A Tale as Old as Time Afternoon Tea at The Town House

Themed afternoon teas are all the rage right now. Whether you'd like to try something autumnal or a touch of Wonderland, there is an afternoon tea to suit every mood. The latest one to join the ranks is the A Tale as Old as Time afternoon tea at Town House (though this isn't the first one to take inspiration from Disney's Beauty and the Beast I've tried), which was a particularly well-thought out menu with intricate details of the classic animated film reflected both in the food choices and the place setting. We even had the real Mrs Potts and Chip looking on while we tried 'the grey stuff', alongside Lumiere lighting our table and an adorable little edible Cogsworth as a part of the sweets selection.

This afternoon tea was Beauty and the Beast-themed in every detail; from the red rose on the table to the miniature French baguettes instead of scones, and from a cookie beautifully iced as Belle's dress through to the characters dotted around the table. As is tradition, we were given some savoury starters to kick off the meal (a delicious pie, arancini and souffle) followed by a tiered display filled with sandwiches with a variety of fillings and sweet delights to finish the afternoon tea with.

I was particularly fond of the venison pie, roast Devon red chicken and cranberry sandwich, the 'grey stuff' (a white chocolate mousse), the spiced snowball macaron and the Cogsworth-shaped chocolate tart, but mostly everything was a delight. The only dish slightly less impressive were the miniature brioche baguettes. They looked adorable but were quite dry, even when topped with apricot preserve or chocolate spread. There was plenty else for us to enjoy however, which filled us up so the baguettes weren't a terrible loss. Not only that but they'd also catered well for the vegetarians in our party, which is always a good thing.

My apologies that my photos aren't as good as they usually are for my restaurant reviews, but we were sat in the library nook which while adding to the Beauty and the Beast vibe (after all, bookish Belle discovering the Beast's library is one of the highlights in the film), it did impact upon the lighting of our table so the pictures came out darker and less vivid than I would've liked. Still, hopefully they captured some of the charm of this afternoon tea to do the wonderful displays justice.












You can enjoy the A Tale as Old as Time afternoon tea at The Town House in the Kensington Hotel, 109-113 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5LR. It's priced at £38.50pp, or £50 with a glass of champagne. They're booked full quite far in advance so if you're interested in trying this afternoon tea make sure you check their website for availability as soon as you know when you want to go!


🎵 Listening to: Fall Out Boy – What's This
🔹 Mood: Cosy