I found the most magical afternoon tea for kids in London
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych was pure imagination
I love the ritual of going for an afternoon tea. It’s such a treat – the dressing up, beautiful surrounds, bone china, service and of course, the tasty delights.
I have sampled multiple luxury hotel offerings in London and I was excited to try the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych, Covent Garden, along with my daughters.
This popular tea has been running for some time and I can see why – it’s one of the best I have had. And yes, I have had a lot! (One recent tea was so disappointing, for example, I couldn’t in good conscience, actually review it).
Things looked promising from the moment we walked into the lobby and spotted the Good Nut, Bad Nut sorting machine (the original book had squirrels testing Veruca Salt’s worth, not geese, like the 1971 movie) and bonkers bar. The dining room is decorated in fizzy lifting bubbles and we took our seat in a lovely red-leather banquette, to await our treats.
And what a treat it was. The girls started off with mocktails – a Juicing Room Mix passion fruit puree and a Strawberry Juice Water Pistol Punch, theatrically poured out of smoking tea pots, which they loved. I had two teas – I started with the caramel noir black tea, which was delicious, then moved on to a lemon verbena to cut the sweetness of the desserts. Both were excellent and the service absolutely spot-on, throughout.
We began with finger sandwiches, which were perfectly fresh, the bread light and springy. The children’s menu had egg mayo, cheese, cucumber and cream cheese, and ham, with straightforward cuts, whereas adults received a warm salmon and dill quiche, coronation chicken, egg mayo, spinach roly-poly and “Not quite as it seems beetroot macaron”. Standouts were the quiche, followed by the marvellous macaron, which just exploded in a taste sensation.
Then came the scones – again, super-light and fluffy, with just the right amount of crunch. The girls loved the fudge-flavoured ones, whereas I enjoyed a raisin scone, with a choice of cream, snozzberry, or pineapple jam. Snozzberry (strawberry) is delicious, but if you have never had pineapple jam, then you’re missing out.
With our remaining scones packed in a box to take home, we prepared ourselves for the desserts. Now, if you think of a chocolate-themed tea, you might worry it will be too much, but it’s not at all, it’s fabulous and we didn’t feel over-indulged by the end, although we did give the hot chocolates a miss, in preparation.
The tea was served on two boxes, with hidden drawers, which included the following: Fabulous Fluffy Floss, a micro-caramel-chocolate milkshake “mixed by waterfall”, a Fizzy Lifting lemonade posset, Hair Toffee Mousse, ‘All the Beans’ ganache and Scrumptious Strawberry and Pink Champagne Sweet. Everything was artistic, fun, thoughtful, but most importantly, exquisitely-made. My favourites were the lemonade posset and mousse.
Sometimes afternoon teas can be too much style over substance, or even, the opposite, slightly lacking in style, but this afternoon tea ticked all the boxes. It was an absolute delight, from start to finish and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Note: We were guests of One Aldywch
For more on afternoon teas in London, see my previous newsletter here
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Where is it: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea is at One Aldwych, Covent Garden. The tea room is entered by its own door, to the side of the hotel.
What is it: The afternoon tea is an ode to Roald Dahl’s book and movies, so any fans of the books, films, or new movie Wonka, will enjoy it. There are vegan and vegetarian options and you can upgrade with champagne or cocktails. The kids’ mocktails are an extra cost, at £11 each.
When is it on: The tea is served weekends and Wednesdays to Fridays, with extra dates in school holidays.
Price: Adult teas are £70 and children’s teas, £50. While this is not a bargain day out, truly, in my opinion, this was one of the best I have had. I loved every moment of it and if you are looking for a treat, it’s definitely worth it. You won’t need any dinner afterwards, either!
How to book: Visit onealdwych.com