As you can see from the banner on my blog, I love the meal known as afternoon tea, though I don’t often indulge in the fancy hotel variety. My most recent outing was in Victoria B.C., at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, a grand structure dating to 1908 which boasts a palatial lobby, perfect for sipping tea and nibbling on dainties while listening to live piano (jazz standards salted with a bit of Elton John–or should I say Sir Elton?).
The Chateau-style hotel, built ca. 1905, overlooks Victoria’s inner harbor.
The lobby is, well, fit for an Empress.
The Empress featured a “Royal Tea” in November, with treats by a former executive chef to the British royal family, Darren McGrady. But the tea is always served in special china designed for George V in 1914. The Empress started using it in 1939 on the occasion of a visit by George VI and the Princess Elizabeth. You can buy it in the gift shop, but be prepared to pay. A lot.
Each guest has her own teapot, which is set over a bowl of hot water. The loose-leaf tea is brewed in large bags, which you lift out at the end of your chosen interval. (I love the nifty low-tech sand timer, with indicators for 3, 4, or 5 minutes.)
The Empress has an extensive tea menu, with black, oolong, green and herbal leaves. I chose the Empress oolong, which is $8 extra, but worth it for the floral aroma and smooth, non-acidic finish.
Next, the treats arrive! I was anxiously awaiting my must-have scone with clotted cream and jam.
As savories, the regular menu has sandwiches of smoked salmon, cheddar and tomato, chicken mayonnaise, and roast beef with horseradish and cream. I got the vegetarian version, which included cheddar with pickle, cucumber and cream cheese, and a tiny artichoke tart.
Vegetarian selections. I enjoyed the rolled sandwich with roasted red pepper and cream cheese. The tart had a curried flavor. The round sandwich is a simple “jam penny” of white bread, jam and butter, said to be a favorite of Elizabeth and Margaret when they were small children in the nursery.
And the treats? There was the Queen and Prince William’s favorite Chocolate Biscuit Cake (very fudgy), a sharp-flavored lemon tartlet with raspberries, caramel banana cake, and vanilla shortbread. After we devoured these, we were given a choice between Prince Philip’s favorite Earl Grey fruitcake, or pink and yellow frosted Battenberg cake.
This was a very traditional tea, satisfying if a bit bland. The finger sandwiches would be easy to make at home (spread white bread with butter or cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumber or cheddar, a bit of chutney or pickle, and slice off the crusts). The tartlets and rolled bread were more delicate and sophisticated. The desserts were sweet and homely rather than haute, but it all seems just right for a British royal tea.
My favorite (after the scone and cream)? The Chocolate Biscuit Cake was memorably rich, with a grainy texture like brown sugar, and studded with walnuts.
Linnet Moss 
Lovely.
Thanks! It’s the perfect girly activity. We followed it up with shopping, LOL
There is a nice hotel in Nelson, very close from where I live, which serves “High tea”, as I think they call it there, in a very similar way to what you show here (slightly less expensive, though, and I must say, fortunately).
Yes, that’s the problem with these fancy teas. The ingredients are not that expensive, but they charge a premium for putting them together. Usually I’m just as happy with my tea at home, but once in a while I love to get dolled up and have things served on tiered trays 🙂
Love an afternoon tea, those teapots look magnificnent! Ths version is a very English ‘nursery’ food kind of avo tea. The scone, jam and cream look very tasty.
Yes, I recognized it as nursery food! Funny that they are presenting it to North Americans as the height of class and sophistication 🙂 Some of the sandwiches in the non-veg version were more deluxe, with salmon and so forth. I think one had roast beef and horseradish. Gentleman’s fare… but another was chicken salad with mayonnaise.
Maybe coronation chicken ? Did it look curry yellow?
Yes, I think it was yellow, but I figured it was mustard. Didn’t try the chicken one, of course. “Coronation chicken” would have fit the Royal theme of the tea.
I went to my first afternoon tea at a museum this month. The little crustless sandwiches were actually very good, although I still can’t figure out why they cut off the crusts. That reminds me of kid food. Maybe it’s so the sandwiches look neat and cute?
I think it actually is kid food. Lots of the traditional tea foods are also nursery foods–relatively bland. But also it’s that sandwiches are thought to be more elegant without the crusts.
Location looks fab! Hope tea and scone was good 😊 the rest well I know what I would be prepared to pay here but I was shocked at what they charged in ny for what they called high tea. Ehem. For that I’d have a bottle of champagne with the champagne tea at the Claridges. It’s too bad they don’t work a bit harder for it. I looooooove afternoon tea and I always try new ones. So happy it’s come back into fashion 😊I’m eating and drinking my way through the ones in town 😊in case anyone is travelling to London and wants to try some just give us a shout. I have plenty of tips for all price ranges and styles ☕🍰🍽
It was delicious. What I notice is that the “clotted cream” is different in every place I go. And it’s never like what I had in London, which was the best. I just had tea at Bosie’s tea parlor in NYC, and they were very stingy with the cream, but the scones were to die for, so buttery and delicate. The best I’ve had.
Sounds yummy I love scones on the more delicate side! Gotta try make them at home but there must be secrets 😊 to these ones.
I’ve tried making them, and they end up heavy by comparison. But I didn’t use pastry flour, maybe that’s part of it…and lots of practice.
Same here mine are heavy! Good ones are always on the crumbly side. You’re not supposed to cut scones after all good ones you just pull gently apart in 2 with your fingers 😊 but as you said I never could replicate anything as fluffy as the Dorchester did … incredible. And one time at the Langham which I loooove they had special ones with Valrhona orange dark chocolate bits in them. They came in a cloth covered basket fresh from the oven and when uncovered… oh my lord! The aroma alone 😍 maybe we just need to practice more. Problem is they are always best fresh and that’s a pain.
Valrhona orange dark chocolate bits… I can only imagine. I am such a sucker for anything with orange and chocolate. Or even just orange. I got a box of candied orange slices dipped in chocolate for Christmas, but haven’t eaten them yet. And some torrone with almonds and orange.
Oh surprised by the biscuit cake not one I’ve ever seen any afternoon tea menu. But I love the sort though know it more as an Italian dessert Salame di cioccolato. I lik’em boozy.
It was very satisfying with a deep chocolate flavor and lots of texture. That’s one I wouldn’t mind having again. The fruit cake was good too.
Oooh, love doing this high tea thing as well and this one looks lovely! 🙂
Thanks Esther, it’s great fun! Sometimes I can even get the Long Suffering Husband to come along, if it’s not too fussy.