ReplyDelete
  15. So cute, fun, and tasty!

    God bless,

    XO, Claire

    Http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is so, SO pretty! Wish I could have high tea somewhere soon!

    lifeisashoe

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks so delicious !! I love a good afternoon tea but I never tried harrods before :)

    http://allornothing-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Looks great

    Kiss kiss.*Jo
    http://joandcompanystyle.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ahhh looks like such a lovely, classic high tea! I always say it's a dream of mine to be at harrods during christmas time! :D Hopefully one day - I am definitely adding this high tea to something I will do then! :)

    Raashi
    raashiagarwal.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  20. I just love tea time anywhere and this seems like it was so much fun. I just love everything that was on that table. Beautiful photos.

    Kia / KTS
    www.houseofkts.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. This looks sooo good! I want to try a real English tea time so badly :D
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  22. Looks so good! I want some tea myself will get some this weekend! lovely post. x http://www.bauchlefashion.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful setting I must say

    http://sincerelymissj.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete