London with kids: afternoon tea
In London with kids and in need of a stylish cuppa during these crisp winter months? Well, we have some sound advice for you: book a seat for the afternoon tea at Sketch London and rave about this rather unforgettable experience, just like we did.
Funnily enough it was a French chef who transformed the quintessentially British tea ritual and gave it a modern twist. Pierre Gagnaire, awarded one Michelinstar after the other in the past few decades, made Sketch – situated in the elegant neighborhood of Mayfair – a mouthwatering place in all senses of the word.
London with kids: afternoon tea
The Alice-in-Wonderland-worthy interior was designed by the renowned India Mahdavi. Look at those pink sofas. And this amazing tile floor!
The tea menu alone has the allure of an encyclopedia and features all things tea, from earl grey to chai, from sencha to oolong. You can taste everything, an drink as much tea as you like (and can swallow).
Sweet and savoury
Charming tea ladies explain what afternoon tea means exactly: there’s a lot of magical words like sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries involved. ‘You can try everything’, is the rule, ‘and what you like most, you can order more of.’ A procedure our children wholeheartedly approve of.
First you dive into the savoury department with the most delicious sandwiches. For adults there’s even a… caviar master. In a pink suit! A little exuberance goes a long way, right? After this it’s time for the sweet section, where the same rules apply: you can try and order more of every single treat, from the cream filled pastries to the marshmallows and the sponge cake.
Alice and the Tea Master
The good thing about drinking buckets of tea, is that you need to use the bathroom quite often. Therefore you sit down in an egg. Once you come out of the egg, you feel reborn.
After our crazy tea party the girls each received a gift: a teddybear named Pat. But in our house Pat’s real name is actually Dahlia, like our sweet tea lady. Dahlia sleeps in Lucy’s bed every night, reminding us of our lovely afternoon at Sketch.
Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG. It is advisable to book in advance: +44 (0) 20 7659 4500 and through their website